The idea of free healthcare may sound ideal because it suggests everyone can access medical care without financial burden. However, the reality of such policies often involves covering these costs with taxpayers’ money. Even though services might be labeled as “free,” they still come with high administrative costs and essentially just shift resources around. Printing more money isn’t a viable solution either, as it could lead to inflation, affecting everyone.
Some suggest adopting a healthcare model like the one in Nordic countries for Japan. These models are funded by high taxes, such as a 25% standard consumption tax in places like Sweden and Denmark. Public healthcare services have their limits as well, often requiring people to go through family doctors for specialty care and facing long waits for non-urgent surgeries. Many people in these countries also opt for private insurance to ensure quick access to healthcare.
In Japan, the trend of making medical services free, especially for children, has increased dramatically. For instance, municipalities offering free medical visits to high schoolers grew from 155 in 2013 to many more today. While this can help those who can’t afford basic healthcare, there is a risk of driving a “free-for-all” competition among local governments, which could strain their finances and harm long-term services.
Research has shown that making medical services free, even with small copayments removed, increases the use of healthcare services by about 10%, including unnecessary prescriptions for things like viral colds. This leads to a misuse of limited medical resources and could delay treatment for those who really need it.
There is historical evidence from Japan itself that shows the risks of complete medical free-for-all policies, such as the issue with elderly hospital admissions for non-medical needs in the 1970s. This led to a huge increase in healthcare costs, prompting a policy rollback to reintroduce some level of patient cost-sharing.
As healthcare is not an unlimited resource—there’s only so much time, staff, and medicine available—it’s crucial to create realistic and sustainable policies. A balanced approach is needed, where public support is focused on essential services like preventing infectious diseases, while routine healthcare services for minor issues should still involve some personal cost to discourage unnecessary visits.
by MagazineKey4532