medical insurance

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At least 18 die unable to pay health insurance premiums

Since the National Health Insurance Law was adversely revised in 2000, at least 18 people have died after hesitating to have their illnesses treated because their health insurance cards were invalidated due to their failure to pay the premiums.

The revised National Health Insurance Law required local municipalities to invalidate the health insurance card if holders are in arrears more than one year and to provide them with a temporary card. Temporary cardholders are required to pay the total amount of medical expenses at hospitals. Although 70 percent of the medical cost will be reimbursed later from local governments, it will be used to make up for the premiums in arrears if they continue to fail to pay them.

In May 2001, a man visited a hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture and said he did not want to be tested because he did not have money. He had stomach cancer which later spread to the esophagus. He was a temporary card holder and died two months later.

According to the Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry, as of June 1, 2004, 300,000 households have temporary cards, five times more than in June 1997, and 4.12 million households have failed to pay health insurance premiums.
- Akahata, January 27, 2006