Chronic deficits plague Japan's health insurance program
01-Mar-17, Nikkei Asian Reveiw
Japan's national health insurance system logged a deficit of JPY284.3 bn (USD2.53 bn) in fiscal 2015 as an injection of public funds failed to compensate for rising costs stemming from an aging subscriber pool and pricey new treatments.
%20Nikkei%20Asian%20Reveiw.jpg "Chronic deficits plague Japans health insurance program (c) Nikkei Asian Reveiw")
Image: Nikkei Asian Review
The deficit narrowed by JPY24.3 bn from the previous year. The system, which covers the self-employed, retired seniors and temp workers, are run by municipalities using tax revenue to cover annual shortfalls.
The main culprit is a continued rise in benefit payments, which grew 2.1% to JPY9.55 tn yen. The graying population played a role, as did the debuts of high-priced hepatitis C drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni.