title: Health insurance and payment systems for severe acute pancreatitis.
abstract: The medical insurance system of Japan is based on the Universal Medical Care System guaranteed by the provision of the Article 25 of the Constitution of Japan, which states that "All the people shall have the right to live a healthy, cultural and minimum standard of life." The health insurance system of Japan comprises the medical insurance system and the health care system for the long-lived. Medical care insurance includes the employees' health insurance (Social Insurance) that covers employees of private companies and their families and community insurance (National Health Insurance) that covers the self-employed. Each medical insurance system has its own medical care system for the retired and their families. The health care system for the long-lived covers people of over 75 years of age (over 65 years in people with a certain handicap). There is also a system under which all or part of the medical expenses is reimbursed by public expenditure or the cost of medical care not covered by health insurance is paid by the government. This system is referred to collectively as the "the public payment system of medical expenses." To support the realization of the purpose of this system, there is a treatment research enterprise for specified diseases (intractable diseases). Because of the high mortality rate, acute pancreatitis is specified as an intractable disease for the purpose of reducing its mortality rate, and treatment expenses of patients are paid in full by the government dating back to the day when the application was made for a certificate verifying that he or she has severe acute pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hemodialysis and Surgery, Clinical Research Center Kaken Hospital, International University of Health and Welfare, 6-1-14, Kounodai, Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan. yoshida@kaken-hp.or.jp
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Tadahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mayumi
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shikata
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: Yasutoshi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Hodaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Amano
authors.forename: Shinju
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arata
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Toshifumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gabata
authors.forename: Morihisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Masamichi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yokoe
authors.forename: Seiki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kiriyama
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekimoto
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007564:Japan; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008019:Life Style; D008483:Medical Assistance / Q000458:organization & administration; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D019472:Universal Health Insurance