Over 70% of health insurance societies whose members are employees of large Japanese companies and their families are projected to log deficits in fiscal 2026, the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies has said. The combined balance at health insurance societies at all large member firms in the fiscal year that ends in March 2027 is forecast to result in a ¥289 billion ($1.8 billion) deficit, due to increasing contributions to medical care for elderly people, the federation said Tuesday. The number of societies seen to face deficits stands at 1,010. The estimates for all 1,364 member societies were calculated based on data from 1,362 of them that responded to the federation’s survey. The amount of burden for child care benefits under a program introduced in fiscal 2026 as a measure to shore up the nation’s sluggish birth rate is calculated at ¥13,711 per person. The health insurance premium and child support burdens are split equally between employers and employees.…