Will Japanese health insurance cover a visit to the US?

[Petaris]

Hi all,
My wife's parents might be coming to the US to visit for about a month. Will they be covered by their Japanese health insurance during their visit or will they have to get travel insurance? Travel insurance could be a problem as my Wife's dad has some health problems that would be considered pre-existing.
Thanks,

 

[mobile1]

No. Even Americans without Medicare or Medicaid are not covered by health insurance. Also, many people have trouble paying for COBRA after being laid off as some of them are required to pony up as much as a thousand dollars per month just to have medical insurance.

 

[Petaris]

I think you mis-understood my question. I was inquiring whether or not their current Japanese Health/Medical insurance (the National one) will cover medical incidents that happen during trips out of the country. I know that there is no coverage on the US side for them.

Thanks for replying though!

 

[undrentide]

Yes and No is the answer.
Japanese health insurance (国民健康保険) cannot be used abroad, but you can claim the cost incurred afterwards.
Note: the costs are not always covered 100％, as the costs to be paid shall be calculated based on Japanese medical standards.
The cost is limited to the medication and treatment covered by the insurance in Japan, and you need to bring specific forms to be filled by the doctor who treated the person.
All the details (including the forms in pdf) are available here.
http://www.marineinsurance.jp/all-info/prepare/001/001/
They are in Japanese language but I'm sure your wife and/or her parents can understand them.
As mentioned in the web page, forms can vary depending on the city/ward/town office, it is highly recommended to contact them for details in advance.

Hope this helps.

 

[Petaris]

undrentide,

Thank you very much!

That is the info I was looking for.