From October 1st, the medical and pension systems will change.
In principle, the copayment for medical expenses for those aged 75 and over, which is 10%, will be raised to 20% for those with an annual income of 2 million yen or more. be mitigated.
Until now, the medical expenses for elderly people aged 75 and over have been 10% in
principle
. ,
will be raised from 1 day to 20%.
The target is about 3.7 million people, which is 20% of the total elderly people.
However, in order to mitigate the increase in the burden, a consideration measure will be established to limit the increase in outpatient medical expenses to a maximum of 3,000 yen per month for three years from October 1, and the excess amount will be refunded. That's it.
In addition, in order to encourage people to see a "family doctor" not only for the elderly, but also for those who visit a university hospital without a letter of introduction, the fee will be raised from the first day, and the first visit will be 5,000 yen. From above, it will be over 7000 yen.
On the other hand, from October 1, the requirements for part-time workers to join the employees' pension will change.
Until now, it was necessary to work for a company with 501 or more employees for at least one year, but this will be relaxed to 101 or more employees and a working period of at least two months.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, this means that 450,000 new people will be eligible for enrollment.
Medical expenses for the latter-stage elderly change in this way
30% of people aged 75 and over who have an annual income of 3.83 million yen or more in single-person households and 5.2 million yen or more in multiple households have an income equivalent to that of active workers.
Others were 10%.
From October 1st, the counter burden will change for some of the people who have been 10% so far.
The burden will be raised from 10% to 20% for
single-person households with an annual income of 2 million yen or more,
and for multiple households with an annual household income of 3.2 million yen or more, such as two couples aged 75 or older living together.
The burden on people with less than this annual income remains unchanged at 10%.
The burden on those who are said to have an income comparable to that of the working generation, which has already accounted for 30%, will not change.
However, in order to mitigate the increase in burden, consideration measures have been established to limit the increase in the amount of outpatient medical treatment at the counter for one month to a maximum of 3,000 yen for three years from the first day, and the excess amount will be refunded. is.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average annual co-payment for those who pay 10% is about 83,000 yen. .
In the background of the review, there is an increase in medical expenses due to the progress of aging.
Last year, medical expenses per person aged 75 and over were 939,000 yen, almost four times as much as those under 75 years old.
Approximately 50% of medical expenses for the elderly in the later stages of life are covered by public funds, and the remaining 40% is covered by support funds from insurance premiums paid by the working generation, excluding the patient's copayment.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare estimates that this measure will reduce annual public expenditure by 98 billion yen and support from insurance premiums paid by the working generation to 72 billion yen.
The requirements for joining the Employees' Pension for part-time employees change in this way
Part-time workers and other part-time workers who wish to join the Employees' Pension Plan must meet the following requirements:
▽ Work at a company with 501 or more employees, ▽ Work
20 hours or more per week , ▽
Monthly wages of 88,000 yen or more.
▽ There was a prospect of employment for more than 1 year,
▽
It was necessary to satisfy five things: ▽ not being a student.
Two of the five requirements will be relaxed from October 1st.
Specifically,
▽ more than 101 employees,
▽ working period is expected to be more than 2 months.
If you join the Employees' Pension, you will receive a larger amount of pension in your old age compared to the National Pension, and you will also receive an increase in survivors' pension and disability pension.
For medical insurance, you will be enrolled in a health insurance system operated by a health insurance association, etc., and you will
receive an "Injury and Sickness Allowance" if you are unable to work due to injury or illness, and
▽ "Maternity Allowance" if you are unable to work due to childbirth. The security will be generous, such as being able to receive
Employees' pension and health insurance premiums will be paid equally between the subscriber and the employer. go down.
On the other hand, if a person who has been dependent on a spouse and has not paid insurance premiums until now joins the Employees' Pension Plan, etc., the burden of insurance premiums will be newly incurred.
The government has decided to relax the number of employees of companies whose part-time employees are enrolled in the welfare pension to 51 or more by October of the year after next, and is considering eventually abolishing it.
In addition, it will be easier to use the “individual type” defined contribution pension = “iDeCo” that is added to the public pension.
Until now, when a company employee enrolled in a "corporate-type" defined contribution pension plan had to agree with labor and management, etc., it was necessary to join, but from October 1st, it will be possible to join without agreement. .
