[LDP-Komeito-Nippon Ishin Agreement] Loxonin 36 yen → 2000 yen (55 times), Linderon 500 yen → 2 yen (40 times), Heparin 240 yen → 5000 yen (20 times) OTC drugs removed from insurance, dramatically increasing the burden on the public

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According to the woman herself…

Doctors sound the alarm over OTC-like drugs being removed from insurance! Loxonin Tape costs 1 yen per sheet, Rinderon vs. ointment costs 2000 yen

"OTC-like drugs"insuranceIf the drug is no longer covered by the law, prescriptions will no longer be issued, and even if you have been diagnosed at a hospital, you may be told to buy over-the-counter drugs at a pharmacy. This will not only increase the burden on patients,healthy"

This is the warning from Imai Yasutomo, director of Imai Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Allergy Clinic in front of Noda-Hanshin Station.

"OCT-like drugs" are drugs that contain almost the same ingredients as over-the-counter drugs, but are prescribed by medical institutions and covered by insurance. There are said to be about 7 types.

However, currently, the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and Japan Innovation Party are in talks to remove OCT-like drugs from insurance coverage, arguing that "by removing some OCT-like drugs from insurance coverage, medical expenses can be reduced by approximately 1 trillion yen."

"In April, the Japan Innovation Party announced the names of 28 drugs that it wants to exclude from insurance coverage. This includes many familiar drugs, such as Hirudoid Cream (a heparinoid substance) used for atopic dermatitis, the painkiller Loxonin Tape used for lower back pain, Allegron, which is effective for hay fever, and the expectorant Mucodyne." (National newspaper reporter)

Opposition to this move has been raised not only from the Japan Medical Association but also from the National Federation of Insurance Physicians' Associations, which is made up of private practice doctors and salaried doctors (they have given up on reaching an agreement in the current Diet session).

The first thing that worries me is the increased burden on patients to pay for medicines at the counter.

"When a patient is prescribed 200g of heparinoid oily cream, a moisturizer used by patients with atopic dermatitis, the patient pays 3% of the cost of generic drugs, totaling about 240 yen. Even with dispensing fees and other charges added, the total comes to about 630 to 680 yen.

However, it has been removed from the OTC drug list, and if you were to buy 200g of a similar product at a pharmacy, it would cost more than 5 yen." (Mr. Imai, same below)

In other words, if you are using 200g per month for atopic dermatitis,An increase of more than 5 yen per yearTo

Similarly, Linderon ointment, which relieves skin inflammation and itching, may also be added to the exclusion list in the future.

"If you are prescribed 100g of Rinderon ointment, you will only have to pay 3% of the cost of the medicine.About 500 yenThe cost at the pharmacy is about 3 yen, including dispensing fee, which is 1% of the total cost. However, it is not considered an OTC drug and if you buy it at a pharmacy,100 yen for 2gIt will take about

In other words, The additional medical expenses alone will amount to an additional 1 yen......

[See source for full text...]

1️⃣ Rinderon V Ointment (100g)
500 yen → 20,000 yen
→ About 40 times

2️⃣ Heparinoid oily cream (200g)
240 yen → 5,000 yen
→ About 20 times

3️⃣ Loxonin Tape (100mg x 7)
36 yen → 2,000 yen (estimated due to correction of notation)
→ About 55 times

Nihon Keizai Shimbun

LDP, Komeito and Nippon Ishin no Kabushiki Kaisha agree to review similar OTC drugs from fiscal 26

On the 11th, the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komeito Party, and the Japan Restoration Party agreed to a policy to revise public medical insurance coverage from fiscal 2026, including making some prescription drugs fully self-paid. This will be reflected in the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform (Basic Policy) to be decided by the Cabinet soon.

The three parties' secretaries-general and policy chiefs signed an agreement on social security reform in the Diet on the same day. The document stated that "sufficient consideration will be given to the budget compilation process by the end of 3, and those that can be implemented early will be implemented from fiscal 25."

The review of insurance coverage will focus on prescription drugs that have similar effects to over-the-counter drugs, known as "OTC drugs." Discussions will continue on the details of the specific items to be reviewed.

Calling for a reduction in social insurance premiumsThe Ishin Party requested exclusion from insurance coverageAlthough the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party had initially shown a cautious stance, they reached a compromise on the condition that they ensure that necessary medical examinations are available and that consideration is given to not placing an excessive burden on patients.

The three parties have been discussing ways to lower social insurance premiums.With the goal of reducing medical expenses by 4 trillion yen in mindOn the 6th, they agreed to a policy to work on reducing excess hospital beds at medical institutions. The agreement document included an estimate that if they could reduce the approximately 11 beds that may become unnecessary due to population decline, it would have the effect of reducing medical expenses by about 1 trillion yen.

On the 3th, the three parties also agreed to clarify the main points of the free high school education system. The system will be fully implemented from the 11 academic year.The extent to which foreign students should be included needs to be considered, taking into account examples from other countries and the circumstances in which students find themselves.[See source for full text...]

