When you incur high medical care costs
Your copayment for medical care costs is capped. If your copayment calculated based on certain standards exceeds the maximum, the excess amount will be paid as “High-Cost Medical Care Benefits”.
- Tips
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- By using a Myna health insurance card, you will be exempt from payments beyond the maximum copayment amount under the High-Cost Medical Care Benefits system, because your cost-sharing maximum amount information will be provided with no need to give your consent and without any prior procedures.
We recommend using a Myna health insurance card. Using this card will eliminate the need to apply in advance for a Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount.
- By using a Myna health insurance card, you will be exempt from payments beyond the maximum copayment amount under the High-Cost Medical Care Benefits system, because your cost-sharing maximum amount information will be provided with no need to give your consent and without any prior procedures.
High-Cost Medical Care Benefits (for dependents, “Dependents' High-Cost Medical Care Benefits”)
- ** Meal expenses, accommodation expenses, and charges of beds incurring an extra charge during hospitalization are not eligible for High-Cost Medical Care Benefits.
- ** See here for Cost-Sharing Maximum Amounts for persons aged 70-74.
- ** See here for Cost-Sharing Maximum Amounts for persons with low income. Those in the categories of 830,000 yen or more and 530,000 - 790,000 yen will remain in those categories, even if they are exempt from paying municipal tax.
If the copayment amount for medical care costs paid at the reception desk of the hospital becomes high, the Health Insurance Society will pay the amount beyond a certain figure later (the Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount) to help ease the burden of medical care costs. This is referred to as “High-Cost Medical Care Benefits” (for dependents, “Dependents' High-Cost Medical Care Benefits”).
High-Cost Medical Care Benefits are automatically calculated at the Society based on rezepts (health insurance claims/details) issued by medical care institutions. You do not need to apply for these benefits. Insured persons eligible for High-Cost Medical Care Benefits will be notified at a later date. Check the notice for more information such as on amounts paid. High-Cost Medical Care Benefits are typically paid three to four months after the month of the examination or treatment.
High-Cost Medical Care Benefits are calculated for medical care costs incurred over a one-month period, from the first through the last day of the month. High-Cost Medical Care Benefits are also calculated on a per-person, per-hospital (outpatient/inpatient, medical/dental, etc.) basis.
If you want to make sure the amount you pay at the reception desk of the hospital will not exceed the Cost-Sharing Maximum Amounts
If a person expects to incur high medical care costs, it can be more convenient to obtain “a Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount” in advance. By showing this “Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount” to the medical care institution together with your health insurance card, you can ensure that the amount of medical care costs for which the hospital bills you (per month) will not exceed the Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount and reduce the amount of medical care costs you must pay at the hospital on any single visit (You can use this certificate for both inpatient and outpatient care).
See here for more information.
Note that you will need a Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount in the following cases. If you need this certificate, apply in advance.
- Examinations and treatment received at a medical care institution or other facility that has not adopted the online eligibility verification system
- When not using a Myna health insurance card
- When not using a Myna health insurance card and you are 70 or older and in the same income category as active workers Ⅰ or Ⅱ
- If you are in the low income category (certificate of application of maximum copayment/reduced standard copayment)
How High-Cost Medical Care Benefits are calculated
- * The Recruit Health Insurance Society provided its own benefits (through an additional benefits system) for examinations and treatment through March 2019. This system was discontinued starting from examinations and treatment provided in April 2019.
If your copayment is reduced still further
You can combine copayments for an entire household (Total High-cost Medical Care Benefits)
Even when the copayment for one case for one month is less than the maximum, if members of the same household have made copayments of 21,000 yen or more multiple times in the same month, they can combine those amounts for the purposes of the Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount.
If the total amount exceeds the Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount, then the excess amount is paid by the Health Insurance Society as “Total High-cost Medical Care Benefits”.
The Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount will be reduced for frequent qualification of expenditures.
If a single household qualifies for High-Cost Medical Care Benefits three or more months in a single year (the most recent 12 months), the Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount will be reduced to the amount of the table below starting with the fourth month.
Standard monthly remuneration | Individual cost-sharing maximum amounts |
---|---|
830,000 yen or more | 140,100 yen |
530,000 yen - 790,000 yen | 93,000 yen |
280,000 yen - 500,000 yen | 44,400 yen |
260,000 yen or less | 44,400 yen |
Those receiving treatment for specified diseases and disorders
The amount paid to the medical care institution will not exceed 10,000 yen per month for patients with haemophilia, patients with AIDS receiving antiviral drugs, and patients with chronic nephritis who require artificial dialysis for an extended period, if they have been certified as having specified diseases and disorders.
However, if a patient requiring artificial dialysis and under 70 years of age qualifies as a person with 530,000 yen or more of standard monthly remuneration, his or her copayment will be 20,000 yen/month.
If you are eligible, apply for issue of Certificates Issued for Specific Disease Treatment.
When your copayment amount for medical and long-term care is high (high aggregate cost for long-term care service)
If a person in the same household receives long-term care insurance benefits and the total of copayments for medical insurance and long-term care insurance in one year (August 1 of the previous year through July 31) exceeds the following limit, the amount exceeding the limit will be paid in accordance with the proportions of medical insurance and long-term care insurance.
However, since a high aggregate cost for long-term care service may be applied for only when copayments were incurred under both long-term care insurance and medical insurance during the period subject to calculation, you cannot apply for it if no copayment was incurred under long-term care insurance, even if one was incurred for medical care costs.
In addition, you must in principle apply for high aggregate cost for long-term care service to your medical insurer (e.g., the Health Insurance Society) as of July 31 of each year.
- ●To apply for High-Cost Medical Care Benefits (Outpatient Annual Total) for a person aged 70 or older, apply for high aggregate cost for long-term care service after payment of the outpatient annual total benefits.
See here for more information on outpatient annual total benefits.
Copayments eligible for payment of benefits and maximum copayment amounts
Benefits are calculated for the one-year period from August 1 of the previous calendar year through July 31. Copayments subject to calculations are total copayments for medical care and long-term care made by insured persons and their dependents.
- *1 Those under 70 years of age are eligible if the copayment for medical care is 21,000 or more per case per month.
- *2 Cases in which the copayment for either medical care or long-term care is 0 yen are disregarded in calculation.
- *3 Cases in which the amount beyond the maximum copayment amount in the table below is no more than 500 yen are not eligible for payment of high aggregate cost for long-term care service.
Cost-Sharing Maximum Amount
Category | Under 70 years | 70-74 years | |
---|---|---|---|
Standard monthly remuneration | 830,000 yen or more active workersⅢ (aged 70-74) |
2,120,000 yen | |
530,000 yen - 790,000 yen ?active workersⅡ (aged 70-74) |
1,410,000 yen | ||
280,000 yen - 500,000 yen active workersⅠ (aged 70-74) |
670,000 yen | ||
Normal (Standard monthly remuneration 260,000 yen or less) |
600,000 yen | 560,000 yen |
- * Income categories are determined based on the standard monthly remuneration as of July 31.
- * Costs are reduced still further for persons with low income. See here for more information.