Japan\’s Aging Population Sure to Strain the System
Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr.
Half a world away from the U.S. health care debate,Japan has a system that costs half as much and often achieves better medical results than its U.S. counterpart.It does so by banning insurance company profits, limiting doctor fees and accepting shortcomings in care that many well-insured Americans find intolerable.
The Japanese visit a doctor nearly 14 times a year, more than four times as often as Americans do.They can choose any primary care physician or specialist they want,and surveys show they are almost always seen on the day they want.
All that medical care helps keep the Japanese alive longer than any other people on Earth while fostering one of the World\’s lowest infant mortality rates.
Health care in Japan-a hybased system funded by job-based insurance premiums and taxes-is universal and mandatory, and consumes about 8% percent of the nation\’s gross domestic product,half as much as in the United States.
Photo Hank Miller Jr.
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