Specified diseases refer to "long-term specific diseases" and are covered under the Health Insurance Act, wherein subsidies are granted when long-term medical care becomes necessary.
Beneficiaries are patients with hemophilia, patients with kidney failure in need of dialysis, and HIV patients infected by blood products.

By submitting your certificate for the specified disease treatment to the receptionist at your medical institution, your monthly cost-bearing limit for medical expenses will not exceed 10,000 yen. However, for patients with kidney failure who are in need of dialysis and apply to the following, the cost-bearing limit for one month will be 20,000 yen (as of October 2006).

• Persons under 70 with a standard monthly income of at least 530,000 yen
• Persons under 70 who are insured as dependents of persons whose standard monthly income is at least 530,000 yen.

Application forms are available at your place of health insurance registration or the section within your company that handles insurance. Please have your doctor fill in the “medical comments” within the application to certify that you have the specified disease. Submit the form to the health office with your health insurance card attached. The benefit will be effective as of the first of the month that you submit your application.