Japan’s Medical Expenses Hit Record 48 T. Yen in FY 2023

Tokyo, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)–Medical expenses in Japan for fiscal 2023 rose 3.0 pct from the previous year to 48,091.5 billion yen, marking a record high, the health ministry has said. On a per capita basis, the expenses paid to medical institutions for the treatment of illness and injury in the year through March 2024 expanded 3.5 pct to 386,700 yen, also an all-time high, according to a final report released Friday. The rise in medical costs is attributed to an increase in influenza cases, the country’s aging population and costly medical treatments using advanced technologies. For those aged 65 or older, per capita expenses reached 797,200 yen, 3.7 times that of individuals under 65, whose average was 218,000 yen. This older age group accounted for 28,880.6 billion yen, about 60 pct of the total national medical expenditure. Financial resources for the medical costs included 18,033.1 billion yen from central and local government funds, 24,138.3 billion yen from public medical insurance premiums and 5,686.5 billion yen patients paid directly to medical institutions. By prefecture, Kochi had the highest per capita medical expenses at 496,300 yen, followed by Kagoshima at 469,800 yen and Tokushima and Nagasaki at 467,100 yen. Saitama was lowest at 342,500 yen. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]