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ken
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 14
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 Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:11 pm Post subject: What's the best Health Insurance for foreigners in Japan? |
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Hello all, I'm wondering what insurance company offers the best health insurance for foreigners in Japan? I'm an English teacher, however, my employer isn't able to offer me health insurance, leaving me to fend for myself. I've heard a lot of good things about Global Health (http://www.globalhealth.jp/index.php), what do you think about this company? How about the Japanese National Health Insurance? How's this compared to Global Health?
If anyone has advice/opinions, it'll be greatly appreciated!  |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:26 pm Post subject: Re: What's the best Health Insurance for foreigners in Japan |
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| ken wrote: |
Hello all, I'm wondering what insurance company offers the best health insurance for foreigners in Japan? I'm an English teacher, however, my employer isn't able to offer me health insurance, leaving me to fend for myself. I've heard a lot of good things about Global Health (http://www.globalhealth.jp/index.php), what do you think about this company? How about the Japanese National Health Insurance? How's this compared to Global Health?
If anyone has advice/opinions, it'll be greatly appreciated! |
Cant offer you health insurance or won't? Full time employees are supposed to be covered by law but language schools get around this by counting only your teaching hours (27 hours/week) and not your work hours
Dont know anything Global, but NHI, anyone with a gaijin card can join the national plan (pension too if you so desire) , monthly payments are about 2,500 yen a month but premiums go up 10-fold in your second year to about 25,000 yen a month based on previous years income.
You pay 30% of the bill when you go to the doctor.
national health covers most things including herbal remedies and childbirth, but can not be used outside Japan.
Not sure which is best but really depends on what your needs are and what you are willing to pay in premiums, as GH is more expensive than national health. |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 4:42 pm Post subject: Re: What's the best Health Insurance for foreigners in Japan |
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| PAULH wrote: |
national health covers most things including herbal remedies and childbirth, but can not be used outside Japan.
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You should probably explain the full details of the situation about childbirth because people hear differing reports and what you say here is technically incorrect. All the literature says childbirth is not covered under National Health. It does cover for complications due to pregnancy. Saying that though, there is a payment of about 300,000 given after the birth of a child. This will cover most of the regualr expenses involved.
National health CAN BE USED outside Japan also. But only for emergency situations. It is limited but it is worth investigating more if something happens to you when you are travelling. |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 4:51 pm Post subject: Re: What's the best Health Insurance for foreigners in Japan |
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| ken wrote: |
| my employer isn't able to offer me health insurance, leaving me to fend for myself. |
Depending on the number of employees at your company, you could be entitled to Shakai Hoken (employer based health/pension scheme). You must be working full-time or approx 75% of the hours of a full-timer (about 30 hours).
Initally this looks expensive as you are paying into the pension scheme as well. But if criteria is met, your company actually has a legal obligation to enroll you and are breaking the law by not doing so.
Costs of this will be about 25,000 per month BUT a large portion of this is refundable when you leave the country.
The other point to remember is it includes income protection for when you cannot work and you have no sick leave to use. It pays 60% of salary for I think 3 years.
www.generalunion.org |
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ken
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 11:21 pm Post subject: |
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The ekaiwa I work at is tiny, only 3 teachers, including me. My contract doesn't mention any health insurance coverage and only work 22 hours a week. So, does this mean I still don't get employee heath insurance? My boss even says that I am responsible for my own health insurance, so, I guess the boss is cheaping out.
IF I go with the National Heath insurance, 25,000 yen is a lot for my second year. Since it's also limited for coverage outside of Japan as well, perhaps other private companies, like Global Health, may seem like a better choice. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 12:06 am Post subject: |
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| ken wrote: |
The ekaiwa I work at is tiny, only 3 teachers, including me. My contract doesn't mention any health insurance coverage and only work 22 hours a week. So, does this mean I still don't get employee heath insurance? My boss even says that I am responsible for my own health insurance, so, I guess the boss is cheaping out.
IF I go with the National Heath insurance, 25,000 yen is a lot for my second year. Since it's also limited for coverage outside of Japan as well, perhaps other private companies, like Global Health, may seem like a better choice. |
If you are only part time employers are not obliged to cover you for health insurance and pension etc but if you work a forty hour week, are full time, they are, by Japanese law. Counting only your teaching hours gets them off the hook of having to pay your insurance. Insurance for a big company like NOVA can can cost milions as they have over 5000 foreign employees so any way they can save money is good for them, especially when profits are razor-thin.
I want my rights now,
my wife had two children in Japan and the doctor's visits, the scans, and the actual birth and stay in hospital were covered under national health insurance, as well as getting the 300,000 yen rebate.
I believe it depends on the area you live in, as some districts allow obstetricians fees to be covered while others don't. |
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ken
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I understand why some employers don't offer a 40-hour work week for their employees just so they can opt out providing health insurance.
Actually, in my contract, it states that my 22-hours a week I work IS full-time. But anyways, now that I know my employer isn't going to provide insurance, I'm trying to decide which is best: the Japanese National Health Insurance or something like, Global Health. A lot of people say that the National Health Insurance is good enough, but others say the coverage is only within Japan or the coverage is only good for most things - not as much as a private insurance company.
