Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Lolimahro]

Today I found out that, although I have been paying into NHIC and have had an insurance card since September or October of 2009, all my visits to the hospital have not been covered. I was told today, when my husband tried to make an appointment for a sore throat, that his appointment couldn't be covered because he needed a referral sheet from a local clinic (we attend Ewha Women's University Hospital in Mokdong).

So, my thoughts are this: why the heck would I get a referral sheet from the clinic for something as simple as a sore throat rather than just going to the clinic itself? Has anyone had luck with clinics? Do most clinics accept NHIC? How much does it cost for a basic visit with a doctor for something like a sore throat?

I've spent hundreds of thousands of won on hospital visits and medication (including 90,000 just today, for 2 visits with a doctor for my husband and also medication for him for a week) and just today, after 9 months, someone bothered to tell me that I needed this referral sheet. I called the Seoul Global Center and they checked into it for me - it's legit. Has anyone else had to deal with this? Did you decide to just go to the clinic or keep going to the hospital?

Thanks in advance for any advice you could give me.

[AltF4]

[Groznyji]

I can't answer all of your questions but I can tell you about my experience with a clinic. I just visited one for the first time today.

I forgot to bring my health insurance card and gave them my ARC instead. That seemed to suffice. I was in and out within 10 minutes. The doctor told me I had a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics, which I picked up at the pharmacy across the hall.

I paid 12,000 won total. That includes both the visit and the medication.

The most I've ever paid at the hospital was around 50,000 won when I received my physical and drug test when I first arrived. The physical included an x-ray examination. I couldn't imagine being charged 90,000 for a hospital visit.

Just try a clinic next time. See a throat specialist.

[Lolimahro]

Thanks for the replies!

I had no idea what the clinic system was like in Korea and since the uni hospital was two blocks from my house and I was recommended to an English-speaking pediatrician there I just went there for everything else, too.

The 90,000 won wasn't just for one visit. Here's how it broke down:
Initial visit: 16,500
Return visit next week: 32,000
Prescribed medication: 40,000
Total: 88,000

I think my husband had something weird done to his ears to clean them out which may have been lumped in with the cost of the return visit. Also, the visit was with a specialist - non-specialists usually run around 12,400 won. Medications for my son (19 months old) are always less than 5,000 won - and generally less than 2,000 won. But visits really chip away at the budget - this month we have spent probably 275,000 already on the three of us. This isn't typical - usually we budget about 50,000 per month on hospital visits and medication and sometimes we don't even use that.

I'm definitely going to the ENT clinic for my husband tomorrow to at least get the referral, but we might just cancel our appointment with the hospital next week if we like the look of the office and if we can communicate with the people there reasonably well. We'll see how it goes.

[Lolimahro]

I took my husband to the Ear/Nose/Throat clinic today for the referral letter. I showed them his prescriptions. The doctor and nurse were like, "what's the problem?" Then I showed them the hospital reciept. Their eyes got wide and they were like "Oh, we understand." So I got the referral letter. I was in and out of the clinic in 20 minutes, no wait, and the visit cost 3,600 won.


I also posted my question on the NHIC Q&A website. Today I got this response:

[Lolimahro]

I took my husband to the Ear/Nose/Throat clinic today for the referral letter. I showed them his prescriptions. The doctor and nurse were like, "what's the problem?" Then I showed them the hospital reciept. Their eyes got wide and they were like "Oh, we understand." So I got the referral letter. I was in and out of the clinic in 20 minutes, no wait, and the visit cost 3,600 won.


I also posted my question on the NHIC Q&A website. Today I got this response: