Comments on: Local governments crack down on health insurance scofflaws

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:23:54 +0000

How does this work when companies, typically eikaiwa, refuse to put their workers on Shakai Kenko Hoken and fail to inform their employees about Kokumin Kenko Hoken while pushing for them to join the cheaper (and sometimes dubious) travel insurance schemes out there? I was unaware of Japan’s health insurance rules my first year or two here (and the Ward Office mentioned nothing about the need to have it). Back home, if a company supplies you are lucky and don’t really ask too many questions. At the time, any hospital visits that didn’t exceed ¥50,000 were almost entirely compensated, so I didn’t think anything of it. Afterward, I learned about the scam and then found out that I’d owe almost ¥2 million for the previous years when I should have been on the systems in place in Japan, despite my company taking money out for another insurance company. Flash forward a few years when I had to update my visa and gaijin card and the ward office staff asked for proof of Kokumin or Shakai Kenko Hoken. Then, I pulled out the contract my company gave me (and was even given to immigration for verification) and pointed out the section that prohibited me from enrolling. The staff said nothing and walked away. A year later, I thought about changing jobs and brought up insurance with the company and the company said, “there are no such rules and any travel insurance is perfectly acceptable.
In all honesty, if they’d drop the backpay, individuals like myself would enroll in the system. My friend just went through a similar situation. I am not sure how many warning he received, but his savings account was suddenly drained to cover part of the backpay. But that is another story.

By: Miko

Miko — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:29:28 +0000

(Speaking of taxes, make sure that you are getting *all* your deductions. Every little bit helps. GaijinTax.Com)

By: Philip Brasor & Masako Tsubuku

Philip Brasor & Masako Tsubuku — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:15:12 +0000

I’ve never received a present for not using my insurance, but back in the 90s I remember that if you paid your premium all at one time rather than in monthly installments, you could get a small discount. These sort of things–the presents, the discounts–are designed to make Kokuho seem more like “insurance,” rather than like the tax it really is. And actually I have no problem with calling health care contributions a tax, but then it should actually be incorporated into the income or other conventional tax and made truly universal. The main problem with Kokuho is that you could pay your fair share for 25 or 30 years without ever using it and then, due to a serious financial setback such as losing your job, you can’t pay and lose it completely. Those 25 or 30 years count for absolutely nothing once you miss a few months.

By: Miko

Miko — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 11:00:44 +0000

Philip, the city that I live in routinely sends a small gift if you go a whole fiscal year without using your health insurance card. For example, one year I got a set of locally made bath towels. Another year I was sent a hanko-pen, with my name carefully engraved in katakana! Have you ever gotten anything like that? Although I’m happy to receive these gifts, I’d be much happier to get a cash-back reward. It doesn’t seem fair that I get penalised for staying healthy. Most of the Japanese people I know say the same thing.