| June 2002 |
| The DPJ Plan of Medical Reform: To efficiently deliver secure medical care |
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DPJ viewpoint on reform of medical system.
With the low economic growth and the aging of society, the medical insurance system needs to improve its financial status. However, simply raising the burden on patients will not solve the problem. We need to give priority to measures that allow citizens to receive safe and satisfactory medical services such as eliminating unnecessary medical expenses and promoting information disclosure to widen the choice of patients and eliminate medical accidents.
Failure in the financial management of the medical insurance system resulted in its financial collapse. The reform of medical insurance management is also required, such as ending the management of government-managed health insurance by the Ministry Health, Labor and Welfare.
1.Promotion of measures to maintain healthy environment
Promotion of a barrier-free society guaranteeing safe and healthy life, improving the housing environment including counter measures to sick-house syndrome, establishing a general health counseling system and increasing activities for security and sanitation.
2. Safe and satisfactory medical service
Promotion of assessment of medical institutions and doctors, and their information disclosure. Introduction of high quality 窶彷amily doctors窶 system with whom patients can consult on 窶彗ny matter.窶 For that purpose, we will reform the educational system of post-graduate doctors. Measures to prevent medical accidents and drug-poisoning accidents, and to improve child medical care.
3.Review of the Medical Charge System
Introduction of a fixed charge for overall treatment instead of the existing individual item pricing system, which often causes unnecessary charges. Inclusion of patients窶 representatives, hospitals, nurses into the Central Medical Council that decides the rate of medical bills.
4.Review of the medicine-pricing system.
In order to eliminate overmedication and to reduce the cost of medicine in general medical care expenditure, we will promote the division of work between doctors and pharmacists, and promote usage of inexpensive and recently developed drugs.
To eliminate overpricing, the medication price will be left to market forces instead of being determined by the government.
5.Revision of the Medical Insurance System
The Government-Managed Health Insurance should be delegated to prefectural governments, while National Health Insurance should be consolidated from the local level to prefectures.
We will abolish the present Health System that has a separate system for the elderly and make it a universal system. We do not need a separate medical care system for the elderly.
6.Medical Insurance Fund
Out of three sources; insurance fee, self-contribution and state subsidies, self-contribution should not be raised for the time being.
We will increase state subsidies for medical bills, while reducing unnecessary public works and funds transferring into special corporations.
The main points of the health care reform bills proposed by the government
1. to raise the self-contribution of employees from 20% to 30%
2. to raise the self-contribution of high income patients over 70 years old to 20%
3. to gradually raise the starting age for the elderly patients treatment system from 70 to 75 years. |
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