tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post3824647280785407520..comments2024-03-18T07:07:53.346-04:00Comments on Ask a Korean!: Healthcare System in Korea?T.K. (Ask a Korean!)http://www.blogger.com/profile/07663422474464557214noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-87758806705585062722016-12-16T01:14:54.837-05:002016-12-16T01:14:54.837-05:00Happiness is all i see now I never thought that I ...Happiness is all i see now I never thought that I will live on earth before the year runs out. I have been suffering from a deadly disease (HIV) for the past 3 years now, I had spent a lot of money going from one places to another, from churches to churches, hospitals have been my home every day residence. Constant checks up have been my hobby not until this faithful day, I was searching through the internet, I saw a testimony on how DR AGBEBAKU helped someone in curing his HIV disease, quickly I copied his email which is dragbebakuspellsolutiontemple@gmail.com just to give him a test I spoke to him, he asked me to do some certain things which I did, he told me that he is going to provide the herbal cure to me, which he did, then he asked me to go for medical checkup after some days after using the herbal cure, I was free from the deadly disease, he only asked me to post the testimony through the whole world, faithfully am doing it now, please brothers and sisters, he is great, I owe him in return. if you are having a similar problem just email him on ( dragbebakuspellsolutiontemple@gmail.com or dragbebakuherbalhome@yahoo.com ) call or whatsapp him on +2349053099479Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03929091404679886847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-13411343257036934312016-12-16T01:12:57.177-05:002016-12-16T01:12:57.177-05:00Happiness is all i see now I never thought that I ...Happiness is all i see now I never thought that I will live on earth before the year runs out. I have been suffering from a deadly disease (HIV) for the past 3 years now, I had spent a lot of money going from one places to another, from churches to churches, hospitals have been my home every day residence. Constant checks up have been my hobby not until this faithful day, I was searching through the internet, I saw a testimony on how DR AGBEBAKU helped someone in curing his HIV disease, quickly I copied his email which is dragbebakuspellsolutiontemple@gmail.com just to give him a test I spoke to him, he asked me to do some certain things which I did, he told me that he is going to provide the herbal cure to me, which he did, then he asked me to go for medical checkup after some days after using the herbal cure, I was free from the deadly disease, he only asked me to post the testimony through the whole world, faithfully am doing it now, please brothers and sisters, he is great, I owe him in return. if you are having a similar problem just email him on ( dragbebakuspellsolutiontemple@gmail.com or dragbebakuherbalhome@yahoo.com ) call or whatsapp him on +2349053099479Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03929091404679886847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-87460919407093826382016-09-23T02:44:32.751-04:002016-09-23T02:44:32.751-04:00This is really a nice and informative, containing ...This is really a nice and informative, containing all information and also has a great impact on the new technology. Thanks for sharing it, <a href="http://learnandserve.org/liability-insurance-texas/" rel="nofollow">http://learnandserve.org/liability-insurance-texas/</a><br />historypakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12429820414620086221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-62515459378323308302016-06-19T05:02:08.839-04:002016-06-19T05:02:08.839-04:00You got what you paid for!
I'm from Israel, al...You got what you paid for!<br />I'm from Israel, also lived in USA, had a very good experience with two among the best health systems in the world. Now I live in South Korea, unfortunately had a maternity complications while I'm here and I had to be hospitalized. And the whole medical system, doctors knowledge and attitude toward patients all sucks.<br />The only good poing was the time, visits, consults, tests all take few minutes if not seconds.<br />Being a foreigner I got even worse treatment, if they don't understand your complaint because of your language, instead of being cautious of being missed anything they just ignor everything.<br />For example During my stay at hospital after a vaginal bleeding in my first trimester, my condition got worse<br />I developed a new severe pain with peritoneal signs, fever, loss of appetite, hypotension, lethargy and dizziness.<br />And during the round they said it is abortion... Ok what next??? Wait... No pain meds! No IV fluid untill I begged to get it. And this is a malpractice because there always a differential diagnosis, thos could be an appendicitis, an ovarian tortion a ruptured ovarian cyst, As a doctor I would pot abortion 4 th on my differential and rule out the other serious conditions.<br />2 days later when they finaly accept to repeat the ultrasound they found a ruptured hemorrhagic cyst, a free blood in abdomen. And all they want me to do please wait and lets see.