From what I gather of all your information posted here, Global Health is looking good. |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| PAULH wrote: |
my wife had two children in Japan and the doctor's visits, the scans, and the actual birth and stay in hospital were covered under national health insurance, as well as getting the 300,000 yen rebate.
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Interesting to hear. It was National Health (kokumin Hoken) as opposed to Emploer Health Insuranch (Shakai/Rosai)? Anything I can find in official documents says childbirth and related checkups aren't covered. Can you check with your wife just to make sure. Will be intersting to see if some prefectures are different on this. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Iwantmyrightsnow wrote: |
| PAULH wrote: |
my wife had two children in Japan and the doctor's visits, the scans, and the actual birth and stay in hospital were covered under national health insurance, as well as getting the 300,000 yen rebate.
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Interesting to hear. It was National Health (kokumin Hoken) as opposed to Emploer Health Insuranch (Shakai/Rosai)? Anything I can find in official documents says childbirth and related checkups aren't covered. Can you check with your wife just to make sure. Will be intersting to see if some prefectures are different on this. |
My wife was actually working full time at a company at that time until she took maternity leave and it was done through her work health insurance. I remember as I went to the clinic with her on several occasions and watched her pay the bill.
I was part time teaching at universities, on private insurance. MY guess she was on Shakai Hoken, but I can check. |
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Sweetsee
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything
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| Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 1:25 am Post subject: |
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| We spent 600,000 yen and got 1/2 back. Does this mean we got reamed by the hospital we went to? |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 1:50 am Post subject: |
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| Sweetsee wrote: |
| We spent 600,000 yen and got 1/2 back. Does this mean we got reamed by the hospital we went to? |
Quite possibly as it seems there is a maximum amount that will be refunded. In my wifes case, (both times, different hospital one week each time) we paid about 400-450,000 yen of which we got back 300,000.
Quite possible you were overcharged but i can't say for sure without knowing all the facts. If they have a 10 million yen ultrasound scanner and ultra-modern facilities its quite possible you will pay for the privilege- do you think you got good service? |
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Sweetsee
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything
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| Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 3:17 am Post subject: |
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You are exactly right Paul. It felt like a real nice place, a little too nice. It struck me as the Japanese version of a western hospital, just from the property, the set up, lay out...I don't know.
There were some things we didn't like. For example, we were refused to have flowers in the room, which we had to share with patients from another ward, no personal service in the form of back rubbing etc. were forthcoming until the final hours of induced labor and no fathers allowed during delivery.
It seemed like a lot of money when I hear about having a baby in other countries. Perhaps, some posters could tell about how much it costs elsewhere. We are interested to know as we may be doing it again.
It really is messed up, isn't it? Shouldn't the government be trying to encourage people to raise families instead of the opposite. You look at someone with four kids these days and you have to say, "Wow, how do you do it?"
How are you doing Paul? Still hard at it I see. Good on you! |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| PAULH wrote: |
My wife was actually working full time at a company at that time until she took maternity leave and it was done through her work health insurance. I remember as I went to the clinic with her on several occasions and watched her pay the bill.
I was part time teaching at universities, on private insurance. MY guess she was on Shakai Hoken, but I can check. |
It was probably shakai hoken and even rosai at that. Rosai health insurance sometimes gives more than the national and the shakai hoken.
I was in the private schools association Rosai and in hospital for a week or so. my 30% was oonly about 50-60,000yen. Even then I later got a one off cash rebate of 30,000yen sent to me to compansate me for being in hospital. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 9:37 am Post subject: |
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My SO just told me she was on Shakai Hoken during the pregnancy and hospital visit.
At least we cleared that one up. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2004 9:47 am Post subject: |
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| Sweetsee wrote: |
Y
It really is messed up, isn't it? Shouldn't the government be trying to encourage people to raise families instead of the opposite. You look at someone with four kids these days and you have to say, "Wow, how do you do it?"
How are you doing Paul? Still hard at it I see. Good on you! |
The goverment here has no idea what its doing. The cost of educating kids here is phenomenal, something like $150,000 per child from the age of 6 till they finish university. More if they go to private schools and private universities. The only reason I can afford it is I have a reasonable paying job and side income.
Not only that once women have kids here its almost impossible for them to get back into full time jobs (unless you are professionally trained and a nurse or a doctor etc) and they end up working in supermarkets for 800 yen an hour.
Dad is facing redundancy and early retirement just as his kids hit university. My sister in law is spending 5 million yen a year to keep 2 boys at university. They have 2 incomes so they manage. Pity the stay at home mother though.
How do they do it?
If you see those programs with families with 10-12 kids they have to make choices, kids go to public schools, you get the siblings helping the younger ones, doing chores etc. Bulk buying at the supermarket. Husband driving a truck or taxi twelve hours a day.
There is certainly no incentive to have big families here as cost of living is so high as is education, and you get zip help from the government in terms of family benefits etc. Many times the husband also is MIA. |
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