Using Bonesetters and Osteopathic Clinics
Unlike medical treatments provided by a hospital or healthcare provider, some treatments offered by bonesetters and judo therapists are and are not covered by health insurance.
Learn about how to correctly communicate the cause of an injury and receive treatment by understanding the best way to visit a judo therapist when seeking care.
Treatment Covered and Not Covered by Health Insurance
Treatments Covered by Health Insurance
- Fractures, dislocations, bruises, sprains and other clearly traumatic injuries (excluding ailments caused internally)
- Fractures, incomplete fractures, and dislocations (requires the consent of a physician unless for emergency care)
Treatments Not Covered by Health Insurance = Medical Costs Fully Paid by Patient
- Fatigue, stiff shoulders, or muscle sorenessdue to daily life
- Muscle fatigue due to sports or other exercise
- A slipped disk which should be treated by a physician
- Chronic diseases such as aftereffects of brain diseases
- Vague long-term treatments that do not show signs the symptoms are improving
- Natural pain in areas even if caused by a break, sprain or other injury treated several years prior
- Neuralgic muscle pain (rheumatism and joint inflammation)
- Treatments for fractures or dislocations done without the consent of a physician
Points of Note When Visiting a Judo Therapist
| Accurately explain the cause of an injury | Health insurance does not cover non-traumatic injuries or injuries caused by occupational accidents. Please also be sure to contact the EY Japan Health Insurance Society before seeking care for traffic accidents. |
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| Extraneous treatments are not covered by insurance | Do not ask for any extraneous treatments such as issues in another area of the body or those of a family member at the clinic with you. Extraneous treatments are not covered by insurance. |
| Always take and keep your receipt | Please check the medical expense notice as well to make sure there are no errors after you receive your receipt. Please also be sure to always save your receipt because it is necessary for deducting medical expenses and other filing procedures. |
| Carefully check the Application for Payment of Medical Care Costs and be sure to sign your name and stamp your seal | The Application for Payment of Medical Care Costs is a form for a patient to delegate billing of the EY Japan Health Insurance Society to the judo therapist. Signing or stamping a blank application form can lead to problems. Always carefully review the cause and name of an injury, the number of days, and the amount of medical costs before signing your name and stamping your seal. |
| Consult a physician for any long-term treatments | Symptoms that do not heal over a long period of time during treatment may have an internal cause. Always undergo a medical examination. |
| No overlapping treatments from a hospital |
Health insurance will not cover medical costs for overlapping treatments from an orthopedic clinic and a judo therapist. As a general rule, the patient is responsible for paying all of the expenses related to treatments from a judo therapist. *Bonesetters, osteopathic clinics, and orthopedic clinics are not the same.
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Request from the EY Japan Health Insurance Society
The EY Japan Health Insurance Society often finds billing for treatments not covered by insurance as well as fictitious and inflated costs among invoices from bonesetters and osteopathic clinics.
To verify whether the billing information and actual treatments undergone by a patient match, the EY Japan Health Insurance Society may inquire by telephone or in writing for information such as the date and details of treatment. We ask for your cooperation in these inquiries. In addition, we ask that you fill out the answer section on the health insurance inquiry sheet.