<br />They obviously don't care about patient quality of life, they expect people to tolerate pain and nausea and dizziness...<br />I hated that a doctor and I know if that has ever happened in the states or Israel I could win a law suit on the hospital and that carless doctor who has a very good reputation in Korea can get his license suspended.<br />And at the end the price I paid for this hospital even it is not comparable to that in the states but ot is even considered pricy for this shitty service.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04597348982578114256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-27943940945136317352016-02-12T15:51:49.804-05:002016-02-12T15:51:49.804-05:00Sorry to hear, but we all have different standards...Sorry to hear, but we all have different standards of deprivation. I doubt you hardly have one in my humble opinion (but then yes you might not make a lot compared to doctors in the US). If such coercion you mention is present and you are mistreated like "Jews" (don't even know why you bring this up), then i'm sure all the smart high school grads won't line up to be doctors rather than other things. Or simply they just don't know the truth and falling into the trap of glorious medical career.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03378374278350636958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-36997228944421503272016-02-12T07:37:18.505-05:002016-02-12T07:37:18.505-05:00Thanks! I'm wondering about the middle class (...Thanks! I'm wondering about the middle class (etc) cancer victims mentioned above, often depicted in the Korean soaps, as pointed out... I'm curious about what financing options are open to them. I mean, are they always expected to pony up the full fee in advance, or is there some kind of long term financing option (likely involving interest) available: paid back over so many months/years? I know that Koreans are relatively averse to mortgages and the like, but for some people at the lower income reaches, surely death is the only option without something like this? <br />Thanks in advance J. D. Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17975879738996212509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-69193865394621560512015-10-29T14:50:02.306-04:002015-10-29T14:50:02.306-04:00Koreans do tend to visit doctors for just about an...Koreans do tend to visit doctors for just about anything. Worker rights in South Korea are still pretty poor in comparsion to other developed countries. Minimum wage Is low, maternity leave is not protected, unions have their offices raided by the police and sick leave is not protected. When not going to work sick could get you fired Koreans visit their doctor for strong medication to cover up the symptoms to get through their work day. Canadians do not access health care nearly as much as Koreans do so your argument that prices would increase if it was free is inaccurate.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12696884582372287516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-33507380998861211202014-03-31T15:10:18.854-04:002014-03-31T15:10:18.854-04:00For Canada I think it depends on where you live. I...For Canada I think it depends on where you live. I've lived in three provinces: Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, which is where I currently reside. I have never had an issue with seeing a specialist almost immediately for a serious problem. <br /><br />In Canada health care is provincial jurisdiction. In BC the province is divided into health regions of which each gets a budget. BC charges a monthly fee for for those earning over $22K, and is scaled according to what one earns. The maximum fee is lass than $130 per month, which is often paid by the one's employer. It is nevertheless a taxable benefit. Some employers also offer additional health and dental insurance and for this one can sometimes choose the level of coverage they desire: the more benefits one wants, the more one pays. The more expensive plans have smaller co-pays, so one ends up spending more on the premium but less on the co-pay. BC also has a "Fair Pharmacare" system, which, after spending a certain amount (determined by income) on medications, will cover the full cost of medications. <br /><br />As to long waits at hospitals, or lack of doctors, it's a case of how much the provincial government contributes to health care. Alberta, being a richer province with its oil, pays its doctors more, and as a result doctors will move there before going to a lesser paying province. To avoid the long emergency room waits one can also go to a walk-in clinic, but for more serious illnesses the doctor may dispatch one to the emergency room anyway. A bad dose of tonsillitis, for example, might just need a prescription, and that can be handled by the walk-in clinic.Josh Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03487476272717545423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-40005017117616672112013-08-28T04:56:29.457-04:002013-08-28T04:56:29.457-04:00Hi Korean,
I am Saneesh from Bangalore, India.
