mel jacobson on sun 26 oct 03
my best friend in japan was a director of a large
national hospital in kyoto.
his opinion.
socially, doctors have much lower social standing
than in europe and america. they demand much lower
salaries than here. nationalized medical care means
very low salaries for doctors. long lines, and what
you want done, may not get done, and, you may
wait for a year for service.
many doctors in japan have private practices. (my friend
did private practice on sunday, he called it drinking money) they
are not connected to national health.
folks have a choice. folks with money, wealth often
choose the private doctor. we did while there. family
practice, right around the corner. pay cash. instant
help. and, without question, many drugs that we pay
high prices for, are over the counter in asia. anti/biotics
for one.
so, different strokes, for different folks.
the society dictates.
and, in very intense socialist countries you get
taxed to death. service maybe, but taxes...you bet.
mel
i rather love our american system. lots of choices.
you can tailor your life as you see fit. i have never
liked `one size fits all`. usually fits no one well.
(see russia)
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
elca branman on sun 26 oct 03
See Sweden and Canada and Britain as well..where one size fits
accommodates a lot more people..
Those of us who are fortunate in our life's choices and partners and
birth parents tend to assume that we deserve our good fortune, that it is
all due to hard work and effort on our part..
There are huge numbers of hard working unfortunate people who do not have
the options that would keep them healthy; they do not have access to ,
for example, hearing aids..if you are poor and deafened, that's your bad
luck..ditto lighter weight wheel chairs and so on and they are no less
deserving or needy than those of us who can pay for our medical care.
Our system of medical care leaves many people wanting...
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 10:11:12 -0600 mel jacobson
writes:
mel
> i rather love our american system. lots of choices.
> you can tailor your life as you see fit. i have never
> liked `one size fits all`. usually fits no one well.
> (see russia)
>
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________________
_____
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your
> subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
Elca Branman
http://www.elcabranman.com
________________________________________________________________
The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
Lee Love on mon 27 oct 03
At 01:11 2003/10/27, mel jacobson wrote:
>socially, doctors have much lower social standing
>than in europe and america
This is a matter of perspective. It could be said, that in
America, Doctors have too high a social standing. On the otherhand, I've
yet to meet a poor doctor in Japan. They seem to live pretty well, as
standards go. But you know, there is a larger middle class here in Japan.
Also, I heard a story from a grad school friend of my wife Jean,
who is now living in Nagoya. Her elder brother who is a doctor in
Nagasaki should be retired. Instead, he keeps taking care of his old
patients. His patients are farmers. They usually pay him with rice, or
a chicken or what ever else they might be growing.
Health care is not perfect here. Mental health care is pretty
archaic actually. It is one of the reasons for the high suicide rate.
To make this relevant to ClayArt, Here in Mashiko, there is over
500 kilns. Many of the young potters I know make very little
money. But they all have health care. It is manditory.
>you want done, may not get done, and, you may
>wait for a year for service.
I have to tell you what it is really like. Sounds like your friend
liked to pull your leg Mel, or just saying what he knew an America would
like to hear. People do that a lot, you know. It is easy to make an
America believe what he already knows. :^)
I've never had to wait for service. And you know what? Things like
therapeutic massage and acupuncture are covered here, as well as other
therapies that we might think of as alternative in America.
>many doctors in japan have private practices. (my friend
>did private practice on sunday, he called it drinking money) they
>are not connected to national health.
This sounds strange Mel. I think most doctors are in private
practice here in Japan, sometimes splitting their time between a hospital
and their own clinic. You don't have to go to a national hospital to be
treated. We don't have any around here, that I know of. You do pay a
percentage of the cost, but there is a limit on the yearly amount you
pay. It is one way to control cost.
>help. and, without question, many drugs that we pay
>high prices for, are over the counter in asia. anti/biotics
>for one.
I'm not familiar with this. Maybe it is true in other Asian
countries, possibly you are thinking about the third world, but drugs are
not cheap here. Many drugs are available from America and those are
usually at a premium.
>i rather love our american system. lots of choices.
There are choices in America if you have the money. So people
with money like it and don't care if other people don't have a choice.
But the cost of medical care will demand that something be done in the
future in America. Greed is bankrupting the health system.
>you can tailor your life as you see fit. i have never
>liked `one size fits all`. usually fits no one well.
>(see russia)
Or check out Scandinavia or anywhere else in the first world. Advanced
societies in the world provide national health care. America is an anomaly.
--
Lee In Mashiko, Japan
http://Mashiko.org
Web Log (click on recent date):
http://www.livejournal.com/users/togeika/calendar
| |
|
