I thought healthcare in Taiwan was supposed to be cheap?

[Milkybar_Kid]

My wife has just checked out of hospital after a 5 day stay. She has had an opperation to remove a mole from her womb.

What has shocked me is the bill - $NT 70,000 including the national health insurance scheme. She has had her own room in a Kaohsiung hospital but has not received anything special in my opInion. Surely we could have gone to the USA and had it done for cheaper than that.

Also whats the deal with a hospital not taking a credit card FFS?! Who wants to walk around with 70k in their back pocket?

[Belgian Pie]

My wife has just checked out of hospital after a 5 day stay. She has had an opperation to remove a mole from her womb.

What has shocked me is the bill - $NT 70,000 including the national health insurance scheme. She has had her own room in a Kaohsiung hospital but has not received anything special in my opInion. Surely we could have gone to the USA and had it done for cheaper than that.

Also whats the deal with a hospital not taking a credit card FFS?! Who wants to walk around with 70k in their back pocket?

I spent 22 days (3 operations) in the hospital last March and the total bill was 170,000 NT$ (about), I think my wife paid with her credit card, NHI took 100,000 NT$ and we had to pay the remaining (basically the room cost) which was more than covered by our additional hospital insurance. Basically, we got more money back than we paid. (all figures are approximates). Oh, and I had a room of 2 ... single room is way expensive and NOT covered by the NHI. A triple room or one for 4 is free ... no additional payments have to be made.

You pay what you get. FYI, NHI is not free for all ... if you have a serious condition (operations, hospital stay) and you want a private room you better have additional insurance, otherwise your screwed.

[archylgp]

My wife has just checked out of hospital after a 5 day stay. She has had an opperation to remove a mole from her womb.

What has shocked me is the bill - $NT 70,000 including the national health insurance scheme. She has had her own room in a Kaohsiung hospital but has not received anything special in my opInion. Surely we could have gone to the USA and had it done for cheaper than that.

Also whats the deal with a hospital not taking a credit card FFS?! Who wants to walk around with 70k in their back pocket?

Yeah. It's not a bad idea to get private insurance to complement your national health insurance. (What I've heard is that NHI is great for small things but doesn't cover a lot of the major things (expensive drugs, single rooms, ext.).) Personally, I have private accident insurance and cancer insurance. They are both pretty cheap. I'm thinking about adding another to cover surgery/hospital stays in general.

[Icon]

I think it is reasonably cheap and provides a very comprehensive coverage. However, certain items, like extra anesthetic pump or a private room, those are expensive. cancer drugs are expensive because they are top of the line. The tests you receive as part of diagnostic as SOP here in Taiwan are usually very expensive if taken separately without the doctor's request and in other countries the same tests imply a long waiting time, while here they are immediate. AFAIK, the amount in the States is insane and insurance bulks at full coverage, but that is hearsay from my family, who usually head to the ol country for treatment, just as Taiwanese come here for medical stuff from the US.

[Tiger Mountaineer]

Personally, I have private accident insurance and cancer insurance. They are both pretty cheap. I'm thinking about adding another to cover surgery/hospital stays in general.

How much do plans like this cost?

[Chris]

What has shocked me is the bill - $NT 70,000 including the national health insurance scheme. She has had her own room in a Kaohsiung hospital but has not received anything special in my opinion. Surely we could have gone to the USA and had it done for cheaper than that.

5 nights in the hospital after surgery? In her own room? No, it would have cost you much more in the US.

[fh2000]

What has shocked me is the bill - $NT 70,000 including the national health insurance scheme. She has had her own room in a Kaohsiung hospital but has not received anything special in my opinion. Surely we could have gone to the USA and had it done for cheaper than that.

5 nights in the hospital after surgery? In her own room? No, it would have cost you much more in the US.

NT 70,000 is about $2400 USD.

If you do an internet search, you will be shocked how expensive it is in US:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 915AAbB7ox
http://www.insuranceforums.info/how-muc ... t9817.html

Looks like one night stay is about $2000-$3000 USD, just about you paid for 5 days in Taiwan. So, 5 nights would be about $10,000-$15,000 USD. So, it is much cheaper in Taiwan. I am still in US, but I plan to come back to Taiwan for my early retirement for this reason.