Posted on 12/16/2010 5:21:50 PM PST by Radix
Shortly after my wife went into labor for the birth of our son in June, I quietly started freaking out.
We were in a small city in southwestern Japan, and the tiny hospital seemed rundown compared to the shining new medical buildings in Boston. The wallpaper was peeling away, a bed appeared to have a broken guardrail, and a ceiling corner sported an exposed electronics board that once housed a security camera.
As my wife screamed from the contractions, all those horror stories about universal care that I heard during the health-care bill debate popped into my head.
But after spending the following five months in the Land of the Rising Sun, I came to realize how ignorant I was to fear medical care there. And this week - as I read about legal challenges to the national law - I now realize how ignorant those people are who equate any medical reform to socialism.
Instead of finding rationing and substandard treatment, I found in Japan a hope for the United States. I saw a system that cares for everyone, and does so cheaply and with good outcomes.
Japan has a far lower infant mortality rate, women are half as likely to die when giving birth and everyone there can expect to easily live four years longer than we do.
While lucky Americans enjoy so-called Cadillac medical plans - and most of us pay too much for our Ford Escort policies - everyone in Japan gets, well, let’s call it a Corolla plan. They pay less to see doctors, get easier access to high-tech scans, and no insurer prevents anyone from seeing the doctor of his choice.
I found much of this out first-hand. For example, one day in August I decided to see an orthopedic specialist for a nagging hip pain. I simply popped into the hospital and 15 minutes later I was talking with the doc.
Same thing when I went in for a checkup. No appointment necessary.
During my wife’s pregnancy, she had lots of ultrasound scans and the standard five-day hospital stay after giving birth.
As for cost, the Japanese pay much less than we do for coverage, which is provided through work or the government. Copays are also cheap. As a nation, they spend 8 percent of their gross domestic product on health care while we spend 16 percent.
They keep costs down by controlling them. While this doesn’t hurt citizens who are statistically healthier than we are, it prevents doctors from living too luxurious a lifestyle. It also puts a burden on hospitals, which have trouble making ends meet. So they cut corners on things like buying new wallpaper and painting old walls. They also stay as long as possible in really old, dreary buildings. At the hospital where my wife delivered our baby, nurses hung clothes out to dry to save electricity. Her obstetrician offered laser hair removal to make some extra cash.
But none of this seemed to affect the quality of care. Instead of using energy to demolish universal coverage, perhaps the focus should be on improving efficiency and cost effectiveness. The Japanese beat us at making good, well-priced cars. Do they have to continue to beat us in health care, too?
The comments following the article made more sense to me than did the article itself.
and nothing about research and development which is costly.
There is a big difference in having a baby and having open heart surgery... I’ll stick with the US for that lol
1. we’re not Japan in culture, gov’t, history or politics
2. Obamcare is laiden with favoritism and waivers
3. we have no money
nary a mention of malpractice attorneys
The libbies love their little anecdotes don't they.
Excuse me Mr. Smith but you have no right to use government as an agent of force to steal the product of my labor to subsidize your health care. And who exactly gets to decide if doctors are living a “too luxurious lifestyle?”
DING! DING! DING! We have a winner.
number on welfare, social history of younger family taking care of older, Social stigma of reliance on others...
This is total BS! I lived in Japan for 10 years and got stuck in the ‘system’. Was paying (in year 2000) $800 a month for myself and another $600 a month for my wife and child. This was pro rated for my income level, about $50k USD. Treatment was superficial and behind the times. Doctors hadn’t cracked a book or learned a thing since they took their finals, sometimes 50 years before. After 5pm, there were NO doctors available, anywhere. Go to a clinic or hospital and a person in a while coat would look at you. In the evenings, your insurance card was not accepted. Cold cash, baby, was the only thing that talked. Usually 10,000 yen (about a hundred bucks) per evening visit. You ALWAYS have to ask, if they will treat a gaijin. Many wouldn’t.
Dentists were the worst! I have seen one dentist working on 4 people lined up in chairs, and not washing his hands as he went from one to the other.
I still have a photograph, somewhere, of the front door of the largest hospital in Tokyo and family members were CARRYING an old lady in her wheelchair up the steps because there were no ramps for the handicapped.
We are in the best of all countries. Don’t believe otherwise!
Anyone who failed to turn in a homework paper or show up for an exam in school knows what a zero will do to your average.
My understanding is that Japan and many other nations have lower infant mortality because the death of premature infants are not recorded as deaths.
I also believe Japan and a number of European nations do not record infant deaths that occur for some period of months after a normal 9 month gestation period.
Meanwhile in the US, a few dead premature babies sure pulls down the average age of a room full of 90 year olds.
Anyone who failed to turn in a homework paper or show up for an exam in school knows what a zero will do to your average.
My understanding is that Japan and many other nations have lower infant mortality because the death of premature infants are not recorded as deaths.
I also believe Japan and a number of European nations do not record infant deaths that occur for some period of months after a normal 9 month gestation period.
Meanwhile in the US, a few dead premature babies sure pulls down the average age of a room full of 90 year olds.
My daughter-in-law is Japanese, living here now. We’ve talked about their medical care compared to here. She says they are only about 1/2 socialized and 1/2 non and it works well for them. But they don’t have illegal aliens eating up resources, or trial lawyers, etc....things like that that we contend with here.
Japan is different. Things that will work there won't necessarily work here. - tom
Adam Smith:
You are liar and given to writing synthetic narratives.
My japanese co-workers back in New York use to tell me that when you’re old in Japan, you die at home.
And you are an ignorant schmuck devoid of any knowledge or barest of lame curiosity.
Nurses hung clothes out to dry???
I’ve heard enough.
Also if you doubled every doctor’s salary/income in the country, it would be a miniscule percentage of US healthcare spending.
This writer is an idiot.
Oh, that and carrying tens of millions of people descended from slaves freed 150 years ago who still consider themselves victims, hold a grudge against values like education, competition based on ability and hard work, and expect reparations
Maybe if all the illegal aliens and “under-served” perpetual victim classes dumped the chips on their shoulders, worked like the Japanese, respected authority and this nation, and expected their kids to respect authority, prepare for work, and perform in school like the Japanese - we'd be able to really talk about being more like Japan
By the way they are also broke as hell and owe more than twice their GDP. IT is expected to reach 250% by 2015.
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