Health care in the West or East

[Chrissays]

Here's an article by Forbes stating health care in the US is dead last, but this (biased) list seems to be every country in the West?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/20 ... countries/


How is healthcare in Asia? (I'm thinking East asia will have better healthcare than south east, of course)

[Yohan]

In Japan, healthcare is really good.
It is sometimes considered to be one of the best in this world.

Everybody who is a Japanese, registered in Japan, and every foreigner who is living in Japan with a visa permit of 1 year or longer, is covered by the insurance.

It covers partially accidents or illness during vacation outside of Japan, not only within Japan. Dental services are also covered including crowns, bridges etc.

You can go straight to any hospital or private clinic and waiting time is short, many medical doctors, including dentists, work even on Sunday or late night. Required medicine is also covered, and the Japanese national insurance is for life. It also covers partially equipment for elderly care, cheap rent of special beds and similar needs for old people.

Also ambulance services are covered, they are coming quickly and bring the patient to the next hospital in case of medical problems in the house or accidents in the street.

My impression during my 30+ years in Japan: Excellent, better even than in Central Europe.

What is not covered: Abortion, while legal, it must be paid out of your own wallet.

Birth is also not covered, it is not considered to be an accident or illness, but there are other public mother/child funds in many cases covering most of expenses of the birth itself. -

However medical care during pregnancy for the mother-to-be is covered in full, also medical care after birth for both, the child and mother is covered in full.

[Rock]

I've suffered biliary colic attacks (2 to 3 times per year) for several years now due to gallstones. Each attack required an emergency room visit. Fortunately, I never had one while Stateside.

Over the last 2 years, I've researched treatment options. I tried all the easy stuff and none of it worked. I also consulted with doctors in USA, Taiwan, Philippines, and Thailand. All said the same thing - take the organ out. But then, I found an alternative treatment philosophy which has been gaining ground in China for last 10 years - take the stones out and preserve the gallbladder (assuming it still functions). Contrary to mainstream wisdom, it does have an important purpose and should be preserved if possible.

So last December when I was in Shenzhen, I found a hospital which specializes in that treatment (just 90 minutes away in Dongguan). I had tests done, booked the surgery, and wala, out came 18 stones averaging 1 cm in diameter. And now my gallbladder works great!

Sure the stones may come back eventually. But there are ways to reduce that risk substantially. If they do return in a few years and get big enough to cause problems, I can repeat the surgery at that time so long as my gallbladder still functions.

In many ways, things are done differently in China. That can be a great thing. Just don't mind always drinking warm to hot water and lukewarm sodas lol.

[Yohan]

Over the last 2 years, I've researched treatment options. I tried all the easy stuff and none of it worked.

Interesting thread, good to hear you are now healthy again.

May I ask what kind of 'easy treatment' you tried?

Here in Japan usually doctors try to dissolve gall stones, by medicine and diet for about 6 months - but some stones cannot be dissolved and are therefore smashed in small pieces by ultrasonic shockwave. It is said, that up to 90 percent of all gallstones will be either dissolved or smashed and these fragments will be able to move on out of the gall bladder - patients will however continue to take some medicine for life to prevent the production of gallstones in future.

Surgery and Catheter treatment are only done, if dissolving or smashing is not successful. The gallbladder is not always removed during surgery, it depends on the situation.

Catheter treatment is difficult and often fails, it seems Japanese doctors use it rarely. It is not easy and time consuming to move a rather large catheter through the mouth into the stomach and finally to the duodenum, and from there to use another catheter (which is inside the large catheter) into opposite direction and to enter through the bile ducts up to the gallbladder.

[Rock]

Over the last 2 years, I've researched treatment options. I tried all the easy stuff and none of it worked.

Interesting thread, good to hear you are now healthy again.

May I ask what kind of 'easy treatment' you tried?

Here in Japan usually doctors try to dissolve gall stones, by medicine and diet for about 6 months - but some stones cannot be dissolved and are therefore smashed in small pieces by ultrasonic shockwave. It is said, that up to 90 percent of all gallstones will be either dissolved or smashed and these fragments will be able to move on out of the gall bladder - patients will however continue to take some medicine for life to prevent the production of gallstones in future.

Surgery and Catheter treatment are only done, if dissolving or smashing is not successful. The gallbladder is not always removed during surgery, it depends on the situation.

Catheter treatment is difficult and often fails, it seems Japanese doctors use it rarely. It is not easy and time consuming to move a rather large catheter through the mouth into the stomach and finally to the duodenum, and from there to use another catheter (which is inside the large catheter) into opposite direction and to enter through the bile ducts up to the gallbladder.

Urso Acid tablets, apple cider vinegar, complicated dietary changes, etc. Docs all told me my stones were too big and calcified for ultrasound shockwaves. They also explained to me that if any of my approximately 1 cm stones broke into fragments less than 0.7 cm, there was a significant risk that one or more of the fragments could pass into one of the ducts and get stuck there requiring immediate emergency surgery. People die from stones which get lodged in ducts sometimes.

My surgery was done with 2 incisions (2 cm each) with one in the belly button and other right below right rib cage. By now (about 5 weeks post op) the below ribcage scar is very faint and belly button one is undetectable. Props to the Chinese!

[Chrissays]

Healthcare in Japan is basically free if your a citizen?

What about health care in China?

Does America really have quality healthcare compared to Japan? Because it's expensive over here and the only talk about healthcare the media talks about is Obamacare and occasionally healthcare in Canada.

[Yohan]

Healthcare in Japan is basically free if your a citizen?

US-medical fees are a horror, basically cheating on people all the time. It's a crime, if you ask me. Every medical service is highly overpriced and can cause a serious health risk for people who do not have enough money to pay for medical care.

-----

Every Japanese citizen has insurance cover as long as there is a registered address in Japan, same with foreigners with at least 1 year visa permit.
Insurance fees are calculated depending to your income/tax.

There is no age limit etc. - it is for life, regardless if you are healthy or sick, even might apply partially while abroad as a tourist.
When you visit a medical doctor, you just present your insurance card, there is a small amount to pay, depending on age, income, additional insurances, total sum of the medical bill etc. - This might be as little as 5 percent, and as high as 30 percent.
Medical doctors and hospitals, care-centers for elderly etc. are using a computer program, online, when calculating the bill.
I never had any problem during the last 35 years about payments. For sure medical fees are not a problem if you have a regular income or retirement allowance.

-----

About Thailand, if you are a Thai citizen you can get medical care almost for free, but only in the district where you are living, in one public hospital. Some foreigners too might registered when living in Thailand permanently.

About foreigners in Thailand, one time I spent 5 nights in a private hospital with a high tropical fever, my total invoice (room, food, medicine, laboratory etc.) was about USD 600,-, the Japanese insurance paid about USD 400,- back to me later on.

One time I had X-ray after an accident, and strong internal bleeding in the knee, but was luckily not broken, and the blood was taken out+some medicine, I paid USD 70,- in the private hospital I use there since many years, full refund by Citicard travel insurance.

Also my wife used the same hospital a few times, we never paid more than USD 40,- to 60,-, same with dental care, vertigo and other small medical problems, all was paid back in Japan by Citicard travel insurance or Japanese national insurance.

[droid]

So last December when I was in Shenzhen, I found a hospital which specializes in that treatment (just 90 minutes away in Dongguan). I had tests done, booked the surgery, and wala, out came 18 stones averaging 1 cm in diameter. And now my gallbladder works great!

How much was the bill if I may ask? (regardless of insurance coverage)