Medicare

What Medicare does

Medicare Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (メディケア生命保険株式会社) is a Japanese direct-response life and health insurer operating as a 100% subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance (住友生命). Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo, the company sells a portfolio of individual insurance products under the Medifit brand — whole-life medical insurance (Medifit A and Medifit Re for pre-existing conditions), specified-disease lump-sum coverage (Medifit Plus), cancer treatment insurance (Medifit Gan), term life (Medifit Teiki), income protection, and a single-premium whole-life product bundling asset protection with cancer coverage. As of June 16, 2026, Medicare had surpassed 2.5 million in-force contracts, indicating material scale within the Japanese direct-to-consumer life insurance market.

The company's core technology is a web-based sales and policy administration platform supporting online application, My Page self-service, and digital claims interaction, supplemented by a call center recognized with HDI-Japan's 3-star quality rating in 2025. Medicare monetizes through recurring insurance premiums (monthly, semi-annual, or annual via bank transfer or credit card), priced individually based on age, gender, health status, and coverage level, with monthly premiums ranging from approximately 380 yen for entry-level term life to 1,740 yen for cancer coverage on a 30-year-old male.

Medicare reaches customers through six distribution channels: direct online sales via medicarelife.com, mail order, financial institutions, insurance shops, Sony Life branches, and corporate sales, and additionally acts as a licensed sales agent for short-term insurance products underwritten by MICIN and AIR. Value-added ecosystem services include online medical consultation via curon, drug-search and designated-hospital navigation tools, and a co-marketing partnership with Sumitomo Mitsui Card. The combined direct and partner-channel GTM, Sumitomo Life backing, and ongoing product-line expansion into pre-existing-condition and asset-linked products point to a strategy of widening addressable market within Japan's individual insurance segment.

Name

Medicare

Legal name

Medicare Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (メディケア

Website

https://medicarelife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Medicare Life Insurance (メディケア生命保険) is a Japanese direct-response life insurer and 100% Sumitomo Life subsidiary offering individual medical, cancer, term-life, and income-protection products under the Medifit brand to Japanese consumers via online, financial-institution, Sony Life, and insurance-shop channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life and Health Insurance

NAICS

Direct Life, Health, and Medical Insurance Carriers (52411), Direct Health and Medical Insurance Carriers (524114)

SIC

Life Insurance (6311), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Whole Life Insurance (FSAIABAA)

Keywords

• Life insurance
• Health insurance
• Medical insurance
• Cancer insurance
• Term life insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Koto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premiums: Medicare Life Insurance generates revenue through insurance premiums paid by policyholders. The company offers various life and health insurance products including medical insurance, cancer insurance, and death benefit insurance with premium payment periods that can be终身 (lifetime) or 有期 (limited term). Premiums are collected monthly, semi-annually, or annually through bank account transfer or credit card payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Medicare Life Insurance is a Japanese direct-response life insurer that sells individual life and health insurance products to consumers under the Medifit brand, including whole-life medical insurance, cancer treatment insurance, term life insurance, income protection, and single-premium whole-life with cancer rider. Products are distributed through medicarelife.com, mail order, financial institutions, insurance shops, Sony Life branches, and corporate sales, with policy administration handled digitally via My Page. The company operates as a 100% subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance and serves over 2.5 million in-force contracts.

Product overview

Medicare Life Insurance Co., Ltd. (住友生命グループ) is a direct-response life insurer offering a portfolio of individual insurance products centered on its Medifit brand. The core lineup consists of medical insurance products (新メディフィットＡ for healthy applicants, 新メディフィットRe for those with pre-existing conditions), a specific-disease lump-sum product (新メディフィットPlus), a cancer treatment insurance (メディフィットがん保険), term life insurance (メディフィット定期), income protection insurance (メディフィット収入保障), and a single-premium whole-life plan combining asset protection with cancer coverage (新メディフィット一時払終身＋がん). The company also distributes short-term insurance products from partner insurers MICIN and AIR as a licensed insurance sales agent. Products are available through internet applications, mail, financial institutions, and insurance shops, with a dedicated My Page portal for policyholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Medicare Life (住友生命グループ もっと！フィット！): Main brand tagline and positioning - もっと！フィット！(More! Fit!)
• 新メディフィットＡ (Medifit NA)
• 新メディフィットRe (Medifit Re)
• 新メディフィットPlus (Medifit NP)
• メディフィットがん保険 (Medifit Gan)
• メディフィット定期 (Medifit T)
• Fit Your Life