The premium is up to 55,000 yen per month, including the "corporate type", of which "iDeCo" can be freely combined within the range of 20,000 yen per month.
Children's Allowance "Special Benefit" In some cases, it will not be paid
Regarding the child allowance for children under junior high school age, if the income exceeds a certain level, the allowance will not be paid, but as a "special benefit", 5000 yen per month will be paid per child. will no longer be paid depending on your income.
The child allowance for children under junior high school
age is ▽ 15,000 yen per month for children under 3 years old,
▽ 10,000 yen for the first and second children from 3 years old to elementary school students, and 15,000 yen for the third child and later. ▽ Junior high school students are paid 10,000 yen.
However, if the income exceeds a certain amount, the allowance will not be paid.
Instead, 5,000 yen per month is paid to each child as a "special benefit", but from this month, some households will no longer receive the special benefit.
For example, in the case of a dependent spouse and two children, if the annual income of the person with the highest income in the household is 12 million yen or more, it will be excluded and will not be paid.
The financial resources saved will be used to eliminate waiting-list children.
Elderly couples have a gradual increase in medical expenses "Feeling unbearable"
In September, Aiko Kojima (77), who lives with her husband in Kiyose City, Tokyo, received a new health insurance card stating "20%" in the item "percentage of co-payment". increase.
Along with her husband Noboru, 84, she will be subject to a gradual increase in her medical expenses starting October 1.
Noboru, who has been suffering from prostate cancer since last year, has been affected by the metastasis to her bones, and her hips and knees have also deteriorated, making it difficult to walk far.
She went to the dentist today, hoping to get her teeth done in September before her medical bills increase.
She was scheduled to finish the procedure with a filling, but her tooth still hurts, so she will continue treatment after this month.
The dentist who treated them said, ``Many patients are surprised when they are told that medical expenses will increase from October. I think it will come," he said.
In the case of Mr. Kojima and his wife, the cost of treatment for Mr. Noboru's cancer has increased, and monthly medical expenses total about 25,000 yen.
Of this amount, 18,000 yen uses the country's "high-cost medical care benefit system" that is returned when medical expenses exceed a certain upper limit, and the amount will not change in the future.
On the other hand, the remaining 7,000 yen is for medicine and treatment for chronic arrhythmia, etc., and up to 3,000 yen per month will be increased by measures to reduce the sudden increase in burden until September 2025. After three years, the burden is expected to double to 14,000 yen per month.
The monthly income of the two is more than 300,000 yen, mainly from pensions, but this year the amount of pension payments has decreased, and the prices of food and daily necessities have increased one after another, and there is no end to anxiety about the future.
Ms. Kojima said, "My husband's medical expenses are expensive, so if I think about doubling my medical expenses in the future, I can't stand it. I can't cut it because it's medical expenses related to my body and health. I've worked hard thinking that there are better things to take, but I feel like I can't do it."
Changes in the system for the latter-stage elderly From the working generation
Some people of the working generation, who bear about 40% of the medical expenses of the elderly in the later stages of life, excluding the burden paid at the counter, say that this system change is understandable.
A female office worker in her 50s said, "I'm worried that our burden will increase from the current 30% in the future. Even elderly people who have spare capacity and high annual income should be asked to pay. I think it's good," he said.
A man in his 30s, a company employee, said, ``If we increase the burden on the working generation further, it will not be good if they end up having a hard time or not being able to create the society and life that they envision. I think it's okay for people to bear the burden," he said.
On the other hand, a housewife in her 40s said, ``Prices are rising steadily, but I don't feel that my salary will go up. I'm more worried about whether I'll go," he said.
“Stop refraining from seeing a doctor.”
Approximately 3.7 million people, or about 20% of the total, will actually increase their medical expenses from October 1st among the elderly aged 75 and over.
Of these, Mikiaki Shiratori, manager of the Tokyo Metropolitan Association for Medical Care for the Advanced Elderly, who operates the system in Tokyo, which has 1.6 million eligible people, said, "We will make the medical insurance system sustainable while reducing the burden on the working generation. However, refraining from receiving necessary medical care can lead to serious illness, so I would like you to stop it."
On top of that, he said, ``In order to reduce the burden of medical expenses, I would like you to consider using generic drugs, etc., while keeping in mind the need to see your family doctor first. You can receive a refund for medical expenses by using , so don't forget to complete the procedure."