Japan Govt Panel Proposes Medical Fee Cut for Clinics

From Jiji

November 20 2023

TOKYO – An advisory panel for Japan’s finance minister proposed Monday that the government reduce medical service fees paid to clinics under the public medical insurance system to ease financial burdens on the working population.

The fee cut is among the proposals in a report drawn up by the Fiscal System Council for the government’s compilation of the fiscal 2024 draft budget.

The report calls for lowering by about 5.5 pct the unit fee of remuneration paid to clinics under the insurance with universal coverage.

Japan is set to revise the fees for medical, elderly care and disability welfare services for fiscal 2024, which begins next April.

The proposed fee cut is expected to meet pushback from the medical sector, which is calling for a hike amid soaring inflation. Negotiations over revision rates are likely to intensify.