Hello all!

I have lurked on this list off and on for some time and have enjoyed and
learned a lot!

I have been living in Japan for quite a while, and through some work
circumstances, have not been part of Japanese National Health Insurance for
quite a while. I am now eligible to join. Recently, a Japanese friend was
forced to go freelance, and will therefore lose their company health
insurance, and is contemplating joining as well.

I have very little knowledge on what reliable private schemes are available
here. So, I wanted to tap into your cumulative experience to ask if there is
any advantage to joining JNHI, rather than looking for a private scheme. Or,
whether a private scheme would be better? And, if so, do you have any
recommendations for a reliable vendor?

I have difficulty with the notion of having my health insurance premiums
connected to my income - it makes more sense for them to be connected to my
state of health (and, to some extent, my age). My friend is still young, so
I am guessing they may also get a better deal out of it, if they intend on
trying to increase their income as much as possible as they work for
themselves. For me, I would have to do a more specific comparison to make
the final decision. But, any recommendations for a private scheme would be
very much appreciated!

I also recall stories of people who found JNHI expensive, but then found
that the could not get out of the system even if they wanted too. So, I
would like to explore all options before taking on JNHI, if it is still the
"sticky" system it was purported to be in the past.

I would be very grateful on your insights and recommendations on this!

Thanks in advance!

Victor Shkawrytko
Tokyo, Japan