Products and services

• Shinchu Medifit A (新メディフィットＡ / Medifit A Ace) — Medical Whole Life Insurance (no surrender value refund type) Whole-life medical insurance (no surrender value refund type) for healthy applicants, covering cancer, lifestyle diseases, and injuries via customizable coverage and rider plans, with lifetime fixed premiums starting from 1,165 yen/month.
• Shinchu Medifit Re (新メディフィットRe / Medifit Re Relief) — Limited-Disclosure Medical Whole Life Insurance Limited-disclosure whole-life medical insurance designed for applicants with pre-existing conditions or medical history, offering coverage at adjusted premium rates starting from 1,498 yen/month.
• Shinchu Medifit Plus (新メディフィットPlus / Medifit Plus) — Specified Disease Lump-Sum Payment Insurance Specific-disease lump-sum payment insurance providing lump-sum payouts for 8 specified lifestyle diseases and 3 specific diseases (cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease), with lifetime coverage.
• Medifit Gan Cancer Treatment Insurance (メディフィットがん保険) Cancer treatment insurance covering anti-cancer drug therapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and specified free-choice medical treatments, with lifetime premium and coverage terms.
• Medifit Teiki Term Life Insurance (メディフィット定期) Term life insurance (no surrender value) offering affordable premiums with selectable coverage amounts (3–30 million yen) and terms (10-year, to age 60/65/80), renewable up to age 80.
• Medifit Sh Income Protection Insurance (メディフィット収入保障) Rate-classified income protection insurance providing monthly benefit payments if the insured becomes unable to work due to illness or injury, with affordable premiums and selectable term periods.
• Medifit IG Single-Premium Lump-Sum Whole Life + Cancer (メディフィット一時払終身＋がん) Single-premium whole-life insurance combining asset protection with cancer coverage, allowing policyholders to leave assets to beneficiaries while also preparing for cancer-related expenses.
• MICIN Short-Term Insurance Products (MICIN少額短期保険商品) Short-term insurance products underwritten by MICIN, offered through Medicare as a licensed insurance sales agent alongside its own portfolio to broaden coverage options.
• AIR Short-Term Insurance Products (アイアル少額短期保険商品) Short-term insurance products underwritten by AIR, offered through Medicare as a licensed insurance sales agent to expand the range of insurance options available to customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports coverage up to age 85 for medical insurance and 70 for term life

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Sumitomo Life Insurance (住友生命)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedicare Life Insurance is a 100% subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance. The company leverages Sumitomo Life's experience and expertise to develop and offer simple, trustworthy insurance products. This parent-subsidiary relationship provides strategic backing, brand credibility, and operational support.
• MICIN (マイシン) - Small Amount Short-Term InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicare Life acts as a sales agent for MICIN's small amount short-term insurance products, offering these alongside their own insurance products to provide broader coverage options for customers.
• AIR (アイアル) - Small Amount Short-Term InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicare Life acts as a sales agent for AIR's small amount short-term insurance products, expanding the range of insurance options available to customers.
• Sony Life Insurance (ソニー生命)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicare Life insurance products are available for purchase through Sony Life's distribution channels, leveraging Sony Life's network of agents and branches.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Card (三井住友カード)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for new card member campaigns. Sumitomo Mitsui Card new member campaigns are promoted through Medicare Life's contractor services and financial tools section.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lifenet Insurance: Direct-to-consumer online life insurer in Japan offering term life, medical, and cancer products via web/mobile. Highly comparable to Medicare Life's digital-first, simplified-underwriting, no-surrender-value product philosophy and target segment.
• au Financial Life Insurance: Digital-focused life insurer affiliated with KDDI/au brand, selling simplified-underwriting medical and cancer insurance online. Comparable in direct digital distribution model within Japan.
• SBI Life Insurance: Japanese direct-response life insurer under SBI Group, focused on low-cost online distribution of term and medical products. Closely comparable in channel strategy and product positioning.
• Aflac Japan: Cancer and medical insurance specialist in Japan with a strong direct-response agency model. Comparable product emphasis on cancer and supplemental medical coverage.
• Orix Life Insurance: Japanese life insurer offering direct and bank-channel distribution of medical, cancer, and term products. Comparable product mix and multi-channel approach.
• Rakuten Life Insurance: Rakuten Group's life insurance arm offering online term and medical products to Rakuten ecosystem customers. Direct competitor in digital distribution and customer acquisition strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Sony Life Insurance: Major Japanese life insurer and current distribution partner of Medicare Life. Overlaps in individual life and medical products, with a broader portfolio and larger agent network.
• Sumitomo Life Insurance: Parent company of Medicare Life; one of Japan's largest mutual life insurers. Operates as a broad incumbent with overlapping product categories but a much wider distribution and product portfolio.

Emerging players

• Neo First Life Insurance: Smaller direct-response Japanese life insurer focused on simple, low-cost medical and term products. Partial overlap with Medicare Life's simplified-underwriting niche.
• FWD Life Insurance Japan: Pan-Asian insurer with Japan operations focused on digitally-distributed life and health products. Comparable digital-first distribution approach in the Japanese market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/medicarelife

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medicare