[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”!!! PLEASE DO NOT EDIT !!!” _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.19.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – SUMMARY – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your summary. The summary condenses the main points for the news that starts below. The summary is in bold and not longer than 300 characters, including spaces. The counter at the bottom can help.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||20px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s aging population is driving up medical costs, with elderly care subsidies hitting 3.86 trillion yen and premiums at a record 9.34%. Nearly half of health insurance funds go to seniors, straining company associations and the state, prompting reforms to make wealthy elderly pay more.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 1 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||1em||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Japan\u2019s health insurance system is facing mounting strain as medical expenses rise sharply with the country\u2019s rapidly aging population. According to the Japan Health Insurance Association, subsidies for elderly medical care increased 5.7% year-on-year in 2024 to a record 3.86 trillion yen. The surge in costs has pushed the average health insurance premium rate to 9.31% last year and is projected to rise further to 9.34% in 2025, breaking all-time records. This growing financial burden is largely being shouldered by the working-age population, raising concerns that higher premiums could offset the effects of recent wage hikes and weaken household consumption.<\/p>\n Unlike Korea\u2019s single-payer system, Japan operates a multilayered health insurance structure composed of large company health associations, small and medium enterprise unions, and local government-run schemes for the self-employed, retirees, and part-timers. Around 30 million employees of major corporations and their families are covered by 1,400 health insurance associations, which are jointly funded by labor and management. While these associations recorded a small collective surplus of 14.5 billion yen last year, nearly half still reported deficits, with 24% setting premium rates above 10%, a level seen as unsustainable. Once premiums exceed this \u201cdisbandment baseline,\u201d operating an independent health insurance union loses its advantage, leading to dissolutions and transfers of members to public associations, which in turn increase government budgetary burdens. Ten associations were dissolved or merged last year alone, a trend that could weigh heavily on state finances if it continues.<\/p>\n This pressure is linked to broader national health expenditure, which climbed to 48 trillion yen last year, a fourth consecutive record high. For the first time, those aged 75 and above accounted for over 40% of Japan\u2019s total medical spending, reflecting the aging of the postwar baby boom generation. Spending by this \u201clate elderly\u201d group has risen dramatically, from 12.7 trillion yen in 2010 to 19.6 trillion yen in 2024, pushing their share of medical costs from 34% to 41%. In response, the government plans to introduce reforms that increase cost-sharing among higher-income elderly individuals while also considering ways to distribute insurance burdens more broadly, including from wealthier asset holders, regardless of age. Policymakers see these measures as crucial to preserving system sustainability without overburdening younger generations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TO BE EDITED – TEXT OF THE NEWS – BLOCK 2 – Click on the WHEEL icon to open the textarea where you can paste or type your news. PLEASE USE ONLY THE FEATURED IMAGE FUNCTION on your right column to add the image.” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Japan\u2019s aging population is driving up medical costs, with elderly care subsidies hitting 3.86 trillion yen and premiums at a record 9.34%. Nearly half of health insurance funds go to seniors, straining company associations and the state, prompting reforms to make wealthy elderly pay more. Japan\u2019s health insurance system is facing mounting strain as medical…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2098,"featured_media":987788922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[],"tags":[116,134],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987787234"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2098"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=987787234"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987787234\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":987787254,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/987787234\/revisions\/987787254"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/987788922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987787234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=987787234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p4h.world\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=987787234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}