Japanese Consulate San Francisco Vice Consul Charged with Assualt and 14 Counts of Domestic Violence

With all of the talk –and complaints– about the Obama Administration’s Healthcare Plan, information on Japan’s healthcare system may prove interesting. Is President Obama’s proposal similiar to the Japanese health plan?

You may wonder, “How does it work in Japan?” “Does Japan employ a single-payer healthcare system?” Or, “Does Japan have a multi-payer system where the citizens (and expats), employers and the Japanese government ALL share the costs of healthcare?”

There are, of course, private insurance companies in Japan that do very well but there are also folks refused treatment at numerous hospitals, clinics or emergency rooms only to die later from serious injury, sickness and complications from pregnancy. Maybe that’s extreme but even the slightess hint of SARS or the latest flavor-of-the-month virus can leave you waiting out in the cold! I have both good and bad experiences with Japan’s healthcare system. I do not take lightly having a doctor tell me “It’s difficult!” or “I don’t understand!” only to over-prescribe some medication that I typically refuse to take, especially since the doctor didn’t understand or deemed the situation, “difficult.” I will say that the premiums in Japan are cheap BUT I truly enjoy the freedom of choosing my doctor, specialist, hospital and type of treatment as I do when in the United States. Then again, I pay for that priviledge.

Oh well! There is always more to the story and I am eager to hear your experiences. Please chime in and post your questions and opinion for all to respond. I especially look forward to hearing from those currently using Japan’s healthcare.:

Here is the Washington Post’s take on the debate.:

“Half a world away from the U.S. health-care debate, Japan has a system that costs half as much and often achieves better medical outcomes than its American counterpart. It does so by banning insurance company profits, limiting doctor fees and accepting shortcomings in care that many well-insured Americans would find intolerable.

The Japanese visit a doctor nearly 14 times a year, more than four times as often as Americans. They can choose any primary care physician or specialist they want, and surveys show they are almost always seen on the day they want. All that medical care helps keep the Japanese alive longer than any other people on Earth while fostering one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates.

Health care in Japan — a hybrid system funded by job-based insurance premiums and taxes — is universal and mandatory, and consumes about 8 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, half as much as in the United States. Unlike in the U.S. system, no one is denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or goes bankrupt because a family member gets sick.

But many health-care economists say Japan’s low-cost system is probably not sustainable without significant change. Japan already has the world’s oldest population; by 2050, 40 percent will be 65 or older. The disease mix is becoming more expensive to treat, as rates of cancer, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease steadily increase. Demand for medical care will triple in the next 25 years. ” Click here for more!

BTW, thanks to Durf for pointing me to the Mutant Frog post on healthcare in Japan. Those on Twitter can follow @Durf and @Mutantfroginc for more observations on Japan.