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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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 Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:23 am Post subject: I need a holiday! Finances are gettin' me down! |
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Good grief, you guys! I was just paying my bills today and just thinking about about how much money I pay into all the Japanese systems is enough to drive me mad!
120,000 yen municipal tax for this year....
177,120 yen kenkou hoken (public health insurance)
308,616 yen pension kousei nenkin (pension)
197,520 yen income tax
35,544 yen unemployment insurance
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838,800 yen (=$8,232 CDN) / yr.
Jeez, man! I definitely don't use $1,700 worth of doctor's visits in a year... And now, as I've lived here just over three years, I'm essentially burning $252 a month for no reason whatsoever, with every pension payment I make, because it's unlikely I'm going to work here until I retire.
I mean... If I look at it in perspective, all this only amounts to 19% of my yearly salary... So I can hardly complain, right? In Canada I was paying 37% income tax alone! Still, it FEELS like a lot...
One thing I don't understand though. If I'm only paying 50% of my health and pension, and my BoE is paying the other half, are they REALLY trying to say that it costs $295CDN/month to provide healthcare to a fairly young, healthy individual? Good grief! I'm not ready to call "BS" on this yet -- but I'd sure like to know HOW these figures were calculated!
Anyway..... I really DO need a holiday. Goin' nuts right now!   
P.S. Don't even get me started on the shaken and road/vehicle tax fees I got coming up! |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:14 am Post subject: Re: I need a holiday! Finances are gettin' me down! |
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| JimDunlop2 wrote: |
| One thing I don't understand though. If I'm only paying 50% of my health and pension, and my BoE is paying the other half, are they REALLY trying to say that it costs $295CDN/month to provide healthcare to a fairly young, healthy individual? Good grief! I'm not ready to call "BS" on this yet -- but I'd sure like to know HOW these figures were calculated!! |
Jim, you are effectively subsidising all the elderly people that clog up the hospital corridors with only a cold. If it was based on people's state of health no one would pay anything.
After all, with life insurance premiums you dont receive anything unless you die.
I hate to think what i pay in government and prefectural taxes on my income - a lot.
I also pay for a car and I dont even drive the damn thing. Its the WIFE'S car now.
Last edited by PAULH on Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:26 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jazz1975
Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 301
Location: Zama, Kanagawa
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:20 am Post subject: |
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| PAULH wrote: |
| I also pay for a car and I dont even drive the damn thing. Its the WIFE'S car now. |
Oh jeez, that's GOT to be rough. (Sorry to hijack this thread...couldn't resist  ). |
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shuize
Joined: 04 Sep 2004
Posts: 1270
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:54 am Post subject: Re: I need a holiday! Finances are gettin' me down! |
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| JimDunlop2 wrote: |
| One thing I don't understand though. If I'm only paying 50% of my health and pension, and my BoE is paying the other half, are they REALLY trying to say that it costs $295CDN/month to provide healthcare to a fairly young, healthy individual? Good grief! I'm not ready to call "BS" on this yet -- but I'd sure like to know HOW these figures were calculated! |
Welcome to socialized medicine -- But wait. You are Canadian. You should know all about this. Didn't you just post that the the Canadian govenment takes an even bigger bite out of your paycheck?
| Quote: |
| In Canada I was paying 37% income tax alone! |
By the way, if you think health care prices are going anywhere but up everywhere, well then, I've got this really nice bridge I'd like to show you.
| Paulh wrote: |
| Jim, you are effectively subsidising all the elderly people that clog up the hospital corridors withonly a cold. If it was based on people's state of health no one would pay anything. |
A nice example of supply and demand at work. Lower the cost for the elderly with nothing better to do by subsidizing their individual doctor visits (naturally, the actual costs don't change -- it's only a question of who pays them) and watch the system grind to a near standstill as the demand skyrockets.
I may have posted this before, but I remember this point being made clear to me when my wife mentioned how her grandmother visited the doctor once a week. "Wow, she must be really sick," I said. "Oh no," my wife responded, "it's where she meets all of her friends." |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey, I recently found out that my high medical premiums in Japan (that I pay the whole thing for, I'm part-time everywhere) might be higher if I decide to move to America (well, at least until I get on full time with benefits)! |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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Jim, just don't go anywhere over Golden Week. Take a look at how much airfares jump up around that week, that is truly criminal.
Your first problem Jim, is looking at how much you are spending in taxes. I figured that I spent almost 75,000 in utilities and internet in January alone. Yikes! I'm not going to do that again. |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 12:17 am Post subject: Re: I need a holiday! Finances are gettin' me down! |
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| shuize wrote: |
| Welcome to socialized medicine -- But wait. You are Canadian. You should know all about this. Didn't you just post that the the Canadian govenment takes an even bigger bite out of your paycheck? |
Yeah, it was huge... But mostly in the form of income tax... Actual HEALTH INSURANCE fees paid to the government (at least for me) were somewhere around the range of $150 every three months. it was CHEAP...
| shuize wrote: |
| I may have posted this before, but I remember this point being made clear to me when my wife mentioned how her grandmother visited the doctor once a week. "Wow, she must be really sick," I said. "Oh no," my wife responded, "it's where she meets all of her friends." |
Nice to know that senior citizens attending social clubs are funded on OUR coin......
