Japanese healthcare system: in vitro diagnostic tests and reimbursements.

In 1961, a new and mandatory National Health Insurance plan was enacted in Japan. This healthcare system has succeeded in providing universal coverage while also containing the growth of national medical expenditures (NME) to the rate of growth of the gross national product (GNP), namely, approximately 4-5% annually, for several decades. All Japanese medical procedures, including dental procedures, prescription drugs, and diagnostic tests, are reimbursed by a fee schedule set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The combination of strict fee control and low administration costs has kept the Japanese NME growth below that of the GNP. In 1990, NME was 20.6 trillion yen ($187 billion), total diagnostic testing expenditures (DTE) were 2.3 trillion yen, representing 11.2% of national medical expenditures (NME). Of this amount, in vitro diagnostic testing accounted for 1.4 trillion yen, representing 61% of DTE and 6.8% of NME. Annually, 1.8 billion in vitro diagnostic tests are performed.