高額療養費とOTC類似薬を質す｜患者に寄り添う制度設計へ｜秋野公造参議院議員（5/26）

On May 26th, Komeito Party member Kozo Akino questioned the House of Councillors' Health, Labour and Welfare Committee. In this questioning session, regarding the review of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, he confirmed whether it is in line with the system's premise to require pregnant women to pay an additional fee if they cannot choose OTC medications. He also inquired about the responsibility of pharmacists who sell Category 1 medications that are not recommended for pregnant women without confirming their pregnancy status. Furthermore, regarding the high-cost medical care system, he acknowledged concerns such as "Isn't this a shift from public to private burden?" and "Isn't the high out-of-pocket expense for patients reaching its limit?" He confirmed the need for a system design that is more patient-centered. He also addressed the issue of the multiple reset of eligibility counts when insurers change, and inquired about the possibility of improvements based on the My Number Card and insured person number system. The Komeito Party will continue to advocate for improvements based on feedback from the field, ensuring the sustainability of the system and providing patients and pregnant women with satisfactory explanations and necessary support, and will move policies forward. #AkinoKozo #Komeito #HouseofCouncillors #HealthLaborandWelfareCommittee #HighCostMedicalExpenses #OTCSimilarDrugs #MedicalSystem #PregnancySupport #PatientFriendlyPolitics #VoicesFromTheField ◆ Subscribe to our channel here ↓    / newkomeito_komei   ◆ Komeito's Sub-Channel    / @sub_komei   ◆ Homepage https://www.komei.or.jp/ ◆ X (Former Twitter)   / komei_koho   ◆ TikTok   / komei.official   ◆ Komeito's Official LINE Account Add us as a friend here ↓ https://page.line.me/bsg0034c ◆ Instagram   / komei.jp   ◆ Facebook   / komeito