Tokyo: The Japanese government plans to end its subsidies for COVID-19 drugs and hospitalizations next month, leaving patients paying for treatment out of pocket at rates based on their incomes, as is the case for ordinary medical services, government officials said Tuesday.

The government began fully covering expenses for COVID-19 drugs with public funds in 2021. The scheme was scaled down last October, when patients started paying between 3,000 yen and 9,000 yen depending on their age and income.

After the aid is scrapped at the end of March, molnupiravir, an oral treatment to prevent serious symptoms, is set to cost over 90,000 yen per prescription, or about 28,000 yen for people whose out-of-pocket rate under public insurance is 30%.

Subsidies for hospitalization costs, currently set at 10,000 yen per month, will also end next month.

The government will also scrap payments to large hospitals that secure beds for COVID-19 patients, which range from 29,000 yen to 174,000 yen depending on the state of infections.

The government downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk category of infectious diseases that includes influenza in May last year, but has kept substantial public aid in place for expensive drugs to avoid a sudden increase in patients’ out-of-pocket payments.

JIJI Press