WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Interpreter/Translator/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Big news for expecting parents. Going into effect today in Japan (October 1), child care costs will be borne directly by hospitals. Previously pregnant women would have to pay the one-time delivery/child rearing costs up front and later received 380,000 yen back, but now it will be directly paid by the hospitals at a 40,000 yen increase of 420,000 yen . This was initially proposed in August of last year by Health & Welfare Minister Yoichi Matsuzoe, who is looking to address the decreasing birth rate plaguing his country by adding an economic incentive.
A 28-year old new mother who had her baby on September 29 said with a grimace, “I somehow feel like I lost out by giving birth 2 days before the increase. It’s going to cost a lot of money going forward.” A mother who was about to give birth on the eve of the 1st expressed, “If possible, I want my baby to wait until midnight to come out. Of course, if he/she is born healthy I will have nothing to complain about…”
Though new mothers like this change, the hospital side has not been as embracing. The head of one medical clinic estimated that as a result of the implementation, as many as 10% of hospitals will have to close and 30% will be in a state of economic crisis. “Although we are being told to implement this as of the 1st, the details have not all been determined and we are in a state of deep confusion.” He added that if this continues, there will be a decrease in the amount of places where babies can be delivered. Stay tuned to see how this is reconciled within medical institutions.
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[…] 9/30/09: WIT Life #50: Under the Wire A short article on how Japanese hospitals will today be required to cover 100% of childbirth costs. Before mothers would pay up front and later be reimbursed, but now hospitals will pay all the costs themselves (420,000 yen per birth, or around $4678). Given the current healthcare debate in America, it’s interesting to see how this kind of comprehensive coverage has been implemented in Japan. Many hospitals aren’t too happy about this change, but I somehow doubt that people have been comparing Hatoyama to Hitler. […]
[…] 9/30/09: WIT Life #50: Under the Wire A short article on how Japanese hospitals will today be required to cover 100% of childbirth costs. Before mothers would pay up front and later be reimbursed, but now hospitals will pay all the costs themselves (420,000 yen per birth, or around $4678). Given the current healthcare debate in America, it’s interesting to see how this kind of comprehensive coverage has been implemented in Japan. Many hospitals aren’t too happy about this change, but I somehow doubt that people have been comparing Hatoyama to Hitler. […]