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Guide to National Health Insurance

Guide to National Health Insurance (NHI) is a system that supports your health through providing insurance benefits that are needed in connection with illnesses and injuries.
Your insurance premiums (taxes) support NHI.

 The NHI System
 The NHI Certificate
 Paying the Insurance Premiums (Taxes)
 When You Receive Medical Treatment (NHI Coverage)
 

The NHI System

The municipality where we live ("the insurer") manages NHI (National Health Insurance). NHI is operated through the premiums (taxes) paid by the members ("the insured"), subsidies from the government and other sources.

NHI Members

All people join NHI except those who have joinet workplace health insurance plans and people on welfare.
1.People who manage small businesses, people who work in agriculture, fishery or similar, and members of their families.
2.People who are part time workers who have not joined workplace health insurance plans.
3.People who no longer have workplace health insurance due to retirement or similar, and members of their families?
4.People who have registered as foreign residents and will live in Japan for one year or longer.

Joining NHI is on the Basis of Household

In NHI, individuals are insured regardless of whether they are adults or children and without regard to household type. However, the procedures for joining should be done on the basis of a household, and the householder should take care of the procedures.

Promptly Report the Following Events to NHI If They Occur(Within 14 days)

When moving in from another municipality Change of address
certificate
When ceasing to be a member of a workplace
health insurance plan
Certificate that you have stopped being a
member of a health insurance plan
When a baby has been born Health Insurance Certificate,
Mother and Child Health Handbook
When no longer receiving public assistance Public Assistance
Termination Notice
When a foreign resident enrolls Foreign Resident Registration Card
When moving to another municipality Health Insurance Certificate
When joining a workplace health
Insurance plan
Health Insurance Certificate of both
NHI and workplace health insurance
When a member has passed away Health insurance Certificate,
proof of the death
When starting to receive public assistance Health Insurance Certificate,
Public Assistance Commencement Notice
When a foreign resident Withdraws Health Insurance Certificate,
Foreign Resident Registration Card
When address, nominated householder,
name or similar matters change
Health Insurance Certificate
When the insurance certificate cannot be
used due to its being lost or soiled
Health Insurance Certificate,
evidence to indicate social status
When a duplicate health insurance certificate
is needed due to a long trip or similar
Health Insurance Certificate
In the event of having a different
address for reasons of education
Health Insurance Certificate,
student registration certificate
When starting to be covered under the
Medical Care System for the Retired
Health Insurance Certificate,
pension certificate
When you are no longer covered by
the Medical Care System for the Retired
Health Insurance Certificate
If reporting the need to join NHI is delayed
The premium (tax) must be paid retroactively to the time the obligation to join occurred (not from the date of reporting). Also, all medical expenses incurred during the term must be paid personally.
If reporting lapse of entitlement to NHI membership is delayed
When health insurance certificate holders retain their certificates some people receive medical treatment in error, using those certificates. In such cases, the medical expenses that NHI has paid should be paid back later. In some vases duplicate premiums (taxes) for both NHI and a newly joined workplace health insurance plan have been paid in error.
*Even if you change your address while you are hospitalized for a long time, you continue to be a member of NHI in the area of your former address.
*When all the insured members of a household join NHI a seal (Inna) is required.

The NHI Certificate

The NHI Certificate is proof that a person is an insured member of NHI, and it is also the card used to receive medical treatment. One certificate is issued per household. Please take care of it.
1. Confirm that the written contents are correct after the certificate has been issued.
2. Make sure to keep it handy so that it can be used at any time
3. insurance certificates that are expired cannot be used.
NHI will provide a new certificate
4. When entitlements have ceased, return the certificate to NHI promptly.
5. When the certificate cannot be used because it has been lost or damaged, visit the NHI counter.
6. if you alter the written content in the event that changes occur in relation to an insured person the certificate will be invalid.
Aged Recipient Certificate
People who were born after October 1,1932 are issued a "national health Insurance." Submit this together with the NHI Certificate at the counter when you receive medical treatment.
@*In the event that you need an additional insurance certificate for reasons such as education or a long trip, one additional can be issued.

