A health ministry panel discussing medical fee limits for high-cost treatments has agreed to raise such caps from next summer, to keep the nation’s health care system from caving under a rapidly aging population and to maintain its coverage of advanced medical technology.
In Japan, most people pay 30% of the medical costs they incur at hospitals and clinics; those above the age of 75 pay 10% to 20%. Regardless of this general rule, the high-cost medical expense benefit system (kо̄gaku ryо̄yо̄hi seido) sets a cap on the amount people pay for medical services according to their age and income.
For example, for people with an annual income of ¥3.7 million ($23,900) to ¥7.7 million, the current cap for copayment is ¥87,430 per month if their medical bill for the period is ¥1 million. The monthly cap rises to ¥97,430 if the bill is ¥2 million, and to ¥107,430 if the bill is ¥3 million.