- The government and the
governing parties had "the bill which revises the parts of the
Health Insurance Law etc.", and "the bill which revises
parts of the Medical Service Law etc." approved in Upper House
Committee on Health and Welfare and then the Upper House plenary session
in spite of the contrary of the opposition parties today. RENGO protests
with anger to having approved the bills without sufficient discussion
either in the House of Representatives or the Upper House. The bills
postpone the implementation in the 2000 fiscal year of drastic reform
of the medical system and impute a new burden to a patient and the
insured.
- RENGO has not accepted
the increase of a burden without drastic reform since the deliberation
at the House of Representatives and requested for the following amendments
to the bills in cooperation with opposition parties:
1) The bill should specify the implementation in the 2002 fiscal year
of medical system drastic reform.
2) The fixed rate of 10% of an old outpatients expense should be discussed
in the process of drastic reform of a health care system for the elderly
and should be withdrawn.
3) A large-scale rise in the limit of a patient's share of a high-priced
medical expense, which leads to a change in the basic idea of social
insurance, should be withdrawn.
4) The review of a premium rate, which should be discussed with the
review of the elderly-care-insurance system, should be withdrawn.
The governing parties did the forcing posture by not responding to
these amendments. In the Upper House Committee on Health and Welfare,
although the Minister answered that a bill to reexamine an old-people
medical system should be submitted to the Diet in 2002 by efforts
of the opposition parties, the amendments were not accepted at all.
- As for revision bills
of the Medical Service Law, a reform proposal medical service structure
has been examined over two years in the Council on Medical Service
Facilities. However, the contents of this revision bill did not make
any progress in meeting demands of patients, such as disclosure of
medical records, improving the quality of services and relaxing the
regulation on advertisement, due to strong opposition of the Japan
Medical Association. Many opinions asking for amendments were raised
in the Diet deliberations. However, the governing parties did not
accept such amendments at all, either. RENGO keeps asking for amendments
strongly in the position of the people and patients.
- The medical insurance
system has greeted the crisis of collapse with an increase of medical
expenses due to geriatric medicine expense. Moreover, medical accidents
occur frequently and medical reliance is lost greatly. Postponing
medical reform should not be allowed by any means. RENGO aims at realization
of the drastic reform by the 2002 fiscal year towards a reliable and
good quality medical service by strengthening further influence to
the opposition parties centering on the Democratic Party and cooperating
with National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, Japan Federation
of Employers' Associations, etc.
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