Covering the economic and industrial might of Japan

Patients on Japan's national health insurance program often overpay. When the overpayment is more than 10,000, local municipalities are required to notify the patient.

In more than 40% (42.8%) of Japan's 1,832 municipalities, patients were NOT informed of overpayments.

In one prefecture NOBODY, 100% of the overpayers were NOT informed - Gifu prefecture.

In 90% of the municipalities in Aomori, Miyagi and Tochigi, the patients were not informed. The hospitals just sat on the extra payment, hoping to make good on the next visit, or to keep the extra if the patient never came back.

In 17 of Japan's 40 odd prefectures more than half of the municipalities kept overpayments.

In five prefectures - Toyamaa, Ishikawa, Mie, Kagawa and Okinawa, 100% were notified.

Patients have a right to request a refund IF they know they overpaid. It's kind of like taxes...most patients don't have a clue that they shelled out too much.

Considering how many people go to the hospital in Japan...the amount is in the hundreds of millions of yen.

Sounds like Japan needs a watchdog.

What do you think?