Japan
In Japan, there is a universal health care system that provides access to medical services. Individuals pay for health insurance according to fees determined by a government committee, which are intended to provide equal access to medical services for all socioeconomic statuses across the country. Those who are unemployed or cannot obtain insurance through their employer are eligible for a national medical insurance program. Certain other healthcare services, including prenatal care, screening tests, and infectious disease monitoring, are paid for out of pocket by the individual (30%) and the government (70%). In Japan, hospitals must operate on a non-profit basis. The physicians that work at the hospitals also manage them. Similarly, clinics are operated and owned by the physicians that run them.
Healthcare Spending
In 2012, Japan spent 10.1% of the national GDP on healthcare. That amounted to $3,578 USD, a figure that is on par with other high-income countries around the world. Japan’s spending is far above the regional average for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Western Pacific Region, which is below $1,000 USD. The CIA World Factbook ranks Japan as 38th in the world by the percentage of the country’s GDP that goes to healthcare.
Availability of Care
Japan has 2.3 physicians per every one thousand people. While that figure is above the average number of physicians in the region, which is 1.53 per one thousand persons, it could be higher. Among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OEDC), the average is approximately three physicians for every one thousand persons. However, Japan has a surplus of nurses and midwives. There are 11.49 nurses and midwives per one thousand people, a figure that is over four times the regional average.
Life Expectancy & Mortality
Unlike its neighboring countries, Japan has an extremely high life expectancy. The average life expectancy for 2014 is 84.46 years, a figure that puts Japan third in the world on this measure. Only Monaco and Macau have higher life expectancies. Singapore, also in the Western Pacific Region, ranks fourth in the world and only lags behind Japan by 0.8 years. In contrast, larger and more populous countries in the same region, such as China, have much lower life expectancies, around 75 years.
Other Issues
Japan currently faces relatively few issues with respect to its healthcare system. Life expectancy in Japan is one of the highest in the world and serves as a good tool to evaluate the healthcare system. Japan’s high life expectancy was achieved through controlling, preventing, and treating communicable diseases. The number of hospital beds available in Japan is the highest among all OECD countries, at 8.1 beds per one thousand people. As a result, obtaining immediate care is not difficult. One issue that Japan does face is over-utilization of the healthcare system, for instance visits to the hospital for relatively minor health problems. In addition, the Japanese undergo MRIs at a rate that is eight times the average for the United Kingdom and double that of the United States. In some areas of the country, such as Tokyo, overutilization of resources has led to people being turned away at hospitals.