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.