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cangel
Joined: 12 May 2003
Posts: 74
Location: Jeonju, South Korea
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 Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2004 11:55 pm Post subject: JMA Insurance |
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| I'm heading back to Japan next month to work for Nova. I'm questioning whether to go with a private insurance company such as Global Health, or with Nova's JMA plan. The private plans offer better coverage but are a tad more expensive. The privates also cover dental up to a predetermined amount. In reveiwing the JMA policy, it appears they offer no dental coverage. Is this true? When I was a JET I had the national Insurance and I had dental. All comments are greatly appreciated. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 8:17 am Post subject: Re: JMA Insurance |
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| cangel wrote: |
I'm heading back to Japan next month to work for Nova. I'm questioning whether to go with a private insurance company such as Global Health, or with Nova's JMA plan.
When I was a JET I had the national Insurance and I had dental. All comments are greatly appreciated.
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If Nova allow you to opt out of their scheme and join the Global Health scheme then you are also perfectly able to re-join the National Health scheme. Nova may claim you can't, but they're lying (probably because they will have to fork out dosh if you do join it).
Employers can require you to join the inhouse scheme, but if they *don't* make it part of the contract then the National Scheme is open to anyone employed in Japan. It'll maybe be cheaper than any other scheme your first year too. It certainly has better general coverage. Glenski reckons the National Scheme costs more in subsequent years once joined, but it never did for me.
Just a thought. :) |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski reckons the National Scheme costs more in subsequent years once joined, but it never did for me. |
I'm not the only one who "reckons" this. It's the law. The simple fact is that when you start work in Japan, you have no history of a salary to your employer or the government here. So, they figure payments to national health insurance at about 2,500 yen/month.
http://www.htia.org/e/info/health.html
http://www.city.yokohama.jp/me/GuideE/64-65.html
After your first year of work, they have tax records on you and can base premiums on them. What happens (and it is utterly amazing that Cthulhu eluded this) is that your premiums go up tenfold or more. Expect to make payments in your second year around 20,000 to 40,000 yen/month (for 10 months). It depends on your old salary, marital status, and where you live. (You can even talk them down in some cases. I did with my wife's help.) Cthulhu is the only person I know that has not had this happen. Perhaps his/her circumstances were unique? |
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cangel
Joined: 12 May 2003
Posts: 74
Location: Jeonju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Nova allows you to get your own insurance. My major concern has to do with dental. As a JET, dental was covered. However, in reviewing Nova's literature on the JMA scheme, I believe dental is not covered. I'll look at it again this evening. I would think that the two schemes would be one in the same but it would appear they are not. Global Health will cost me about 6,000 yen a month and it covers more and to a higher %, plus it includes dental. I'm leaning toward Global Health. Additionally, since I was a JET from January 2003-July 2003, would this have an impact on determining my premium under the JMA scheme? |
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foster
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 485
Location: Honkers, SARS
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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No, JMA does not have dental. You can easily opt out of Nova's JMA. You do need to prove that you have insurance somewhere else in Japan tho. The people I know working for Nova and who have used JMA have had little to no problem getting their money back and getting coverage. One guy was even hit with a car in Thailand and they covered everything for him.
That said, in 2 years with Nova, I never used JMA once. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:24 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Cthulhu is the only person I know that has not had this happen. Perhaps his/her circumstances were unique?
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I shouldn't have thought so. But I've done a quick check of a few friends in the same type of situation I was and they all say their payments never went up either. Peculiar. I guess it's another one of those wonderful Japanese situations of ESID.
Either way, it gives the OP more options to consider. :) |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 5:46 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I've done a quick check of a few friends in the same type of situation I was and they all say their payments never went up either. |
If it's not asking too personal a question, what was your situation? I'd be curious to know your visa status, previous history with working in Japan, living situation, and anything else that would normally affect insurance rates.
I'm not doubting this happened to you and your friends, just awestruck at the fact that your insurance never went above the 2500 yen/month mark. I'm not always the harbinger of negative news (as some would say); I'd just like to tell people ways to avoid such high costs if possible. |
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guest of Japan
Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Posts: 1601
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 7:49 am Post subject: |
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| I joined the national health insurance system after two plus years in Japan. I got to start out at 8 payments of 23,000 yen per year. After getting married I was able to reduce it 3,000 yen a month. I also got a big fat tax refund for being on it thanks to a clever accountant in my current company. |
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