Health Insurance in China
Dec 4, 2023, 2:37 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 30
This is both true and false statement at the same time. True - the "general level" of competence is lower is correct. Many Chinese "doctors" don't actually have a doctoral. In fact, if you travel outside of "First-Tier" cities, chances are your doctors are trained at local community colleges. This is why even for the local Chinese, if they have a serious illness (or a moderate one), they will travel to First Tier cities to seek medical treatment.
False - I found many doctors in Shanghai are much more competent and knowledgeable vs. my precious doctors in the US that I dumped my US doctors and stick with the ones in Shanghai. China made it easy to find them: they are usually at International Hospitals. These hospitals also post their bio and medical expertise on the APPs, so you know exactly where they were trained, how many years of experiences, expertise, etc. Even the top doctors at Chinese hospitals, that it's virtually impossible to get an appointment with them, will attend to patients at International Hospitals (usually 2-4 days a month) and appointments are relatively easier (at a very high cost, but your insurance covers it so no cost to you).
My work have me involved in the Sixth People's Hospital in Shanghai for a while, and they developed some of the world's top techniques in treatment on wrists and finger joints. Many doctors from US and EU flew into Shanghai to learn from them. My sleep apnea doctor back in the States never can tune my CPAP correctly to my specific needs, and it took one visit with a Sleep Apnea doctor in Shanghai to fix the issue and I'm a completely different person (sleep-wise) afterwards. My cardiologist in US refuse to do more tests on me claiming I'm a-ok, but a visit to a cardiologist in Shanghai has shown that my heart blood vessels are blocked 70% and needed treatment. (If you're curious who are my doctors: UPenn and Johns Hopkin, the two top medical institutions in the States).
This is why I would recommend, if you're in China, and you gotten sick, go to the top International Hospitals in your region. Even if they don't have it themselves, they will get the top doctors from Government Hospitals to come treat you (if necessary). Foreign Direct-Payment Insurance is cash-cow for them.
False - I found many doctors in Shanghai are much more competent and knowledgeable vs. my precious doctors in the US that I dumped my US doctors and stick with the ones in Shanghai. China made it easy to find them: they are usually at International Hospitals. These hospitals also post their bio and medical expertise on the APPs, so you know exactly where they were trained, how many years of experiences, expertise, etc. Even the top doctors at Chinese hospitals, that it's virtually impossible to get an appointment with them, will attend to patients at International Hospitals (usually 2-4 days a month) and appointments are relatively easier (at a very high cost, but your insurance covers it so no cost to you).
My work have me involved in the Sixth People's Hospital in Shanghai for a while, and they developed some of the world's top techniques in treatment on wrists and finger joints. Many doctors from US and EU flew into Shanghai to learn from them. My sleep apnea doctor back in the States never can tune my CPAP correctly to my specific needs, and it took one visit with a Sleep Apnea doctor in Shanghai to fix the issue and I'm a completely different person (sleep-wise) afterwards. My cardiologist in US refuse to do more tests on me claiming I'm a-ok, but a visit to a cardiologist in Shanghai has shown that my heart blood vessels are blocked 70% and needed treatment. (If you're curious who are my doctors: UPenn and Johns Hopkin, the two top medical institutions in the States).
This is why I would recommend, if you're in China, and you gotten sick, go to the top International Hospitals in your region. Even if they don't have it themselves, they will get the top doctors from Government Hospitals to come treat you (if necessary). Foreign Direct-Payment Insurance is cash-cow for them.
Dec 4, 2023, 3:58 am
#17
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,359
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
Dec 4, 2023, 6:33 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,229
Let me make a small but not insignificant change to that statement:
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
Dec 4, 2023, 6:50 am
#19
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,359
Dec 4, 2023, 7:02 am
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,044
It's not expensive, compared to US prices (i.e. tiny), but my plan at Parkway is pretty much limited to Parkway itself. A number of normal hospitals offer VIP cards to anyone, in which you pay (out of pocket) around Y300 for fast service. Ancillary services are still billed at the normal (cheap) rates.
Dec 4, 2023, 7:04 am
#21
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: HANDAN
Programs: Air China Phoenix Miles
Posts: 61
Let me make a small but not insignificant change to that statement:
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
Dec 4, 2023, 10:25 am
#22
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Marco Polo Gold
Posts: 1,084
While it's true most Chinese can't afford the insurance or out-of-pocket at the International Hospitals, but the International Hospitals have limits to the number of patients the doctors can see in a day, so the problem is not completely affordability. The system itself prevents over-crowding by ensuring quality of care. And visiting United Family and other International Hospitals in Shanghai and Beijing, I still see 90% being local Chinese so the statement that only foreigners enjoy this is completely false.
Dec 4, 2023, 10:36 am
#23
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, Marco Polo Gold
Posts: 1,084
My wife has been having a nasal problem, after ct, mri and biopsy and two weeks ago she was advised to go to Tongren Hospital in Beijing, tried everything to get an appointment without luck, then we found out we had a family member who knew someone that knew someone who knew a fixer and for a "consideration" he got us an appointment the very next day....for another greater "consideration" she could of got an appointment to have the operation there, but a bit of a wait....In the end she decided to go ahead with the operation in our home city but performed by a surgeon who travelled down from the provincial capital, I'm not too sure what was happening but apparently the surgeon was pleased to receive his red envelope we had prepared.....
Dec 5, 2023, 2:43 am
#24
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 30
Let me make a small but not insignificant change to that statement:
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
....overall it's really a much better experience of medical care compared to the US if you are a foreigner in China.
Going to the hospital in China as a Chinese is quite horrible, from what I hear.
Hour-long waits and bribes to get to see a doctor are not uncommon.
I agree with you but would add to that, if you are a foreigner in China or a local Chinese who can afford to buy health insurance which covers the international hospitals, or just pay out of pocket. Like others have said, if you go to UFH or Parkway, at least in my experience, 80-90% of the clients are Chinese. But yes with an insurance premium of $10-20,000 per year for a family, these are obviously not average-income Chinese folks.