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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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 Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:01 am Post subject: kokumin hoken--so clueless! |
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I just recently enrolled in kokumin hoken and am clueless to how it works.
(My job offered private insurance but one of my friends said that kokumin hokenwas way cheaper, esp. if you don't get sick often.)
The Japanese brochere explains a bit, but I'm rather lost with some kanji.
Can anyone explain exactly how it works?
Does it cover dental cleanings, gyno exams, and dermatology?
Thanks a bunch in advance! |
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ripslyme
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 481
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:17 pm Post subject: |
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Apply for it at the city hall/ward office. You get a card to show them. It covers 70%. You pay 30% right then and there. That's it. Transaction complete, no papers to file or forms to fill out. It covers dental and dermo. I don't know about gyno.
Your payments are based on your Japanese salary from the previous year. If this is your first year in Japan, your payments are at the minimum. The next year however your payments can go up a great deal. A common example is that 1st year payments are around 2000 a month, 2nd year payments are around 20000 a month. ymmv. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| And another point of importance, lets not forget the visa renewal issues you'll be facing next year if you choose private over NHI. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:50 am Post subject: |
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Eveyone thanks for all the info!!!!!
Hey Glenski,
I only signed up for the insurance not the pension. I doubt I will be here long enough to get it. It seemed like the insurance was a good deal since the private ones seem to have you pay up front and wait for reimbursement. And I don't always get sick, but it's good to have something available. I thought koukmin hoken is cheaper than shaki hoken but am I mistaken? |
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 5:54 am Post subject: |
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Is a "year" a real year from the date you join? Like if I joined in July 2009 would my premiums be low until next June, then increase?
Also is there any kind of scale online or someplace where I can get an idea of what my charges will be next year, if I compare my salary to it?
I'd like to roughly know how much I will be paying come winter. |
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Hot-Carl
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 63
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:54 am Post subject: Re: kokumin hoken--so clueless! |
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| nawlinsgurl wrote: |
I just recently enrolled in kokumin hoken and am clueless to how it works.
(My job offered private insurance but one of my friends said that kokumin hokenwas way cheaper, esp. if you don't get sick often.) |
Your friend is an idiot. Unless you're staying for a year or less, it's way more expensive. Expect to pay around 20,000yen a month or so after your first year. Unfortunately, it's mandatory. Even if you took private insurance as one job, if you ever change jobs chances are they won't offer private insurance and you'll have to get national insurance. When you do that, you have to make back-payments for the entire time you were in Japan. Basically, it's something that you should really be enrolled in for better or worse.
[/quote]The Japanese brochere explains a bit, but I'm rather lost with some kanji.
Can anyone explain exactly how it works?[/quote]It covers 70% of your hospital bills. It doens't cover non-essential stuff. Dental work is not in a hospital and is not considered essential, so it's not covered. I'm guessing skin problem are not covered either. Gyno... no idea. I'm sure you can find a lot of volunteers if you ask nicely, though.[/quote] |
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Inflames
Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 486
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:30 pm Post subject: Re: kokumin hoken--so clueless! |
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| Hot-Carl wrote: |
| It covers 70% of your hospital bills. It doens't cover non-essential stuff. Dental work is not in a hospital and is not considered essential, so it's not covered. I'm guessing skin problem are not covered either. Gyno... no idea. I'm sure you can find a lot of volunteers if you ask nicely, though. |
Dental work is definitely covered. Going to an optometrist/opthamologist is also covered. Things like physicals and childbirth aren't covered, although most places pay for physicals and you get a stipend of 300,000 when you give birth. |
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bearcat
Joined: 08 May 2004
Posts: 367
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:37 pm Post subject: Re: kokumin hoken--so clueless! |
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| Hot-Carl wrote: |
Your friend is an idiot. Unless you're staying for a year or less, it's way more expensive. Expect to pay around 20,000yen a month or so after your first year. Unfortunately, it's mandatory. Even if you took private insurance as one job, if you ever change jobs chances are they won't offer private insurance and you'll have to get national insurance. When you do that, you have to make back-payments for the entire time you were in Japan. Basically, it's something that you should really be enrolled in for better or worse.
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Its not always more expensive. Most private(travel insurance firms we're talking about) are also reimbursement systems too which means you pay first, file, then hopefully are considered covered and reimbursed. All costs are yours up front with the doctor etc. That can be a serious hardship for some if unlucky.
Also as inflames mentioned, dental and other things are part of the KH.
