China's medical insurance system is inclusive. Generally, 60%-90% of serious illnesses can be reimbursed. You can also purchase additional commercial insurance. In short, you will not go bankrupt due to illness. Even so, the Chinese government has recently started a massive corruption cleanup of the healthcare system, which is great news and means people will be able to see a doctor more affordable and efficient!
Chinese medicare works this way: say if you have a severe illness and treatment/surgery as inpatient costs you 200,000 RMB: for example if190,000 of the 200,000 is insurable (there are things like special expensive imported drug/instruments that are not insurable), if insurace percentage (depends on the city) is 85%, and you have 15,000 RMB stored in your medicare account. What you pay out of pocket is 10,000 (those not insurable drugs/instruments) + 190,000*(100% - 85% which is the insurance percentage) - 15000 (the balance you have in your medicare account) = 23,500 RMB, and the credit in your medicare account got spent. I will say its a pretty fair system given the reponsiveness of the healthcare (you can usually get healthcare on the same day) you tend to accumulate a lot of credit in your medicare account when you are getting old (since you've worked longer), my parents have 200,000 RMB credit in their account which has not been used for there future retirement. For those special expensive imported drug or stuff that are not insurable, there is usually a much cheaper chinese subsitute that is probably 80% to 100% as effective, but only costs 10% to 60% of the price, for example an uninsurable imported coronary stent costs 20,000 RMB while a insurable chinese coronary stent costs 700 RMB and they are basically equally effective, how ever some patients with more financial ability still choose to use the imported one aiming for that 20% of effectiveness.
@@TobysTakeaway Last Spring Festival, I returned to China and was hospitalized for seven days for gallstone surgery. The total cost is 8,600 yuan RMB. About 1,200 US dollars. I don't have insurance. In China, everyone can buy insurance, which only costs about 600 RMB/ year(80 dollars).and can reimburse 80% of the treatment cost
Chinese medical system is the most efficient in the world. Most patients can get to see a doctor straight away and get the test done or treatment immediately. However in the UK, the problem with the NHS is that the waiting time is extremely long. My landlord who is in his seventies and has some chronicle health problems, a few months ago, he complained that he suffered from stomach pains, he suspected that he might have gastritis, he spent one week to get his GP's appointment, then his GP wrote a referral letter to hospital to get him special medical test, it was a month later, the hospital replied that his referral test would be done in four months time. At the moment, he is still in agony daily and can do nothing but waiting, two months more waiting to be precisely.
Ive heard some horror stories, but also know people who have been seen pretty quickly. Depends a lot on where you live and what the problem is.@@hclau218
Defensive medicine, protocols the NHSs have to follow and the mixing of public and private structure are the build for long waiting, in all the countries with universal free healthcare.
Last Spring Festival, I returned to China and was hospitalized for seven days for gallstone surgery. The total cost is 8,600 yuan RMB. About 1,200 US dollars. I don't have insurance. In China, everyone can buy insurance, which only costs about 600 RMB/ year(80 dollars).and can reimburse 80% of the treatment cost
@@TobysTakeaway Chinese Western medicine is the same as Western medicine, there is no difference. It should be called modern medicine. Chinese medicine is traditional medicine. Some diseases cannot be treated. But some diseases work better than Western medicine
@@TobysTakeaway Canada has very similar medical system like that of British, and it does NOT cover everything! And what can be done in China in one day might need about 6 months to a year in Canada, for illness, especially serious ones, timely cure is the key!
Very good video, and I do hope that the medicine yo've got don't cause side effects and don't harm you more. Nice and very well organised, clean, civilised, friendly and efficient, good for them. Wish you a fast recovery and take care of yourself, bless you🙂.
In Canada, I needed a wrist surgery and waited a year just for the consultation. Surgery was scheduled at a hospital I didn’t want to go to (had a bad experience previously) but after waiting a year I didn’t want to have to wait any longer for consultation with surgeon at another hospital so I ended up going through with it. Luckily it turned out well.
