Medical care for pregnant travelers

Good evening :)

My husband and I are planning a babymoon in Japan this August (cleared by my doctor of course). We have been 3 times before and love traveling in Japan!

We are planning on doing a couple days in Tokyo and a couple days in Kyoto but will spend most of our time in the alps area to try to beat the heat (some areas we are thinking are Takayama, Matsumoto, Gujo Hachiman, etc.) Are there hospitals nearby around most of these areas?

Also, worse case scenario I need to be admitted to the hospital. My insurance will cover anything with the weird caveat that I would need to be admitted through an emergency room. In reading about Japan�fs medical system there are ERs but also a lot of standalone specialty clinics. If I were admitted directly to an OB clinic, for example, my insurance will not cover it. Will finding a hospital with an emergency room and being admitted though there generally be a problem?

Thanks so much for any insight you are willing to offer! It is much appreciated.

Hi Ashley

I am not sure I can fully answer your questions, but I have traveled in Japan ~6 months pregnant and on another trip used a walk in clinic in Osaka.

I don't know where you are from, but I know in my country medical care is much more expensive than in Japan. My out of pocket for doctor visits in the USA with insurance is more than what I paid at the clinic without insurance.

I think Takayama is going to still be pretty hot in August, at least it was when I visited June 2017. If you really want cooler temperatures I would head to Hirosaki or Hiraizumi in Tohoku.

Good luck

Just make sure your airline is happy to carry you, depending on how many months pregnant you are. They get a bit twitchy after 6 months.

Be prepared for anything and have emergency payment/cash ready should you require immediate medical attention as most clinic/hospital require upfront payment and won't accept your insurance.
Thus, you will need to file your claim with your insurance once you are back home.

Thanks so much everyone for all the advice! :)

Hi Ashley,

Congratulations on your happy future! If it is possible at all, have your doctor write letters of introduction to specific hospitals in the areas you're traveling through. My understanding as a Japanese resident and friend to a chief nurse is that hospitals in Japan tend to be either packed or lack personnel, and for those reasons they don't happily take in emergency patients who are not already regular patients with them. Ambulances often end up driving around especially when the emergency patient requires a bed. My understanding is that this can often be solved if the patient can specifically point out a hospital that is supposed to accept her.

Additionally, remote resorts tend to have very few doctors if not none. Try to stay near a town that has one, and if I were you I would also try to stay at a reliable hotel with a good concierge and less language barrier, or best, even one with a doctor. I'm a bit of a backpacker type woman, but when I was pregnant or with a child having health issues, it was very reassuring just to stay at a reliable hotel even if it had to cost us.

Two other little footnotes that might help:
a) Calling an ambulance makes it much more likely to arrive at an ER (in my limited experience), and,
b) Ambulances do sometimes have trouble finding hospitals that are prepared to take an English speaking patient.

The second one is probably less of an issue in your case, but I know someone where it was a major issue and the 30 minute delay was life threatening for them - they were in emergency surgery within the hour of being admitted.

Thanks for the ambulance tips!! That sounds like the best way :)