Introducing After-hours medical service fee for Japanese Health Insurance

During the winter season, December 15th to March 31st, insurance-covered medical consultation hours will be available only on weekdays.
For consultations on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, an additional after-hours consultation fee of 2,000 yen will be charged as part of the “Selected Treatments” under the Co-payment for Non-covered Medical Services system. We kindly ask for your understanding regarding this matter.

Period: December 15th to March 31st

Declared Consultation Hours for Japanese Health Insurance:

• Weekdays: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM / 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Reception ends 30 minutes before closing)
• Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays, the year-end/New Year period: After-hours consultation fee of 2,000 yen will be charged.)

Regarding the Co-payment for Non-covered Medical Services:
In Japan, under the principle of universal health insurance, essential and appropriate medical care is generally covered by insurance. However, medical services that are not covered by insurance but may eventually be considered for future coverage, such as advanced medical treatments, are allowed to be combined with insurance-covered treatments under the “Co-payment for Non-covered Medical Services” system. This system follows specific rules to ensure safety and efficacy and permits such treatments to be used alongside insurance-covered treatments. The Co-payment for Non-covered Medical Services system is divided into three categories: “Evaluated Treatments,” “Patient-requested Treatments,” and “Selected Treatments.”

Selected Treatments:
Selected Treatments refer to those under the Co-payment for Non-covered Medical Services system that are not intended for future insurance inclusion. Patients can choose to receive these treatments by paying a special fee, allowing them to combine non-covered treatments with insured services.

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/iryouhoken/sensiniryo/index_00007.html