[Social security system for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Japan].

Support system for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a wide variety, such as the health care, the medical economy, the environment, and mental activity. Among these measures, the laws called the social security system are defined. These systems consist of social insurance (medical insurance, long-term care insurance, pension insurance), social welfare (welfare for the disabled) and public health (measures for intractable diseases). As social support under total management of RA, patients can receive mitigation measures and subsidies (physically disabled person's certificate, high-cost medical care, etc.) for high medical expenses at use of biological products, hospitalization and surgery. Furthermore long-term care insurance and disability pension can be used as a further support of home care.