TOKYO: Japan's health ministry plans to give full public health insurance coverage to the cost of childbirth, Jiji Press reported.
The plan, aimed at eliminating out-of-pocket childbirth expenses, is expected to be presented to the medical insurance subcommittee of the Social Security Council, which advises the health minister, on Thursday (Dec 4).
The government hopes to submit related legislation to next year's ordinary parliamentary session at the earliest, seeking to start the full insurance coverage in fiscal 2027 or later.
Public insurance coverage is set to replace the existing lump-sum childbirth allowance, which will be abolished.
The allowance amount was set at 300,000 yen (US$2,500) when the aid programme began in 1994 to support expectant mothers, but this has been raised gradually in line with increases in childbirth expenses. It was hiked from 420,000 yen to 500,000 yen in principle in 2023.
But childbirth costs have continued to rise due to factors such as inflation, with the nationwide average in fiscal 2024 hitting 519,805 yen.
There are also significant regional disparities, with expenses reaching around 650,000 yen in Tokyo, far higher than about 400,000 yen in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan. - Bernama-Jiji Press
