LWIF EP83: What a Japanese Nursing Home is Like

In this video, we go on a tour of a couple of Azalee’s Nursing Homes in Japan. In Japan, hospitals and clinics must be non-profit and owned and operated by physicians. Health care costs are standardized across the country, with no single physicians able to charge a different price for a procedure.

However, non-medical expenses, such as room and board in a nursing home, are up to the discretion of the respective facilities. While costs at Azalee vary patient by patient, Dr. Kurusu, the chairman of the Azalee Group, estimated that a patient might pay about $2,000USD a month for all expenses, including food, lodging, and their portion of medical costs (the Japanese government covers 90% of medical expenses for seniors).

What are nursing homes like where you’re from?