Sunday May 27, 2012

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  • 0

    Disillusioned

    Definitely NOT Japan nor the US. Australia's system is pretty good. At least you can go to any public hospital and receive out-patients treatment for free and all clinics are GPs, unlike the Japanese system where every clinic is a specialist - in stating the obvious, giving you McDonalds style service and a bag full of pills, powders and potions.

  • 0

    my2sense

    That's a tough one.... depending on how you look at it. Paying for it is an issue. I have been in hospitals getting sewn up from here to the Middle East. The US for sure- best in technology, heart, burns and cancer (Med School hands down the best). If my kid was sick I would want him in Boston or NY. Oddly I would rave about Bumrungrad in Bangkok and Australia healthcare is good, UK too. Japan seems to lack certain things but my kid's birth went smooth, almost magical and they won me over there. Michael Moore shed a bit of light on this as well in cost (The US Guv HMO conspiracy). If you have the insurance and the cash- the US. Just ask Magic Johnson this one.

  • 0

    Foxie

    Whenever health systems are ranked, Sweden always seems to come top or at the very least a close runner-up.

  • 0

    Papigiulio

    difficult. The Dutch one is bloooody expensive. But even tho the Japanese one is not that expensive im not fond of it either. Dont know about other countries but according to this list:

    http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

    its France and Italy. And I cant believe that actually hehe.

  • 0

    marcels

    I think Australia has the best and most efficient and caring... Japans is OK but you have to see the specialist and they are so quick with you you barely have time to sit down...Before you are out the door...not to mention the y put you on a drip if you have a fever...

  • 0

    alladin

    I think the best county the provides the best health treatment is no country at all. All you have to do is watch what you eat and drink and live a healthy life while staying away from smoking products. doctors today who say that they are helping you tend to shorten your life by giving you a lot of chemicals that destroy the cells in your body. They say it helps you when in reality it destroys.

  • 0

    nisegaijin

    Best doesn't mean free. Actually there isn't a system that is free.
    I think US and Germany have best doctors and most advanced technology.

  • 0

    shady86

    http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/japan-s-good-cheap-health-care.html

    Seems like Japan has the best one.

  • 0

    sakurala

    I think Canada has a decent one. The doctor's don't have much time with patients but are willing to break the time limit if there is something serious. Also, they wont just give medicine without cause but will ask the patient to carefully monitor their symptoms and if something changes their case is reassessed. I like that because it makes people think more careully about their health and doesn't overflow waiting rooms with people who only have colds. That being said though, there are a lack of doctors in rural areas. In addition to actually hospital visits there is a lot of information given to the public such as the free health care book. It tells people how to deal with the most common problems (cold, scrapes, burns, rashes) and advises them when to seek professional help as well as healthy lifestyle tips.

  • 0

    Weasel

    Why not ask the 27 injured in the recent bus crash? They should have a pretty good perspective if the Japanese system is good or not?

  • 0

    craxican

    I have only delt with US health care and Japan... no way Japan is better than the US.

    Before I came here, I used to complain about waiting in line, hospitals always full, etc. But in Japan, its the same thing, hospital hours are that of a bank, the doctors are just... not like doctors. The only hospital that I could trust in Japan is Showa Daigaku. Hiroo Metro. is a joke, only good pediatrician is Hasumi Sensei and the ER room usually is full of trainees whilst the Dr. is out an about. I was once told that the Dr. was not there because he was playing golf... not cool to hear when your wife is about to give birth 2 months early.

    Japan is better than most places, not the US though.

    Note that if you dont have coverage, US hospitals are the worst. Sad to hear it when people are half dead, bleeding out on the floor, and get rejected because of coverage... really sad.

  • 0

    Proffesor

    I think Saudi Arabia has the best.

  • -1

    antizombie

    Spain has the best health care system!I have lived in several countries including Japan but none surpasses the excellent Spanish healthcare. Doctors and nurses are excellent professionals.

    http://www.allianzworldwidecare.com/healthcare-in-spain?TRANS=&choice=es

  • 0

    supemorgan8

    Zimbabwe... hands down.

  • 0

    MrDarryl

    I'm pretty sure these things are rated. I've heard France and Sweden are good systems. I think personal experience is not a good judge. In the states I have always received awesome care, but I have always had good health insurance. It's a great system if you can afford it. A system that helps people live a stay healthy seems like it would be the best.