I waited for 6 months for MRI in Canada, waited for another 3 weeks for the result, and waited another 2 months to see the doctor to explain to me about that result. In China, I chose the hospital i wanted to go, and chose the doctor I want to see, I saw the doctor on the same day, get MRI on the same day, get result in 2 hours on the same day, and went back to the doctor with the the result which I can also keep so I can get 2nd opinion in other hospital if needed (doctor has one in their system )and he explained to me on the same day, then get the prescribed medicine on the same day!
This hospital is an old hospital area. You can choose a new hospital area located outside the West Third Ring Road, which is much larger and has a better environment.
@@TobysTakeaway Dont need to worry about doctors in new hospital lacking experimence. All public hospitals are state owned, and all doctors are in the same system. If new hospital opens, doctors are relocated from old ones.
well those are not actual money in the insurance bank account but allowances; it is still more of a pretense so that some old folks are willing to pay for their insurance and contribute to the health fund (too old to understand the importance of having insurance and paying taxes...). They are basically taxes without being called taxes. In national healthcare insurance, it is completed funded by the government so as the government pays up for you every month, the allowances increase accordingly. if the allowances are used up, the rest will be covered at a minimum rate of 85% or more, depending on local governments or specific illness you get. the labor healthcare insurance is similar except the government funds 80% while the rest split between employers and employees at 12:8 ratio or 15:5 in some cases. these are basically taxes that will be used exclusively for healthcare. the allowances then accumulate and rest work sin a similar way. labor health insurance is more generous when it comes to coverage so out of pocket money is minimized thanks to the employer & employee's contributions. like all countries in the world except the US, there are laws restricting drug prices. but Chinese government usually fails to negotiate the prices down with the foreign pharmaceutical companies since their state authority doesn't really work on foreign corporations and western pharmaceutical companies typically see China as a cash cow and a MARKET to penetrate to sell their PRODUCTS for PROFITS. My dad's drugs are from a British pharmaceutical company that cost 3,000 pounds (converted to CNY based on real time exchange rates) for each dose and my dad theoretically needs to inject 4 doses every month just to ease his pain and maintain his quality of life while slowing down his illness from progressing otherwise he may paralyze when he is older. Spoiler alert, he only injects two doses every month cuz the bill is so high, he cannot use the allowances, which will run out quickly anyways and his labor healthcare insurance covers only around 90%. 10% of 6,000 pounds every month is not a small number either. He now has an extra private healthcare package to deal with the rest of the cost. Basically when you are appreciating the NHS, i am cussing everyone from that British pharmaceutical company to burn in hell and suffer.
Thank you for all that information on the medical system. Also very sorry to hear about your dad's situation, but the NHS and British or any other country's pharma companies are different. The NHS also buys from Pharma companies, they don't produce their own drugs.
Been there before; a great city! Looks like you're the only foreigner in the hospital. Are there still many foreigners these days in Chengdu, or China?
There are many hospital in China, and you can chose to go to any hospital you like, no referring needed. but if you just want to go to the 3rd-A rank hospital, the best hospital in China, then you might find huge crowds and long queue, and if you just want to see the best doctors in the hospital, even you don't mind paying double or even times for registration fee, you will find it a bit difficult to make appointment, they are usually fully booked far in advance.
As a Chinese who work in the UK, I think in China at least you don't need to wait in the call queue or stay in A & E for super long time to see a doctor. It is unfair for people who do not have a good sick pay scheme.
If you have used up the amount in your personal medical account, the insurance will cover some part of of your medical expenses. The percentage deoends on how seriously sick you are.
I can do it in Indonesia, but I have to go to a private hospital which is far more expensive (and sometimes ridiculously expensive) than a government hospital.
@@TobysTakeaway The medical system in Indonesia is quite good, as long as you have money. If the health insurance system provided by the government, the quality is not good. Hence, Indonesians who have money prefer to use private health insurance.
Hi, your video came up in my suggestions and I love what I see! I'm from India and have a question here -can a foreigner who doesn't speak mandarin, visit a government hospital and get treated in China? Or, for foreigners private hospitals are the only option? Are private hospitals expensive in China?
Thanks for the support! Foreigners can use any public hospital in China (I've never been turned away from a hospital). Without being able to speak/read Chinese you may find it difficult to register/get an appointment/speak with the doctor in smaller towns or places where English is less widely spoken, but not impossible. In larger cities it shouldn't be too difficult because people are super friendly and helpful here and most doctors and nurses can speak at least (perhaps a lot) of English because it is required for their studies.
