Hello everyone.
I have posted here before too regarding our 2 months old daughter struggling to drink milk .
We have a weekly checkup at clinic and general ward hospital. Our daughter have no any problem related to illness or disease. Only thing is she doesnt drink enough milk.
She drinks about 300-400ml per day. (8 times a feed)
So her weight is not gaining as it should gain(though the growing curve is positive)
Today our doctor suggested to admit to the hospital so that midwives and nurse can check during feeding time. They asked to admit about 1-2 weeks in which my wife have to stay with her.
I would like to ask is there any subsidy or benefits I can claim for my 2 months old hospital admission?
Her insurance card has been issued already(employee insurance card through my company) .
14 comments
Isn’t healtcare free for toddlers? I don’t remember ever paying for ours. Have you asked the hospital about it?
This happened to my brother. He was allergic to human milk and had to have a very specialized formula in the end. They actually gave him goat milk anyways hope it all works out for you. This should be no cost to you by the way in Japan.
You can get private health insurance to supplement your shakai Hoken. Specifically for hospitalizations. Not that expensive imho. Believe around ¥1,000 but feel free to double check. Pending on your prefecture, hospital visits/ emergencies are free 3 times a month or just ¥500. Not sure if it includes hospitalization.
Private insurance usage also works in your favor during tax season.
For some reason I can add the link normal so I’ll just copy and paste.
https://coopkyosai.coop/portal/jr20.html?utm_source=GAW&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shiryou&utm_term=コープ%20妊娠%20保険&utm_content=sitelink_junior&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAmZGrBhAnEiwAo9qHiRCxH-cs1BDL7LlF1ZDoqIrDs9CLLIsuiUuqiBeYfuAQFP3n-j9JuRoC9RwQAvD_BwE
I think the hospital treatment will be free (ie covered by national insurance) but there may be some charges for things like the use of a fold-out bed for Mum, optional TV, and other small sundries.
Regarding the ‘not drinking’ part – our youngest son had that, among other things. It turned out that his stomach was kind of folded and didn’t have much capacity. For several months we fed him small amounts through a tube up the nose. After a time his stomach ‘unfolded’ and he was able to drink normally.
You might want to check if your company offers some benefit to you for hospitalization of a dependant.
But as others have said, Healthcare is free for children, but you may need to pay things like laundry fee or formula fee. These are very cheap and you should be informed about them before admission.
You may also want to check about visitation hours and requirements.
Unless using a private room during the stay it would be free for your baby. Ask the hospital directly and they will provide you with all the information.
If you have a private insurance for you baby it might pay something for it.
Every baby is different, I am sorry you have to go through this. I am not saying your doctor is wrong, but I would get a second opinion. 300-400ml a day sounds normal to me and doctors/clinics want to promote powdered milk instead of breastfeeding (again not saying all!) if your baby is otherwise healthy and the growing curve is positive, why do you need to stay at the hospital for two weeks?
I would talk to a lactation specialist too. I can recommend these Facebook groups for info: „Tokyo Doula Support“ (Stephanie is a midwife and has been practicing in Japan for a long time), „Tokyo Mothers Group“ and „Tokyo Nursing Circle“. You can post there or message „Tokyo Doula Support“ directly. There are so many women there who experienced the same and can support you or your wife.
All the best!
My son was in the NICU for 1 month when he was 5 weeks old. He was on my company health insurance and had his certificate. The only thing we paid for out of pocket was my meals because I also had to stay with him for the month.
For a toddler free as previously said. Some hospitals do charge for the night gown and food, at least that is all I paid when I was in hospital for a week. Total came to 80000 for operation max limit. But the actual stay was like 1600 for 3 meals for 5 days and 240 for a fresh gown everyday. So basically taking out the 80000 which younglings don’t pay, I think that would be your worst case scenario. And even that I highly doubt you would pay.
Found the American!
The hospital is free for children under 5 under the national government and the towns often pick up the bill until age 18. Get down to city hall and get the town paperwork.
My son was hospitalized three times as a toddler. It was completely free except for the meals. And they really weren’t very expensive and as he was pretty much only breast fed at the time the nurses encouraged me to eat his meals (so as not to waste and save me from having some one having to deliver food to me).
It depends on the hospital and why they are being hospitalized, also there might be a room charge if you get a private room. My daughter, now 4 was hospitalized for a week when she was a year old. We paid 12k a day for 7 days.
I’m sorry for what you’re going through. It shouldn’t cost hardly anything for your daughters stay. My daughter stayed for a week in a private room with me when she was 7 months old for a pneumonia and I only paid around 5000 ¥ . The hard part was taking care of her 24/7 in a tiny room trying to feed myself as well. I didn’t shower and I was so worried to leave her for even a sec I got a urine infection because I was holding in too long. She was okay, I wished the nurses helped out a little more but when mama is there I don’t think you get any help. It may be best if you took shifts in taking care of your daughter for your wife’s health.