  • 0

    vulcan

    We should weigh the cost to the taxpayers when judging the health care system... any country can have the best system if they have no money for defense or other things and tax it's workers at a 50% rate..

  • 0

    OneForAll

    I have to agree. Dental as well! Well done Japan, thinking of ALL your people. The US might consider looking closely at this system.

    shady86 at 10:56 AM JST - 23rd August

    http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/japan-s-good-cheap-health-care.html

  • 0

    sfjp330

    Canada's health care system produces better results at lower costs than U.S. or maybe Japan system. The infant mortality rate is lower and people live longer in Canada than in the U.S. The cost is lower because Canada has universal single payer health care without parasitic insurance companies in U.S. The results are better because nobody, however poor, is without health insurance in Canada. It is true that there are sometimes long waits for non-emergency, discretionary surgical procedures. And some Canadians do come to the U.S. for cosmetic and other medical procedures not covered or for which there is a waiting list in Canada. But the bottom line is that overall results are better and costs are significantly lower.

  • 0

    OssanAmerica

    This is easy. The United States has the best health care system. Provided you're wealthy enough to be able to afford medical insurance.

  • 0

    tmarie

    Canada's system is shocking! Good luck trying to see a doctor or a specialist. While it is "free" the waits are ridiculous and I would love to know how many people die while waiting for treatment/operations. Canada needs to switch to a two tier system.

    As it is, I think the UK is very good. People complain about it but I would much rather it over the Canadian or Japanese system any day.

  • 0

    pixiepagoda

    Canada. I don't know where the above poster is living, but I find it easy and quick to see a doctor, and for many specialists the waits aren't long.
    I've always had assessments I'm satisfied with, and the doctors are almost always caring, intelligent and professional.

  • 0

    ReformedBasher

    You posters who claim Australia has a good health system - what year did you leave the country? I left in 1991 and came back in 2007. The health care system in Australia when I left was okay but now it is an EPIC FAIL.

    I go back to Japan on a regular basis. Without health insurance, I pay the same or less in Japan as Australia with health insurance. And far less wait in Japan too. The cold medicine I took on my last trip worked better than the medicine I received in Australia.

    My family and I always drop in to see our local dentist in Japan as we cannot afford the dentists in Australia, and don't trust them either.

    There is a huge shortage of doctors and nurses in Australia, waiting lists are growing also. Kudos to the isolated pockets of competent staff who do their best to make things better though.

  • 0

    hoserfella

    tmarie has probably never been to Canada and is just regurgitating what he/she heard on Fox news during the US healthcare debate. Very few Canadians are familiar with the supposed long waits and Ive never heard of even one person left suffering in an emergency room. I can't say Canada has the best healthcare in the world, but its definitely appreciated by Canadians.

  • 0

    kazan

    France has a pretty fantastic health care system. The equiptment and techniques in the bigger cities are cutting edge, and despite the taxes being higher than for the Japanese equivalent, you get more for your money. The US health care system isn't bad, but there's a huge shortege of doctors and nurses and health insurance is ridiculously expensive. So the cutting edge medicine etc. isn't going to help you if you don't have the money.

  • 0

    badmigraine

    For routine stuff I'd want to be in a country with comprehensive national healthcare, like Japan, Canada, France, etc.

    For major things like cancer, complex surgeries, insertion of stents, orthopedic issues like artificial joints, lumbar fusions, reconstructive surgery such as knee ACL etc., I'd want to be in the US for sure. And have great insurance and piles of cash.

  • 0

    Weasel

    Any country that promotes and does not persecutes the concept of medical marijuana as a type of pain management / homeopathy - is a winner.

  • 0

    taiko666

    Without health insurance, I pay the same or less in Japan as Australia with health insurance.

    You mean that in Australia too you have to pay for health care? What a vulgar concept.

  • 0

    R_M_s

    No, those without private health insurance still receive free health care, but they may wait longer, especially for elective procedures.

    I think private health insurance is quite affordable here though. I'm surprised some people commenting say they like the Japanese dental system. Its positively archaic. I always make sure I get my dental work done back home

  • 0

    XXXXX

    Cuba?

  • 0

    Sarge

    "Cuba?"

    What makes you think Cuba has the best health care system?

    Some posters are saying the U.S. has the best health care system if you can afford it. The vast majority can afford it. There are claims that 60 million or so Americans don't have insurance, but many of those are young and healthy and simply don't want to pay into it ( which is dumb, but... ).

