Insurance System

Japan’s constitution expressly declares that citizens have a right to health and that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure this right can be realized. The government’s commitment to health for all led to universal health care coverage in 1961. Characteristics of the Japanese health insurance system include:　Mandatory coverage for anyone who permanently resides in Japan for three months or more. This includes both Japanese citizens and non-Japanese citizens.　Enrollees have no choice of health insurance programs. Plans are designated according to the enrollee’s 　Continue reading...

Long-term care insurance (LTCI) was launched in Japan in 2000 and, as of January 2015, provides benefits to over five million persons 65 years and older, about 17% of this age population[v]. Japan’s LTCI is a mandatory program that provides benefits for the long-term care of older persons (as opposed to programs that offer benefits to younger persons with disabilities). Distinctive characteristics of this program include: The program is public. All persons aged 40 and over contribute by paying a premium that varies according to income. All persons aged 65 and over can access benefits. 　Continue reading...

Despite the generous benefits and coverage provided by the public health insurance system, private health insurance is a growing segment of the private insurance industry in Japan with much of private health insurance is delivered alongside life insurance. Previously, private health insurance was limited in use to coverage of orthodontics and other high cost cosmetic procedures; yet, as the life insurance industry has grown larger, private health insurance as a supplementary service product has also grown. Plans on the market today include insurance to cover chronic diseases and hospitalization. Continue reading...