(April 27, 2015 Tokyo) As of April 2015 the average monthly payment premium for Japanese nursing care insurance increased to 5514 yen. It is paid by people aged 65 and over. The amount exceeds 5000 yen for the first time since the Nursing Care Insurance was introduced in year 2000.
Municipal governments revise the amount every three years. Japanese Health Labor and Welfare Ministry (MHLW) said the amount nearly doubled since the system was introduced some 15 years ago. The monthly welfare premium also varies greatly depending on municipality. The premium in Misaki town Okayama Prefecture has risen to 7800 yen or 45 percent. Over 24% of elderly population in that town require nursing care. This is 7 percent higher than the national average. Many citizens are nursing home residents and nursing care costs continue to increase.
In Fukushima Prefecture many elderly citizens cannot return home in the wake of the nuclear disaster. Some municipalities within the evacuation zone are those with highest premiums. The premium in Iitate village is 8003 yen. A growing number of senior citizens require nursing care as they continue living in temporary housing units. Some municipalities try to cut nursing care premiums by providing training for elderly citizens so they could stay fit longer. By doing so one municipality succeeded to reduce the number of elderly in need of nursing care by 3% last year. The city’s nursing care expenditures fell by more than 62 million yen per year from the peak in fiscal 2010 and this led to lower premiums.
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