Private hospitals are rare and expensive in China, so foreigners are advised to go directly to public hospitals if they seek medical treatment in China
wish you health and happy new year!is their any difficulty during the process? i want to help foreigners in chengdu when they go to hospital. Really Need your feedback 😊
The medical insurance covers a population of 1.35 billion people，95% Rural medical insurance is subsidized by the government, while urban medical insurance is shared between companies and employees. Self-employed small business owners are responsible for their own payment, and affluent individuals can purchase commercial insurance
Taxes are also much lower in China, nothing is free in this world, Chinese health insurance already covers most of the cost on major procedures and is better than health insurance in the us.
No public medical system in this world really cover everything. The public health care mainly for common medical issues. And in the West, you pay medical insurance with money from your personal pocket or by taxes up front before you receive any treatment.
OMG just 100RMB for orthopedic consultation + medicine????? Dirt Cheap..... or do you have the amount deducted from your China medicare account for this visit? If totaled up to just 100RMB, it is outrageous...…..
I was also surprised how cheap that visit was but to clarify i think the main reason was that the medicine was all Chinese medicine which tends to be a cheaper than western medicine. However the doctors consultation price was about average. If i needed an MRI or X-ray it would have been more expensive.
@@TobysTakeaway Chinese medicine is more expensive over at my place.... Cheaper there probably because of they are manufactured in China. But the consultation fee for a specialist is too cheap man...... Not mention it is impossible to get a walk in consultation in government subsidised hospital.... Mind blown....
If it's in rural China, kind-hearted rural doctors can even use a one dollar combination of medication to cure your cold (this is the case with doctors in my grandmother's village)
British is great of robbing,killing in the past, create huge problem in the past and cause the countries has to solve it now with a hard way. Sell opium to China in the past,take away china land and now still want to create problem. Now, British became USA dog. What a great country.
China's medical insurance system is inclusive. Generally, 60%-90% of serious illnesses can be reimbursed. You can also purchase additional commercial insurance. In short, you will not go bankrupt due to illness. Even so, the Chinese government has recently started a massive corruption cleanup of the healthcare system, which is great news and means people will be able to see a doctor more affordable and efficient!
Chinese medicare works this way: say if you have a severe illness and treatment/surgery as inpatient costs you 200,000 RMB: for example if190,000 of the 200,000 is insurable (there are things like special expensive imported drug/instruments that are not insurable), if insurace percentage (depends on the city) is 85%, and you have 15,000 RMB stored in your medicare account.
What you pay out of pocket is 10,000 (those not insurable drugs/instruments) + 190,000*(100% - 85% which is the insurance percentage) - 15000 (the balance you have in your medicare account) = 23,500 RMB, and the credit in your medicare account got spent. I will say its a pretty fair system given the reponsiveness of the healthcare (you can usually get healthcare on the same day)
you tend to accumulate a lot of credit in your medicare account when you are getting old (since you've worked longer), my parents have 200,000 RMB credit in their account which has not been used for there future retirement.
For those special expensive imported drug or stuff that are not insurable, there is usually a much cheaper chinese subsitute that is probably 80% to 100% as effective, but only costs 10% to 60% of the price, for example an uninsurable imported coronary stent costs 20,000 RMB while a insurable chinese coronary stent costs 700 RMB and they are basically equally effective, how ever some patients with more financial ability still choose to use the imported one aiming for that 20% of effectiveness.
You have shown us how efficient the Chinese medical treatment process is so efficient. Almost similar to Singapore medical attention in similar set up
oh, thats interesting. Is the Singapore system expensive?
@@TobysTakeaway Last Spring Festival, I returned to China and was hospitalized for seven days for gallstone surgery. The total cost is 8,600 yuan RMB. About 1,200 US dollars. I don't have insurance. In China, everyone can buy insurance, which only costs about 600 RMB/ year(80 dollars).and can reimburse 80% of the treatment cost
Just stay away from virology institutes
Chinese medical system is the most efficient in the world. Most patients can get to see a doctor straight away and get the test done or treatment immediately.
