出産費に保険適用　少子化対策たたき台―政府検討

　政府は、出産費用を将来的に公的医療保険の適用対象に含める方向で検討に入った。３１日に発表する少子化対策の「たたき台」に明記する見通し。複数の関係者が２８日、明らかにした。
　妊娠や出産は「病気」ではないため、正常分娩（ぶんべん）の場合は自己負担が医療費の３割で済む公的医療保険制度の対象外。負担軽減策として同制度から「出産育児一時金」が４２万円（４月以降は５０万円）支給されるが、首都圏では費用の全額を賄えないケースが多くなっていた。
　この問題を巡り菅義偉前首相が、出産費用を公的医療保険の対象にした上で、自己負担分も国庫で補助して実質無償化すべきだと提言していた。
　たたき台は、岸田文雄首相が掲げる「異次元の少子化対策」の具体案。児童手当の所得制限撤廃や支給対象の１８歳までへの延長、新婚・子育て世帯の住宅支援、産後一定期間の育児休業給付の手取り１０割確保などを盛り込む。（2023/03/28-19:18）

The Japanese government has started talks to extend the public medical insurance to cover childbirth-related expenses in the future, sources said Tuesday.
   Normal delivery is currently not covered by the public insurance, under which patients pay 30 pct of their medical costs out of their own pocket in principle, because neither pregnancy nor childbirth is considered a type of illness.
   To reduce household costs related to childbirth, Japan pays 420,000 yen in childbirth allowances per baby, with the amount set to rise to 500,000 yen from April.
   The allowances, however, have not been enough to cover the entire childbirth expenses in many cases for those giving birth in and around Tokyo.
   Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had proposed the idea of eliminating the household financial burden by giving insurance coverage to childbirth and covering the out-of-pocket expenses entirely with state subsidies.