Japan should engage in discussions involving all stakeholders on whether and how to reform its public medical insurance system, Takashi Yonekawa, deputy head of the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, or Kenporen, said in a recent interview.Yonekawa’s call came after a Kenporen survey, conducted online in January, showed that 37.1% of respondents view higher medical expenditures for older people as inevitable. The proportion reached 40% when respondents are limited to those age 75 or older.In principle, the out-of-pocket medical payment rate under the current public medical insurance system is set at 30% for people under 70, 20% for those between 70 and 74, and 10% for those age 75 or older.

Those age 70 or older who have high incomes pay more than their baseline rates.