If you become sick or are injured

If you become sick or are injured, present your health insurance card(*) when undergoing examination or treatment to obtain the necessary medical care while paying just 30% of the applicable medical care costs. The amount paid at the hospital will be even lower for preschool children and elderly persons aged 70 or older.

  • *You can use your Individual Number Card as a health insurance card at medical care institutions or other facilities adopting the online eligibility verification system. (Requires advance registration on Mynaportal etc.)

Medical Care Benefits (for dependents, “Dependents' Medical Care Expenses”)

The copayment may be even lower, depending on age. Preschool children:20% copyment, Persons aged 70-74 and turning 70 on or before March 31, 2014:10% copayment, Persons aged 70-74 and turning 70 on or after April 1, 2014: 20% copayment, Persons aged 70-74 earning income at the same levels as active workers: 30% copayment.

Under the health insurance system, the insurance benefits paid for nonoccupational sickness and injury are called “Medical Care Benefits” (for dependents, “Dependents' Medical Care Expenses”). You pay only 30% of medical care costs at the medical care institution because the Health Insurance Society covers the remaining 70%.

The Health Insurance Society also provides its own independent benefits(additional benefits)to further reduce the patient's financial burden(Patient Cost-Sharing Reimbursements and Additional Benefits. Paid per month, per person, per hospital.)

The Health Insurance Society later pays the amount of medical care costs paid at the hospital over one month minus 20,000 yen, as “Patient Cost-Sharing Reimbursements” (for dependents, “Dependents' Medical Care Additional Sum”). This payment is calculated and made automatically based on “the Rezept (medical cost details)” sent by the hospital to the Health Insurance Society. Payment will occur roughly three months after the month of the medical care.
See “When you incur high medical care costs: How High-Cost Medical Care Benefits are calculated” for a specific calculation example.

Meals during hospitalization

If you are hospitalized, in addition to the 30% copayment on medical care costs, you must also pay yourself as meal expenses (referred to as “inpatient meal standard expenses”) 460 yen/meal for up to three meals/day (260 yen/meal for patients with intractable diseases or specific chronic diseases of children).

While the actual cost of meals during hospitalization is 640 yen/meal (up to three meals/day) based on standard meal expenses, the Health Insurance Society pays the amount in excess of inpatient meal standard expenses, as “Inpatient Meal Expenses”.

In addition, when an elderly person aged 65-74 is hospitalized at a convalescent facility, he or she pays meal expenses of 460 yen/meal and accommodation expenses of 370 yen/day (**1) (called “the standard personal cost burden for living expenses”). The Health Insurance Society pays the amount of actual costs in excess of this standard personal cost burden for living expenses, as “Inpatient Living Expenses”.

  • **1: For patients with designated intractable diseases, the copayment for meal expenses is 260 yen, while the copayment for accommodation expenses is 0 yen.
  • **2: Costs are reduced still further for persons with low income. See here for more information.

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