Health system and chronic disease as a foreigner

6 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Health system and chronic disease as a foreigner**

   Hello,

   I am planning to go to Japan to study at the University of Tokyo, but I have a question about the healthcare system.

   I saw that the NHI (National Health Insurance) reimburses 70% of the cost of a consultation. In France, the system is similar, and the remaining 30% is reimbursed by a private but non-profit mutual insurance to which one subscribes.

   Does this type of mutual insurance exist in Japan? I suffer from a chronic illness and I don’t want to have any unpleasant surprises.

   Thank you.

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2. I’ve never heard of insurance that can cover the remaining 30%. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, just that I don’t know about it. That said, you might find some relief anyway:

   1. Anything you spend over 100,000 annually is deductible from your income, reducing your tax burden.
   2. You can apply for a “high cost medical treatment cost limit” (I can’t remember the exact name) from your ward office, that limits the amount you can spend per month on treatment for a condition.
   3. Doctor’s visits and even consultation in a hospital and diagnostic tests are probably considerably less expensive than what you are imagining.

   That said, your University will likely require you to attend a medical checkup either before applying for your visa, or soon after you arrive. Make sure that you understand their requirements regarding your health condition. Furthermore, if your chronic illness is mental in nature, be advised that there are some medicines, particularly for ADHD and similar, that are far more tightly controlled in Japan than overseas, so it’d be a good idea to have a plan in place for treatment etc. before you go.

3. There exists products called Supplemental Insurance that you can get, Aflac sells some of them (some of them through Japan Post Insurance and others).

   Some of these are specifically designed to handle chronic diseases and cancer.

   Probably almost all of them are ultimately Aflac policies since Aflac sells the overwhelming majority of individual policies for insurance in Japan. (And Aflac itself has the vast majority of its sales in Japan, to the point some investors feel that it should “relocate” to Japan.)

4. A visit is usually just a couple of thousand yen and you’ll see the doctor every 60 days to renew your prescription. You’ll have to research specifics for your condition but generally it’s no problem and healthcare is very accessible. Insurance is usually covering other things like lost income due to illness which is why people take up insurance, but the public system covers you for the care you need.

5. My insurance covers the over 30% no problem at all, but as has been pointed out to you, anything like that is unlikely to cover pre existing conditions.

6. Assuming you are French, do you know the CFE?