Last week, I got a new crown!
No . . . NOT THAT type of crown. One for a tooth that fell apart. It had a crown from long ago but that fell out leaving a jagged mess of a molar.
Now, we have in Japan what most Americans would call “socialized medicine”, a one-payer, government health insurance program, strict controls which prevent profiteering, and national standards for everything medical.
Uh-oh! Socialized medicine! That means long waits to get help, crowded waiting rooms, inferior service, all the problems that come with massive bureaucracy.
Well, I got an initial appointment within 48 hours, and only waited about ten minutes to get in to see the dentist. He took an X-ray, an impression, then filled the exposed area of the tooth with a temporary filler. One week later, after maybe a five minute wait in the reception area, he cemented in the new crown — which, by the way, fit perfectly and didn’t require any grinding or adjustments — and sent me on my way.
Two appointments, a total of less than 40 minutes in the dentist chair, and I had a new crown!
Now some research (here and here) tells me this: “Typical prices in the U.S. for a molar dental crown range from about $800 to $3,000 per tooth before insurance, depending on factors such as the material used (metal, porcelain‑fused‑to‑metal, zirconia, etc.), geographic location, and any additional procedures required. With dental insurance, out‑of‑pocket costs often fall between $400 and $1,200, but exact amounts vary by plan.”
Here are my receipts for the two visits:
According to XE Currency Converter, 1340 yen = $8.55 and 2560 yen = $16.33, meaning the total cost for my new molar crown was $24.88. Of course, I used the “socialized” one-payer national health insurance, as I do for all my medical care.
$24.88 … vs. … $400 to $1200.
Do you think that the bad rap that socialized health care gets in the U.S. — as with anything remotely suggestive of SOCIALISM — might just be a big pile of propaganda, to keep the gravy train of bloated profits for the broken system in America rolling along?
Some time ago, I wrote a similar article about a visit to a local clinic to get a thorough heart examination: Life In Japan: A Morning at the Clinic.
Draw your own conclusions about “socialized medicine”.
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Carpe diem!
