I haven’t been back to my home country for a few years now, and this is the first time I need a minor medical procedure done (colonoscopy). Only problem is it costs almost $1000 in the country that I’m in currently.
Without insurance it seems to cost closer to $250 in Japan (anyone know if that number is accurate?), and I was planning on travelling to Japan anyway in December. I figure the difference would pay for my flight ticket, so I’d like to have it done in Japan. Any reason I shouldn’t? I speak and read Japanese at a fairly high level, but regrettably the textbooks never covered colonoscopies. I do have decent travel insurance, but it won’t cover this.
I’m not moving to Japan permanently just yet, but will be spending three months there and if I enjoy my time in the country I hope to relocate there within a few years. After Japan I’m hoping to travel around SE Asia for about a year.
My options are:
* Return to my home country (8 month wait for the procedure – $500 flight ticket)
* Do it here ($1000 cost, which doesn’t cover any follow-ups or doctor errors)
* Head to Japan as originally planned. If it turns out I have cancer or something (very unlikely) I’ll return to my home country
Would my plan work in practice? Anything I need to keep in mind?
Appreciate any advice you guys can give me 🙂
2 comments
Check out the “Visa for Medical Stay” at MOFA’s website and start there, I suppose.
I’m immensely disappointed that colontravel is a new account and not like three years old