The public nursing-care insurance system due to start next month is a steppingstone toward a citizen-oriented society where everyone can participate in the decision-making process, according to Professor Keiko Higuchi of Tokyo Kasei University.
Higuchi, who has championed the system as a way to free people from "nursing-care hell," says the system will accelerate moves toward decentralization because each municipality can tailor it in a way that best accommodates the particular needs of its residents.
The system also opens the door for greater citizen participation, as each municipal government is required by law to incorporate the opinions of insurance policyholders in compiling its plan, said Higuchi, who serves on the Health and Welfare Ministry's Council on Health Insurance and Welfare.