Job Discussion Forums

[S. Elliot Perez]

Hello,
I've applied to a job in a somewhat rural area of Japan. The weekly hours seem quite nice (20 to 40 hours, with good distribution) and the pay is decent (240,000 yen, keeping in mind that I've only 1 year of esl teaching experience). On the other hand, there isn't a lot of vacation and insurance is not paid for, so it seems I would have a 30% co-pay for all doctor visits as per the government's universal health care plan. My potential employer has already answered some of my questions, so I'd appreciate your input before I bother her again. When under universal health care, are there monthly or yearly fees, or only the 30% co-pay? Based on your experience, do you find this affordable/acceptable?

edit: I should perhaps also note that I do not have any grave health problems aside from impaired vision.

Thanks in advance!

[mitsui]

I pay 30%.

I am going to need glasses for reading soon, and plan to see an eye doctor next week.

[S. Elliot Perez]

[mitsui]

Huh? I have lived here for almost 15 years.
Not sure about the cost of getting glasses.

I had a cataract and one eye is worse, so I guess I need special lenses.

[kzjohn]

30-70 is the standard split--you pay the 30, your insurance system pays the 70.

Once upon a time it was a more favorable split (for the paying patient), but that was changed to discourage overuse of clinics by old people (and others), who were using the clinics as lounges to meet their friends.

Medical costs are controlled here, and are virtually the same (for the same thing) from one hospital to another (e.g., if you needed a hip/knee replacement). The cost here for those things is rather low, esp. compared to the states.

There's also a monthly cap, so if you have something serious (i.e., expensive) during a given calendar month, while you do pay up front (30%), you'll get some of that back a couple months later.

Not covered: normal glasses for near and far sightedness--you just go to a glasses shop, they do the exam, and you buy them out of pocket.

[S. Elliot Perez]

Thanks for the information. Could you perhaps give me an idea of the affordability of the health care under this system? When paying 30%, what does a normal check-up cost? Or a cleaning at the dentist?

[Maitoshi]

Depending on the situation, but a sick visit plus meds cost between ¥1000 and ¥2000.

[mitsui]

Depends on the dentist.
There are so many dentists in eastern Kanagawa that there is competition.
I have paid about 800 yen for cleaning.

[Harp]

To answer your original question, yes, there is a monthly premium that you have to pay as well as the 30% when you go to the doctor/dentist.

Will your employer enroll you in the company/school program (most likely shakai hoken) or are they expecting you to enroll yourself at your ward office (kokumin kenko hoken (health insurance) and kokumin nenkin (pension))?

If it's the company scheme then you'll pay the full amount from the start, if at your ward office then the premium is based on your previous year's income and as you won't have any previous income your premium will be very low, but will go up the following year.

Although this is for Shinjuku it's a useful guide to how NHI works and you can work out how much you might have to pay:
https://www.google.co.jp/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CE8QFjAFahUKEwjL8eSj3N7GAhUjJKYKHcZTB7w&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.city.shinjuku.lg.jp%2Fforeign%2Fenglish%2Fpdf%2Fother%2Fkokuho_e.pdf&ei=lSanVYvTCKPImAXGp53gCw&usg=AFQjCNEd-NXZPH_QAdRE6y4Btt_pWXT3tw&sig2=CKT2M8bXkQdmyjPX21dT9Q&bvm=bv.97949915,d.dGY&cad=rja

[S. Elliot Perez]

That sounds affordable. Many thanks for the information.