Long-Term Care Insurance Act

The purposes of this Act are to improve health and medical care and to enhance the welfare of citizens. With regard to people who are under condition of need for long-term care due to disease, etc., as a result of physical or emotional changes caused by aging, and who require care such as for bathing, bodily waste elimination, meals, etc., and require the functional training, nursing, management of medical treatment, and other medical care, these purposes are to be accomplished by establishing a long-term care insurance system based on the principle of the cooperation of citizens, solidarity, and determining necessary matters concerning related insurance benefits, etc., in order to provide benefits pertaining to necessary health and medical services and public aid services so that these people are able to maintain dignity and an independent daily life routine according to each person's own level of abilities.

Long-Term Care Insurance provides necessary insurance benefits for a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care or for a Needed Support Condition (herein referred to as a "Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, etc.") of the insured person.

Insurance benefits as set forth in the preceding paragraph are provided in order to contribute to reduction or prevention of aggravation of a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, etc., and must be provided with careful attention to cooperation with medical care.

Insurance benefits as set forth in paragraph (1) must be provided in consideration of the appropriate health and medical services and public aid services that are offered by diverse providers and facilities comprehensively and effectively, according to the physical and mental conditions of the insured person, said person's environment, etc., and based on the preferences of the insured person.

With regard to the contents and level of insurance benefits as set forth in paragraph (1), consideration must be made so that said person is able to live an independent daily life according to that person's own abilities in his or her home as much as possible, although said insured person becomes in a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care.

Municipalities and special city wards shall provide Long-Term Care Insurance pursuant to the provisions of this Act.

Municipalities and special city wards are to establish a special account for income and expenses regarding Long-Term Care Insurance pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Orders.

A citizen must be aware of his or her physical and mental changes due to aging and shall always strive to maintain and enhance good health in order to prevent becoming in a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care. In a case of becoming in a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, a citizen is to strive to maintain and improve his or her existing abilities through the willing use of rehabilitation and other appropriate health and medical services and public aid services.

Citizens are to be equally subjected to the expenses necessary for an Insured Long-Term Care Project, based on the principle of cooperation and solidarity.

The national government must undertake measures to ensure the system of providing health and medical services and public aid services, and every other necessary action for the healthy and efficient operation of an Insured Long-Term Care Project.

The national government must take measures concerning the promotion of efforts to achieve both the securing of the provision of high-quality Long-Term Care Services (such as improving the efficiency of operations, improving quality and otherwise improving productivity in the provision of Long-Term Care Services, and securing and improving the qualifications of persons engaged in those operations) and the establishment of a stable management base for that provision.

Prefectural governments must provide necessary advice and appropriate support for the healthy and efficient operation of an Insured Long-Term Care Project.

In providing the advice and support under the preceding paragraph, prefectural governments must ensure that efforts to achieve both the securing of the provision of high-quality Long-Term Care Services and the establishment of a stable management base for that provision are promoted.

The national government and local governments must endeavor to comprehensively promote, while ensuring organic cooperation with measures concerning medical care and housing, measures concerning health and medical services and welfare services pertaining to insurance benefits, measures for preventing a person from falling into a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, etc. or for reducing or preventing deterioration of a Condition of Need for Long-Term Care, etc., and measures for supporting independent daily life in the community, so that an Insured Person can, to the extent possible, lead an independent daily life in the community in which he or she is accustomed to living, according to his or her abilities.

In comprehensively promoting the measures listed in the preceding paragraph pursuant to the provisions of that paragraph, the national government and local governments must endeavor to ensure organic cooperation with measures concerning the welfare of persons with disabilities and other persons, and must endeavor to contribute to the realization of a community in which local residents respect one another's personalities and individuality, and participate and live together.

The national government and local governments must endeavor to deepen the public's interest in and understanding of Dementia (meaning a condition specified by Cabinet Order in which cognitive function has declined to the extent that daily life is impaired due to Alzheimer's disease or other neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disease or other diseases; the same applies hereinafter), and to disseminate knowledge about and raise awareness of Dementia so that support for persons with Dementia is provided appropriately.

In order to provide Insured Persons with appropriate health and medical services and welfare services pertaining to Dementia, the national government and local governments must endeavor, in cooperation with research institutions, medical institutions, Long-Term Care Service Providers (meaning Long-Term Care Service Providers prescribed in Article 115-32, paragraph (1)), etc., to promote survey and research on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Dementia and on rehabilitation and long-term care methods suited to the physical and mental characteristics of persons with Dementia, and must endeavor to disseminate, utilize and develop the results.

The national government and local governments must endeavor to comprehensively promote measures concerning Dementia, such as developing a support system for persons with Dementia in the community and taking measures necessary to support persons who actually provide care for persons with Dementia and to secure, and improve the quality of, human resources involved in supporting persons with Dementia.

In promoting the measures under the preceding three paragraphs, the national government and local governments must endeavor to give consideration to respecting the wishes of persons with Dementia and their families, and to enable persons with Dementia to live together with other people in the community while maintaining their dignity.

Medical insurers must cooperate for the healthy and efficient operation of an Insured Long-Term Care Project.