Job Discussion Forums

[yamanote senbei]

Yes, new Nova contracts have that line. It's common for employers in Japan to put stupid clauses similar to that in their employment contracts. Just because something is in your contract it doesn't mean that it's legal and it doesn't mean you're bound by it.

Labour Standards Law

(Contract Violating This Law)
Article 14. A labour contract which provides for working conditions which do not meet the standards of this Law shall be invalid with respect to such portions. In such a case the portions which have been invalid shall be governed by the standards set forth in this Law.

The same principle applies to mandatory enrollment in employee health insurance. If you work for Nova, or another company who hasn't put you on shakai hoken, go to your local shakai hoken office and show them your contract and copies of your time cards. I'm sure they would be happy to help you.

If you want to know more, research it. A good place to start would be here:

http://nambufwc.org/2005/05/31/new-nova-hours-pose-health-risk/
http://nambufwc.org/2005/04/12/english-schools-face-huge-insurance-probe/

[cafebleu]

There are some good points made in this thread, Dooley, although it got a bit off-topic. I was never enrolled in Global Health insurance but I knew people who were and paid for the Silver service.

I was always in the Japanese National Health Insurance system through my city hall - much as I disliked that fact for reasons I`ll give you later when I make an assessment of just how it rips off those who save it the most money and rewards those who milk it for all it`s worth, causing self-inflicted problems that are going to see a melt-down of Japan`s health insurance system (see also the coming Jp pension system meltdown!).

However, as an English person I never enrolled in foreign health insurance schemes in Japan for one fundamental reason - some of them including Global are not all they are cracked up to be. There`s fine print in a no. of cases of illnesses/conditions they won`t cover AS OPPOSED to the Jp National Health Insurance. You also get a tax refund for your premiums - althought it`s measley it`s better than nothing.

Some of these schemes (including Global) have the deserved reputation of being late in reimbursing your expenditure. For every person I knew who was reimbursed fairly quickly, there were others who were not including being kept waiting by Global.

With the JP NH you aren`t expected to fork out your money up-front when receiving treatment. BUT if you have an accident/have to go to hospital because of illness in Jp and have foreign health insurance, you`ll have to pay up front. Ouch - was the reaction of some of my foreigner friends and in the case of one part time job worker I knew, he had to beg me and my husband for a loan. Which we provided.

The downsides of the Jp NHI are rather substantial - over-priced payments for a system that punishes you for being healthy. During my time in Japan (over 5 years) I used the system once and still had to fork out some ridiculous amount for a doctor removing a few shallow stitches. I couldn`t believe that a 2 minute trip to the doctors in Japan when I was paying 25,000 a month in premiums, could cost so much.

In a system where efficiency in the real sense of the world and genuinely high quality medical care were characteristics (ie not in the Jp NHI - the quality of doctors fluctuates widely, generally Jp doctors withhold information from patients, and given Jp is stuck in a timewarp whereby the rich and sometimes thick who fail their medical exams only qualify to be medical practitioners here as befits an oligarchical society), there would be a sense that those patients who waste innumerable hours on medical `care` for minor complaints and suck the system dry would pay higher premiums.

Those of who used the system (for a 2 minute process) one time in over 5 years would be rewarded for not taking up time and costing money. Not penalised by paying about 10 percent of our income again and again to make sure that Japanese hypochondriacs of whom the elderly constitute a significant no. keep sucking the system dry. Smokers who cost billions of yen in their smoking related illnesses because Japan encourages tobacco companies, has machines everywhere with the killer sticks and successfully promotes smoking to the young, would pay higher premiums along with the hypochondriacs.

This, however, is an unattainable dream in Japan which is still basically run as an oligarchy, and burdens those who are on small or relatively small incomes to subsidise the more privileged, the privileged and the rich. This is present in all aspects of society and it`s killing the medical system and pension system.

When you have the opportunity ask a Jp friend about their salary - and benefits. The so called average income of 250,000 yen for an English teacher is quite low compared to some Jp office workers with their benefits, and the figure is fast becoming redundant as a reliable figure for what English teachers earn, anyway/. If you are fortunate enough to make that, you will be hit for about 10 percent (depending on your ward office/city hall) for the JP NHI. Fair and efficient it`s not.

Yet - I think it is the best option in case of accident or unforeseen injury/illness, pre-existing conditions/illnesses. You will be treated at once as everywhere in Jp the NHI is recognised. Global isn`t and in fact no foreigner schemes are so you`ll have to pay up-front.

As for kitano`s warnings about back-payments - it depends. Most places in Kyushu don`t do that, but as Japan lurches into an ageing society crisis made by its own xenophobia, corrupt govt, and plain idiocy in many of its policies (no long term planning, catering for the unproductive at the expense of struggling workers) I am sure more ward offices and city halls will start to hit up foreigners for back payments. We are always Japanese when they need our money to pay for their corruption, pork-barrelling and inefficiency lead to massive and costly waste of public resources.

You have been warned!

[yamanote senbei]

If this is true, Interglobal is to be avoided. Nova JMA has just switched over to Interglobal and their customer base might fix their financial situation, but in any case most teachers in Japan should be on Shakai Hoken, not some shoestring travel insurance. Nova JMA used to use Mitsui Sumitomo, why did they switch from something semi-legit to this?

http://insurancewrongdoings.blogspot.com

[kitano]

[Dooly]

Thanks for the well-thought out replies. It seems that there is no really good answer. I actually don't mind if I have to pay up front, as long as I know I will get it back eventually (assuming I have time to get some money over from home, that is). But you're right that there's an awful lot that Global doesn't cover, Cafebleu.

I guess that people who use national health insurance have to pay 30 percent still when they go to the doctor. Surely this penalizes people who use the system on a regular basis, and helps to lower frivolous use? In Canada, we all pay for health care through our taxes, and there is no usage fee (in my province anyway) that deters hypochondriacs from using the system as often as they like. As for higher premiums for frequent users, that would discriminate against anyone who really was sick through no fault of their own, I would think.

Regarding cigarettes, they should tax them (if they don't already) and put the money they raise into the health care system, IMO.

[Temujin]

[inkansai]

If insurance is an important issue for you when choosing for employer, shop around. ECC doesn't enroll teachers. AEON Amity does.

We all agree that National Health Insurance (Kokumin Kenko Hoken) can be very expensive after you have lived in Japan for more than a year. If you end up paying 25000 yen a month for National Health Insurance (kokumin kenko hoken) you get absolutely nothing when you leave Japan.

Employees' Health and Pension (shakai hoken) is a much better option. As an eikaiwa teacher on 250,000 a month you will pay around 30,000 a month. This is also a tax deduction which will help reduce your city tax bill too. The health insurance portion is about 10,000 yen a month and about 20,000 goes to the pension fund. You are eligible for a pension refund if you are not a japanese national. To get the refund you have to had paid into the system for more than 6 months. Refund amounts are decided in six month increments. The major downside is if you contribute for more than 36 months the refund is the same.

Another word of warning, from April 2006, city offices and the Social Insurance Agency are going to start sharing information. They are well aware that the number of people enrolled under 65 years in National Health Insurance (kokumin kenko hoken) and National Pension (kokumin nenkin) is vastly different. If you are enrolled in National Health Insurance (kokumin kenko hoken) you are required to be enrolled in the National Pension (kokumin nenkin). Only time will tell how seriously this is enforced...but it looks like the tide is turning.

[yamanote senbei]

The biggest problem Kitano is that foreigners working in Japan don't know their rights and their employers have experience in denying them their rights.