Health insurance

[simplyolaf]

Did anyone buy their own health insurance during their stay in China? Did you buy it in China or back in your home country? What would you recommend?

[muyongshi]

Are you talking about from a foreign company or a Chinese company?

I have health insurance purchased first in the states and then as the ripped my other leg of I switched after being here for a year to a lot cheaper on and applied on the internet. I have IMG (and no clue what it stands for of the top of my head). If I remember correctly it is a British company with offices in the US too and is geared towards those living over seas...

[simplyolaf]

I am not going to be working for any company. How much do you pay for your health insurance? Does that cover visits to the doctor? or just for emergencies?

[imron]

Benefits and premiums for their longterm Global Medical Insurance can be found here. It appears that they also cover visits to the doctor, up to a certain amount (depending on the type of coverage you choose).

[muyongshi]

I am not going to be working for any company.

My question was did you want a chinese health insurance company or a foreign one?

Thanks Imron for the links.... I was too tired last night.

Insurance is one of those things that you can pick and choose how much of each thing you want so it's up to you how you do it. I think I personally have 500 US deductabile and it costs me about 400-500 (if I'm remembering correctly) a year but I am not covered in the US or Canada.

[simplyolaf]

I don't mind too much as long as I have access to good health care.

Do you know anyone who uses chinese health insurance companies?

[Rincewind]

Last year I had backpackers insurance that covered me for health and other things. However, since it was intended to cover western medical costs, it had a western price. Here in china, health care is allot (worse) cheaper than in Europe. A flue jab will cost you 12 yuan, and other 2 yuan for the nurse to stick it in your arm. Hospital care will cost about 90 yuan per day. One of my students recently had an MRI scan done and it cost 800 yuan. So for the day to day medical costs, or even small accidents, you can probably foot the bill yourself.

Lets face facts - If something really bad, some life threatening illness, took hold on you, you wouldn't be staying in china. You'd be back home with Mom and Pops looking after you and so you need insurance that will cover you then. My last insurance covered the cost of repatriation to my homeland should it be required. Now my homeland is the UK, so that's fine, I go home and I get free NHS care. However, what about those of you who are form the USA and other countries where you pay huge sums for health care. One you are repatriated, who pays for the ongoing treatment.

[cdn_in_bj]

One of my students recently had an MRI scan done and it cost 800 yuan.

Did he have to wait to get this done? Back home, there are huge waits for MRIs. It's so bad that people are willing to go to private clinics, either in Canada or the US. Except the cost there is more like 800 *dollars*, not RMB!

[Rincewind]

Did he have to wait to get this done? Back home, there are huge waits for MRIs. It's so bad that people are willing to go to private clinics, either in Canada or the US. Except the cost there is more like 800 *dollars*, not RMB!

My father had an MRI of his knee in the UK. He waited 6 months for it and another week for the results. Plus he had to travel to a hospital on the other side of Glasgow because there is only one hospital that has one. By the time he had the scan, the problem had healed itself. I used to work as a taxi driver in Scotland and I regularly took people 100 mile round trips, paid by the NHS, so they could have a CT scan of their head as there was only one hospital in the region that had a scanner.

In china, the MRI scan was done on the day of admission and the results were available almost instantly. I saw the prints myself. The bad news is my student has kidney failure and the left kidney will have to come out. The right kidney isn't looking too good either so the long term prognosis is none to pretty. My student has no medical insurance (hence why I know the costs).

[johnd]

Did he have to wait to get this done? Back home, there are huge waits for MRIs. It's so bad that people are willing to go to private clinics, either in Canada or the US. Except the cost there is more like 800 *dollars*, not RMB!

I had some problems with my back a couple of years ago, got an MRI for RMB 1000 in a Shenzhen hospital. They did the scan the next morning after my consultation, and got the results back the same day.

[simonlaing]

My (Chinese) company has a very minimal 20 yuan a month. Most of my colleagues though have an outside health insurance.

Here you can be insured on the type of illness. I am likely going only for complete coverage on serious diseases or injury. (i.e. Cancer and auto accidents) . They say this will cost 4,000 -5000. Part of this is because my fiancee is a nurse and can work the system and use her job to get 90% back on medicines.

When I was a student and english teacher I got a similar reduction of 80% or 85% off the price of medicines.

I have had x-rays, EKGs and stitches and none were more than 200 RMB . Most were paid by my employers at the time. Most were under 100 , though there were lots of bitter Chinese medicine prescribed.

I can get the name an infomation on the insurance. But unless you're old or have some condition like poor lungs, etc..Getting the basic insurance is the way to go.

have fun,

Simon:)

P.S. I have been the dentist here aswell and it is better to spend more money on this , usually the Dental University or Medical university will have a department that does it. I had a cleaning for 150 RMB . It might have gone up though since it was 10 months ago.