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bbud656
Joined: 15 Jun 2010
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 Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 5:41 am Post subject: |
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| korea does have an excellent healthcare system that the entire world would look up to. |
Im going to have to go ahead and say no to this. Compared to the US, Korean medicine is 2nd rate unless you are experiencing something very common here. I watched my gf bounce around from hospital to hospital and doctor to doctor. Even at the Yonsei Severance she got terrible treatment. Every doctor was sure of his diagnosis, all 4 or 5 of them with their own 'right answer.' 2 months of different and pointless antibiotic treatments that fanned the fire and she is on her death bed, advised to get on a plane by her family doctor before they quarantine her. Within hours of being home she is diagnosed correctly because for all the US med systems faults, they run tests instead of relying on an infallible Korean man's opinion. The ER doctor told her she would have died within weeks had they continued their treatment here. |
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lithium
Joined: 18 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:45 am Post subject: Re: Warning about Korean healthcare (horror story) |
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| radcon wrote: |
| bdot wrote: |
Ok, I'm an Australian so I'm assuming that these things happen in America,
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Wrong. |
Soon. |
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detonate
Joined: 16 Dec 2011
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| bbud656 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| korea does have an excellent healthcare system that the entire world would look up to. |
Im going to have to go ahead and say no to this. Compared to the US, Korean medicine is 2nd rate unless you are experiencing something very common here. I watched my gf bounce around from hospital to hospital and doctor to doctor. Even at the Yonsei Severance she got terrible treatment. Every doctor was sure of his diagnosis, all 4 or 5 of them with their own 'right answer.' 2 months of different and pointless antibiotic treatments that fanned the fire and she is on her death bed, advised to get on a plane by her family doctor before they quarantine her. Within hours of being home she is diagnosed correctly because for all the US med systems faults, they run tests instead of relying on an infallible Korean man's opinion. The ER doctor told her she would have died within weeks had they continued their treatment here. |
Yea some of the smartest people in the US become doctors. Some of the smartest people in Korea go to the US to be doctors, or stay in Korea and get into business. For the money.
Everything basic I've ever had done in Korea medically was super cheap and smooth. The few things that were serious that I had to get taken care of in Korea were nightmares and/or a joke. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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Korean health care is good for what it is, but it's not what many claim it to be. If you have a problem that requires more than an x-ray or blood test, you're going to have to pay, even if you have insurance. (You'll pay more if you don't have insurance.) If you have surgery, etc. you're going to have to pay in addition to your insurance.
The quality of care varies, so one shouldn't over-generalize, but it is certainly impacted by the system and, if the crowds I see in hospitals and doctors' office are any indication, a serious lack of doctors and facilities. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
I cant help but wonder..why the heck was the US brought into this to begin with?
OP is Australian...situation happened in Korea with a Korean hospital, the female in question appears to be Korean based on the info given concerning her parents...so why the need to compare any of this to the US? |
Good question to ask. It's because some posters have an axe to grind. Besides, it sounds like the patient in the OP's story had no health insurance. If that person is a teacher then why no health insurance? Something smells fishy. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Died By Bear wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| I think the real lesson here is that two broke people should not date each other. |
yes. That and traveler's insurance. Cheap compared to the alternative. Unless they're planning on doing the facebook page donation thing, again. |
Facebook page donation? I've heard that, from time-to-time, someone claiming to be a poor teacher in Korea begs for donations on Facebook and they collect a great deal of money. Are those genuine hardship cases or donation scams? I would be wary. |
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freshking
Joined: 07 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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| When my Korean wife had appendicitis two years ago, she was treated well, given a few hours to rest/digest her food before surgery, had the surgery, and then paid 700,000 won after she had finished her recovery inside the hospital. |
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matthews_world
Joined: 15 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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I'd say the guy was a right noob and all should know that Korean hospitals need payment up front. Crisis could have been averted.
Also, get rid of the gf. This is a sign that behavior could stay the same if it gets more serious between the two.
Third, stuff like this happens to unknowing noobs all of the time. What's different about your story?
Foreigners get turned away all of the time because they weren't informed of the pay up-front policies.
Heck, haven't we all seen poor Koreans need to often stand on the corner and beg because they were refused? |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 1:57 am Post subject: |
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| Died By Bear wrote: |
| madoka wrote: |
| I think the real lesson here is that two broke people should not date each other. |
yes. That and traveler's insurance. Cheap compared to the alternative. Unless they're planning on doing the facebook page donation thing, again. |
Hold on now....travelers health insurance requires planning and basic common sense....lets not go crazy here! |
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definitely maybe
Joined: 16 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:52 am Post subject: |
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| Will that cover significant others who are Korean as well? You're better than that, Homer. |
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slothrop
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 9:05 am Post subject: |
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edit
Last edited by slothrop on Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 9:43 am Post subject: |
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| What a load of rubbish. Nobody said they thought the situation was okay. They pointed out what's commonly known to those who are able to communicate well in a written medium as the reality of the situation in South Korea. And your assertions about what happens in the United States display either utter ignorance or utter dishonesty. Whining about the US system and providing a link to a story in Canada does provide a certain level of entertainment, though. |
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KumaraKitty
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Location: Bucheon
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:44 am Post subject: |
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I was rushed to hospital in 2003 here for an appendectomy. I didn't have to make a deposit or pay upfront and I didn't have insurance at the time. My boss had "forgotten" to register me and so he registered and back paid for my insurance on the NHI the next day. This was AFTER my surgery was completed I might add.
Then in 2008 I had a cholecystectomy and was admitted at 3am to the ER. Again, no deposits, no upfront payments, nada.
2011 my infant son was rushed into ER because of a UTI. He was admitted and treatment began BEFORE we even registered or showed proof of insurance!
If the point of the OP's story is to warn and educate the community of the possibility of being denied care until making a payment, I'd say he'd be better off to name WHERE to avoid going since I've never encountered this in 3 different hospitals! |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 3:48 am Post subject: |
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| slothrop wrote: |
the girl in OP's story was korean? why would she need travel insurance?
most atm's don't work at 3 am. and alot of people don't have 1000$ lying around their apartment OR in the bank. |
Just to point it out for others...you can find a 24 hour ATM in just about every Family Mart/GS 25/ 7-11...etc.
The ATM itself is 24 hours, although depending on your bank, there may be a window in which you cannot withdraw money..in almost all cases this is written/displayed on the machine...detailing the hours each bank, which varies from bank to bank.
For example, with my bank, I cannot withdraw money for a 2 hour period between 11:30pm - 1:30am. After 1:30am however, its transaction as usual. Now if the emergency fits into the corresponding banks window...there may be a delay, but it isn't as if one would have to wait until the next business day to get access to their account. |
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PatrickGHBusan
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Busan (1997-2008) Canada 2008 -
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| Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 4:48 am Post subject: |
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| definitely maybe wrote: |
| Will that cover significant others who are Korean as well? You're better than that, Homer. |
Some can sure but then it would be called plain ole medical insurance. Some jobs provide better coverage too (in Korea I mean). However as a single teacher, not having your own medical insurance is just dumb, sorry.
If you start a family in Korea then your coverage can be improved with supplementary insurance or through better coverage from certain employers.
Seriously, your health is no joke and in many places cost is an issue so at the very least protect yourself!.
As for Korean nationals the insurance scheme varies and can be a lot better! |
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