Medical care insurance available after leaving your employer

Joining the National Health Insurance system

Please inquire at the National Health Insurance counter of the government office for the municipality where you live. Note that, in order to join, a "Certificate of Loss of Eligibility for Health Insurance" might be requested. If you need this certificate, please inquire with the Accenture Health Insurance Society.

About the National Health Insurance Premium Reduction System, which is used if you left your employer due to company circumstances, etc.

National Health Insurance premium reduction/exemption measures were implemented starting in April of 2010, which apply to the "loss of employment due to bankruptcy, dismissal, etc." (specific qualified recipients) and the "loss of employment due to termination" (specific reason unemployed persons). An application is necessary to receive such a reduction.

For details on this system as well as the reduction/exemption insurance premium amount, please inquire at the National Health Insurance counter of the government office for the municipality where you live.

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.

Insurance premiums you are required to pay

Insurance premiums that had to be paid by both the employer and insured person before must now be paid solely by the insured person. If you are from 40 to 64 years old, you must also bear the full expense for any long-term care insurance premiums.
For details on the approach regarding the standard monthly remuneration used as the basis for calculating insurance premiums, see "Standard monthly remuneration," the next item.

Payment methods
Payments must be transferred to the account specified by the Health Insurance Society. Payment is not possible through direct debits (automatic withdrawals).
You can choose any of the three insurance premium payment methods below. In the case of prepayment, insurance premiums are subject to a 4% present-value-method discount per year.

• Every month
• Six-month prepayment (lump-sum payment of the amount for April to September and the amount for October to March of the following year)
• One-year prepayment (lump-sum payment of the amount for April to March of the following year)

Payment due date
Initial insurance premium
This premium must be paid by the due date specified by the Health Insurance Society (printed on the payment statement). If no deposit is made by the due date, we will regard it as no application being submitted.

Second and subsequent insurance premiums

• If payment every month was selected as the initial insurance premium payment method
  Please pay your insurance premium during the period from the 1st to the 10th of each month.
  If the 10th falls on a weekend or holiday, the payment is due by the next business day.
• If six-month prepayment was selected as the initial insurance premium payment method
  Please pay your total insurance premiums for every half-year as a lump sum. Each payment is due by the last day of the month before the prepayment start period.
  *First half: by the last day of March / Second half: by the last day of September
  If you become a member in the middle of the fiscal year, you will have to pay the amount for the period from the month following the month you joined to either the nearest September or March of the following year.
• If one-year prepayment was selected as the initial insurance premium payment method
  Please pay your total insurance premiums for every full year as a lump sum. Each payment is due by the last day of the month before the prepayment start period.
  If you become a member in the middle of the fiscal year, you will have to pay the amount for the period from the month following the month you joined to March of the following year.

Standard monthly remuneration

The standard remuneration used as the basis for calculating your insurance premiums is the lower of the following: (1) your standard monthly remuneration when you lost your eligibility; (2) the average standard monthly remuneration of all insured persons who are members of the Health Insurance Society at the end of September of the previous year.

You can determine your standard monthly remuneration by comparing your health insurance premiums as deducted from your wage slips, etc. to the “Monthly Premiums Table”.

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