Job Discussion Forums

[El_Mero_Mero]

1.) If I arrive in Japan on a Monday, how soon before I can have National Health Insurance? I'm saying this because I have some hospital visits that I really need to make. Like, if I arrive on the 1st, by what day should I be able to expect I can attend the hospital with the insurance in tow?

2.) I am bringing previous diagnostic test results with me (just in case). Obviously, the doctors won't be able to understand the reports in English, but they should have no trouble interpreting the images I have on CD, right?

3.) If for whatever reason I lose (due to health reasons), quit, or get fired from my job, would I lose my Health Insurance?

Thank You very much for any help with these Qs.

[Apsara]

[ripslyme]

[Glenski]

If you lose your job, you may have to switch insurance.

Some employers offer shakai hoken (corporate national health insurance), where they make 50% of your payments. Others dodge this with a legal loophole, so you are forced to get kokumin kenko hoken (citizens' national health insurance).

Lose your job with shakai hoken, and you have to apply for kokumin kenko hoken.

Show a Japanese doctor all you want, but he's probably going to be safe (like he should be) and run his own tests anyway. Same would apply back home if the situation were reversed.

[El_Mero_Mero]

Thank You very much for your answers. I really appreciate it.

Is there any back-coverage (i.e) if I go to the hospital April 5 for example, and only get the NHI April 10, can I apply it to my April 5th visits' charge? It works in the U.S., so I'd like to know if it work in Japan as well.


*I typically am not the type to assume that J-doctors can't read English, but after what I've seen in person sometimes, I decided to make that assumption. Sorry if it offends anyone. The truth is that medical English from one of my doctors is sometimes difficult for my other doctor to understand. I just wanted to emphasize that I'll be having films.