Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kreitler7]

In Korea, I can see a medical specialist (orthopedic surgeon, dermatologist, ect.) within one week if I need to. In Canada, the wait times to see a specialist are ridiculous. It is especially bad in Alberta, where it can take up to 6 months to have an initial consultation with the doctor. With respect to availability of health care, Alberta sucks. Korea is much better.

What is the States like? Are specialists readily available? And do they charge outrageous prices or does insurance absorb most of it?

[IncognitoHFX]

I can't tell you about the States, but here in Nova Scotia, if you go to Outpatients in Halifax at any time of the week be prepared to be there for more than twelve hours.

Oh yes, and specialists are anywhere between 6 and 9 months, depending on the specialisation.

[Czarjorge]

For my Health Insurance in Omaha, Nebraska I pay $60 a month. A normal visit, for example I recently got a physical since I'm coming to Korea and it was considered a normal visit as would going to the doctor for a cold, is $25 and can be arranged within 48 hours. A specialist visit is $35 and was also arranged within 48 hours, but I did so myself. (I saw a podiatrist, my feet hurt. ) When I blew out my ACL it took about two weeks to see an orthopedist.

Now if I did not have insurance the physical would have been about $250 with bloodwork and the podiatrist visit about $150. I make about 40k with bonus, and without insurance that would push my budget.

I always admired the single payer healthcare system in Canada. It sounds like it might have it's issues as well.

Can Canadians pay to speed up the process?

[europe2seoul]

[cangel]

What I am about to say is my experience only and may not be reflective of the entire US medical industry. I have seen a couple of specialists in the US. The first time was with an HMO and the doc said, "Go see xyz. He's on the 3rd floor suite xyz." That was that. I waited until they got back from lunch-about 50 minutes. The second time, I had to make a reservation and it took 3 days. Hit and miss I guess. Definitely seems faster than other countries as a whole. However, if you don't have any form of medical insurance... SOL

[europe2seoul]

[kreitler7]

There are some private clinics starting to pop up in Canada. However, they are very expensive. For example, Vancouver has an orthopedic clinic now. The doctor there would want an MRI. So that would cost about $450 US. Just to consult with the doctor is about $460 US. If you need surgery, the cost is between $4000~$9500 US, in addition to the MRI and consultation fees. As far as I know, there is no supplementary insurance in Canada that one can purchase in order to pay for these private clinics. These clinics are for the rich. Period.

Basically, Canada's system is great if you are near death. But for most other less serious situations, Canada's health care system sucks balls.

[uofagirl]

I have to disagree with part of what the OP said. I recently went to Yonsei Severance Hospital to get some issues looked at and while there was no wait time, the costs were/would've have been much higher compared to Canada.

For the following services, my bill WITH insurance came to 180 000Won.
- saw the doctor at the foreign clinic to get a referral to see an ENT(ear, nose, throat specialist)
- saw the ENT(Korean) for less than 10 mins, he recommended two tests(blood allergy test and sinus x-ray)

If I had gotten the services above in Canada, most of it would've been covered under provincial health care(referral, ENT consultation, x-rays, maybe not allergy test). I did not return after getting the results of the tests which didn't resolve my issues anyways. I've decided to wait until I return home this summer(permanently) to find out what is wrong. It would've cost too much to run various tests and have to pay each time until we got to the source of the problem.

I'm also from Alberta. Luckily my cousin is a pediatrian at the University of Alberta hospital and her father-in-law is also a doctor. They have many colleagues in various fields so this will probably help speed up the process to see any specialists(I also want to see a gastroenterologist due to some digestive issues developed here over the past three years).

Korea's wait time is great but be prepared to pay. The basic insurance here does not cover very much. If you want to feel confident with any diagnosis(if you feel it's serious enough to warrant it), then going to a bigger/more well-known facility is a good idea(which means higher costs as well).

[cangel]

Oh, wait, I think I can decipher your code....

You have to be super stupid to not have medical insurance therefore, those without medical insurance or, those without a national healthcare system, umm, wait, I think I got it..... Nope, lost it. Let me reorganize my thoughts and get back to you.

[kreitler7]

UofA girl:

So you value money over quality of life? You would rather be sick for a long time than paying some money and fixing the problem right away?

Glad to see that you have apparent privileges that let you jump the queue ahead of us normal "commoners".

I agree that Korea can have expensive medical costs. However, it sure is nice to get help when you need it.

The fact is, Alberta needs many more doctors. The system right now is in shambles.

[Newbie]

Am I the only one who feels dirty after going to see a Korean doctor? (just asking for turn and cough jokes)

Always feels way too fast and inefficient.

[RACETRAITOR]

[uofagirl]

I'm saying that the Korean health care system isn't all that great which is something that you seem to believe. Even if you have to wait at home, at least it is free. Maybe paying 200 000Won/visit is not an issue for you but for many of us, several visits with no conclusive diagnosis is not affordable. If you can justify the costs of services in Korea that are typically free in Canada, then do what you have to do. For me, I don't see how this is any better than the system in Canada.

It always helps to have connections and it's not always fair. Life is not fair. Often times, I'm on the side with the "commoners" but I'm not going to apologize for getting the help that I need because my cousin has colleagues that are willing to help.

[SuperHero]

[europe2seoul]