I ...Hi Korean,<br /><br />I am Saneesh from Bangalore, India.<br />I ve read your blog on Korean Healthcare. Thanks for providing insights into Healthcare in Korea.<br />We are working for Kemedy - A healthcare portal in India concentrating on improving the Patient - Doctor relationship.<br /><br />During my search in Internet I did not find any online centralized health portal where you can view and book the appointments of Doctors in different Hospital.<br />As we are building such a system in India, I would like to know about the advancements Korea has done in these areas.<br />I would like to learn more about these from developed Nations in East (Korea, Japan, Malaysia) rather than from the West because the problems that we face in India are more similar in East<br /><br />Thanks and Expecting a response from youSanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17595784605935055737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-17127536982519775942013-08-13T07:35:44.500-04:002013-08-13T07:35:44.500-04:00Exceptional blog you guys have conserved there, I ...Exceptional blog you guys have conserved there, I absolutely appraise your effort.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-74542229531359428622013-07-30T10:31:13.478-04:002013-07-30T10:31:13.478-04:00Can you tell me if there's any kind of waiting...Can you tell me if there's any kind of waiting period or pre-existing condition exclusions for maternity coverage? We're coming (back) in a few weeks on an E-2 (teaching) and F-3 (dependent) visa, and hoping to start trying soon after. We won't get our ARCs and therefore enrolled in national healthcare till about a month later.<br /><br />Thanks!laurarhoadeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12063800339522142296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-63230392230305957942012-11-25T01:13:54.396-05:002012-11-25T01:13:54.396-05:00As an expat in Korea who has visited several diffe...As an expat in Korea who has visited several different hospitals and clinics since I've been here, I must say that I love the Korean system. The best part of it is the efficiency. I go in, show my ID, get treated, and leave. Very little waiting and no paperwork. There is no reason that a healthcare system needs to be more complex than this. <br /><br />However, I feel like the Korean system is a bit too cheap (maybe it's because I'm an American). I wouldn't mind paying a little more in office fees for a little more time with a physician. It does feel rushed. I read the average Korean doctor's salary is $91,000 and they see many more patients in a day. I imagine there is a high burnout rate, and I don't want an overworked physician diagnosing me. <br /><br />Also, Koreans go to the hospital for common colds, low fevers, muscle aches, and other ailments that can usually be treated at home with a couple Tylenol (which is usually what the doctor ends up prescribing). If the frivolous medical visits were done away with, physicians could spend more time treating patients who actually need to see a doctor. <br /><br />Still, I am very happy to be a part of this health system!Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10537653517429296955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-41481160496273128272012-11-13T23:55:06.085-05:002012-11-13T23:55:06.085-05:00So, so happy your blog exists and you do this serv...So, so happy your blog exists and you do this service! I am a registered nurse with an associates, working on my bachelor's degree, and I am currently in my community nursing/public health class. I currently live in the Songtan area with my husband who is in the US Air Force, stationed at Osan AB. I am soaking up all the culture I can while I'm here. It's been a lot of fun learning about health promoting things in the community like the free exercise equipment at the parks that people actually use (the older Korean ladies here currently out twist me), the public transportation system (people can get where they need to go very cheap or for free), and the pharmacy setup (a pharmacist + medicine; no candy, film developing or toys), to name a few. My teacher wants me to find out more about the health delivery system here in S. Korea. I started with google.com and your site popped up second. I ran into your blog when I first got here in August, and haven't been back to it lately until now. Just wanted to share and say thank you! Tabitha Hyatt, RNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16584310931478266105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-54230247255907563142012-11-01T01:28:07.527-04:002012-11-01T01:28:07.527-04:00If you can make doctors go to bank, build a clinic...If you can make doctors go to bank, build a clinic, buy expensive devices.... and then set the medical fee low.... and then make the medical insurance mandatory... and then ban doctors from turning down insured patients..... then you can receive a medical system like that in Korea.<br /><br />Only if you can do those things...나무와 벽돌https://www.blogger.com/profile/05944921387209873004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-14415365867682424462012-09-11T13:40:11.661-04:002012-09-11T13:40:11.661-04:00I just came across this. Excellent information!
If...I just came across this. Excellent information!<br />If I understand the Korean's article above correctly, Korea's healthcare system adopts "Pay for Service" (PfS), where care providers get paid from NHIC for the services they provide to patients. This has also been the practice in the U.S. healthcare system until now, though the current administration has been trying to change it in the past a couple of years to "Pay for Performance" (PfP). The problem with PfS is, as what we've seen in South Korea (as written in the article above) as well as in the U.S., for in order to generate as much revenue as possible, the care providers naturally try to provide services as many as possible. This leads to unnecessary tests (duplication), unnecessary visits, unnecessary prescription, etc. Another factor that leads to expensive healthcare spending in the U.S. is the fact that people do live longer, but not necessarily with better quality of life. The higher rate of chronic disease in the U.S. is also not helping with keeping the healthcare costs low.