Japan's health system cheap but flawed

Tamika Reynolds
Soc 202
09/18/09
1:20pm

Health Care in Japan has a pretty side and an ugly side. Japan has universal health care and it allows the people of Japan to get efficient health care services. The Japanese people go to doctor about 14 times a year. This is almost 4 times as much as people of the U.S. go to the doctor. In Japan, a person can choose what health care facility they want to go to and which doctor they want to be treated by. They are not limited to amount of times the can go to the doctor. Since Japan has such a wonderful health care system the result has created people who live longer. Japan has the oldest population. According to the article 40% of Japan’s population is 65 years old and older. Japan is able to have successful health care system by banning health insurance company profit and limited doctor fees. No one in Japan is denied coverage. Japan’s health care system seems perfect but it has an ugly side. Since people are living longer, the Japanese government has to put more and more money into the health care system. Since no one is ever denied they have overcrowding in hospitals. Every health case is seen as equal so people with emergencies have to wait for people who have minor cases. Another problem is doctors are being constantly overwhelmed with cases that they are over worked. More people may be able to see a doctor but they are not as likely to be properly treated. I thought this article was very interested because I know that I am for universal healthcare. I have been studying what universal health care would be like. I saw the film Sicko, which is a documentary on health care systems in different countries that have universal health care. I think it is interesting to see how universal health affects different people and economies. In the movie, universal health care is glamorized but in this article you see both ends of the spectrum. I am still for universal health care. If there was a little bit more control on the number of times and may the seriousness of the case than maybe Japan will get through there crisis. We also have to look at the fact that places like China and Japan are just over populated anyway.

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