Health Insurance

I have been in Japan over a year and I have enrolled in Japanese Health Insurance. My first three monthly premiums cost 1,500 yen, but I have since been re-assessed and now my monthly premiums have jumped to a whopping 57,000 yen a month.

My ward office told me that this amount is based on my income from last year, which never exceed 280,000 yen per month. This year my income is lower and I simply cannot afford to pay this.

Can I cancel National Health Insurance and instead enroll in a cheaper private plan? Is there any way to reduce my monthly premiums? What will happen if I cease to pay my monthly premiums?