Japan Mulls Higher Nursing Care Premiums for High-Income Elderly

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is proposing to increase nursing care premiums for high-income elderly individuals. The proposal was submitted to a subcommittee of the Social Security Council, which advises the welfare minister.

The current system calculates premiums by multiplying a base figure set by local governments by a rate determined by an individual's income. There are 13 rates, ranging from 0.285 to 2.4, with lower rates applying to people with lower incomes.

However, the recent increase in public pension payments is causing low-income earners to qualify for higher rates, resulting in higher premiums. To address this issue, the ministry plans to raise the highest rate applied to individuals with annual incomes of 7.2 million yen or more.