After you leave your employer

Medical care insurance available after leaving your employer

Remaining a member of the Association

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 Association if you meet certain conditions. This is known as the system for Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons.

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.

Insurance premiums you are required to pay

You must pay the full amount of the applicable insurance premiums yourself, including the amount paid by the insured person and the amount previously paid by your employer. The employer will not pay any portion of your premiums after you become a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person. Remit payment as described on the payment notice sent together with your health insurance card. Payment will not be debited automatically. You can also pay via Internet banking.

You can pay insurance premiums monthly or in advance for a fixed period of time. Those paying in advance will receive statutory discounts on their premiums.
You can pay premiums in advance for one half-year (April through September or October through March) or one full year (April through March).
Contact the Health Insurance Society for more information.

Standard monthly remuneration

Under the terms of the Health Insurance Association, the standard monthly remuneration at the time of loss of eligibility will apply.

Details of insurance benefits

Although you will not receive Maternity Allowance or Injury and Sickness Allowance, you will receive all other statutory benefits and additional benefits in the same way as you did when you were with your employer.

• * If you are eligible to receive benefits even after loss of eligibility, you will be paid Maternity Allowance or Injury and Sickness Allowance as well.

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

You can receive benefits even after leaving your employer.

In some cases, persons who have been insured persons continuously for at least one year prior to leaving employment may be eligible to receive Injury and Sickness Allowance, the Childbirth and Childcare Lump-Sum Grant, Maternity Allowance, and funeral expenses, even after losing their eligibility.

However, in such cases, additional benefits will not be paid.

Benefits paid after leaving employment (benefits paid to the insured person only, not to dependents)

Injury and Sickness Allowance

Conditions for payment:

You must have been receiving, or satisfied the requirements to receive, Injury and Sickness Allowance at the time you left employment and remain unable to work due to treatment of the sickness or injury

Payment period:

For a total of 18 months counted from the payment start date of Injury and Sickness Allowance through the payment period * While you are not eligible to receive Injury and Sickness Allowance if you are receiving Old-Age Employees' Pension or similar benefits, you will be paid the difference if the amount of Old-Age Employees' Pension or similar benefits is less than the amount of the Injury and Sickness Allowance. * Payment of the Injury and Sickness Allowance will end if you become able to work after you leave your employer. In that case, aggregation of the payment period will not resume regardless of whether or not you have recovered and even if you again become unable to work due to the same injury or illness.

Reference link

• If you take time off from work due to sickness

Maternity Allowance

Conditions for payment:	You must have been receiving, or satisfied the requirements to receive, Maternity Allowance at the time you left employment
Payment period:	Until the end of the period for receipt of Maternity Allowance

Reference link

• If you take time off from work for childbirth

Childbirth and Childcare Lump-Sum Grant

Conditions for payment:	The childbirth must have taken place within six months after loss of eligibility

Reference link

• Childbirth

Funeral Expenses/Funeral Costs

Conditions for payment:	When the death of an insured person meets any of the following conditions: Within three months after loss of eligibility (there is no requirement to have been an insured person for a period of one year or longer) While receiving Injury and Sickness Allowance or Maternity Allowance In the event of death taking place within three months after receipt of these benefits ended

Reference link

• Death