About National Health Insurance
About National Health Insurance
You need an insurance card when you go to hospital! National Health Insurance
If you get sick or injured
●Get checked out at a nearby hospital
●If you can't speak Japanese or don't know where to go
Tokyo Health and Medical Information Center: Himawari⇒03-5285-8181
* Every day from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Provides medical-related information in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Spanish
●If you seriously ill or injured and cannot get to a hospital by yourself
Ambulance⇒119 * Answered 24 hours a day
When you go to a hospital, you need a public medical insurance card such as a National Health Insurance card.
What is National Health Insurance
In Japan, all residents, regardless of nationality, must enroll in public medical insurance. Public medical insurance includes insurance provided by your employer and insurance provided by your local authority (National Health Insurance).
Persons who are not enrolled in their employer's insurance enroll in National Health Insurance. To enroll, you will need to complete the procedures at your ward office or a branch office of the ward office.
* However, depending on factors such as your visa status, you may not be able to enroll in National Health Insurance.
If you are enrolled in National Health Insurance
When receiving treatment for illness or injury, if you present your insurance card, you only need to pay a portion of the medical costs (20-30%), and are able to receive insured medical care. There is also a cap on the medical costs that you have to pay out of your own pocket in a single month, so please inquire about it if you are planning to undergo expensive medical treatment.
Note that if you undergo medical treatment using a Shinjuku insurance card after you have moved out of the ward or enrolled in health insurance with your employer, you will subsequently have to reimburse Shinjuku for the portion of the medical costs (70-80%) that it paid.
Insurance premiums for National Health Insurance
When you get sick or injured, the medical costs remaining after you've paid your portion are paid to the hospital from public insurance. These costs are covered by the premiums everyone pays. Insurance premiums are a vital source of funding, so everyone has to pay them.
When you are sent payment slips for insurance premiums, please pay them at the ward office, a convenience store, a bank, etc. Other payment methods, such as direct debit and smartphone payment, are also available.
If you don't pay your premiums
If you don't pay an insurance premium by the due date, you'll be sent a reminder. You will also have to pay penalty interest, which is calculated based on the number of days from the day after the due date until the day you actually pay.
Be sure to pay your premiums by the due dates!
Use of Individual Number Card as Health Insurance Card (Myna Health Insurance Card )
Myna Health Insurance Card makes your life more convenient, by allowing smooth reception at medical institutions and pharmacies, and also easy confirmation of medical expenses. You can easily apply for Myna Health Insurance Card through “Myna Portal” after receiving your Individual Number Card. Please make use of the service.
■Myna Health Insurance Card Benefits
・Medical expenses covered by your insurance premiums will be saved by 20 yen and your personal expenses will be lower than with a paper health insurance card.
・Access to better medical care: Past medical information and the results of health checkups can be viewed through Myna Health Insurance Card, which can be used to help estimate the condition of your health and other illnesses and to treat them. You can also ask them to adjust the dosage and combination of your medications.
・Exemption from payment in excess of limits on high-cost medical care can be applicable without procedures: Payment in excess of limits on High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit can be exempted without Eligibility Certificate for Ceiling-Amount Application .
■National Health Insurance Insured Persons Certificate (health insurance card) will no longer be issued from December 2, 2024.
・Valid health insurance card in your possession as of December 1, 2024 can be used until September 30, 2025 at the longest.
・Those who do not have a Myna Health Insurance Card after December 2, 2024 will be issued a Eligibility Verification Certificate for Myna Health Insurance Card.
・For the latest information on the Myna Health Insurance Card, please visit to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's website and check “Use of an Individual Number Card as a health insurance card ”. In addition, inquiries about the system in general can be made at the following telephone number.
Individual Number Call Center toll-free number (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications): 0120-95-0178