The government and the ruling camp are considering raising out-of-pocket medical payments by some people age 75 or older starting October 2022, informed sources said Friday.
People age 75 or older pay 10% of the costs of the medical treatments and drugs they receive. The share will be raised to 20% for those with certain levels of income, the sources said.
The government calls for raising medical payments by people age 75 or older with an annual income of ¥1.7 million or more, while Komeito, the coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is seeking to set the threshold at ¥2.4 million.
The government aims to implement the payment hike in fiscal 2022, when Japan’s first-generation baby boomers begin to turn 75, likely boosting the country’s medical costs.
If the income threshold is set at ¥1.7 million as proposed by the government, 5.2 million people would face a medical payment increase. If the level is set at ¥2.4 million, two million people would be affected.
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