TOKYO: A total of 614.3 million yen was overcharged for nursing care insurance premiums in Japan in fiscal 2018 and 2019 due to calculation errors, the welfare ministry said Friday.

The overcharging mainly affected members of corporate health insurance societies and the Japan Health Insurance Association, a health insurance body mainly for workers at small firms.

Meanwhile, a total of 449.27 million yen was undercharged mainly for members of health insurance programs run by municipalities for self-employed individuals and pensioners, due to the same errors.

The errors were made by the Health Insurance Claims Review & Reimbursement Services, a ministry affiliate.

The overcharging and undercharging will be corrected by adjusting affected subscribers' premium payments by some several tens of yen per person in fiscal 2020, which starts next April, the ministry said.

The ministry said the errors were caused by a complicated calculation method introduced in line with drastic social security system reform.

People aged 40 or over are obliged to pay premiums under the nation's nursing care insurance system.

For those aged between 40 and 64, health insurance bodies collect premiums, which are distributed to municipalities via the Health Insurance Claims Review & Reimbursement Services.

In April, the ministry and the Health Insurance Claims Review & Reimbursement Services apologized after the discovery of a possible shortage of about 20 billion yen in nursing care insurance premiums for fiscal 2019 due to a calculation error at the affiliate.

Jiji Press