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Mythbusting: Universal Health Care in other countries (Japan, with costs!)
Posted by YoyogiBear on July 3, 2008 - 3:34amI'm an American living overseas. I live in Japan, where I run a small business. As a resident, I'm required to participate in their Universal Health Care scheme. Some might find that to be 'coercive' or 'un-American', but it's worth pointing out the flip side of this arrangement: you cannot be turned down under any circumstances. The form to enroll, say, one of my employees is 1 single page and all I need to fill out is their name, address, birthdate, Social Security #, salary info. (so the 'Social Insurance' office can calculate the rate and deduct it from the company account every month), along with my business name, address, my name & signature. There is no field for 'pre-existing medical conditions'. They don't even ask. The completed paper is then submitted to the Social Insurance office and 10 minutes later, they issue a health insurance card that will get the holder into almost any hospital/clinic to see any doctor in Japan.


