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Essay

Health care debate

By Michael Pronko


健康保険制度をめぐる論争

アメリカで無保険だった筆者の友人は、腎臓結石の手術に大学院4年分の学費より高い医療費を払った。日本の医療保険で似た手術を受けた筆者が払ったのは5万円 — 。無保険者を救うための医療保険改革法に対し、米最高裁判所は6月28日、合憲との判決を下した。

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of President Barack Obama's health care plan on June 28, making supporters happy and opponents angry. The divide over health care in America is a unique problem that may seem strange to people in other countries, like Japan, where universal health care is already well-established.

Until all the changes for the new health care system start in America, basically every worker needs to get their own insurance. Most employers help their employees by offering insurance plans, but because Americans change their jobs so often, they also have to change their insurance companies just as often.

In 2010, U.S. health officials said more than 20 percent of Americans have no health care coverage at all. Millions of people without insurance cannot go to a clinic or hospital specialist. All they can do is go to the emergency room, which by law must treat anyone who goes there. That adds up to a lot of expense in the total cost of health care.

One of my friends at graduate school had a terrible experience. He failed to fill in all the forms for the cheaper insurance for students. Just as classes started, he got a kidney stone. After he suffered a week of agony, I dragged him to the university hospital for surgery. He was OK, but because he was in between insurance plans, he ended up with a medical bill that was higher than four years of graduate school!

By contrast, when I spent a week in the hospital here in Japan for similar surgery, the total bill was ¥50,000. I couldn't believe it! I took the money out of the ATM at the hospital and could still afford a taxi home.

The best part of Japan's health care system is easy access for small problems. A couple of months ago, I hit my head at home. Head wounds bleed badly, but I just went to the local clinic. The doctor cleaned the wound, dressed it and gave me some medicine. I paid the equivalent of a good lunch. In America, I can't imagine how much that would cost.

The irony of all this is that America has the highest-ranked hospitals, best technologies and most highly trained doctors and nurses. However, in many large cities, uninsured people living in the same neighborhood as a hospital often cannot access its non-emergency medical care, because they simply cannot afford to pay for it.

Having experienced both systems, I can say that Japan's system is much better. America is a country where social policies are often ahead of other countries, but just as often behind. Health care should be accessible and affordable for all people.



Shukan ST: JULY 20, 2012

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