This business of it being 20,000 yen a month is not accurate either.
Your cost per month is based on your (and this is important to understand) previous year's Taxable Income.
Your first year in Japan, you do not have a previous year's taxable income to be factored thus on KH, you default to the lowest minium which runs most around appx 3,000-4000 yen a month.
The next following year, when you file your taxes, it will go up. But for most on a 3 million yen a year taxable income range, its going to be way way lower than 20,000 a month in payments. However other factors(married, etc) can increase or decrease how much is paid as well (see below).
However, it is also important to understand that you can reduce (and in some cases significantly) the defined "taxable" income for the year through expense deductions (known as keihi).
As stated though, going on a private insurance's firm then switching to KH you will be subject to paying in arrears, but how much and for how many months can vary. It can be up to 2 or 5 years in arrears depending on which way you were registered. However, if you move to a different city/prefecture, there are some cases that allow you to have the arrears stopped but it depends on too too many complicated factors to mention on here. Put simply, you just have to talk with the city/ward office and find out what would be expected of you and what can be done.
If paying per month for any reason becomes too much of a hardship(temporary unemployment, arrears costs added into your per month payments too high etc), you can negotiate to have payments reduced and spread out over a longer period of time or in the case of temportary loss of income you can have payments reduced to almost nothing until your making money again. Of course it helps if you have a Japanese native speaker to go with you to help explain such.
Something else that many people overlook that becomes an additional cost factor that you cant avoid your second year here is shi kenminzei (City/prefecture Citizens tax). This is a cost that varies both on your previous year's taxable (so yes it too can be reduced from expense deductions) income and your location. It is not part of the KH but a seperate thing.
Overall, I don't recommend going with private insurance firms/traveler insurance firms for your first or only year here. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 10:08 pm Post subject: |
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| nawlinsgurl wrote: |
| Is a "year" a real year from the date you join? Like if I joined in July 2009 would my premiums be low until next June, then increase? |
"Insurance premiums (taxes) must be paid from the month you become eligible to enroll in NHI. Please note that it is not the date on which the application is filed."
http://www.kokuho.or.jp/english/index.htm |
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:21 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the information.
I plan to live here longer than a year, probably 2-3 more years so I think KH is the best choice for me.
I'm still confused--just a bit--on when the year for the KH payments AT THE FULL amount, instead of the reduced rate.
Like I start off paying a low amount now b/c I have no previous years' info and then when do the charges increase?
Is there any way to find out what the approximate amount is that you will be charged according to your income? Are the rates the same all over Japan or do they vary by prefecture?
Sorry if these are dumb questions! I really appreciate all the help! |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:39 am Post subject: |
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I'm thinking you'd have to go to your yakusho or what ever to get a definate answer. If the amount bearcat said of around 3000-4000 is the approx figure then it does vary with where you are.
I just got my KH bill. I had the choice of paying the total in one go, or paying in installments by just taking the relevant stub into a bank or post office by the date printed on each. My total for the year is about 13,000, so only a little more than 1000/month. Mine seems right at the lower end, since many people told me that I should expect to pay about 2500/month.
And since its based on the previous year's taxable income, I'm guessing the price increase comes at the beginning of the new tax year... so April? |
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks again for the info! I will be heading over to the local shiyakusho! |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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| nawlinsgurl wrote: |
| I'm still confused--just a bit--on when the year for the KH payments AT THE FULL amount, instead of the reduced rate. |
At the beginning of your second year. Quite the shocker if you aren't prepared for it. I remember my agog eyes!
| Quote: |
| Like I start off paying a low amount now b/c I have no previous years' info and then when do the charges increase? |
You'll pay something like 2,500 yen/month (for 10 months, not 12, if I'm not mistaken), and then it'll go up about tenfold when you start your second year.
| Quote: |
| Is there any way to find out what the approximate amount is that you will be charged according to your income? Are the rates the same all over Japan or do they vary by prefecture? |
They vary depending on location in Japan, and location within your city. This is one reason why it is very important to update your alien card at the ward office within 2 weeks of changing addresses. You might actually get a discount on NHI!
You can also explain a change in your salary DURING the year and see if they'll negotiate lower payments if you made less. Hard to say.
As for figuring out what you would have to pay...
Go here http://www.kokuho.or.jp/english/index.htm
Click on "Paying the insurance premiums".
You'll see a nice colored box showing the various factors:
income ratio
assets ratio
per capita sum
prorated sum |
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks sooooooo much!!!!  |
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