Long story short, my residence card expired 2 weeks ago but is currently in the process of getting renewed so I got a temporary extension on it.
My health insurance also was set to end on the day my residence card expires. Which, has expired.
However, they sent me the bill for the next fiscal year despite knowing my residence card is about to expire, and i paid it already because I know I’m planning on staying in Japan for at least that period of time.
So now my residence card is “expired” and my health insurance is “expired” as they didn’t send me a new card for the insurance I paid 9 months in advance for.
Can I just not go to the doctor until my residence card gets renewed?
Note: I’m enrolled in NHI
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I extended my helath insurance card after I got new extended zairyuu card. So yes, I was without health insurance card for about two weeks. Fortunately I did not go to doctor during those weeks.
The bill usually arrive with the insurance card for the next year. In your case, you only received the bill?
Better ask the hokenjo directly, maybe they can reimburse your medical cost after receiving the extended zairyuu card. At least that is the case for my baby during his first month after birth.
They will happily bill you for the future but won’t give you a card without a valid resident card. If you do go to the clinic, pay full price but keep the receipts. When you get your new resident card, you will be able to get a new health insurance card and a refund on what you paid
NHI enrollment is mandatory. It doesn’t expire if you are supposed to be in it (which seems to be the case).
Not having your new card is like forgetting your card. If you go to a doctor, you’ll have to pay the full price and then get reimbursed.
If you’re supposed to be enrolled and you’re not, the national health insurance will back enrol you up to 2 years and you’ll have to pay, so this shows that you’re never really not covered. You just temporarily can’t get reimbursed.
I believe you’re still covered I.e your health insurance number still exists, just your physical plastic card of proving health insurance to a medical institution has expired (tbh if you have a MyNumber card then consider linking them anyway, and also you will get the ¥7,500 free promotion points)
Go to your municipality/ward with the receipts and explain, they will likely give you a certificate which has your health insurance number on it, and then likely start the process to get you a new card (likely when they know the expiration of your new resident card?)
You have health insurance. It just becomes a bit more tedious.
1. Go see doctor and pay out of pocket, this is Japan unless you’re having a serious procedure it’s not going to be that expensive – about 4500yen for a visit plus medication.
2. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS
3. Go to the 保健所 with your receipts and fill out the paperwork to be reimbursed.
4. Even if you’re behind on your premiums this works (you can get your medical expenses that you paid out of pocket for reimbursed at the NHI rates) because you’re still covered you’re just behind on your payments once you get caught up they’ll reimburse you just like you never got behind.
> Did my 保健所 forget to send me my health insurance card, or am I just currently out of health insurance?
What did they say when you asked them? As I believe none (or at least few) of us are government employees, we don’t have access to NHI’s information systems.
Maybe it just hasn’t arrived yet? I only got my new card for this year late last week.