The government's ban on health insurance coverage of medical treatment provided in combination with uninsured therapy creates unnecessary financial problems for patients who need the uninsured but advanced treatment, critics charge.
Some experts, however, support the health ministry position that lifting the ban on "kongo shinryo," or balance billing or extra billing, would run counter to the principle of the public health insurance system — providing all people with the same medical service at uniform prices.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry says it approves treatments, drugs and equipment to be covered by public health-care insurance policies after examining their safety and effectiveness.
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