Health care advocates say obstacles in the Japanese system complicate the picture for Americans, including language barriers, time constraints, upfront payment and even denial of care in an emergency.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said he was on his way to visit parts of Turkey and Syria affected by an earthquake that has killed more than 20,000 people.
An aid convoy loaded with food, clothes and blankets crossed into northwestern Syria on Friday, where the earthquake has left a trail of death and devastation, according to a group that monitors the country’s civil war. The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 21,000.