STATEMENTS

The discourse against the steamrolling of "the revision bill of the Health Insurance Law and the Medical Service Law"

November 1, 2000

Kiyoshi Sasamori
General Secretary
RENGO

  1. The government and the three governing party carried out the steamrolling of "the bill which revises the parts of the Health Insurance Law etc.", and the "bill which revises parts of the Medical Service Law etc." in the Lower House Standing Committee on Health and Welfare today. RENGO protests against postponing the implementation in the 2000 fiscal year of drastic reform of a medical system, having not fully deliberated the above-mentioned revision bills which imputed the new burden to a patient and the insured, and having carried out the steamrolling in the committee in spite of the strong contrary of the opposition party.

  2. There are serious problems that should not be allowed in reform bills. The first, it is the introduction of the ten percent burden of fixed rates with a maximum to an old man. A maximum frame changes with hospital scales etc. and the amount of a burden can be different even for the same medical expense. It is the complicated systems. The reform of the health care system for the elderly for which solution should be hurried is again postponed. Introduction of a fixed rate system should be considered in founding a new old-people medical system.
    The second problem is reexamination of large sum medical expenses. Although a present individual coverage limit is 63,600 yen, the bill newly makes it 121,800 yen for a man with the monthly income of about 560,000 yen or more and, furthermore it adds to individual coverage 1% of the medical expenses exceeding a limit. This distorts the basic idea of a medical insurance system that a premium is according to income and benefit is equally paid.

  3. The third problem is reexamination of the rate of a legal maximum of a premium. The charge of elderly care insurance adds together with a health insurance premium, and is collected in the range not exceeding the rate of a maximum present. However, in this revision, this rate of a maximum premium is applied only to the health insurance premium, but not to the elderly care insurance. It has become the measure urged to real raising of a health insurance premium. Although the main factor of the severity of present health insurance finances is in the increase in the contribution of old-man health insurance, the government also postpones the measure this time. The government should increase the public expenditure burden of medicine expense for the elderly to 50 percent instantly as a means to reduce the burden of the insurer and the insured.
    The biggest problem is delaying fundamental reform. How many times does the government deceive the people? Enforcement of the reform in the 2002 fiscal year should be specified in a law, and the government should promise surely carrying out it to people.


  4. The Medical Service Council has been examining the medical service system and its reform over two years. However, the contents of this revision bill does not touch all important matters for patients, such as raising of a nursing standard, and legislation of a medical record disclosure, relaxing of advertising regulation, etc. due to the opposition of the Japan Medical Association. This revision bill should be amended.

  5. The medical insurance system is faced with financial difficulty by expansion of geriatric medicine expense etc., and the quality of medical treatments is also deteriorating, as characterized by frequent occurrence of the medical accident. In order for people to feel easy over the future and to be able to receive a good medical service, drastic reform of medical treatment and a medical insurance system is an urgent challenge.
    RENGO develops the request to Diet member centering on the Democratic Party in the House of Councilors, Diet sessions visits, street campaigning actions, etc., aiming at realization of the thorough deliberations on both bills and big revisions.

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