2016年01月25日
In Praise of Japanese Health Care
Hello, all!
Some of you know that I had to spend some time in the hospital recently. I'm very sorry for all the classes I couldn't teach! I'm recovering now, and the Japanese hospital experience was very interesting. I worked in two jobs in the medical field in the US, so I was struck by the many differences in our two systems. A few of the big ones are:
—Time: I had a very minor operation, but I had to stay in the hospital for one week. In America, they would have sent me home within 24 hours!
—Sterility: American hospitals have many, many, many rules for keeping the hospital "sterile." Every surface is frequently cleaned with antibacterial agents. Often nothing that could carry bacteria is allowed in the patients' rooms. The goal is to prevent infections from spreading, but many scientists think that this sterility actually helps stronger, more dangerous bacteria grow! In Japan, too, things are kept clean. But I saw many fewer antibacterial chemicals being used. I think this might actually be a better idea!
—Medication: In most American hospitals, nurses must watch patients take their medicine. They need to be sure how much medicine the patient is getting. In Japan, nurses usually just delivered my medicine to my bed, gave me instructions, and trusted me to take it!
—Food: Hospital food is supposed to taste bad, but mine wasn't too terrible. I was more surprised that everyone ate the same food. In an American hospital, one reason to keep patients is to control their diet. But here, everyone ate very normal food—onigiri for breakfast and delivery bento for lunch and dinner. In fact, the patients had to bring their own cups, bowls, and chopsticks! This was probably the strangest thing for me.
Finally, the biggest and most important thing is price. American medical care is infamously expensive (due to the nature of American politics). In Japan, you always have to pay for your hospital stay before you can leave, but in America,your insurance negotiates with the hospital. It can be very complicated. Often the cost without insurance for even relatively small procedures is more money than you can make in a year!
So by getting my surgery in Japan, I saved a lot of money. I estimate that the amount I paid here was between a thirtieth and a hundredth of the price I would have paid in America! I was able to go to the best place for my problem in Japan for a very affordable price. So... thank you, Japanese health care! And I'm happy to be back!
—Matthew
Some of you know that I had to spend some time in the hospital recently. I'm very sorry for all the classes I couldn't teach! I'm recovering now, and the Japanese hospital experience was very interesting. I worked in two jobs in the medical field in the US, so I was struck by the many differences in our two systems. A few of the big ones are:
—Time: I had a very minor operation, but I had to stay in the hospital for one week. In America, they would have sent me home within 24 hours!
—Sterility: American hospitals have many, many, many rules for keeping the hospital "sterile." Every surface is frequently cleaned with antibacterial agents. Often nothing that could carry bacteria is allowed in the patients' rooms. The goal is to prevent infections from spreading, but many scientists think that this sterility actually helps stronger, more dangerous bacteria grow! In Japan, too, things are kept clean. But I saw many fewer antibacterial chemicals being used. I think this might actually be a better idea!
—Medication: In most American hospitals, nurses must watch patients take their medicine. They need to be sure how much medicine the patient is getting. In Japan, nurses usually just delivered my medicine to my bed, gave me instructions, and trusted me to take it!
—Food: Hospital food is supposed to taste bad, but mine wasn't too terrible. I was more surprised that everyone ate the same food. In an American hospital, one reason to keep patients is to control their diet. But here, everyone ate very normal food—onigiri for breakfast and delivery bento for lunch and dinner. In fact, the patients had to bring their own cups, bowls, and chopsticks! This was probably the strangest thing for me.
Finally, the biggest and most important thing is price. American medical care is infamously expensive (due to the nature of American politics). In Japan, you always have to pay for your hospital stay before you can leave, but in America,your insurance negotiates with the hospital. It can be very complicated. Often the cost without insurance for even relatively small procedures is more money than you can make in a year!
So by getting my surgery in Japan, I saved a lot of money. I estimate that the amount I paid here was between a thirtieth and a hundredth of the price I would have paid in America! I was able to go to the best place for my problem in Japan for a very affordable price. So... thank you, Japanese health care! And I'm happy to be back!
—Matthew
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