Japanese Health Service
 

Any information on the japanese health service?
Here are some questions i'd like answered if possible.

1- Is taking "health insurance" compulsory in japan?
2- If so, which company would you recommend for a "student" that spends on average more than "$1000 per year" on medication (this is ofcourse before getting refunds)
3- Do you need to register with a "General Practitioner" (normal doctor to visit for non-lethal illness)
4- In tokyo, how much does it cost per visit to a GP?


I have other questions, but they will be asked if someone can help me out with these for now... :vsign: Thanks

As far as I know, yes - if you`re here over a certain amount of time. (Generally 3 months.)

I don`t get what you mean by "company". Japan has national health insurance. There are no "companies", unless you`re referring to getting traveler`s insurance outside of Japan.
As it`s national, your insurance premium will be the same regardless of your condition. However, as the Japanese insurance doesn`t cover 100%, you`ll be paying a percentage of each cost incurred. (30%?40%? I forget.) That is, unless you have a disability or other condition which would make you eligible for 100% coverage.

No. You can go to any doctor, any time.

I don`t know about Tokyo, but I would guess it`s the same as around here. For just a general visit, it`s about 2500 to 3000 yen out of pocket.

By company I am referringm to "insurance" companies that will make the cover 100%...Does this not exist in Japan?
For example, here in france, there is the national health insurance which covers some of the costs of anything medical, but because I am regularly in need of medical attention, I have to get an excess insurance to make the cover 100%.
Another use of this "extra insurance" is for example; the GP that will cost me out of my pocket, would be refunded (this is how it works in france anyway)

Such services do exist, but I highly doubt you`ll find one which will accept you at this point. Your condition is already known, and no company is going to volunteer to give out more money to you than you would be putting in.

ok... would you be kind enough to read the "Health insurance" section on this link and tell me how accurate it?

New to Japan - General - Japanese Health and Welfare System

It`s fairly accurate, but I do believe that the out of pocket costs have risen recently, and there was a HUGE change to the elderly plan. The ideas are right, but it`s a couple years out of date.

It also seems to be heavily weighed toward Tokyo - there are small differences between the regions, most visibly with up until what age children are fully covered.

Japan`s medical system has a bad image with foreigners, it seems, but I personally prefer it.

:) thanks a bunch for your help....

hehe, i'll let you know what i think about the health service sometime next year when i'm in tokyo... for me, the french system is THE BEST, from my poiint of view as i regularly need medical attention...

No problem. :D I`m far too familiar with the Japanese system, as my son has many serious medical problems.

I have heard that the French system is very good, but I have never been to France to know first hand. Americans seem to have the most complaints with the Japanese system - hospitals here look like bare medical places, and not like hotels (as they try to in the US) so they tend to look unfriendly. But having spent time in ICU, and my son in NICU here, I would not trust my life to anywhere else.

I think the Japanese health SYSTEM is fantatic. The SERVICE I received was not good.

may i ask why you say that? what should i watch out for?

In my case it was misdiagnosis and unhygenic conditions.

Ouch. I guess it all depends on the doctor and hospital/clinic.

I know that the small local hospital had a poor reputation. They delivered babies, but everyone I knew said they went to the bigger ciry hospital for things like maternity care.

Our local hospital looks like something out of a 1950s horror movie - but the care is top notch and my husband prefers to go there over heading to the ultra-new-but-emotionless-doctor clinic nearby.

I think the type of hospital you went to was one of the "People who can`t afford to pay for delivery go here for lowest level care" types. There are a couple of those in Nagoya. They`re supposedly 最低限 care, but they`ll fit everything in the 300,000 rebate with change left over. It seems like that`s all they really do, so the other care isn`t exactly great. There was a stellar example of this type of hospital near where we used to live.

We usually stick to small clinics (for normal and emergency care) and specialists (for any of the countless things we`re referred to specialists for).

I`ve personally had much better luck here with actually getting a proper diagnosis. Just a random example - I have a relatively rare skin condition on my toes and fingers which causes me to break out in tiny blisters if my hands and feet become either too moist or too dry. This has been going on since I was a baby. NEVER ONCE did any of the countless doctors we saw in the US actually bother testing it, and I went through elementary and middle school thinking that I had either severe athlete`s foot, or a "yeast infection" on my extremities. This was through 4 moves, going to 6 different doctors over a period of 10 years. All of this time I was told that I couldn`t take part in swimming, etc etc, as it would spread.

