|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
El_Mero_Mero
Joined: 27 Jan 2009
Posts: 45
|
 Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:53 am Post subject: About Health Insurance |
 |
|
Interac insurance vs. National Insurance
I'm only going to be in Japan 1-2 years (leaning more towards 1). Which would be better? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Hoser
Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 694
Location: Toronto, Canada
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Good question-if you're honestly only going to be staying 1 or 2 years and are fairly healthy and willing to take your chances then I would go with the regular cheap insurace. The national insurance costs quite a lot of money. Of course, you never really know how long you're going to be staying (im sure most of us only really planned for one year in Japan) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chinagirl
Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 235
Location: United States
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:16 am Post subject: national health |
|
|
| If you are only staying one year, the premiums for Citizen's Health Insurance are very, very low, as they are based off of the previous year's income. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
What is covered under Interac's plan?
How much do you pay for each visit?
Interac asks for 2.5-3.0% of your salary for insurance.
It is not clear from their FAQ whether this is a percentage of the basal 230,000 yen/month or the 250,000 you get after an attendance bonus, so let's just figure basal amount.
2.5% of 230K = 5750 yen
3% of 230K = 6900 yen
Interac's FAQ says this about salaries, though:
| Quote: |
| There are assignments that will pay more based upon your Japanese ability, teaching experience, and willingness to accept an isolated assignment. These salaries can range from 250,000JPY a month to 260,000JPY a month. |
So, let's also calculate from that:
2.5-3% of 250,000 = 6250-7500 yen
2.5-3% of 260,000 = 6500-7800 yen
National insurance asks for only 2500 yen the first year. No brainer on payments alone. But what does Interac cover, and how much will it pay? National health insurance pays 70% on the spot, but it does not cover the following:
In principle, Health Insurance does not cover the following cases:
（１）Medical treatment and drugs which are not covered by Health Insurance nor does the National Health Insurance cover extra charges incurred by a private patient�s room or non-essential dental treatment.
(2) Normal pregnancy and child birth
(3) Medical checkups, inoculation and vaccination
(4) Cosmetic Surgery
(5) Straightening of teeth
Also, even if Interac's pays 100% (and I have no idea if it does), do you have to pay it first then wait for a reimbursement? Could be costly.
If you are on Interac's plan, then don't like it and move to national health insurance, will you have to make up to 2 years of backpayments? Perhaps.
And, yes, NHI goes up about tenfold after the first year. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kahilm
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 43
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 2:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Actually I have a related question so might as well post it here.
I've been in Japan for about 18 months working for GEOS. I've been under their health insurance the whole time, some private scheme. I didn't have to pay anything at all except for upfront costs at the hospital one time but I was reimbursed about a month later.
My last day is tomorrow, and then I'm taking about a month off before starting with Interac in April. I think I want to join the NHI program. Will I be penalized for not paying into it even though I had company insurance? How much will it come out to monthly? If there's a penalty, do I have to pay it all at once or can I do it monthly? I've been making around 250,000 a month at GEOS and I know NHI is a percent of your earnings, but I don't know how it's calculated. Do I just go down to my city office and sign up? Will I be on it from the day I go there or is there a processing time?
I plan on going snowboarding a few times in my time off and I'd like to be covered in case of an injury or something. Also, I'd like to go to the dentist for the first time since I've been here and not pay an arm and a leg without insurance. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
southofreality
Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 579
Location: Tokyo
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| kahilm wrote: |
| I think I want to join the NHI program. Will I be penalized for not paying into it even though I had company insurance? How much will it come out to monthly? If there's a penalty, do I have to pay it all at once or can I do it monthly? I've been making around 250,000 a month at GEOS and I know NHI is a percent of your earnings, but I don't know how it's calculated. Do I just go down to my city office and sign up? Will I be on it from the day I go there or is there a processing time? |
Yeah, just go down and sign up. Make sure you communicate that you originally planned to stay a year or less. It's likely they won't penalize you, and even if they do, it'll likely only be for 6 months (18 - 12). And yeah, they usually let people make payments on the penalty. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 3:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
[quote="Glenski"]What is covered under Interac's plan?
How much do you pay for each visit?
Interac asks for 2.5-3.0% of your salary for insurance.[quote]
Interac offers Interglobal insurance. There are 3 levels of cover:
Bronze = 5,500/month
Silver = 6,700/month
Gold = 7,300/month
I can't be bothered to read exactly what each covers but bronze is basic and gold covers pretty much everything including dentistry (not cosmetic procedures though).
They say that they cover the whole cost but they want you to pay upfront (preferably with a credit card) then reimburse later.
I've had to deal with these kinds of reimbursements before, and have had insurance companies trying to get out of giving me my money back by claiming I didn't follow the correct procedures, etc. I have always gotten what I was owed eventually (sometimes 6 months down the line) but I'm not hot on the idea of having large balances outstanding on a credit card because I have next to no credit history (never had a credit card/loan/morgage/etc) so am only being offered cards with pretty high interest rates.
I guess since I am using this year to test the waters in Japan, and there is a real possibility I may wish to stay for a substantial amount of time, I'll probably go NHI. I'm not a regular at the doctors so wouldn't mind paying 30% of my fees if I could avoid owing creditors and having to deal with reimbursements.
Interac pretty much signs everyone onto their insurance, but will cancel your plan with no charge if you sign up to NHI within 20 days and send them your decision in writing along with a copy of your NHI card. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
robertokun
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 199
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| So NHI is typically around 2500 yen a month for your first year? Does that include the payment into the pension plan, or is that solely your insurance payment? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| So NHI is typically around 2500 yen a month for your first year? Does that include the payment into the pension plan, or is that solely your insurance payment? |
There are 2 ways to get what I will generically call NHI. One is to make copayments with your employer (that is called shakai kenko hoken). The other is to make all the payments yourself through kokumin kenko hoken.
Most employers are required by law to put you on shakai hoken, which includes pension. Many get out of it by claiming a teacher is only a part-timer (they do this by claiming only the hours you spend in the classroom, and anything under 29.5 per week qualifies you as PT).
Kokumin is only health insurance. You have to sign up for a separate pension plan if you have this.
Kahilm,
Let us know what the ward office says. If you switch from shakai hoken to kokumin hoken, there should be no penalty. If you switch from the company's own private insurance to kokumin hoken, I don't know the answer. Logic would say that you shouldn't be penalized, but we know how logic works for government bureaucracies.
If there is a penalty, it goes like this. You have to make all the backpayments for kokumin hoken up to 2 years' worth. If you had the other insurance for a year, you make a year's payments of kokumin hoken. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
robertokun
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 199
|
| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 7:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
One more Q about NHI . . .
Are the benefits the same under kokumin and shakai kenko hoken? In other words, is kokumin the same, just minus the pension plan? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 10:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I think so, robertokun. Not 100% sure, though. Here is the best source to describe them, I think.
http://www.sia.go.jp/e/np.html#ls |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
