Medical care insurance available after leaving your employer

System for Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons (remaining a member of the Society)

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 Society 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.

Benefits paid to Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons

Please see here

Insurance premiums for Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons

You must pay the full amount of the applicable insurance premiums yourself, including the amount previously paid by your employer

* In principle, your insurance premiums will remain the same during your two-year period as a Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Person.
Fluctuating income will not affect this amount. The figure may be revised if you become eligible (because you turn 40) or ineligible (because you turn 65) for long-term care insurance or if annual revisions affect the insurance premium rate or the cap on standard monthly remuneration.

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

If you will not reside in Japan (i.e., you will be a nonresident)

You may be eligible to be a voluntarily and continuously insured person even if you will be a nonresident living overseas after you leave employment.
However, note that the following restrictions will apply:

• Health insurance cards and other related documents cannot be sent overseas. You must provide a contact address in Japan.
• Unless you pay your insurance premiums in advance, you must remit payment to the bank account in Japan of the Microsoft Health Insurance Association on the specified date of each month.