In April 2010, the Immigration Bureau will begin requesting foreigners who are obligated to enroll in social insurance to present their health insurance cards as a prerequisite for visa renewal. Many foreigners in Japan choose to purchase private health insurance because it offers certain benefits that expatriates consider important and that public insurance does not cover, such as:
- payment of medical fees at international clinics in Japan
- family reunion expenses in the event of serious illness
- medical and/or political evacuation
- repatriation of remains in the event of death
- comprehensive international coverage
- payment of pharmaceuticals not covered by public insurance
These needs are not at all unreasonable for expatriates. While we fully understand the government’s concern that foreigners have insurance protection, we cannot condone expatriates being forced onto public insurance by means of immigration policy, a tactic that ignores their needs and takes the humanity out of medicine. The Free Choice Foundation will therefore petition the Japanese government under Article 16 of the Constitution to revoke the new guideline.
Please visit the Free Choice website for more information. While there, we invite you to join our online petition drive by sharing your comments on the “Declare Your Support” form.
We welcome your support!
