Job Discussion Forums

Angel46 · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Hangzhou

University contracts state that "the University will purchase Accident Injury Insurance and Hospitalization Insurance for its Foreign English Teachers". I no longer want medical coverage to be 'flown back home in a medical emergency' because my home country medical plan expired some time ago. Therefore, can any university teachers tell me whether the standard medical insurance purchased by most universities is adequate?

Leon Purvis · Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 8:39 am Post subject:

It depends upon your age and if you engage in risky behaviour such as smoking, excessive drinking, eating in the student dining hall, and riding a bicycle.

I have yet to see a government-run university contract which stipulates exactly what the medical insurance consists of beyond the description "same as resident university teachers." Upon questioning, I learned that this usually consists of out-patient treatment for minor medical conditions. Hospital visits require out-of-pocket payments.

Caveat: I have actually seen only about fifteen contracts from Chinese universities and colleges, so my data is far from empirical.

You mention medevac by the school to your home country? Wow. Where do you teach? My own home insurance won't provide medevac!

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

This is something you would have to take up with the uni as they all have differing policies. But insurance or not, I would still advise you go and purchase your own once arriving. I would be very careful about what a school/uni would say to you. If you are in a hospital bed and unable to teach for a length of time, what do you think they are going to do with your contract?

China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

Many universities seem to be self-insured. This may not be an entirely bad thing, depending on the university. At least one university where I've worked was prepared to reimburse us for treatment obtained in their preferred hospital/clinic (the best in the city), and was even known to pay for the emergency surgery of at least one teacher (around 8,000 Yuan!). My current university has grudgingly reimbursed me for a minor expense; but has, as far as I know, so far declined to pay for another teacher's hospitalization. This is in spite of the fact our contract says essentially what yours promises you. (That's right, they didn't bother to pay the premiums!)

Even when insurance is paid for by the university, the insurance company may deny claims for whatever reason. That may be why many, if not most, Chinese do not trust the insurance companies. Those of you who know how insurance works, will understand how this undermines the insurance system. For whatever it was worth, more and more universities seem to be dropping their insurance coverage altogether. This is just one of the reasons I am wondering how long a relatively low-paying job such as this will remain viable for me.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

"Self-insured" is, I believe, a good word! I doubt they actually sign a contract with any insurer such as PICC (which is the country's biggest insurance provider); instead they rely on their on-campus clinics and docs that often might have been honourably appointed during Mao's rule as barefoot quacks. The quality of the services rendered definitely varies enormously!
One tendency easy to identify: they don't provide you with the best hospital services but the services they can afford to pay...!

Angel46 · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Hangzhou

Better safe than sorry - got it! Thanks!

KarenB · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 227 Location: Hainan

The medical and accident most schools purchase will only cover basic medical care in a Chinese hospital. For instance, I had a ruptured appendix a couple years ago, and it covered my full bill -- in a Chinese hospital.

It will NOT cover you in your home country or any other country other than China. It will NOT cover emergency medi-vac home.

Personally, I have my own supplemental insurance policy for times when I'm out of country and also emergency medi-vac insurance.

I prefer not to receive services from a Chinese hospital for a variety of reasons (due to personal experience) so if it's not an immediate emergency, I go to Thailand for most of my medical care and that of my family. My personal insurance policy covers Thailand 100%.

maotouying · Joined: 16 May 2005 Posts: 119 Location: My Chair In China

in 2004, I was walking outside my campus, and slipped on some wet leaves, and broke my ankle. My school did not want to help me at all. In the round about way, the care they gave me was less than what I expected in my recovery. And the living conditons caused me to have a second surgery for there was no adaquage heat. I charged the school with the Foriegn affairs office. They settled to pay 60% of my medical bill, and they YET have paid 20% of it. And I as well charged them with various contract viaolations, and they as well yet have paid the compensation to that as well.

Bottom line is, it is cheaper to get some kind of medical coverage, than to have something like a broken foot, and you end up paying large amount of surgery hospital bills.

Take it serious, if you get hurt, your only covering your hide.