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Prescription, pharmacies, and health insurance

AmerLaw

後輩
2 Nov 2007
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I know this seems like a strange question, but I am wondering how easy it is to fill prescriptions in Tokyo. I have asthma, allergies, and insomnia, and take prescriptions to deal with these. In my recent trip to Tokyo, I didn't see any place like where I would traditionally fill the scrips in the U.S. (drug store, etc.) Is it easy and common to fill scrips there?

Also, I will have health insurance through my company (I pay half the monthly premiums), and I cover 30% of costs. Any idea of how this works how in terms of cost? Seems things are different here (insurance is either high deductible or pays X% of the prescription), and prices of the drugs are pretty predictable.

Again, sorry if I seem confused....I don't know whether I can buy 'em here and take with me...
 
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Are you talking about a short visit to Japan again, or staying for a longer period of time? I'm not entirely sure how easy it would be to use your American health insurance and fill out prescriptions from your doctor back home. Last time I was there, I had medical coverage from an American-based company as well as the national health insurance, although I never had an opportunity to use either. There are pharmacies all over the place, either known as 薬局 (yakkyoku) or 薬屋 (kusuriya), but as I said, I'm not sure if you would be able to fill an American prescription there very easily. Especially difficult would be the insomnia medication; I don't know the exact law, but even cough medicine that causes drowsiness is illegal in Japan. There are others more knowledgeable than I on this subject, so stick around for their response.
 
If you are paying 30% of the costs, then it sounds as if you work (or will be working) for a Japanese outfit and have shakai kenko hoken. Cool. How does this work, you ask? I don't understand the question, but here's a shot.

You take your Japanese prescription to the pharmacy. Usually, that means the one in the clinic or attached to it somehow. They fill it out, and you pay only 30% of the cost.

If you have foreign prescriptions now, I'd strongly suggest going to a Japanese hospital or clinic and getting examined, so that they can prescribe things before your current foreign prescriptions run out. Be aware that many Japanese dosages are weaker than in the USA.

As for the actual cost of the medication, who knows other than the hospital or pharmacy?
 
I work for a health insurance company in the USA, and I know at least for the company I work for the policy overseas is:

You pay for everything out of pocket and then when you return to the states you submit for reimbursement. Normally how you are reimbursed is the total cost of the drug - your copays/deductibles/out of pocket. Its really easy.
 
Thank you all for your advice. Glenski is right -- I will be working for a Japanese firm. I'm only in Japan for the year, but am going to take on the firm insurance since my US job doesn't have coverage overseas. My current prescrips last almost the whole year, so I was trying to figure out a way to fill them in Japan or bring them with me. Maybe I can talk to the consulate here and figure out a way to get a Japanese prescrip that I can bring with me (in limited time).

I know it sounds strange to ask these questions -- these prescrips have just been a big part of my life for a while, so it would be comforting to know that I won't have a problem for the year. Again, thanks for all the responses!
 
Crap, that's not helpful. But I actually meant an actual scrip, not the pills....Are there doctors here who's scrip would be valid there -- that sort of thing.

Thanks though.
 
I don't think, a foreign doctor's prescription will be worth anything much in Japan. You will have to see a doctor here. And in the case of insomnia, they are allowed (by Japanese law) to give you a two weeks supply of sleeping pills max. If you need sleeping pills every day, you would have to see a doc every two weeks.
 
No, a foreign prescription is just as invalid here as one is where you live. C'mon, think! You sometimes can't even take a prescription back home to just any drugstore. Try to imagine how the pharmacist would feel seeing a foreign language on the paper!
 
No, a foreign prescription is just as invalid here as one is where you live. C'mon, think! You sometimes can't even take a prescription back home to just any drugstore. Try to imagine how the pharmacist would feel seeing a foreign language on the paper!


Doctors have horrible handwriting (at least in the USA), so what difference would it make if it was in a foreign language, lol?
 
I'm not advocating this but...I get the occasional prescription drug mailed to me from the UK. My family does it and they just include it in a typical 'red cross package' from back home. On the customs declaration form my mother writes 'sweets' - which is always accurate because you can never consume enough Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts before you die.

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