Initial medical examination fee to rise by ¥60 after consumption tax hike in October

The Central Social Insurance Medical Council, an advisory committee for the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, has announced that medical fees will rise to reflect the 10% consumption tax hike from Oct 1.

A patient’s initial examination fee will rise by 60 yen to 2,880 yen, while subsequent visits will increase by 10 yen to 730 yen. For example, a person with health insurance who currently pays 30% of the cost for treatment and medicine will see their initial examination fee increase by 18 yen to 864 yen and follow-up consultations increase by 3 yen to 219 yen.

While the cost of medical treatment in Japan cannot be legally taxed, medical institutions will be hit with the higher tax burden when purchasing equipment and supplies from October. Therefore, in order to alleviate this consumption tax dilemma, medical institutions have decided to boost the cost of medical examinations, subsequent consultations and basic hospitalization fees.

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