Treatment Costs and the High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit
Other Schemes Worth Knowing
| Scheme | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medical expense tax deduction (医療費控除) | anyone whose medical expenses exceed ¥100,000 in a year (or 5% of income if income is under ¥2M) | claimed on your tax return; family members' expenses and travel to appointments can be included — keep receipts |
| Sickness allowance (傷病手当金) | employees insured through 協会けんぽ or an employer's society | income support while you cannot work during admission or recovery; conditions and amounts from your insurer |
| Long-term care insurance (介護保険) | people 65 and over (40–64 for specified conditions; lumbar spinal stenosis is one of them) | rehabilitation and care services after surgery; services are available from the "support needed" level |