Health app to be covered by public health insurance

A smartphone app designed to help people with high blood pressure will be covered by public health insurance from September, a er getting the nod from a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry advisory body.

It will be the second health app to be covered by the public medical insurance program.

In the treatment of hypertension, doctors regularly provide guidance on lifestyle changes such as reducing salt intake and exercising. However, it has been a challenge to get some patients to follow the guidance.

e hypertension health app was developed by Tokyo-based start-up CureApp Inc. and will be used by patients based on a doctor’s prescription.

Users can input details about their diet, number of steps taken and blood pressure level, for example, and receive dietary advice, among other guidance.

Doctors check the entered information, and give the patients advice about every other month. e initial fee is ¥9,700, and subsequent consultations cost ¥8,300.

Under public health insurance, many patients pay 30% of expenses, bringing the cost down to ¥2,910 and ¥2,490, respectively. (Aug. 5)