Health Care for Travelers?

[phlizmo]

I am getting ready to take my first trip to Japan and was wondering what kind of health care is available.. Health care here is so lame.. My girlfriend always tells me how cheap it is in Japan for doctors visits, x-rays, dental work etc.. This of course refers to those Japanese people who have health insurance.. Can travelers get insurance as well and be seen during their trip? Definetly thinking about it since I have no health insurance here in the US and thought that if its soo much cheaper in Japan I might as well visit a doctor or a dentist while Im there..

D

[Taro Toporific]

Can travelers get insurance as well and be seen during their trip?

Travelers health insurance is available in the US and other countries but it ain't no bargain unless it's offered free by your AMEX Gold Card or something.

Japanese national health insurance is only for foreigners who have a visa to live in Japan (not tourists). Actually, young healthy gaijin here save money by NOT getting Japanese national health insurance and using a commercial policy from outside Japan that provides coverage in Japan.

Bottom Line: There's no bargan in Japan for a traveler wanting Japanese national health insurance---it's not available for travelers.


On the other hand for an older fart like me with medical problems, Japanese national health insurance is a huge advantage and savings. I've spent more than six months this year in the hospital and it cost me less than $500 incidental fees like the no-natto-for-breakfast charge. Hell, I used $500 of medical services today and paid ZERO (zero deductable for the handicapped in Japan). Basically, I live in Japan as an exile from American system of health insurance because of the dread "pre-existing conditions" clause in the USA.

[Charles]

This is generally known as "medical tourism" and no, Japan is definitely NOT a place you would choose to go for inexpensive, quality medical care. I'm not sure I'd want to go through a Japanese hospital a second time, having gone through one for a minor problem once. But that is another story for another time..

The NYTimes Magazine did a big article on medical tourism a few weeks back but I'm sure it's in the paid archives by now so I won't cite it. It said the big destinations are India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Mexico. It said the best medical tourism sites have American-trained doctors but only charge local rates in generally impoverished countries, so the tourists can afford much better care than the locals and thus get top level care. Some places specifically cater to foreign patients, setting up hotel accommodations in their hospitals. But the article suggested you rely on a personal referral to foreign doctors and hospitals, to make sure the place gives quality care.

I have a couple of British friends who go to Thailand for annual vacations and dentist visits. They swear by it, but having major dental work sounds like a miserable way to spend a vacation. And besides, the Brits have low low standards on dental care. I told my friends that if they'd have spent a little on dental care over the years they were in the US, they wouldn't be so miserable because they have rotten teeth now.

You can do much better, at least for dentistry. You're in LA, which has the #2 dental school in the US, and surely the world: USC dental school. Go sign up for low-cost dental care at their clinic. Do not put off routine dental checkups and cleaning, or you will regret it.
OTOH, actual medical care is never cheap in LA, so if you're uninsured and anything goes wrong, you're probably going to end up in the endless queue at County. I've been there, it really sucks. There's a new movement (especially in LA) towards walk-in clinics that can handle most routine medical issues. This mostly started around the illegal alien communities that wanted to pay cash for untraceable, anonymous medical care, but it has started to spread as it seems like an economical way to handle nonemergency care.

[maninjapan]

And besides, the Brits have low low standards on dental care.

Talk about quoting stereotypes - i guess you've watched too much of Austin Powers recently? Many dentist clinics in the UK are over booked and have to turn patients away - dentistry is one of the most popular courses in UK universities and new clinics are opened every week.

You can do much better, at least for dentistry. You're in LA, which has the #2 dental school in the US, and surely the world: USC dental school.

pure biasedness - how on earth can you rate a dental clinic? By how many fillings they do in a year? How much gold they use up for crowns?

Anyway back on topic - if you have insurance then in Japan you'll get your money back from the insurance company; however, if you need any medication from your own country, most defo bring it with you, items such as strong paracetamol and good cough syrups are hard to find over here. In my own opinion, some of the Japanese medicine I have had to take I have been worried about - last year when I had the dreaded 'flu, I was given four different medicines to counter the after-effects of each of them. I was tripping for about a week on those drugs, they worked but my god the dreams were great!

Another thing about medicine in Japan, is be prepared to wait in hospitals at busy times. Unlike the UK, where they have GP clinics, everyone seems to go to a hospital to get treated from anything from a common cold up to full blown HIV (you get my meaning). Last year I had to wait 2hrs just to be told I had the 'flu and I should take this medicine. Some smaller clinics are opening up but not very many - even though this would save shedloads of time for the Japanese hospitals in the long run!

[Greji]

I'm not sure I'd want to go through a Japanese hospital a second time, having gone through one for a minor problem once. But that is another story for another time..

Was that for your lobotomy?

[Charles]

pure biasedness - how on earth can you rate a dental clinic? By how many fillings they do in a year? How much gold they use up for crowns?

The ratings are produced by surveying the faculty of university dental departments throughout the US. The rating is a general index of the quality of dental work, teaching, and research.

[IparryU]

diging up graves i am...

so i am going back to cali for a month and i dont live in the best of areas... so i will need some type of insurance just in case. bringing my main lemure with me too...

I booked via skygate and they sent me the below.

does anyone have any recommendations?

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[wuchan]

get a UFJ gold card with the travel option and never worry again.

[Samurai_Jerk]

HIS's travel insurance is cheaper than a lot of the others: http://www.his-j.com/hoken/

It might be a case of you get what you pay for though.

And there's always AIU: http://www.aiu.co.jp/travel/