Health Insurance (Kenko Hoken)

　Japan has a medical care insurance system that makes medical treatment available at a low cost if you are injured or become ill. As a rule, all persons with an address in Japan must enter a public medical insurance program. All foreign residents meeting all of the conditions listed below are required to enroll in the Nagoya City National Health Insurance. The application procedure must be completed at the Health Insurance and Pension Division of the ward or branch office in one’s residential area.

1. Be living within Nagoya city,
2. Have registered as a foreign resident,
3. Hold a valid visa and have the prospect of living in Japan for more than one year,
4. Not be enrolled in a public medical care insurance plan provided by an employer,
5. Not be enrolled in the Medical Care System for the Elderly (aged 75 and older),
6. Not be the recipient of public financial assistance.

　Those who are insured under the Nagoya City National Health Insurance will receive a health insurance certificate. By presenting this health insurance certificate when undergoing treatment at a hospital or clinic, the amount which the person insured (or the head of his/her household) is liable for is reduced to 30% (20% for infants and children at the pre-elementary school level and 10% for those aged 70 and older whose income does not exceed a certain amount) of the total medical costs. In cases of hospitalization, meal costs are charged at a standard level. Benefits are also provided in cases where the amount borne by the insured is large, or the person insured gives birth or dies.

　The insured must pay insurance premiums. The amount of the insurance premiums is decided and levied in accordance with the household’s resident tax and number of family members. For details about the National Health Insurance system, please refer to the booklet “City of Nagoya National Health Insurance Program Guide” available in English, Chinese, Korean and Portuguese.