rì běn日本méi tǐ媒体guān zhù关注：fù huá赴华zhù yuàn住院shēn qǐng申请bǎo xiǎn jīn保险金rén shù人数zēng jiā增加
Recently, many Japanese media outlets have reported on a situation that has drawn public attention.
Many people who bought health insurance in Japan returned to China and then applied to Japanese insurance companies for payouts because they were “hospitalized.”
Such cases have increased significantly in a short period of time.
According to data from a major Japanese insurance company, there were about 650 cases in 2022 in which people were hospitalized in China and applied for insurance payouts.
By 2024, that number had risen to about 13,000, a 20-fold increase in two years.
The reports say that most of these claims were made on the grounds of “gastroenteritis.”
In Japan, this illness usually only requires rest at home and does not require hospitalization.
But on some social media platforms, people have shared stories about receiving insurance payouts of several hundred thousand yen, which has led more people to do the same.
Japanese Minister for Financial Services Katayama said that fairness in the insurance system is very important.
If unreasonable claims continue to increase, insurance companies’ expenses will rise.
This could raise insurance premiums for everyone, and it could also make future claim requirements stricter.
At present, some Japanese insurance companies have already begun strengthening checks on proof of hospitalization overseas.
Experts also remind people that insurance is meant to help those who truly need it.
Only when everyone uses it honestly can the insurance system operate stably over the long term.
This issue has also led society to think about how overseas medical insurance should be managed better in the future.