<br />I don't know for sure the chronic disease rate, life expectancy, and quality of life (in term of physical and mental health) in South Korea. But I am wondering how South Korea is still able to keep the healthcare costs low (as compared to U.S.) given unnecessary services rendered due to PfS. Would like to hear what other people think about this.ehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01260675321660545048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-34652835112400761342012-08-30T17:32:19.352-04:002012-08-30T17:32:19.352-04:00Below are a few questions I have. I had to stay i...Below are a few questions I have. I had to stay in a Korean hospital for two nights and three days. They run a system where if you can't pay at the time of discharge then there would be problem. Each time I asked someone, even at different hospitals, about payment, they exclaim you must pay the entire bill and there is no payment plan or system. What do they really do with people who have to be hospitalized long term/or need major services and cannot pay the entire bill? Do they actually have a billing system somewhere or do they really put people out if they can't pay? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-17329759199083124092012-08-24T19:25:46.065-04:002012-08-24T19:25:46.065-04:00No they are notNo they are not나무와 벽돌https://www.blogger.com/profile/05944921387209873004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-36727856724336694312012-08-24T19:25:08.784-04:002012-08-24T19:25:08.784-04:00If you are living in Korea, you do not have to won...If you are living in Korea, you do not have to wonder why this system works. All you have to do visit doctors whenever you are sick...without paying too much for it. <br /><br />But if you are living in US, you might have to ask why such a good (despite the drawbacks nicely described above) thing never happens in your country. I would if I were an American.<br /><br />In fact, I have been asking the question over and over for the past 20 years. And I think I have found a pretty good answer: The reason might be that US doctors can talk. They can talk, they can lobby, they can debate, they can reason with their society.... they can do whole lot of things we Korean doctors are not allowed to do.<br /><br />In other words, they have some kind of political rights that are not enjoyed by doctors in this country.<br /><br />My English is not good enough, and I cannot accurately describe what kind of rights I feel Korean doctors are deprived of. But I can say that they are of a political kind, and that they are rights universally given to all people. <br /><br />For example, when nurses or technicians are not happy about what they are paid, they can go on strike and nobody blames them for the inconveniences resulting from it. They can do that because they are a right to do so. <br /><br />Doctors? Well, they did strike once in this country. Not only that 2000 strike was illegal (illegal strikes are not so severely punished in this country, by the way), it won't happen again. We just know that we are not allowed to do that.<br /><br />Reading the books such as "The ascent of Money", I recognized that Jewish people were pretty much in our shoes when they were living in places like 1492 Spain or 16th century Italy. The book lacks details on what kind of like Jewish people lives, so my head could not get a nice picture of it. It was my heart that told me what it must have been like to be a "jew" in such a society, and I think it's because I am living such a life. <br /><br />In short, whether you like the medical system of Korea or not, you first need to ask yourself whether it is possible, in your society,to deprive one group of people of their political rights when they are constitutionally given to all the other people. You need to ask whether your Media can be as much biased against doctors as they are in this country. You need to ask whether your society can scare the doctors enough. <br /><br />Because, a Korea-style medical system won't work without that level of coercion.<br /><br />--Angry Radiologist in Seoul<br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /> 나무와 벽돌https://www.blogger.com/profile/05944921387209873004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-5496835548711052182012-07-18T01:38:43.364-04:002012-07-18T01:38:43.364-04:00I also knew several very bright, highly ambitious ...I also knew several very bright, highly ambitious and motivated Korean medical professionals who left Korea to go to Canada or the USA for the better pay so there's a bit of a brain drain inherent in the Korean system compared to the US system. Their loss is North America's gain.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00205461709673440169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-53516339148219121132012-07-13T06:15:17.630-04:002012-07-13T06:15:17.630-04:00Need some help with a question. If a Korean (who i...Need some help with a question. If a Korean (who is enrolled under the NHIP) travels abroad to do a pet ct scan (let's say in Singapore), is the costs covered (or reimbursed) by the National Health Insurance Program? Thanks.Curioushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07901778141084586039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-22526903299129026332012-07-12T00:59:02.315-04:002012-07-12T00:59:02.315-04:00It's okay, I know where I can get informations...It's okay, I know where I can get informations and support. My university is full of foreigners so they have a very nice service for foreign students like me (except if you run into a newbe working there who yet has to learn many things). I can speak both Korean and English, so there is no language problem for me.<br /><br />And yes, I do have a legal visa, a D-2 student visa, which I have to renew once a year, as I pay my scholarship (actually scholarship is payed two times a year, once per semester, but the visa lasts one year and not 6 months and is connected with paying my school).<br /><br />Well, thank you for your concern, I'd need it anyway. I mean, the sooner the better... I mean, it might sound paranoid, but with Fukushima in the neigbourhood, there might happen serious health problems without me even noticing and, well, women taking contraception pills should check on their health more often than those who don't.