Total nursing care costs exceeded 10 trillion yen for the first time.
With the aging of the population, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found that last year, the number of people who used nursing care services and nursing care prevention services reached 5.97 million, and the total cost of nursing care exceeded 10 trillion yen for the first time.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of people who used long-term care services such as visiting care, outpatient care, and facility care was 5,179,200, an increase of 83,300 compared to the previous year.
When combined with users of care prevention services received by people with relatively mild conditions, this number reaches 5,973,500 people.
The total amount of nursing care costs associated with these services, including the self-payment of users, was 10,153.6 billion yen, an increase of more than 220 billion yen from the previous year.
Nursing care cost surveys have been conducted since 2001, when the long-term care insurance system started, and this is the first time it has exceeded 10 trillion yen, which is 2.3 times that of the time.
Nursing care service users and nursing care costs are expected to continue to increase until around 2040, when the number of elderly people peaks.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is discussing proposals for reviewing the system, such as how much to increase the user's self-pay to maintain the long-term care insurance system, and plans to compile it within the year.