TOKYO, Sept. 17, 2022 (WAM/Jiji Press) — Japan’s healthcare costs will rise 4.6% from the previous year in 2021 due to an aging population and ballooning coronavirus-related costs and reached a record high of 44.2 trillion yen. The use of expensive cutting-edge technology, the health ministry said.
In addition, the growth rate was the largest in 2020 because many people refrained from seeing a doctor for fear of being infected with the new virus.
Costs consist of payments from the public health insurance system, taxpayer money, and out-of-pocket expenses borne by patients.
The provisional totals shown by the ministry accounted for about 98 percent of the country’s total healthcare spending in the year ended March.
Specifically, inpatient treatment expenses increased by 2.8% to 17.6 trillion yen, and outpatient and home visit treatment expenses increased by 7.5% to 15.3 trillion yen.
