A new health insurance system that covers people aged 75 or over started April 1, 2008. It was unpopular at first because, in principle, premiums are withdrawn from people's pensions at the source. Participants also felt that they were segregated from younger people.
So, in accordance with the Democratic Party of Japan's call for abolition of the plan, the health ministry came up with a final revision plan on Dec. 8, but it contains many problems.
Under the plan, some 14 million people aged 75 or over and about 12 million self-employed or jobless people will join the kokumin kenko hoken health insurance plan now administered by municipalities, while some 2 million company employees or dependents of company employees will join corporate health insurance plans.