The “Act for Partial Revision of the Health Insurance Act, etc. for the Purpose of Establishing a Social Security System for All Generations” was passed and enacted by the 204th Diet and promulgated on June 11.
The following are some of the major revisions.
In addition to that,
◆Totalization of the payment period of Injury and Sickness Allowance (effective from January 1, 2022)
Injury and Sickness Allowance is paid when a person takes a leave of absence to recover from an illness or injury caused by reasons other than work, and when certain requirements are met. This does not mean that you will be paid for one year and six months, but even if you return to work during the one year and six months, and then are unable to work again due to the same illness or injury, the period of return will be included in the one year and six months. If you are unable to work for more than one year and six months after the start of payment, you will not receive the Injury and Sickness Allowance even if you are unable to work.
The amendment is to make the payment period total so that if there is a period of time when the payment is not made due to attendance at work, the payment can be extended to cover that period (payment for a total of one year and six months from the date when the payment started). The amendment was made in response to the fact that there are cases where a person works while taking a leave of absence for medical treatment for a long period of time, such as repeated hospitalization for cancer treatment.
◆Revision of the system for insured persons with optional and continued coverage (effective from January 1, 2022)
The system for optional and continued health insurance coverage allows those insured under the health insurance system to continue to be insured for up to two years after retirement, if they choose.
This amendment is a review of the basis for calculating premiums for insured persons with optional and continued coverage (if a health insurance association stipulates in its rules, the previous standard monthly remuneration can be used as the basis for calculating premiums for insured persons with optional and continued coverage whose previous standard monthly remuneration is higher than the average standard monthly remuneration of all insured persons of the association). In addition to the above, the system allows for disqualification upon application by the insured.
◆Revision of requirements for exemption from insurance premiums during childcare leave (effective from October 1, 2022)
The exemption from social insurance premiums during childcare leave is a system whereby if you are currently on childcare leave as of the last day of the month, you are exempt from the insurance premiums (including bonus premiums) for that month. Therefore, for example, even if you take two weeks of childcare leave during the month, if the leave period does not include the last day of the month, you will not be eligible for the exemption.
The amendment is to exempt the premiums for the relevant month if the childcare leave is taken for two weeks or more within the month, even if the childcare leave period does not include the end of the month. In addition, the insurance premiums for bonuses will be exempted only when the childcare leave exceeds one month.