SiCKO

Michael Moore's film SiCKO opened in Japan on September 1, and there was a special screening that day with a special ticket price that I attended. Go see it if you haven't already.

So here's my healthcare anecdote for today. I needed to have a chalazion removed. I was planning to travel to the U.S. anyway, so I called for an appointment over 3 weeks in advance. No availability; first apppointment is 3 weeks after that (6 weeks in the future).

So I visited our company doctor in Tokyo — yes, we have a company doctor — and she recommended an opthamologist which had an appointment available in three days. I had a meeting that day, so I checked the Tokyo U.S. Embassy's Web site, found another opthamologist, and they had an appointment in two days, which was earlier today as I write this.

I took the short subway ride over to their office. I arrived at 2 o'clock. I filled out a postcard-sized form and waited just a few minutes. An English speaking doctor who said he was also licensed in Nevada (!) examined me and, after a brief conversation, said he could do the minor surgery that afternoon. I went over to the operating area, and he quickly performed the procedure. Downstairs I paid my bill — I'm not on Japanese domestic insurance, which is atypical — and got a prescription form to take around the block to the pharmacy window. About 5 minutes there with a six question form (to prevent drug interactions), and after paying a smaller bill, I got my eyedrops. Then I was on my way.

The total bill, for the exam, minor eyelid surgery, and prescription eyedrops, in Tokyo, Japan? Just under US $100. That's less than a third of the Chicago price. And I got my appointment within 2 days, went in at 2 and was out before 4. In Chicago I've waited 90 minutes routinely after arriving just to see a nurse. That $100 receipt will be sent to my insurance company, which is great by U.S. standards but that form will be the longest. Obviously I wouldn't mind being on the Japanese domestic system one bit.

Michael Moore is right. Americans pay more for healthcare and get less. In one of the most expensive cities in the world it's cheaper and better, even for a foreigner.

Driving in Tokyo?

Am I crazy? Maybe.

I'm moving to a new apartment in a couple weeks, and it includes a parking spot. So I'm thinking about getting a car. For shopping and weekend trips, it'd be useful.

Typhoon Fitow Strikes Japan

Throughout the office building, a woman's voice advised, "We recommend you go home early today." I think most people heeded the advice and headed home before 6:00 p.m.

Typhoon Fitow is striking Japan tonight and overnight. You can follow the storm's progress at the Japan Meteorological Agency's typhoon page.

Passport to Delay

I hope the next administration in Washington improves the U.S. passport system. According to press reports, the system is broken, with long delays.

My passport expires in August, 2008. That means I can no longer obtain 12 month visas from many countries, because most countries will not issue visas that last longer than the passport itself. So I decided to pursue getting my passport renewed now, in person, at the U.S. Embassy (a.k.a. "The Fortress") in Tokyo. The Fortress is only a 15 or 20 minute walk away from where I live.

I filled out and printed the online renewal form, to be ready to go when I arrived. However, I quickly found out that it's the wrong form. You'd think the State Department would have the correct form available. The Fortress staff are quite friendly and helpful, so that's a plus. The cashier accepts U.S. credit cards for the fee and charges U.S. dollars, so there's no problem with foreign exchange. There's a fast and effective photo booth to obtain the proper sized pictures. All that works well.

The problem is that you have to surrender your passport to process the renewal, and renewal could take a couple weeks. Hasn't anybody figured out that's a huge problem for the prototypical global businessman, not to mention many other people? I'm still trying to understand how a U.S. citizen staying in Tokyo but without an alien registration card ("short term" stay) would be able to comply with Japanese law while getting a passport renewed. Most countries expect you to have your passport (or alien registration card, for longer term stays) handy at all times while visiting.

The other problem is that if The Fortress has your passport, you're stuck and cannot leave Japan. If I get an urgent call tomorrow to go fix some problem two hours away in Korea, there's nothing I can do. If there's a family emergency, I need to hope I can retrieve my passport from The Fortress.

So why does The Fortress need to hold my current passport in order to renew it? And why hasn't anyone figured out that's a huge problem? I could understand holding it for the day. (Most visa issuing countries will let you drop off a passport in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon, stamped with the visa.) But 10 days? Two weeks?

I can only imagine how much worse it could be at other embassies. As I said, the staff were quite friendly and helpful. It's the process itself that makes no sense in 2007.

While I think visas should be abolished for tourism and short-term business trips at least, I do want to applaud Australia for having the most convenient and trouble-free visa system I've encountered. The whole process is available online, instantly. You type in your passport details and your credit card details (for the small fee), click a button, and a few seconds later you have your visa. Airlines can electronically verify you have a visa when you check in and, if you don't, they can do the same thing for you on the spot. In fact, the whole process is so painless that Australia doesn't even call it a visa. Granted, if you're a citizen from a country that Australia wants to discriminate against, usually for economic stereotyping reasons, then the process is much slower and more painful.

"Tokyo Breakfast"

I'm not sure what to make of this Japanese television pilot that never made it into full production. It spoofs many bad American sitcoms.