<br /><br />I know all of that and I dunno why my feelings, my psychological "I'll do it next time" problem keeps me away from doing it. It's not even like I'm afraid or something. And if it was merely just laziness, I had gotten over it a long time ago...<br /><br />Anyway, the 500$ that you mentioned, is already too expensive to me, I mean, it's like half of my mother or father's pay (they both receive the same amount of money, more or less, as they work at the same place). x_x And how much is the insurrance, btw? ^_^" Oh, guess I need to ask it at the Global Service Centre at my school. u_uDac X Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293064862842657519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-36471329529053843162012-07-11T20:00:11.024-04:002012-07-11T20:00:11.024-04:00Phil, I don't agree with you on that. The phar...Phil, I don't agree with you on that. The pharmaceutical companies can charge $100 because they have made sweetheart deals that allow them to do that. They get loads of R&D money from the US government and then pass on the cost to the consumers <-- irony-laden statement. Preventing the government from making these deals is part of their business model because it means less profit, not industry-killing drops in revenue.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-52841519055594365592012-07-11T19:55:07.774-04:002012-07-11T19:55:07.774-04:00Dac, I urge you to get insurance while you're ...Dac, I urge you to get insurance while you're in Korea. I'm assuming you're on some sort of legal visa, and in fact you may be <i>required</i> to get insurance. Get it sooner rather than later, just in case you have something more serious happen to you than needing birth control pills. I had appendicitis, which was covered under the national health insurance so I only had to do the copay for the visits, surgery, etc. (about $500) plus the cost of opting for a private room. <br /><br />I agree, bureaucracy is no fun, but Korean bureaucracy is a breeze as far as bureaucracies go (meaning it's relatively better, and sometimes amazingly so, though you can run into a rough patch sometimes). Just yesterday I got my <i>expired</i> driver license renewed until 2022. Getting the photos done, the paperwork filed, and the payment made, took all of 20 minutes. Including the waiting. <br /><br />I think the NHIC office near Namyŏng Station (line #1, just south of Seoul Station) has people who speak English and can help out. Not sure if they speak Croatian, but your English seems fine.kushibohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10306033998028548550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-78930935944668884122012-07-10T23:23:31.593-04:002012-07-10T23:23:31.593-04:00Honestly, I've been sick a lot in Korea, the f...Honestly, I've been sick a lot in Korea, the first winter, when it was around -20 C with a lot of snow all the time, which is a mercilessly huge difference from my Mediterranean, 15 C during the day and -5 C in the night at the really cold days, winter where snow is a rarity. But I've never ever visited a doctor in Korea for now. While I used to visit the local doctors in my hometown (Umag, Croatia) for every regular cold and little injurries. Because, if you had a medical insurrance (and you do if you're under 18, a student or employed, maybe retired too), it was all free. And so many times I'd go to the hospital just so I could get some medicine for free. Sometimes I'd have to pay little money (was it around 2 Euro or less?) for blood anlyses, but that also depended on what you need to check out. And people had to pay expensive money for some serious diseases which require complex surgery and premium specialists. The whole system was kinda slow, though.... Now it might have changed, to worse, as the people complain due to some medical reforms. I remember doctors protested for the rights of the patients or something like that.<br /><br />So, the reason why I never visited a doctor in Korea is... I've heard it's expensive if you got no insurrance. I've heard forreigners can get an insurrance too, at least all of my Chinese and Japanese colleagues did. I plan on asking about it, but I really hate beaurocracy, it's too stressfull, and I always feel nervous when I have to deal with it, even the only thought makes me keep away from these things. So I keep delaying it. Not a good thing, heh.... Anyaway... Any disease I had, I could solve it at home, by myself, so let's say there was no real need for a hospital so far. <br /><br />I see here on the blog now, many people say how it is cheap to get cured and healed in Korea, so I'm a little bit encouraged, but just a little bit, because at my current economical situation, even 10 000 Won means a lot to me. (I'm a university student not receiving any scholarship or financial help, have to work my pocket money out, that I use for living costs, my parents can hardly afford me the tuitition fee, borrowing an insanely gigantic ammount of money from the bank, which is why they can't send me pocket money.) On the other hand, I've heard that the dentists are way too expensive, but everybody says plastic surgery and liposuction is fairly cheap and I hear only good things about that. Not planning a plastic surgery, though, it was just to mention.<br /><br />As for the medical products, I'm paying a little less than 10 000 Won monthly for contraception pills and sometimes I pay around 2 or 3 thousand Won for painkillers, if I need them. But I see on the news, they wanna change the policy on pharmaceutic products and that for contraception, I might be required to visit the doctor.... x_xDac X Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15293064862842657519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36405856.post-75087144486131466912012-07-02T01:19:12.523-04:002012-07-02T01:19:12.523-04:00US has been supporting a public Health care system...US has been supporting a public Health care system for decades, called MediCare.dbagoohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01977941497214583229noreply@blogger.com