All Japanese citizens are legally guaranteed health coverage at anytime, anyplace, by any doctor without referral.
"There is no way to negotiate the cost of medical care at each hospital but everything is fixed, price is fixed," said Dr. Yoshihiro Ishikawa, Professor and Chair, Yokohama City University School of Medicine.
There's essentially one health insurance system that is administered either through your local government or a co-op your employer buys into.
"Under the guidelines of the local government, any co-op you choose, the cost remains the same," President of Gonshiro Garp Production Company Hiroyuki Shoji said.
Hiroyuki Shoji recently underwent an appendix removal with a five day stay in the hospital -- the total cost was $4,400. He's required to pay 30 percent of the cost out of pocket.
In the U.S. that same procedure would cost an average of $14,000 and that's not including the hospital stay.
The Fujioka sisters run their own bakery. Because they're self employed they're required to get their health insurance directly from the government at the cost of about $100 a month.
"Thirty percent is my co-pay, out of pocket cost. We do not have any particular illness, so mostly when we go to dentist we use the national health card," said Megumi Fujioka, Co-Owner, Konohana Bakery.
But even with greater access than what you would find in the U.S., health care experts like Dr. Ishikawa admit greater access comes with its own problems, long wait times at doctors' offices, and good but not the best, quality of care.
"No any other place on this Earth on the planet you can get better medical care, I mean compared with the United States," Ishikawa said.
While the system works well for them now, there is concern about whether it is sustainable for future generations.
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