April 21, 2026
The Japanese Communist Party, jointly with the Centrist Reform Alliance and the “Team Mirai” party, submitted to the House of Representatives a bill aimed at enabling the high-cost medical expense benefit system to maintain its role as a safety net.
In defiance of opposition from patients’ groups, the Takaichi government, in its budget for FY 2026, plans to impose on patients using the system entailing higher monthly out-of-pocket caps from August.
The opposition-submitted bill states that the high-cost medical cost benefit system plays an essential role in protecting people’s lives and livelihoods within the public health insurance system. The bill obliges the government not to place financial hardships on patients when reviewing the monthly co-payment limit.
Under the bill, the government is tasked to conduct a survey on patients’ financial circumstances, such as medical treatment-associated loss of earnings and education costs, and consider the impact of a co-payment hike on household budgets and on needed medical treatment. Furthermore, the government, in the process of setting the monthly cap, must present required materials and hear from patients and other people concerned.
JCP lawmaker Tatsumi Kotaro pointed out that if the monthly co-payment limit is raised as planned, it will force patients to face catastrophic healthcare expenditures. He said that the opposition parties’ bill calls on the government to do research regarding earning losses due to essential medical treatment and implement measures that will not affect patients’ daily lives and access to affordable treatment.
Past related article:
> FY2026 budget funding military buildup with tax hikes and cuts in social welfare enacted [April 8, 2026]
In defiance of opposition from patients’ groups, the Takaichi government, in its budget for FY 2026, plans to impose on patients using the system entailing higher monthly out-of-pocket caps from August.
The opposition-submitted bill states that the high-cost medical cost benefit system plays an essential role in protecting people’s lives and livelihoods within the public health insurance system. The bill obliges the government not to place financial hardships on patients when reviewing the monthly co-payment limit.
Under the bill, the government is tasked to conduct a survey on patients’ financial circumstances, such as medical treatment-associated loss of earnings and education costs, and consider the impact of a co-payment hike on household budgets and on needed medical treatment. Furthermore, the government, in the process of setting the monthly cap, must present required materials and hear from patients and other people concerned.
JCP lawmaker Tatsumi Kotaro pointed out that if the monthly co-payment limit is raised as planned, it will force patients to face catastrophic healthcare expenditures. He said that the opposition parties’ bill calls on the government to do research regarding earning losses due to essential medical treatment and implement measures that will not affect patients’ daily lives and access to affordable treatment.
Past related article:
> FY2026 budget funding military buildup with tax hikes and cuts in social welfare enacted [April 8, 2026]