However in the UK, the problem with the NHS is that the waiting time is extremely long. My landlord who is in his seventies and has some chronicle health problems, a few months ago, he complained that he suffered from stomach pains, he suspected that he might have gastritis, he spent one week to get his GP's appointment, then his GP wrote a referral letter to hospital to get him special medical test, it was a month later, the hospital replied that his referral test would be done in four months time. At the moment, he is still in agony daily and can do nothing but waiting, two months more waiting to be precisely.
Yes, However much I love the NHS, the waiting time can be really long. I hope your Landlord gets help soon!
😅😅😅😅😅
The NHS is broken. Waiting time just to get an appointment that may be months down the road is ridiculous.
Ive heard some horror stories, but also know people who have been seen pretty quickly. Depends a lot on where you live and what the problem is.@@hclau218
Defensive medicine, protocols the NHSs have to follow and the mixing of public and private structure are the build for long waiting, in all the countries with universal free healthcare.
23年上半年在这医院住过院，挂号到医生接诊3小时，第二天进住院部住院入住，7天后出院
总花费6k，医保报销4k，剩余商业保险
实际花费1k多
其中包含了一次核磁共振，一次ct，一次超声，我记得这三样检查的费用应该总计不到1k
另外这家医院的核磁极其清晰
你这个住院费用真挺便宜的
Last Spring Festival, I returned to China and was hospitalized for seven days for gallstone surgery. The total cost is 8,600 yuan RMB. About 1,200 US dollars. I don't have insurance. In China, everyone can buy insurance, which only costs about 600 RMB/ year(80 dollars).and can reimburse 80% of the treatment cost
Its so certainly good for a lot of treatments. Although I dont think everything is covered.
@@TobysTakeaway Chinese Western medicine is the same as Western medicine, there is no difference. It should be called modern medicine. Chinese medicine is traditional medicine. Some diseases cannot be treated. But some diseases work better than Western medicine
@@TobysTakeaway Canada has very similar medical system like that of British, and it does NOT cover everything! And what can be done in China in one day might need about 6 months to a year in Canada, for illness, especially serious ones, timely cure is the key!
Indeed! but everything is covered in the UK (not dental), its just that you may have to wait a long time@@wyz9815
Very good video, and I do hope that the medicine yo've got don't cause side effects and don't harm you more. Nice and very well organised, clean, civilised, friendly and efficient, good for them. Wish you a fast recovery and take care of yourself, bless you🙂.
China is an efficient country and Chinese people are great people
In Canada for ultrasound appointment take 2to 3 months waiting time before you see the Doctor.
In Canada, I needed a wrist surgery and waited a year just for the consultation. Surgery was scheduled at a hospital I didn’t want to go to (had a bad experience previously) but after waiting a year I didn’t want to have to wait any longer for consultation with surgeon at another hospital so I ended up going through with it. Luckily it turned out well.
I waited for 6 months for MRI in Canada, waited for another 3 weeks for the result, and waited another 2 months to see the doctor to explain to me about that result. In China, I chose the hospital i wanted to go, and chose the doctor I want to see, I saw the doctor on the same day, get MRI on the same day, get result in 2 hours on the same day, and went back to the doctor with the the result which I can also keep so I can get 2nd opinion in other hospital if needed (doctor has one in their system )and he explained to me on the same day, then get the prescribed medicine on the same day!
@@wyz9815 Same here, i have to wait for over 5 months for MRI here in Alberta
Very nice informative video buddy, with lots of details, good to know! Either your eyes are perfectly fine, don't worry about!
Not bad. All those people and it only took 3 hours. Here in the US, you wouldn't be able to do that with that many people at the hospital.
Yes, pretty incredible when you think of it really.
Great, authentic video
Loooks clean and efficent👍👍👍😊
Super efficient👍
Great video.......
Oh, I was at the same metro station last month
You speak Chinese😲Very Nice
@@YiDaoPing5000 ha, thank you!
This hospital is an old hospital area. You can choose a new hospital area located outside the West Third Ring Road, which is much larger and has a better environment.
