Healthcare in US, Canada, and Japan

I have experiences with US, Canada, and Japanese healthcare systems and from my view, it seems like the Japanese system is far better than the others.

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I am fortunate that I have very good health insurance in the US so money is not a problem.  For around 30 million people without health insurance the problem is much more difficult because the crazy costs and complexity in the US system. 

The problem for me is that the wait to see a doctors is very long.  I have schedule appointments 4 - 6 months in advance.  If I see a doctor and then am referred to a specialist, it is typically 4 months before they can get me in.

Canada is a much better than the US for health insurance and drug costs (see chart above), but they have the same problem of long waits to see doctors. Anecdotally, I have heard from Canadians that private pay in another province will get you care sooner - some also go to Mexico for healthcare.

In both the US and Canada the healthcare system is broken in ways that cause people to go elsewhere for care or to avoid healthcare altogether.

Now compare that with Japan.  In Japan you:

• Have a national healthcare system so you can go to any doctor as they all can see your records. If you don't like a doctor, just go to a different one.
• For most doctor visits you just show up and wait until they can see you (typically less than an hour, but perhaps up to 4 hours).  The key is you are typically seen on the same day - no 4 month long waits.
• Simple system with transparent pricing that is consistent across doctors - a fixed copay of 10 - 30% so you know what you will pay before getting the service.
• You can purchase additional insurance if you desire to cover copays or procedures that are not covered by the National Insurance.

For example, I have a foot problem.  Saw the foot doctor specialist and then the next day, got an MRI, and had a follow up with the doctor in a few more days.  Less than a week for the entire process instead of months that it would take in the US.  Not only that, but the full pay cost was about what I would pay for the procedures in the US with my good insurance.

A second example. In the US the treatment for shin splints is to rest for weeks.  When I got a bad shin splint during the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the doctor prescribed some ketoprofen patches that are not available in the US and I was walking within days.  Again, I just walked in and waited for a bit before seeing the doctor.

Overall, I really like the Japanese system of healthcare.  The doctors, systems, and technology are just as good or better than in the US and, most importantly, you can actually see them when needed.