The Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai agreed at a working-level meeting at the Diet on Friday to press ahead with sorting out the issues around raising the share of medical costs paid at the counter by patients aged 70 and over, Sankei Shimbun reported.
Ishin called for expanding the number of people subject to the 30% copay. The two parties will put together a conclusion on revising the counter burden and draw up a roadmap by the end of the year.
At the meeting the parties reviewed data on how often elderly patients see doctors, on medical costs and on incomes. They will examine expanding the group that pays 30% — the same rate as people under 70 — on the grounds that these patients have "working-age levels" of income, and sort out the specific issues.
Ishin also pointed to a flaw in the current system. For people aged 75 and over who pay 30%, the rest of their medical costs has no public funding and relies on support money from the working generation.
Tamura Norihisa, a former health, labor and welfare minister, said after the meeting that LDP members raised the view that "we have to debate what is truly fair" over the "truly fair burden according to ability to pay" the two parties have agreed on. He signaled that the LDP intends to move carefully.
How the burden is split now
Patients pay 30% of medical costs at the counter from elementary school entry through age 69. The rate is 2% in principle for ages 70 to 74, and 10% for ages 75 and over.