The administration will begin full-fledged discussions as early as this month on the idea of expanding public health insurance coverage to include childbirth starting in fiscal 2026.
The government will also consider setting a uniform price for childbirth support and related services in hospitals and other institutions, in an effort to curb rising costs as part of measures to tackle Japan’s falling birth rate.
As part of a strategy aimed at securing the country’s demographic future, which was adopted at a cabinet meeting in late 2023, the government announced that it would consider covering the costs of childbirth through public health insurance.
Current coverage does not extend to childbirth expenses in general, while there are a handful of exceptions, including C-sections.
The Department of Health and the Children and Families Agency will set up a panel of experts as early as June to discuss insurance coverage for childbirth and other related issues.
The average of childbirth costs nationwide was approximately ¥482,000 in fiscal year 2022.
The lowest average per prefecture was ¥360,000 in Kumamoto, while the average in Tokyo was highest at about ¥600,000. In Kanagawa, near Tokyo, the average was ¥550,000.
Japan essentially increased its lump-sum maternity benefit to ¥500,000 from ¥420,000 in April 2023.
However, in many cases the reimbursement is not sufficient to cover all associated costs, especially in large cities.
If childbirth is covered by public health insurance, women who give birth must pay 30% of those costs.
The government will consider setting up a system to make co-payments effectively zero for deliveries costing up to ¥500,000.
The targeted uniform price for delivery support and other services is expected to be lower than delivery costs in urban areas. But if the official price is too low, it would pose business risks for medical institutions in urban areas.
