Medical care insurance available after leaving your employer

System for Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons (remaining a member of the Society)

While you will lose your eligibility as an insured person under the health insurance system the day after you leave your employer, a system is available whereby you can remain an insured person under the Health Insurance Society if you meet certain conditions. This is known as the system for Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons.

参考リンク

• I would like to become a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person. What procedures do I need to complete?

Who can become a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person

To become a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person, you must meet all of the following conditions:

• You must have lost your eligibility as an insured person under the health insurance system for specific reasons: for example, you left your employer.
• You must have been an insured person for at least two consecutive months prior to the date you lost your eligibility.
• You must apply to become a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person within 20 days after the date on which you lost your eligibility.

How long you can be a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person?

You can be a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person for up to two years.
* Since you must join the Medical Care System for the Advanced Elderly when you reach the age of 75, you will lose your eligibility as a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person at that point, even if two years have yet to pass.

Benefits paid to Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons

Although you will not receive a Maternity Allowance or Injury and Sickness Allowance, you will receive all other statutory benefits and additional benefits, just as you did when you were with your employer. (* If you are eligible to receive such benefits even after loss of eligibility, you will be paid a Maternity Allowance or Injury and Sickness Allowance as well. See "Benefits paid after leaving employment" below.)
You can still participate in and benefit from the same health activities you were eligible for as an employee, including health examinations and other benefits services. (You will no longer be eligible for employer reimbursement of personal costs or other additional services.)

Insurance premiums for Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons

You must pay the full amount of the applicable insurance premiums yourself, including the amount previously paid by your employer.
The amount of your monthly insurance premiums will be 8.10% of your standard monthly remuneration at the time you left employment (plus 2.00% for long-term care insurance premiums for those eligible for long-term care insurance).

* In principle, your insurance premiums will remain the same during your two-year period as a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person.
Fluctuating income will not affect this amount. The figure may be revised if you become eligible (because you turn 40) or ineligible (because you turn 65) for long-term care insurance or if annual revisions affect the insurance premium rate or the cap on standard monthly remuneration.

Loss of eligibility as a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person

You will lose your eligibility as a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person on the following day (the same day in cases 4 and 5) in any of the following cases:

• Two years have passed since the date you became an insured person.
• Upon your death
• You do not pay your insurance premiums by the date due.
• You begin employment and become an insured person under another health insurance or similar program.
• You join the Medical Care System for the Advanced Elderly as an insured person, etc.
• If you applied to have your status as a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person cleared, the last day of the month including the date on which the application was received

参考リンク

• I’d like to withdraw from being a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person. What procedures do I need to complete?