The thing with the older hospitals, including this one, is that they see/have seen so many patients that the doctors have a real wealth of experience.
@@TobysTakeaway Dont need to worry about doctors in new hospital lacking experimence. All public hospitals are state owned, and all doctors are in the same system. If new hospital opens, doctors are relocated from old ones.
@@mochen9282 Sure. Chinese doctors get a lot of experience, quickly! They see so many patients on a daily basis they can’t but help to get experienced
well those are not actual money in the insurance bank account but allowances; it is still more of a pretense so that some old folks are willing to pay for their insurance and contribute to the health fund (too old to understand the importance of having insurance and paying taxes...). They are basically taxes without being called taxes.
In national healthcare insurance, it is completed funded by the government so as the government pays up for you every month, the allowances increase accordingly. if the allowances are used up, the rest will be covered at a minimum rate of 85% or more, depending on local governments or specific illness you get. the labor healthcare insurance is similar except the government funds 80% while the rest split between employers and employees at 12:8 ratio or 15:5 in some cases. these are basically taxes that will be used exclusively for healthcare. the allowances then accumulate and rest work sin a similar way. labor health insurance is more generous when it comes to coverage so out of pocket money is minimized thanks to the employer & employee's contributions.
like all countries in the world except the US, there are laws restricting drug prices. but Chinese government usually fails to negotiate the prices down with the foreign pharmaceutical companies since their state authority doesn't really work on foreign corporations and western pharmaceutical companies typically see China as a cash cow and a MARKET to penetrate to sell their PRODUCTS for PROFITS. My dad's drugs are from a British pharmaceutical company that cost 3,000 pounds (converted to CNY based on real time exchange rates) for each dose and my dad theoretically needs to inject 4 doses every month just to ease his pain and maintain his quality of life while slowing down his illness from progressing otherwise he may paralyze when he is older. Spoiler alert, he only injects two doses every month cuz the bill is so high, he cannot use the allowances, which will run out quickly anyways and his labor healthcare insurance covers only around 90%. 10% of 6,000 pounds every month is not a small number either. He now has an extra private healthcare package to deal with the rest of the cost. Basically when you are appreciating the NHS, i am cussing everyone from that British pharmaceutical company to burn in hell and suffer.
Thank you for all that information on the medical system. Also very sorry to hear about your dad's situation, but the NHS and British or any other country's pharma companies are different. The NHS also buys from Pharma companies, they don't produce their own drugs.
Been there before; a great city! Looks like you're the only foreigner in the hospital. Are there still many foreigners these days in Chengdu, or China?
Not as many as there were before Covid, but still a decent expat community.
Thanks
nice video❤
1.4billion people, cant be no queue 😂 have to wait😂😂😂
ha, sure, but still pretty good to get seen, tested and diagnosed in half a day. Of course more serious medical issues would take longer.
There are many hospital in China, and you can chose to go to any hospital you like, no referring needed. but if you just want to go to the 3rd-A rank hospital, the best hospital in China, then you might find huge crowds and long queue, and if you just want to see the best doctors in the hospital, even you don't mind paying double or even times for registration fee, you will find it a bit difficult to make appointment, they are usually fully booked far in advance.
As a Chinese who work in the UK, I think in China at least you don't need to wait in the call queue or stay in A & E for super long time to see a doctor. It is unfair for people who do not have a good sick pay scheme.
Yes, waiting times certainly seem shorter here. Do you mean its unfair in China or the UK for sick pay scheme?
@@TobysTakeaway Both, maybe? I think it is better not to deduct salary when it is just one- or two-days sick leave.
Thats a good point. i think if you get an annual salary rather than hourly or day rate thats also makes a difference.@@trynewthings637
If you have used up the amount in your personal medical account, the insurance will cover some part of of your medical expenses. The percentage deoends on how seriously sick you are.
Thanks for the clarification👍
Just Subscribed. enjoy your life in China.
Can you see a doctor? Get tests done? Without making an appointment in advance in your country/city?
I can do it in Indonesia, but I have to go to a private hospital which is far more expensive (and sometimes ridiculously expensive) than a government hospital.
@@araara4746 How is the medical system in Indonesia? Good care system?