  • 0

    XXXXX

    Their Aids care system, but it's been ages since i've watched that documentary.

  • 0

    badmigraine

    Sarge, the vast majority may be able to afford some cheap kind of insurance, but the actual cost of healthcare, including all the deductibles, co-pays, exclusions, and dental and optical gets much higher than that and is not affordable for many.

    The cost of fairly routine surgeries and hospitalizations runs five or six figures. I had arthroscopic surgery to remove torn knee cartilage and even though it was done on an outpatient basis, the total cost from MRI through surgery and physical therapy was over $25,000. And I had insurance that was costing me $350 per month. This broke me and I had to leave the US and come back to Japan in my hated, old job to make enough money to pay it off.

    My Dad went in for gall bladder surgery in the US and his out-of-pocket was $22,000. He had insurance. My stepbrother went in for an itchy rash and the ointment prescribed cost $240, on top of the $75 office visit. And he has insurance. For people who gross $30,000 or $40,000 per year, the cost of healthcare for them and their families is not really so affordable.

    Yeah these are my personal anecdotes but go ahead and tool around the net and see if the reality is any different.

    I'm not saying anything about social justice or what it "should" cost. I even wish I was a rich doctor in the US, or a health insurance magnate. But if you're comparison shopping for the best deal, it sure isn't found in the US.

    I had the exact same knee surgery in Japan, on the other leg, and it cost me $120, all-in, including a week in hospital, two MRIs, physical therapy and drugs.

    Health care in Japan is not "free", but the amount I pay for it in my Japan taxes plus the actual out-of-pocket is a small fraction of what the same thing in the US costs, and there it's paid out of after-tax income.

    My brother in NJ has 3 kids like me. His annual healthcare cost, including insurance (his portion) and all out-of-pocket, plus dental and optical, is about $12,000 per year. That's almost $20,000 in pre-tax income! It doesn't even include the portion his employer pays, which is also huge.

    There are many things to praise about the US healthcare "system", but affordability isn't one of them.

  • 0

    Sarge

    badmigraine - If only we could go back to the 1960s when you could go to the doctor for an itchy rash, without insurance, and pay maybe $25 for the office visit and the ointment...

  • 0

    OssanAmerica

    badmigraine- As I said, the US is best IF you can afford the insurance. If the cost of insurance is not a concern, then the cost of the service is not a concern, so the remaining issue is only the quality of service. Your post was accureate but simply addressed the first two points. Nobody is disagreeing with you.

  • 0

    Farmboy

    Thailand is pretty good and not too expensive. Doctors actually have to study medicine, which is always nice. Not sure if they have all the necessary equipment in the rural areas, but major cities are good, and the price is right. Pretty good for dental care as well.

  • 0

    nemur

    Still Japan is not to be underestimated..

    http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/japan-s-good-cheap-health-care.html

  • 0

    nemur

    http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/japan-s-good-cheap-health-care.html

    Japan ??

  • 0

    Farmboy

    I can't agree with the choice of Japan. It has the best and worst doctors in the world, and it's very difficult to find out which is which, even if you speak Japanese. Hospitals usually have good equipment, though, so that part isn't a problem.

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    I have dealt with all these over the years Bolivia, Canada, France, Italy,Japan, Mexico, Spain, UK and the USA.

    Bolivia I will not comment on seeing it was in the early 80s and I have no idea what it is like to day Same goes for Mexico.

    Of the no payment due at the Hospital I would rank them like this France, Canada, UK.

    Japan ranks up there with Canada, France and the UK with the exception that there is a user fee but I sort of like that because it makes people think twice before going to a major hospital emergency room for a cold!

    The USA scared the crap out of me, I had insurance but late night hospital couldn't get full approval for treatment and my Visa card didn't have a high enough limit on it to start treatment, What a bloody nightmare! USA may have some of the best equipment and people but it is reserved only for those who can pay!

    My son has a chronic illness and has been hospitalized several times here (Japan) and operated on 3 times and I must say the doctors were great and the nurses even better, due to his age it is 100% covered and even if it wasn't as in my case several years ago there is a maximum monthly limit of between ￥30,000 and ￥65,000 depending on your income anything over that is paid by the Government.

  • 0

    ReformedBasher

    @ taiko666

    Yes, but even paying for it doesn't mean it is good though. I don't trust doctors and dentists in Australia very much.

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