STATEMENTS

The discourse about approval of revision bills, such as the Health Insurance Law and the Medical Service Law

November 30, 2000

Kiyoshi Sasamori
General Secretary, RENGO

  1. The government and the governing parties had "the bill which revises the parts of the Health Insurance Law etc.", and "the bill which revises parts of the Medical Service Law etc." approved in Upper House Committee on Health and Welfare and then the Upper House plenary session in spite of the contrary of the opposition parties today. RENGO protests with anger to having approved the bills without sufficient discussion either in the House of Representatives or the Upper House. The bills postpone the implementation in the 2000 fiscal year of drastic reform of the medical system and impute a new burden to a patient and the insured.

  2. RENGO has not accepted the increase of a burden without drastic reform since the deliberation at the House of Representatives and requested for the following amendments to the bills in cooperation with opposition parties:
    1) The bill should specify the implementation in the 2002 fiscal year of medical system drastic reform.
    2) The fixed rate of 10% of an old outpatients expense should be discussed in the process of drastic reform of a health care system for the elderly and should be withdrawn.
    3) A large-scale rise in the limit of a patient's share of a high-priced medical expense, which leads to a change in the basic idea of social insurance, should be withdrawn.
    4) The review of a premium rate, which should be discussed with the review of the elderly-care-insurance system, should be withdrawn.
    The governing parties did the forcing posture by not responding to these amendments. In the Upper House Committee on Health and Welfare, although the Minister answered that a bill to reexamine an old-people medical system should be submitted to the Diet in 2002 by efforts of the opposition parties, the amendments were not accepted at all.

  3. As for revision bills of the Medical Service Law, a reform proposal medical service structure has been examined over two years in the Council on Medical Service Facilities. However, the contents of this revision bill did not make any progress in meeting demands of patients, such as disclosure of medical records, improving the quality of services and relaxing the regulation on advertisement, due to strong opposition of the Japan Medical Association. Many opinions asking for amendments were raised in the Diet deliberations. However, the governing parties did not accept such amendments at all, either. RENGO keeps asking for amendments strongly in the position of the people and patients.

  4. The medical insurance system has greeted the crisis of collapse with an increase of medical expenses due to geriatric medicine expense. Moreover, medical accidents occur frequently and medical reliance is lost greatly. Postponing medical reform should not be allowed by any means. RENGO aims at realization of the drastic reform by the 2002 fiscal year towards a reliable and good quality medical service by strengthening further influence to the opposition parties centering on the Democratic Party and cooperating with National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, Japan Federation of Employers' Associations, etc.

HOME
Statments