Makes me think that there should be an extra clause in the health laws that states, if your doctor or the health insurance people determine that you are abusing the system by making weekly visits for nothing, you should be responsible for paying for 100% of that particular visit.
| Gordon wrote: |
| Jim, just don't go anywhere over Golden Week. Take a look at how much airfares jump up around that week, that is truly criminal. |
Don't I know it... But for people like us (teachers) when else can we do it? It's not like we can very well take a week off when we feel is appropriate. My wife and I are considering Thailand over Golden Week, but right now that's all it is -- a consideration. We may do just as you suggest and not go anywhere.
I also spent a TON of cash for utilities this winter. Since we moved into a Japanese style HOUSE, to heat the sucker is insane! Good thing it's almost over... Nowhere near the figure you said, but still, about 30,000 yen ($300) for utilities is around what we were averaging for the past few months. Mainly in the way of heating, kerosene, water. The water had to be turned on all night to some parts of the house so that the pipes wouldn't freeze. Definitely took a hit on that. |
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shuize
Joined: 04 Sep 2004
Posts: 1270
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:34 am Post subject: Re: I need a holiday! Finances are gettin' me down! |
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| JimDunlop2 wrote: |
| Makes me think that there should be an extra clause in the health laws that states, if your doctor or the health insurance people determine that you are abusing the system by making weekly visits for nothing, you should be responsible for paying for 100% of that particular visit. |
Who do you think is telling them to come back again next week? That's how doctors make any money in a system that regulates how much they can charge per visit. Same with dentists -- that's why it takes five visits to fill a cavity.
But nevermind all that. Did I just read a Canadian write that the decisions about health care should be left up to "insurance people?" |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:40 am Post subject: |
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| Well, there aught to be SOME kind of check or measure at least. I don't think it should be left ENTIRELY up to them... But if the doctor is the one encouraging people to come every week, then someone needs to be able to override that kind of corruption... |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:40 am Post subject: Re: I need a holiday! Finances are gettin' me down! |
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| shuize wrote: |
| [Who do you think is telling them to come back again next week? That's how doctors make any money in a system that regulates how much they can charge per visit. Same with dentists -- that's why it takes five visits to fill a cavity. |
You will also notice that doctors here have in-house pharmacies (or one next door whom they have tie-ups to), they over-prescribe medicines or they give you miniscule dosages and you have to keep going back for re-fills. |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:44 am Post subject: |
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Recently I've run into a nice little SNAFU in trying to get my eyes checked. My contact lens guy in Canada is more than happy to send me my prescription to Japan, but since he cannot regulate how often I get my eyes checked, he told me that even if I can supply him with a Japanese prescription, he would honour it.... (But anyway, that's besides the point).
The point is, every Japanese optometrist I've been to so far has told me, "Yeah, sure we can check your eyes... But we will NOT give you a written prescription. You MUST buy the lenses here."
How annoying is THAT?
P.S. I cannot buy my lenses in Japan -- the ones I have are not approved for sale here. |
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Jazz1975
Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 301
Location: Zama, Kanagawa
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:47 am Post subject: |
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| JimDunlop2 wrote: |
Recently I've run into a nice little SNAFU in trying to get my eyes checked. My contact lens guy in Canada is more than happy to send me my prescription to Japan, but since he cannot regulate how often I get my eyes checked, he told me that even if I can supply him with a Japanese prescription, he would honour it.... (But anyway, that's besides the point).
The point is, every Japanese optometrist I've been to so far has told me, "Yeah, sure we can check your eyes... But we will NOT give you a written prescription. You MUST buy the lenses here."
How annoying is THAT?
P.S. I cannot buy my lenses in Japan -- the ones I have are not approved for sale here. |
Oh jesus. I too wear contacts and this sounds like quite the hassle. I can only imagine how annoying it was for you. Guess that means I have one more thing to worry about when I get to Japan. |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:47 am Post subject: |
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| Jazz1975 wrote: |
| Oh jesus. I too wear contacts and this sounds like quite the hassle. I can only imagine how annoying it was for you. Guess that means I have one more thing to worry about when I get to Japan. |
WAS?! Present tense, my friend. This STILL IS very much an issue. Haven't resolved it yet.....
<le sigh> |
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Jazz1975
Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 301
Location: Zama, Kanagawa
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:29 am Post subject: |
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| JimDunlop2 wrote: |
| Jazz1975 wrote: |
| Oh jesus. I too wear contacts and this sounds like quite the hassle. I can only imagine how annoying it was for you. Guess that means I have one more thing to worry about when I get to Japan. |
WAS?! Present tense, my friend. This STILL IS very much an issue. Haven't resolved it yet.....
<le sigh> |
Calm down, my friend  . I was kinda bleary eyed when I first read that. Had just woken up from sleeping. |
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japan_01
Joined: 04 Mar 2006
Posts: 89
Location: Gifu Ken
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| Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:21 am Post subject: An alternative.. |
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| Jimdunlop... When reading "The Tokyo Times" the other day I saw an advertisement for foriegners residing in Japan wanting medical/health Insurance. The cost was 49 800 yen per annum which I thought was pretty reasonable. I didnt read any of the fine print but it seemed like a pretty good deal. |
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