Hi! Since I moved here I’ve always been on the national health insurance (Kokumin Kenko Hoken), and as I got married to my Japanese partner last April we did the procedure to have me in his company insurance instead.
His company is still processing our request though, and told us that once they accept it, they should be able to have me on his insurance from April (so I’m guessing it works retroactively?)
My problem is that I need to go to the doctor to renew a prescription plus check some other stuff, but since I’m still waiting on my husband’s company insurance I haven’t paid the national health insurance slips I got from June.
Am I still covered by the national health insurance if I haven’t paid June and July? If not, should I still go to the doctor now and ask my husband’s company to reimburse me later since they told me the insurance would most likely be effective from April?
(Sorry if this sounds a little confusing, English isn’t my native language)
Thank you!
by Sea-Translator6092
4 comments
Normally, the process should take only a few days. If it takes longer, something is wrong. Tell him to contact the company and the health insurance association again.
I’ve gone to clinics when I was waiting for my health insurance cards from the new company. They charged me a higher rate for the visit, but told me to come back when I get the insurance card and they refunded me.
I just posted the same answer on a different shakai hoken related post:
If they already applied for you to be added as an dependent, you should be already enlisted in the social insurance and your job should be able to get a 被保険者資格証明書 (hihokensha shikaku shomeisho), which seems you can just ask for, too:
[https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/kounen/tekiyo/hihokensha2/20131113.html](https://www.nenkin.go.jp/service/kounen/tekiyo/hihokensha2/20131113.html)
[https://www.ieyasu.co/media/health-insurance-insured-qualification-certificate/](https://www.ieyasu.co/media/health-insurance-insured-qualification-certificate/)
This is a valid document, which will be seen as a normal insurance card. You might need to go to the doctor, when your card arrive and prove it but with that sheet of paper you will get all discounts as usual.
About the name differences, why does the company care about it?
If they have the 住民票 (juminhyo, resident record) from your husband and it proves that you are married the insurance should be easily get it done. Maybe they have issues with your pension registration or anything else, which might take longer. I am a westerner and my Japanese wife does have a different last name as me and she is enlisted as dependent without any issues and it really just takes a few weeks (maybe longer in April or May due to more people start) to get the cards but 3 months is too long. Did they really proceed with is my questions here.
If you cannot get the document above as already said you can go to doctor and pay the price without the insurance discounts and you can reimbursed later: [https://www.kyoukaikenpo.or.jp/g3/sb3110/r137/](https://www.kyoukaikenpo.or.jp/g3/sb3110/r137/)
Don’t delay your meds. Pay for them and get refunded later.