Korea’s Got me Covered!

There were a few reasons we left the great Pacific Northwest and moved to South Korea for the year, non of which had to do with being eager to leave fantastic outdoor adventures, loving family, dairy products or the world’s best friends. One of the leading reasons was that the likely hood of us finding jobs that could provide any sort of health care was, well, unlikely. I spent a worrisome two months before our departure, in between graduating university where I was no longer eligible for my folk’s health care plan and arriving in a country that still magically provides for its residents. We have a pretty sweet deal here all around, a deal that I have been encouraging friends who have recently graduated and find themselves in the situation we were in last spring, to jump on. A deal that means when I get food poisoning I don’t have to wait it out and hope I’m able to hydrate myself, but I can walk into a clinic or even the emergency room, be treated within five minutes and walk out with less than a $40 bill. I’m sold!

I’ve been writing about gallivanting off to tropical islands, drinking with my boss, skiing, hiking and eating live animals, but this topic, although a bit less inspiring or entertaining than others, is one that I am really fired up about. I got sick three weeks ago, REALLY sick. About seven of our fellow English teachers did and after the flu was ruled out it was determined that we had all been exposed to a bad batch of seafood (I was on my raw kick that week with live octopus and raw whale meat) and had developed a bad case of food poisoning. Instantly my old habit of persevering kicked in whereby I thought my options were constricted to either waiting it out or facing a medical bill that would be hanging over my head for the next six months. Around 7am Matt pulled out my health insurance card, waved it in front of my green face and told me “There is absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t go to the emergency room.” Music to my ears, what a luxury!!! And so off we went.

Matt and my parents bought us traveler’s insurance before we left through the company World Assist and HCC Medical Insurance Services, good for a year in any country we may visit. This gave us a bit of peace of mind because when applying for a visa most countries will not begin processing your health insurance until the day you arrive in your host country and it may take up to three months after that until you actually have coverage. Once our coverage kicked in we were seen by health care providers as no different from any other resident, Korean citizen or foreigner, working in Korea. Our coverage here includes basic, dental and vision. Co-pay still applies but is extremely affordable with a general visit to a walk in clinic equivalent to $2 US and more expensive procedures  such as laser eye surgery ranging from $800 US to $1,200. Prescriptions are extremely low in cost and easy to obtain with doctor’s in walk in clinics usually free to see patients seven days a week and until after eight PM.

This is my favorite Pharmacy in Ok-dong where you can get your meds, and then a hot dog right next door!

Sparing the gruesome details of events leading up to my experience in the emergency room I will say that my time spent once at the hospital was rather pleasant. There are hospitals in Ulsan every few blocks and upon entering through the side entrance it was a matter of minutes after they looked me up in the computer with my Alien Registration Card, before I was seen by a doctor. Many doctors in Korea studied in the United States and therefore their English is reliable. I was in and out that afternoon after being babied to no end by lovely nurses, with a $35 bill, and a $3 prescription.

It is clear that it is a goal of the  Korean government to account for its residents. This was apparent as we saw the smack-down of swine flu precautions back in the Fall (mandatory vaccines for students, face masks galore and even sanitizing spray machines resembling a metal detector that you walk through). I have seen in my six months here less beggars than I could count on one hand and not a single person who appeared to be suffering from a drug addiction. Korea’s unemployment rate is currently at an all time high at a mere 4% with all residents receiving national health care benefits. I’ll save my however-ing to another blog, because behind every “perfect plan” there are always faults, and most of Korea’s happen to be deep-seated in cultural beliefs. While I spend many of my days here feeling discriminated against because of my gender, I can safely say that when it comes to receiving equal Health care rights as a resident of Korea, I am covered!

Possible Spread of the Swine Flu: Middle School Boys Walking to School Holding Hands. Love This!!!