Japan Data

Unpaid Bills a Problem for Some Japanese Hospitals Treating Foreign Patients

Society Health Economy

A survey of hospitals in Japan found that 18% of those that had treated foreign patients had experience of problems with them not paying.
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As foreign visitors to Japan increase, there are more cases where those who get sick or injured receive treatment. If they do not have Japanese medical insurance, however, the treatment is not covered and they are responsible for the full cost. Hospitals have been encountering issues due to foreign patients either not having the money to pay or trying to negotiate the price.

In a Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare survey aimed at hospitals across Japan, of the 5,184 hospitals that responded, 2,813, or 54.3%, said that they accepted foreign patients (including foreign residents) during the month of September 2023. More than 80% of the medical institutions that are accredited by prefectural government to accept international patients had done so. The most common number of patients accepted was “10 or less,” noted by 1,273 hospitals.

Japanese Hospitals’ Experience of Treating Foreign Patients

Number of Foreign Patients Accepted Per Hospital

Out of the 2,813 hospitals that accepted foreign patients, 516 (18.3%) had experienced nonpayment of fees by such patients. The unpaid fees averaged at 3.9 cases per hospital, with the total amounts averaging ¥496,000. The most common amount outstanding per patient, in 954 cases, was “less than ¥10,000”, followed by “¥10,000–¥49,999” in 522 cases. The average unpaid amount per case was ¥128,497 and the median was ¥11,150.

Occurrence of Unpaid Fees by Foreign Patients

Total Amount of Unpaid Fees

Amount of Unpaid Fees Per Patient

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)

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