@@TobysTakeaway The medical system in Indonesia is quite good, as long as you have money.
If the health insurance system provided by the government, the quality is not good. Hence, Indonesians who have money prefer to use private health insurance.
Hi, your video came up in my suggestions and I love what I see! I'm from India and have a question here -can a foreigner who doesn't speak mandarin, visit a government hospital and get treated in China? Or, for foreigners private hospitals are the only option? Are private hospitals expensive in China?
Thanks for the support! Foreigners can use any public hospital in China (I've never been turned away from a hospital). Without being able to speak/read Chinese you may find it difficult to register/get an appointment/speak with the doctor in smaller towns or places where English is less widely spoken, but not impossible. In larger cities it shouldn't be too difficult because people are super friendly and helpful here and most doctors and nurses can speak at least (perhaps a lot) of English because it is required for their studies.
@@TobysTakeaway Thanks for getting back and sharing the information.
i didn't see vicky in this thread..anyway it is wonderful seeing how the system there is working beautifully...😊
Private hospitals are rare and expensive in China, so foreigners are advised to go directly to public hospitals if they seek medical treatment in China
I wonder how long you have to wait with the Nhs
Depends what for, but for a GP appointment it’s normally 2-3days
Did the medicine work for you?
That’s a great question! No, not really😂. Better now, but it took a while!
How long did you have to wait for an ultrasound?
I waited about an hour, the doctor very kindly saw me at midday before her lunch break.
老外看中医，我是头回见
看了，改天上传视频
wish you health and happy new year!is their any difficulty during the process? i want to help foreigners in chengdu when they go to hospital. Really Need your feedback 😊
Happy new year to you too! No, not really, all pretty straightforward, although I’m sure if you don’t speak Chinese it would be a little difficult 😂
The problem with China's health insurance system is that it does not cover 100% , and patients have to pay before receiving treatment.
The medical insurance covers a population of 1.35 billion people，95% Rural medical insurance is subsidized by the government, while urban medical insurance is shared between companies and employees. Self-employed small business owners are responsible for their own payment, and affluent individuals can purchase commercial insurance
US insurance doesn't pay 100% either, with high premium that increases every year.
@@wx365 Kaiser just raises my rate 14% for the coming uear
Taxes are also much lower in China, nothing is free in this world, Chinese health insurance already covers most of the cost on major procedures and is better than health insurance in the us.
No public medical system in this world really cover everything. The public health care mainly for common medical issues. And in the West, you pay medical insurance with money from your personal pocket or by taxes up front before you receive any treatment.
OMG just 100RMB for orthopedic consultation + medicine????? Dirt Cheap..... or do you have the amount deducted from your China medicare account for this visit? If totaled up to just 100RMB, it is outrageous...…..
I was also surprised how cheap that visit was but to clarify i think the main reason was that the medicine was all Chinese medicine which tends to be a cheaper than western medicine. However the doctors consultation price was about average. If i needed an MRI or X-ray it would have been more expensive.
@@TobysTakeaway Chinese medicine is more expensive over at my place.... Cheaper there probably because of they are manufactured in China. But the consultation fee for a specialist is too cheap man...... Not mention it is impossible to get a walk in consultation in government subsidised hospital.... Mind blown....
If it's in rural China, kind-hearted rural doctors can even use a one dollar combination of medication to cure your cold (this is the case with doctors in my grandmother's village)
@@sret7880 Where are you based?
@@ameliah8164 oh really, where is your grandmother's village?
handsome guy
ha, cheers
Take an elevator and your calf might not hurt as much.
I did walk up and down those stairs a lot, currently got an ice pack on it🤣
BAL efficient.
where is your beautiful girlfriend? i was hoping to see her...😊
I prefer herbal medicine
Chinese medicine? That sounds like a good idea for a video😀
he's the whitest asian or asianest white... i really cant tell
hahahaha
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
But I like United Kingdom , Britain has a great history , If I am going to travel to Europe , I would like to go to London England most
British is great of robbing,killing in the past, create huge problem in the past and cause the countries has to solve it now with a hard way. Sell opium to China in the past,take away china land and now still want to create problem. Now, British became USA dog. What a great country.