Working life- Masako's New York Hooray for healthcare By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
アメリカの医療事情 丈夫な体が自慢の雅子さんですが、ここしばらく、医者にかかっています。それも、どうやら楽しんで通院しているようなのです。アメリカの医療は高く、また国が保証する保険制度がありません。ところが、雅子さんは大企業に勤めているおかげで、企業独自の充実した医療保険を受けることができるのです。

一見、普通の民家だが、実は筆者が通う歯医者さん。このアットホームな雰囲気が、歯科医療の恐怖の軽減に一役買っているのかも？！

I'ｖe been looking forward to doctor's visits lately. A few weeks ago, I visited an endodontist who had a fascinating previous life as a musician. When he heard that I went to school in Boston and played the piano, he perked up and asked whether I played any jazz. It turns out that he got a degree in jazz saxophone at the Berklee College of Music before switching over to a career in dentistry. His assistant was also chatty, and she told me stories of her children, one playing football at Cornell, and the other looking into attending a college in Boston. I almost wanted to have a root canal done every day.

A few months ago, I went to visit a nurse who specializes in immunizations, since I needed to get several vaccines. I told her that I'ｖe always had a fear of needles, and that I once fainted when I tried to donate blood. She assured me that current needles are a lot finer than needles of the past. She also told me that she and her assistant give the shots as a "team" so the patient barely notices. She talked about her volunteer work giving shots in third-world countries, and how eager she was for her next trip. Whatever it is that she said, or did, the shots didn't hurt at all. I would'ｖe gladly had more, just to hear her talk.

These experiences have been refreshing to me, partly because I had so little healthcare while I was in graduate school. Granted, I was lucky enough to be in good health, so I'ｖe never really needed to see a doctor. But the few times I needed medical attention, I went to the campus health clinic. The visits rarely lasted more than 10 minutes, and I knew I would probably never see that particular doctor again. The university health insurance plan offered no dental or vision cover at all.

I'ｖe also been surprised by the interaction I'ｖe had with my doctors because I'd read that increasingly business-like treatment has led to doctors spending less time with each patient. But I'ｖe never felt as if I were just a number walking through a revolving door. Perhaps it's because I live in a semi-rural area. I feel that the people in the medical field here are performing a community service.

One of the benefits of working for a large company is that the healthcare coverage is good. When I started my job, I got a list of doctors, dentists and optometrists that provide services under the company's health insurance plan. I'm also covered for prescription medicines. Because I'm healthy and not too picky, I'ｖe chosen doctors whose offices are the closest to my workplace. However, there are enough doctors on the list for us to be able to choose one that we like.

It's well-known that healthcare in the States is expensive and there is no comprehensive government coverage provided for citizens. Many people in this country have little or no access to healthcare. I feel very lucky to be blessed with a good insurance plan, and I appreciate the efforts of the doctors who have committed themselves to caring for others, both in body and in spirit.

Shukan ST: Oct. 3, 2003

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