No more free rides: Japan’s health insurance crackdown on tourists

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Japan is considering making health insurance mandatory for foreign tourists as part of a crackdown on unpaid medical bills, with authorities also planning to share details of defaulters with immigration officials to prevent future abuse of the healthcare system.The proposals come in response to growing concern that some visitors are receiving treatment and then leaving the country without paying, forcing Japanese hospitals – and by extension taxpayers – to absorb the costs.According to a study...