 Government plans to force disabled to pay more for nursing care The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on December 14 presented its Council on Social Services' panel on disabled persons with a plan to change the policy for the disabled to one of requiring them to pay more for care services. Under the plan, disabled persons who use nursing care services will pay 10 percent of the cost. At nursing homes, residents' meals will no longer be free. A physically handicapped person who uses home care services will have to pay 5,000 yen a month instead of the present 900 yen, a more than fivefold increase. The plan calls for an end to the present scheme that provides different services for different types of disorder - physical, mental, and emotional by making it part of the nursing care insurance system. This means changing the present principle that users pay according to their ability to pay to one of "fee for services," At present, physically handicapped persons whose annual income is as low as 800,000 yen (about 7,800 dollars) are required to pay fees for care. If the ministry plan is adopted, these persons will have to pay 8,400 yen a month. A mentally retarded person who uses a day care facility will have to pay nearly 30,000 yen a month, including fees for meals, instead of the 200 yen a month at present. (end) |