Healthcare
Illness or injury during study abroad in Japan is an issue students and parents are concerned about. In order to lead a safe and worry-free study abroad life in Japan, it is important to understand Japan’s medical system and the cost structure in case of illness or injury.
(1)Healthcare System in Japan
According to data of 2018, there are 179,090 medical institutions in Japan. Medical institutions are generally divided into “hospital” and “medical clinic” (clinic and doctor’s office). Facilities with 20 or more beds are referred to as “hospitals and there are currently 8,372 hospitals in Japan.
On the other hand, medical clinics use names such as “clinic”, “doctor’s office”, “ ~ Medical (Naika)” or “~ Orthopedics (Seikeigeka). There are medical clinics with 19 or fewer beds and medical clinics with no beds, totaling to 102,105 medical clinics.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare “2018 Survey of Medical Institutions”
(2)Types of Medical Institutions
HMedical institutions are categorized by specialty according to organ/body part, or symptoms. Internal medicine is segmentalized by organ or pathology. Pediatrics are normally for children under 15 years old. For surgery, one usually can receive medical treatment for specialized surgery by referral from general surgery. For some types of illness or for particular organ specialty, it may be better to directly receive medical treatment such as at Orthopedic Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Urology or Neurosurgery.
Public Medical Insurance
Health insurance is insurance for yourself and for your family’s health. In Japan, everyone is obligated to enroll in public medical insurance so that they will be able to receive treatment from medical professionals at ease in case of emergency. This is called “universal health insurance system”. This is the system in which medical cost burden is reduced by sharing the danger of sickness and injury among the entire society and to guarantee an equal opportunity for all citizens to receive appropriate medical treatment.
(1)National Health Insurance
People who have resident registration, not eligible to be members of any employment-based health insurance program, and are below the age of 75, are eligible to enroll in National Health insurance. National Health Insurance can be used for any illness or injury, regardless of the reason.
Eligble participants
For foreigners, those who have registered their residence at municipality, approved to stay in Japan for more than 1 year, not eligible to be members of any employment-based health insurance program, and are below the age of 75 are eligible to enroll in National Health insurance. Foreigners who have insurance in the countries Japan has concluded social security agreement with (United States of America, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, Luxembourg) may be exempted from enrolling in National Health Insurance of Japan after taking certain certification process (issuance of “certificate of coverage”).
Procedure
Enrollment to National Health Insurance is not automatic. You will need to go to the ward office or village office of the municipality you reside in, present your residence card (and passport), follow the procedure, and receive the issue of health insurance card of National Health Insurance. If you have not paid tax in Japan the previous year, please submit “Gengaku- kan-i-shinsei” (application to request reduced payment). If you apply for this, international students will specially be able to enroll in National Health Insurance at a low cost. For application, you will need to present your Student Identification and student registration certificate.
Premium
Insurance cost differs among municipalities but is determined upon previous year income. For the first year of international students right after arriving in Japan, the insurance cost is approximately JPY10,000 per month (if you have submitted “Gengaku- kan-i-shinsei”). Your insurance payment slip will arrive from your municipality around June and you may pay by month (10 times) or in a lump.
Healthcare benefits
When you receive treatment for illness, injury, or teeth, 70% of the medical bill will be burdened by the municipality if you are enrolled in National Health Insurance. The partial expense paid by the person receiving treatment to the medical institution is 30% of the entire medical bill.
