Right before our summer vacation to the Philippines, Ryan had to go and break his finger. He was playing football with one of our friends, and misjudged a low catch, only to jam his ring finger and break the joint. Luckily he was smart enough to take off his tungsten wedding ring before his finger got too swollen! The next day, he begrudgingly agreed to go to the doctor. Sure enough, it was broken.
Before coming to Korea, the majority of the time if we were sick or injured, we would just deal with it and not go to the doctor. We had no health insurance, no savings to fall back on in times of emergency, and we were living nearly paycheck to paycheck. Doctors in the states are just too expensive for low income families and young adults. However, Korea isn’t that way at all. In fact, nowadays we go to the doctor and don’t dread the final bill. As English teachers, we have health insurance through our employer that covers 50% of all necessary medical treatments. Even so, the healthcare in Korea is so cheap that the insurance isn’t really needed. The following are some of our experiences thus far with Korean Healthcare.
Health Checks
Every ESL teacher must have a health check before finalizing their contracts with their schools. This is to make sure you are healthy and fit for life abroad. We have done a couple of health checks so far, and they pretty much check you for everything. Most general hospitals can do these checks for you and the doctors can speak a bit of English so you can rest assured that you can communicate the basics with them, or try using a translator app if you really need it. Health checks include all of the following:
- Eye exam
- Blood work
- X Ray
- EKG
- Dental exam
- Drug screening (urine test)
All of this cost us around $30 as our employer pays half of the cost. If you have no health insurance through an employer, it will cost you around $60 USD. An EKG back home in the states without insurance will generally be at least $500. You can get these tests finished within an hour, so it won’t take up your entire day!
Specialists
Back home, you would likely go see your family doctor for basic exams/tests. Since Korea is so affordable, most people just go see a specialist. Sore throat? Ear, nose, and throat doctor. Possible broken finger? Bone specialist. My recent visit to the ENT cost me 8,000 won (appr. $8), 4,000 for the visit and 4,000 for the antibiotics, mouth gargle, and pain pills. WHAT?! In order to find specialists in your city, join the local expat Facebook group and ask for suggestions!
How Korea packages their medicine
Surgeries
Many people are coming to Korea for medical tourism because of how cheap the surgeries are. You can even get a one year visa to stay in Korea for medical tourism! Crazy. Surgeries in Korea are highly reputable worldwide and with cheaper prices than most developed nations, why wouldn’t you consider a medical trip abroad to save that money?
As you may already know, Ryan recently got LASIK eye surgery in Korea! We decided to go to one of the most reputable place in Korea, so we expected it to be a bit more expensive. Also, because Ryan’s cornea is so thin, they had to cut his eye using a laser instead of a blade, which cost extra. Total cost for both eyes was 1,600,000 won (appr. $1,500). In the states, you will most likely be paying around $2,000 PER EYE. There are cheaper places we have heard about in Seoul that charge around 800,000 won.
Not to mention how quick this all happened. We got to the hospital, Ryan had an eye exam, consultation, and then immediately had the surgery and we were out of there in 2 hours. A quick 15 minute check up the next morning and he had brand new peepers!
Over the Counter Birth Control
In the States, I have to get an appointment and see a doctor in order to get a three month supply of birth control. Once that runs out, I have to go right back in. Some places offer cheaper alternatives, but I digress because in South Korea, I CAN GET OVER THE COUNTER BIRTH CONTROL AT THE PHARMACY. Talk about freedom to choose. Birth control costs around 7,000 won for a month’s supply and it was amazing. My personal go-to brand was Mercilon and I took it consecutively in order to skip my periods completely. You can also choose to skip the pill for the last week of the month and have your period if you wish to go that route.
For men, condoms are readily available but they do not offer the larger sizes so bear that in mind if you are in need of a larger condom size.
Giving Birth is FREE
YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT! Giving birth in South Korea is free! Coming from a country that literally charges you $40 for “skin to skin contact” with your baby after you give birth among other insanely high fees, this was shocking to me. We’ve never been through the experience ourselves, but have heard nothing but good things from friends who have. Read up about the process from this couple who wrote about their firsthand experience here!
As an added bonus, the government supplies new parents with a birth subsidy of 500,000 won per child when you give birth. So it’s free AND they pay you. WILD.
The Negatives?!
- Some people bring up the fact that because the medical treatment is so cheap, doctors simply try to see as many patients as possible in order to make more money. This sometimes leads to a “5 minute diagnosis” which has not always been accurate.
- Many doctors also practice holistic medicine over modern medicine. Some people believe in holistic remedies, but we aren’t so big on them. Some of the medicines they will likely give you are going to be Chinese medicine which is just plant based.
- No anesthetic. Unless you are undergoing MAJOR surgery, doctors in Korea simple do not like to give anesthetic to their patients. For example, if you happen to need your wisdom teeth pulled, they’ll give you a topical treatment, but they aren’t going to put you under. Same goes for endoscopies. Yikes.
- Pain pills are also a no go in South Korea. Doctors are worried about their patients getting hooked on them, so again, unless you are having major surgery, don’t expect much in the pain management department.
- Language barrier is a real issue sometimes when you are desperately trying to explain what is ailing you, and the doctor can’t seem to wrap their heads around it. Translation apps are a life saver in these situations.
- Mental health issues are a taboo in the country, so seeking help is a bit difficult, although not entirely impossible.
[…] The Korean Healthcare System for Foreigners […]
[…] A Guide to the Korean Healthcare System […]