by Anna Kunnecke
There is a debate going on in the USA over healthcare. As I read what some Americans are writing about what they think might happen should the current system be reformed, I am baffled by their fears. Someone is trying to scare them, and it makes me mad. So I thought I'd share my experience with the big bad scary thing that is socialized healthcare. I've lived here for many years and been part of the kokumin hoken (healthcare for individuals) and I like it. The icing on the cake, my friends, is that I can actually afford it.
Sure, Japan's medical system isn't perfect. I have received some lousy care and I've heard some horror stories, which is surely true of any country in the world. But you can say this about Japan: they take excellent care of their kids. All immunizations, doctor visits, and prescriptions for kids under 6 are free. You probably zoomed past that and didn't catch that the first time so I will write it again: no co-pays, no refunds, and no HMO to haggle with, because it's all free.
This means that if your kid is sick, you just take them to the doctor. If you don't like the care you get there, you go to another one. If you need medicine, you get it. No parent has to face the devastating question of whether they can afford to go to the pediatrician this month, or to wonder if their kid could do without the expensive prescription. It's a godsend to new and nervous parents who aren't sure whether their infant is sick or whether all the crying is simply due to the fact that their baby knows so very few words. It keeps families out of the emergency rooms, because you don't have to wait and see if something is going to get really serious before you shell out the cash to find out; you just take the kid to the darned doctor already. It's so humane. It's so kind. It's so smart.
I wrote about this in January on my personal blog, www.sitatmytable.com and I've reproduced the post below.
http://sitatmytable.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/why-i-love-socialized-medicine/
Why I love socialized medicine
January 22, 2009
For one thing, the frog stickers.
But really because we can choose any doctor we want
(including the one downstairs who is actually
an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist but is also a mom
and who listens to my opinions about antibiotics).
And because no matter how many times we go,
all of my daughter's visits and all her prescriptions
are always FREE.
And because today, the little hypochondriac said
"I so sick. So ess-citing, go doctor."
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