Medical care cost information
The Health Insurance Society prepares “medical care cost information” so that you can check how much you paid in medical care costs and review the actual medical care costs.
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- Check the actual medical care costs using your “medical care cost information” and receipts or detailed statements.
Medical care costs for sickness and injury treatment are uniformly determined at all hospitals in Japan, based on the standards established by the Japanese government as Medical Fees. However, using health insurance, the only amount you pay at a hospital is the copayment. This can make it hard to grasp the actual medical care costs incurred.
Accordingly, the Shiseido Health Insurance Society prepares medical care cost information and Notices of Payment Decision Regarding Insurance Benefits to help members better understand the health insurance society system. Medical care institutions bill the Society for medical care costs on a monthly basis, two months after the month of examination or treatment. For this reason, Notices of Payment Decision Regarding Insurance Benefits are distributed to insured persons starting about three months after the month in which the examination or treatment was provided. Amounts shown on medical care cost information are for examination and treatment costs covered by insurance only. They do not include costs such as additional charges for private rooms and costs of materials used in dental treatment.
| Type of notice | Subjects of notice | Main content | Timing of notice | Method of notification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical care cost information | Individuals who received insured examinations or treatment at medical care institutions | Intended to make it easy to understand how much medical care costs have been used by the insured person and his or her entire family. | monthly | Web notification using the mobile payroll system |
| Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons | February | Sent to home address in sealed envelope | ||
| Notices of Payment Decision Regarding Insurance Benefits | Individuals who received the benefits indicated at right | Shows a breakdown of medical care costs and benefits such as high-cost medical care benefits, Injury and Sickness Allowance, and benefits and additional benefits related to childbirth. | monthly | Sent to home address by postcard |
* Even if incurred in the same month, notice of some medical care costs may be delayed by a month or more due to delays in billing by the medical care institutions.
In addition, medical care institutions will issue receipts showing medical care costs per item, including charges for the first consultation, checkup charges and treatment charges, as well as detailed statements showing more detailed “medical care information”. Try to check these against the medical care cost information you receive from the Health Insurance Society later.
Note that while medical care cost information constitutes reference information for income tax returns (medical expense deductions), it does not qualify as documentation. See here for more information on income tax returns (medical expense deductions). >> 「Medical expenses deductions」
Medical care cost information also includes costs incurred for treatment at bonesetter’s (osteopathic) clinics. See here for more information on treatment at bonesetter’s (osteopathic) clinics. >> 「When visiting a bonesetter's clinic or osteopathic clinic」