A health ministry panel in Japan has approved increases in hospital medical care costs to enable higher staff wages, address inflation, and expand telehealth services. Patients will face higher charges for hospital visits covered by the public health insurance system in various ways. The government aims to keep overall health care costs relatively low while meeting new medical needs.
Japan's Central Social Health and Medical Council, a health ministry panel, approved revisions to medical fees on Friday, February 13, 2026. These changes pave the way for higher wages at hospitals, additional measures against inflation, and the expansion of telehealth services.
Under the adopted fee adjustments, patients will incur higher costs for hospital visits covered by the public health insurance system through various means. The government has introduced a new category to counter inflation, permitting hospitals to add a ¥20 consultation fee for every patient visit.
By making these targeted tweaks to fees, the government seeks to maintain relatively low health care costs overall while addressing emerging medical needs for hospitals and doctors. Key terms include MLHW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), hospitals, doctors, medicine, health, national health care, and inflation.
This decision forms part of the government's efforts to enhance the sustainability of medical services, balancing increased patient charges with improvements in staff compensation.