How to use clinics and hospitals and the health insurance system

• Health insurance is a system in which everybody shares the costs of medical treatment at times of injury or illness.• In Japan, everybody must enroll in some kind of health insurance plan.
• Foreign residents must also enroll .
• To enroll in a health insurance plan, you must pay insurance premiums every month, even when you are healthy.
• The amount of your premium will vary depending on how much money you earn.
• When you enroll in health insurance, the amount you pay at clinics and hospitals will be only 30% of the cost (70% discount).
• If your training organization has enrolled in the Comprehensive Insurance for Technical Intern Trainees (commonly known as JITCO insurance), that 30% that you pay to the clinic or hospital will also be covered by insurance.
• You should check with your company.
•There are two types of health insurance, namely Employees' Health Insurance and the National Health Insurance, in which individuals enroll.The next section explains the differences between the two.