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Had a major surgery in Japan that required general anesthesia. During recovery, the only pain killer they would provide was loxoprofen (ibuprofen). Naturally, t

Had a major surgery in Japan that required general anesthesia. During recovery, the only pain killer they would provide was loxoprofen (ibuprofen). Naturally, this didn't do much, and I couldn't sleep through the pain. But thankfully, I was given a prescription for brotizolam quite readily - - a powerful and abusable hypnotic used for sedation... Anyway, still gotta say thank you to the doctor that put my knee back together! Also, with insurance the total was less than $1,000 and my drugs were a few bucks -- don't even want to imagine the cost back in the US.

ekianjo 8y ago
yes but the social insurance system is deep in the red so technically your surgery is paid with debt.
- distantaidenn 8y ago
  It's hard to display emotion through text, and I say the following without flippancy: I pay my taxes and pension. So I'd like to think I'm doing my part. Also, I highly doubt I will retire here and begin drawing said pension.
  - ekianjo 8y ago
    Sure you are doing your part, but you should avoid glossing about the fact that it's cheap compared to the US when in fact the real cost is completely hidden to you and is reported to future generations.
    - striking 8y ago
      It might not just be $1k, but the US is pretty obviously less economically efficient in how it deals with medical issues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_health_expenditure_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_hea... shows the US spending much more per capita than other countries do, especially including Japan.
    - distantaidenn 8y ago
      The real cost was not hidden. In fact, it was quite clear to me -- it was on my bill. Even still, the total was a tiny fraction of what a similar procedure would have cost in the US. There is no objective cost for a service.
  - magduf 8y ago
    Just curious: why would you not want to retire there?

ekianjo 8y ago

yes but the social insurance system is deep in the red so technically your surgery is paid with debt.

distantaidenn 8y ago
It's hard to display emotion through text, and I say the following without flippancy: I pay my taxes and pension. So I'd like to think I'm doing my part. Also, I highly doubt I will retire here and begin drawing said pension.
- ekianjo 8y ago
  Sure you are doing your part, but you should avoid glossing about the fact that it's cheap compared to the US when in fact the real cost is completely hidden to you and is reported to future generations.
  - striking 8y ago
    It might not just be $1k, but the US is pretty obviously less economically efficient in how it deals with medical issues. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_health_expenditure_per_capita https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_hea... shows the US spending much more per capita than other countries do, especially including Japan.
  - distantaidenn 8y ago
    The real cost was not hidden. In fact, it was quite clear to me -- it was on my bill. Even still, the total was a tiny fraction of what a similar procedure would have cost in the US. There is no objective cost for a service.
- magduf 8y ago
  Just curious: why would you not want to retire there?