Making old life less awesome…

The guvmint is out to make your life more expensive, if you live in Japan and happen to be over the age of 70. Time to vote DPJ again?

社会保障改革の手 順、閣議決定…秋に 成立目指す

政府は２１日の閣議で、社会保障制度改 革の手順を定める「プログラム法案」の 「骨子」を決定した。社会保障制度改革国 民会議がまとめた報告書を基に医療、介 護、年金、少子化対策の改革の実施時期を 示したもので、秋の臨時国会での法案提 出、成立を目指す。

負担増となる改革には与野党に慎重意見 が根強いため、スケジュールに沿って個別 の法改正が進められるかが今後の焦点とな る。 「骨子」では、現在１割に据え置かれて いる７０～７４歳の医療費窓口負担を本来 の２割に戻すなど、医療分野の改革は「１ ７年度までをめど」に順次、実施するとし た。高所得者の介護サービスの自己負担引 き上げなど、介護分野の改革は「１５年度 をめど」とした。一連の改革の財源には消 費増税の税収を充てるとした。 （2013年8月22日01時28分 読売新聞）

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/news/20130821-OYT1T01455.htm?from=navr

Social Security Reform Procedures, Cabinet Resolution….goal of passage by autumn

In a cabinet resolution on the 21st, the government outlined a “program bill” to establish the procedures for social security reform. Based on a report from the Social Security System Reform National Committee, it outlines a timeframe for reforming healthcare, nursing, pensions, and population growth measures and will be submitted at a special session of Parliament in the autumn aiming to pass during the same session.

Because there is strong current of caution across all parties at present towards the reform because it includes cost increases, whether or not individual revisions will proceed on schedule or not is going to be a focal point.

“The essentials” of the plan are that the percent of medical fees born by those in the 70-74 age range will return to 20% from the current 10% along with other medical field reforms “occurring by 2017.” The personal cost of nursing service for high income earners will be raised as well as other reforms in the nursing field “finishing in 2015.” The reform funding would come from the tax revenues from the consumption tax increase.