We all do. The NHI only goes so far. WIth private insurance, I stayed in the hospital, in a double room for three nights with a severe blood infection, nonstop IVs, tons of blood work, xrays, and a sadistic nurse who laughed when she made me cry.
I ended up paying like 3000NTD.
Snot too bad.
I would suggest ANYONE staying in Taiwan long term, ESPECIALLY those of us married to locals, to get private insurance.[/quote]
I see, for insurance they have like you pay it 6 years then you will the insurance for life, is that what most of people get and are there other different/decent ones.
I stay between USA and Taiwan do you guys recommend me to just get insurance from USA or just get Taiwan’s NHI plus insurance from private company? but if get the Taiwan insurance and I got sick in the states, the medical expenses are very high so coverage from Taiwan might not be enough? actually I never purchase life/health insurance in the states so I am not really so please help
My wife has been spending a lot of time in the hospital recently. We are just using standard NHI and I didn’t think it was too bad.
For example, last week she was in for 7 days with a fever/infection. ER for one night, then double room in a ward, bed by the window. Lots of IV Antibiotics, IV White Blood Cell boosters, various other drugs, blood tests everyday.
The bill for the whole 7 days was around 9000nt. If she’d been in a 3 person room, it would have been more like 200nt (for some extra swabs or something)
Another time, she needed a Ultrasound,CT scan, Bone scan etc to help diagnose a condition, and I’m pretty sure it was the standard 150nt or something just as insignificant. Apart from the hospital admissions, it’s generally been 150nt, 300nt etc here and there.
Actually I wasn’t aware of private cover on top of the NHI until recently, otherwise I probably would have got some, but so far I have been reasonably impressed with NHI.
Usually when I go to my GP here, he gives me the option of the NHI covered drugs, or paying extra for better stuff. I generally go for the better stuff for the sake of a few hundred NT. I guess those are the sorts of things private health insurance would cover.
Anyway, the system in Taiwan is actually bloody good compared to other systems I have been involved with around the world. I feel the level of care here vs what you pay for it is probably the best I have seen. Sure is a lot better than NZ - a vist to the GP is 1200nt without meds.
Truant what other countries’ health care have you had , and compared to Taiwan’s Taiwan is better eh? maybe I will just buy insurance in Taiwan then…and not in USA
As far as I know accidents are covered, but morphine is not. They tried to satisfy a friend of mine with Panadol when waking up from a 10 hour emergency surgery after a serious accident.