The following is from X

[Posted by KiwiKeiFour]

引用元　https://jisin.jp/life/health/2475878/

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUA116JE0R10C25A6000000/?n_cid=SNSTW006&n_tw=1749705087

Recent Posts

Everyone's comments

• If we look at the prices of medical drugs, they should be cheaper, but OTC drugs are too expensive. If they are to be removed from insurance, this point should be improved.
• Why do you think I pay for such expensive health insurance every month? Why pay for it when I can't even get the medicine I need?
• Isn't this the price we've had to pay for spending tax money so foolishly because of COVID?
• If there were no consultation fee, wouldn't it break even?
• I was prescribed Hirudoid when my scar from surgery had turned into a keloid and I was in pain for over six months. I've also had experience with Linderon. It looks like we may be entering an era where we can no longer receive proper medical care. The only way to prevent this is to knock the LDP and Komeito out of power. The Democratic Party for the People, the Japan Innovation Party, and the Democratic Party for the People are out of the question.
• Idiot who doesn't realize how many patches will go to waste and end up on Mercari
• Doctors prescribe Loxonin without hesitation! It puts a lot of strain on the kidneys. It's a drug that should be properly managed by a pharmacist, but the quality of pharmacists varies...
• I have atopic dermatitis, but I've never used heparin. The OTC-like drugs in question are the same as over-the-counter drugs, right? When my atopic dermatitis is itchy or painful, I have to use something stronger like Myser to get it to work.
• My child also has atopic dermatitis and has to be given heparin every day, so if this is no longer covered by insurance it will become very difficult financially, so I really hope they stop!
• It won't be 5000 yen. There are cheaper ones available on the market.
• I don't think this is insurance for the purpose of buying painkillers or anti-itch medications cheaply. I want it to be useful when we need medicines worth tens of millions or even billions of yen.
• I'm not sure, but if something that is currently 3 yen with a 240% copayment becomes a full copayment, will it be 800 yen instead of 5 yen? The drug price of the heparinoid cream "Nichi-Iko" is 3.7 yen/g, so 200g costs 740 yen.
• If a drug is covered by insurance, the price is decided by the government, but if it becomes an OTC drug, the company can decide the price as they wish. If a company decides to set the price at 5000 yen, the price will be 5000 yen.
• Many people do not understand the contents of this bill, so they seem to think that they will simply have to pay 10% of the cost. OTC-certified drugs will no longer be prescribed by medical institutions, so if steroid drugs are made into over-the-counter drugs, the cost of the drug may increase by 20 to 50 times. Few people seem to understand that this is a completely different story from the story of patches.

JapanNewsNavi Editorial Department B's Opinion

Growing public dissatisfaction with removal of OTC drugs from insurance coverage

Voices of anxiety and anger are growing among the public over the exclusion of OTC-like drugs from insurance coverage agreed upon by the three major parties, the Liberal Democratic Party, the New Komeito Party, and the Nippon Ishin Party. With this system review, many drugs that were previously covered by insurance with a doctor's examination and prescription are expected to be switched to over-the-counter purchases. Widely used drugs such as Allegron, Mucodyne, Loxonin Tape, heparinoids, and Rinderon Ointment will be affected, and the cost of living will increase by several to even dozens of times.

What I find particularly puzzling is the fact that while the government is pushing ahead with these policies that increase the burden on the people, it continues to pour trillions of yen into aid for other countries. When you look at the enormous amounts of overseas aid reported almost daily, it's easy to suspect that the government is prioritizing other countries over the lives of the Japanese people. It is difficult to understand the government's stance of increasing the medical burden on its own people while at the same time distributing huge amounts of money overseas.

This change in the system will have a direct impact on the working generation. For example, families with children with atopic dermatitis require heparinoids and topical steroids on a daily basis. Although some local governments do subsidize medical expenses for children, even if the consultation is free, the cost of medication is not covered. If OTC-like drugs are removed from insurance coverage, these families will be forced to purchase over-the-counter drugs at pharmacies, which will be a heavy burden on their household finances.

System reforms that cause problems for those who really need them

To begin with, these drugs are not "drugs that we can do without." For example, Loxonin Tape is not just a substitute for a poultice, but is indispensable for relieving pain. For people with sensitive skin who are prone to side effects from oral medications, Loxonin Tape is an important treatment that supports daily life. Similarly, heparinoids are essential for people with dry skin, and for the elderly and children whose skin is prone to tearing.

Can we really say that a policy that tells patients who need these medicines to "buy over-the-counter medicines at a pharmacy" is protecting the health of the nation? The Japan Innovation Party has long called for changes to this system in order to reduce medical expenses, but there is little sign that they have listened to the voices of those on the front lines. Once again, they are trying to push through a worsening of the system that will only make those who need it suffer more.

It is not just the elderly and disabled who will be burdened with increased costs. A wide range of people will be affected, including those in their prime working years, families raising children, and young people with chronic illnesses. There is a risk that this will develop into a serious social problem that cannot be resolved by simply cutting costs.

A foolish policy that destroys trust in the health insurance system

What I fear most is that if these policies continue, the credibility of the national health insurance system itself will be destroyed. No one can accept paying high health insurance premiums, not being able to get medicine when they need it, and being forced to pay several or even dozens of times the cost for over-the-counter medicines. Dissatisfaction with the question, "What are we paying health insurance premiums for?" will likely grow in the future.

People have been willing to pay high insurance premiums because they can receive the medical care they need. The government is citing a lack of financial resources as the reason, but if that's the case, shouldn't they prioritize reviewing huge amounts of aid to other countries and unnecessary projects? I cannot accept the current political stance of continuing to provide aid to other countries while cutting the medical infrastructure that supports the lives and health of the people.

Reducing medical expenses may be an important issue, but it should not be done at the expense of lowering the quality of medical care. Doctors on the front lines are also voicing their opposition. The government should take these voices seriously and maintain a system in which those who need the medicine can receive it appropriately. Now that the very idea of ​​the universal health insurance system is being called into question, I strongly feel that a fundamental review of the system design is needed, rather than short-term cost-cutting measures.

Written by: Editorial Department B