Paying the Insurance Premiums (Taxes)
The municipality estimates the total medical expenses for the fiscal year, subtracts subsidies such as from the national government and then calculates the insurance premiums (taxes) for each household
Calculation of insurance Premiums (Taxes)
The municipality determines the legally designated formula from among the following four categories, and calculates the annual insurance premiums (taxes) for each household.
Calculation of insurance Premiums (Taxes)
The head of each household is responsible for paying the insurance premiums (taxes) . Even if the head of the household is a salaried employee, if there is a NHI member in the family, then, as a rule, the head of the household is responsible for paying the health insurance premiums.
How are Insurance Premiums (Taxes) Paid ?
The annual insurance premiums (taxes) which are determined by the municipality must be paid within the payment period designated by the municipality.
With the implementation of Long-term Care Insurance, those who are 40 years of age or older must pay Long-term Care Insurance premiums us well. Accordingly, those who are between 40 and 64 years of age (Type 2 Nursing Care Insurance Member) pay for both health insurance and Long-term Care Insurance together in one sum as health insurance premiums (taxes).
Those Who Are
Under 40 Years of Age
Those Who Are Between 40 and 64 Years of Age Those Who Are 65 Years of Age or Older
Medical Health Portion Medical Health Portion
+
Nursing Care Portion
Medical Health Portion Nursing Care Portion
Pay as NHI Premiums
(Ttaxes)
*Nursing care Insurance
Premiums are not charged
Pay the Sum as NHI Premiums(Taxes) Pay as NHI Premiums
(Taxes)
Pay Nursing Care Insurance Premiums Individually to the Municipality.
*If you turn 40 years of age during the fiscal year, then you will be charged Nursing Care Insurance premiums from the month you turned 40 years of age (the month before for those whose birthday is the first of the month).
*If you turn 65 years of age during the fiscal year, then the Nursing Care Insurance premiums for up to the month before you turned 65 years of age (two months before for those whose birthday is the first of the month) will be calculated and divided equally until the end of the fiscal year.
When Do I Start Paying?
Insurance premiums (taxes) must be paid from the month you became eligible to enroll in NHI. Please note that it is not the date on which the application is filed.
Insurance Premiums (Taxes) When Enrolling/Withdrawing During the Fiscal Year
If you enroll in or withdraw from NHI during the fiscal year, then the annual premiums are calculated for the eligible months and must be paid within the payment period designated by the municipality. (Insurance premiums [taxes] are calculated by the fiscal year from April to March of the following year.)


When You Receive Medical Treatment
(NHI Coverage)
If you receive medical treatment for an illness or injury, you only need to pay a portion of the medical expense according to your age and income if you show your NHI Health Insurance Certificate.
Medical Treatment That Can/Cannot Be Received With NHI
Medical Treatment That Can Be Received with NHI
Examination
Treatment such as remedies and surgery Medicines and remedial supplies
Therapy and nursing at home
hospitalization and nursing
(The cost for meals must be borne separately.)
Medical Treatment That Cannot Be Received With NHI
Cosmetic surgery, health checkups and immunizations
Normal childbirth delivery, abortion due to economic reasons
Injuries or illnesses from work if covered by workmen's accident compensation insurance
Injuries or illnesses from a brawl or drunkenness
When Receiving Medical Treatment
Show your Health Insurance Certificate at the reception counter of the medical institution before receiving medical treatment. Those between 70 and 74 years of age must also show their Aged Recipient Certificate.
Percentage of Medical Expense Borne by the Patient
Those Under 3 Years of Age Those Between 3 and 69 Years of Age Those Between 70 and 74 Years of Age
20% 30% 10%


*20% for those with a designated income or higher.
Those who were born on or before September 30, 1932 are eligible for Elderly Health Insurance.
 Apply in advance to Kitami City Office NHI Medicaid Section (Kokuho Iryo Ka) Representative (Tel 25-1130).
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