One visit in Japan and we know what it is, and get a special cream which totally eliminates it. They do a test and there is no bacteria or infection involved.

Not to mention that I was hit by a car, dislocated my knee, and fractured my ankle... But was told I was "just vying for attention", and that it was "just a bruise" when my mother took me to the emergency room in the US. When I still couldn`t stand up a week later, and was unable to sleep because of the pain, another doctor told us it was "just a strain" and that I was "overreacting for the attention."
We ended up waiting another week for an appointment at the children`s hospital, where they *FINALLY* noticed that I wasn`t just whining and were able to pop my knee back into place and put a splint on my ankle. Sucks though, as I still have knee and ankle pain from it to this day.

Doctors may often be cold and lack decent bedside manners here (it is getting better though recently - supposedly they`re cracking down on it or something.), but at least they usually give you decent care in the end. I could go on for days about the medical snafus and rip-offs I`ve experienced in the US. For Japan, I have 2 bad experiences out of literally thousands.

My only suggestion on this subject is that:

If you are a foreigner coming to live and work in Japan and will be enrolling in the national health care system, enroll in it as soon as possible after you arrive. If you are using an international health care provider when you arrive and wish to switch after 3 months or a year, you will be charged for every month since you entered Japan regardless of the fact you did not use the national plan. Doesn't make a lot of sense, but Japanese bureaucracy does not obey logic.

You can find health care providers for foreigners on Gaijinpot.

I forgot to ask. How much do prescription medicines cost in general? In England, ALL medicine is the same price if it's prescribed by the doctor. Is this the same in Japan? I've already mentioned the French system, so I was wondering which group the Japanese system fits in.

You pay a percentage of the government set price for the medication. The percentage you pay depends upon your age and how much your town/city contributes.

In the end, it is quite inexpensive, but I imagine if you are taking a lot of expensive medications it can add up.

Okay thanks. What I take every day is penicillin, so would doctors be able to give me a couple months of medication in one go?

If you have a condition which requires it over the long term, then yes, I imagine so.

Maybe I can steal this thread for a quick question.

If you have a perscription for some medicine in your (foreign country), how would you go about to get it in Japan? I'm not speaking of some weird drug that's restricted or so. Do they have the equivalent of pharmacies or something?

I'm sorry if maybe you think this question was just answered, but I'm not sure. Is there any problems using foreign perscriptions?

Yes, they do, all over the place. There are dedicated pharmacies, and little pharmacies in most all "drug stores".

However, they will not fill a prescription written outside of Japan. What you do is get a prescription and if possible a note explaining why you need it in your home country, take that to a doctor in Japan (medical terminology is largely identical, drug names - or rather, compound names not brand names - are written identically so the doctor will be able to read it without translation.) and get him to write the equivalent prescription in Japanese... And take that to a pharmacy if they don`t immediately fill it at the doctor`s.

Unless the drug is something which is restricted, then as far as I know it`s a pretty smooth process. If it is something restricted, they will just need to confirm that you do indeed have a condition which requires it.

Oh ok, seems logical enough. Is it smooth enough to get to see a doctor for that reason, I mean not a long wait-time etc? What about the cost?

Yes. Japan does not have long waits for care. Unless it`s something very specialty, just go to a regular doctor`s office - there are tons.
The only significant fee I can think of is the first visit fee that most everywhere charges. (2000 yen or so) The actual writing of the prescription will hardly cost anything, if they decide to charge you at all for it.

As for the cost of the medication, it will really depend upon what it is. The cost will not be reduced by insurance (unless you`re here long term and enter the national health plan), but in general the regular set fees for medications are pretty low to begin with. (Particularly when compared to the US *cough cough*)

Allright. Yea, 2k yen aint much either. One last thing, having perscription drugs with you when you travel to Japan, do you know anything about that? Who would know about such a thing?

In either case thanks alot for your swift replys, you are truly a resource!

Thanks for the replies, Nyororin. Greatly appreciated :)

From what I remember, I think a 30 or 60 day supply is alright. They just don't want you rolling in with suitcase full of pills.

Sorry for bumping up an old thread. I just wondered how and to who one applies for national health insurance in Japan? What's the process of applying and how long would it take for the coverage to take affect? This may seem like a strange question but I was planning on going to Japan and heard the national insurance is compulsory, but have no idea how one would go about obtaining it.

It does not cover tourists, but if you are going there to work your employer will help you get set up.