Health insurance Difficult to pay insurance premiums at more than 2000 offices nationwide Corona September 17, 22:23

Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the finances of the health insurance associations that salaried workers and others join are deteriorating.

It turned out that the company's income decreased, making it difficult to pay insurance premiums at more than 2,000 business establishments nationwide, and it was temporarily suspended.

The deferred payment amounted to more than 16.7 billion yen, and the Health Insurance Federation = Health Insurance Union Federation said, "It seems that it will worsen than at the time of the Lehman shock, and there is concern that some unions will consider dissolution in the future." I will.

As a general rule, the insurance premiums of health insurance associations, which are joined by salaried workers of large companies, are paid equally between the company and the individual, and the burden of medical expenses at the counter is kept to 30% or less.

However, due to the impact of the new coronavirus, which has made it difficult for some companies to pay insurance premiums, the country has earned 20 months of income compared to the same period of the previous year. We have established special measures to postpone the payment of insurance premiums for up to one year for business establishments that have decreased by% or more.

According to the summary of the Health Insurance Federation = Health Insurance Union Federation, as of July, this special measure was applied, and the payment of insurance premiums was postponed to a total of 2199 offices of 120 unions nationwide. ..



The total amount of grace is more than 16.7 billion yen.



In addition, the Japan Health Insurance Association, which is mainly joined by people working in small and medium-sized enterprises, has a deferred amount of more than 76.9 billion yen, which means that the total premium payment of nearly 100 billion yen has been deferred.



According to the Health Insurance Federation, this year's premium income is expected to be about 7.82 trillion yen, a decrease of about 400 billion yen from the initial forecast.



Masahiro Sano, Vice Chairman of the Health Insurance Federation, said, "The impact is expected to exceed the Lehman shock, and it is more severe than I imagined. There is a possibility that the number of companies that have difficulty paying insurance premiums will increase in the future. I would like to ask the country for support. "

Travel agencies that have heavy insurance premiums

Companies whose income has dropped significantly due to the effects of the new coronavirus are burdened with heavy insurance premiums.



Travel agencies in Nakano-ku, Tokyo, saw a sharp decline in tourists after the spread of the new coronavirus infection, and sales have almost disappeared since April.

We have specialized in overseas travel such as Mongolia and Nepal, but due to the restrictions on traffic by each country, sales by March decreased by about 70% from the same period last year.



And it is said that there has been almost no sales since April.



We have 30 employees, but since April we have been temporarily closed, and when we interviewed this month, there were only two people in the company, the president and employees.



The national employment adjustment subsidy holds down the employment of employees, but the weight of the insurance premiums is the health insurance association.



This company is a member of the "Tourism Industry Health Insurance Association" made by a company related to tourism.



The insurance premium is paid equally by the company and employees, and the monthly burden of the company is about 400,000 yen.



The company continues to pay insurance premiums even when there is no sales, but it is said that there is a limit to that.

Yuji Hara, president of "Kaze no Travel Agency," said, "I've managed to keep paying insurance premiums in order to protect the welfare of employees. There is a way to have the payment postponed, but in the end, I have to pay later. No. I want the country to consider supporting companies like us. "

Health insurance union has been strict since before Corona

Health insurance associations have been forced to operate rigorously even before the spread of the new coronavirus infection.



Many unions have been forced to dissolve due to the deterioration of their income and expenditure due to the increase in medical expenses associated with the super-aging society and contributions to the medical system for the elderly.



Among them, this new coronavirus.



It is expected that the profitability of the company will deteriorate and the operation will become more difficult.



On the other hand, after the spread of the new virus, patients are refraining from seeing a doctor, and according to the Health Insurance Society, medical expenses in May decreased by more than 10% compared to the previous year.



As medical expenses decrease as the consultation refrains, the income and expenditure of the health insurance association will improve, but according to the Health Insurance Federation, medical expenses have begun to increase from around June.



On the other hand, many companies' income and wages have been declining, and it has been pointed out that the operation of health insurance associations may continue to deteriorate. I am also worried that it will come out.



If the Japan Health Insurance Association is dissolved, employees will move to the Japan Health Insurance Association.



Taxes are put on the Japan Health Insurance Association, and the smaller the number of health insurance associations, the higher the tax burden.

Health Insurance Federation "I would like to ask the government for financial support."

Masahiro Sano, Vice President of the Health Insurance Federation, said, "The number of unions that are deferred from paying insurance premiums is increasing year by month, and it seems that a very difficult situation will come. Some unions will be able to dissolve. I am also concerned about this, and I would like to ask the government for financial support. Also, I would like to see a review of the medical insurance system, especially discussions on who will bear the medical expenses for the elderly and how. "