The numbers show that people want home healthcare. But there’s nothing for them to ‘have’ yet — nothing comprehensive. Just looking at the demographics, the numbers show … it has to become a bigger pa

And I'd like a million dollars. Are these people aware of the state of the health care system here and what is going to happen to it in the next few decades? If these people are more than happy to pay for it, great. Of not, laughable. Frankly, the system here is often abused by the elderly who seem to think clinics and hospitals are a place to chat and see friends. Start making older folks with the cash pay more. Having them pay, what 10% is it?, is a joke. It's one thing for some poor, housebound pensioner and another for some genki 75 year old with huge savings to be paying 10%.

200 suggestions? I have one. Stop treating medical care, clinics, hospital, medication... as a business and start asking those who use it most often to pay more if they are able to afford it. And many ARE able to afford it. It's the 2-40 somethings that can't afford supposed universal health care nor the 30% on top.

tmarieJUN. 16, 2015 - 10:45AM JST If these people are more than happy to pay for it, great. Of not, laughable. Frankly, the system here is often abused by the elderly who seem to think clinics and hospitals are a place to chat and see friends. Start making older folks with the cash pay more.

I agree. On average, the Japanese see physicians almost 14 times a year, three times the number of visits compare to other developed countries and the average length of a hospital stay is two to three times as long in Japan . The co-payments and rate increases have done little to reduce the number of consultations.

Japan needs to make change by introducing voluntary-payment scheme, so that individuals could influence the amount they spend on health care by making discretionary out-of-pocket payments or up-front payments through insurance policies. In Germany, they capitalize on the fact some people are willing to pay significantly more for medical services, usually for extras beyond basic coverage. Japan’s current system with voluntary payments could substantially reduce the funding gap.

I find the health care system here pretty good BUT you need to get extra insurance to cover cancer, hospital stays etc.

And there is too much abuse, primarily people going WAY too often to the doc. Next meds, doctors here WAY over prescribe & then often DONT give you enough meds to ride out what ails you, meaning you need to go back 1 or more times to stock up on the ONE medicine you need & the piles of others that end up in the trash or piled up in a medicine cabinet

Like education the health industry is in need of a restoration of sorts, clearly there are many fundamental problems & when you add in the decreasing amount of $$ flowing in, its like the pension system, bankrupt or soon to be so!