Hyogo Medical

Expats living in Kobe can access good quality healthcare through employee health insurance and the national insurance scheme. With the current coronavirus pandemic affecting many areas of the world, including Japan, it’s never been more essential to find out what local facilities are available. Here is an overview of what you can find in Kobe and how to access it. Accessing healthcare in Japan Japan has a universal public healthcare system that is of a high standard. All Japanese residents and expats with a residence card who are staying in the country for longer than three months are required to have health insurance to access healthcare. Employees in Japan are generally covered under their company’s social health insurance scheme (SHI). Other residents can join the national insurance scheme (NHI). Both of these schemes cover 70% of Japanese healthcare costs. Short-term visitors and tourists need to take out private health insurance, which is more expensive and usually means having to pay costs upfront and then get reimbursed. Around 90% of services are covered by public healthcare in Japan. There are some exclusions, such as some mental health, maternity, and sexual health treatments. If you’re covered by SHI, your employer will usually…