Health Care - South Korea style

[Suji to Seoul]

I just want to say that socialized medicine does not work. It is an horrific failure. I should know. I lived in the world country in the world for socialized medicine for a year, as my screen name shows: The Republic of Korea.

Here is my story:

I have a pinched nerve in my back that is affected by the weather, namely the colder it gets, the more likely i am to be unable to stand or walk. Winters in Suwon are not fun.

One morning, I had a major issue with the back. I called my employer and informed him i could not walk or stand. He told me to go to the "rationed" state run hospital located in a private plaza.

Fear took me over as I arrived. What will I expect? My fears were justified. There were hordes of people suffering while the inept bureaucrat began to deny people because they weren't serious enou. . .

Okay, I can't do this with a straight face. I can't really make a sarcastic post.

My experience, really:

There are doctors and pharamcies on every block. My premium for my state run medical care ran bout 45,000 w0n a month and when i went the hospital, they treated me the best they could without so much asd worrying about payment.

In fact, they never even discussed payment.

Overnight in a hospital, three squares, four shots of morphine for pain, physical therapy, Somas for the muscle spasming and a perscription for brand name medicine at the pharmacy: Total out ot pocket = 17,000 won

Socialized medicine never works, right Ronald?

[Another Bill C.]

1. When I lived there

the exchange rate was 400 won to a dollar. What is it now?

[Suji to Seoul]

2. 1,000 won is $.87

[FreakinDJ]

3. Ain't that Great - 3rd World Countries can do it better then USA

[femrap]

5. I don't think of S. Korea

as a 3rd world nation. I envy their health care system.

Off topic....I love my Hyundai!

[MH1]

6. South Korea hasn't been '3rd world' for a while now.

I was there a few years ago in the service. My experience was that it's a pretty together country and most people seem to be getting by at least ok. I.e., not in abject poverty and starvation as we normally think of '3rd world'. (Plus I've seen elsewhere from more authoritative sources that it's not considered '3rd world').

[Odin2005]

8. SK is pretty much fully developed now.

[eridani]

12. Not third world at all--they regard the institution of single payer as evidence of full--

--development, much like Taiwan.

[Bluebear]

14. South Korea is hardly third world!

[Prometheus Bound]

4. It's about the same in Hong Kong for now.

One night in a public hospital with a battery of xrays, tests and interviews with several specialists cost about US$15. Free two months supply of otherwise fairly expensive medicine from the hospital pharmacy.

The only drawback was that I had to wait in emergency for 2 hours since my case was not serious. If I had gone to a private hospital, I would not have had to wait as long but the same treatment would have cost me about US$1400. And they aren't nearly as well as equipped as the public hospital.

However, the insurance companies have convinced the government private health insurance and more private hospitals is the way to go, so this may change. They are masters of propaganda.

[Suji to Seoul]

13. Asian populations do believe the propaganda burped at them

None more evident than where I live now. There was a story where the Japanese meltdown would ruin the world's salt supply, so millions of people here went out and bought three lifetime's supply of salt.

[joshcryer]

7. I thought South Korea only consisted of slums?

j/k j/k I don't want to go there. :P

Nice OP.

[Odin2005]

9. I would love to visik SK sometime wonderful folks.

[joshcryer]

10. I have friends who have taught English there, and others who live there currently.

Nice country. :)

[Suji to Seoul]

15. One thing I miss, as strange as this sounds, is my normal bar marathon on "hooker hill"

Starting at the bottom at the Wolfhound, having one drink in each bar until I got to Polly's at the top of the hill.

Then crashing in the Hamilton Hotel spa's sleeping room.

[NuttyFluffers]

16. The Wolfhound does kick major ass.

excellent burgers as well.

the beer crawls there are evidence of the superiority of a functioning mass transit system with cheap taxi support. no city in america can come close to the ease and comfort in getting blitzed while still being mobile.

[JCMach1]

11. Even if you don't want to go that far... total price control also works if you want

to keep the veneer of capitalism.

We have price controls at every point here in the UAE (including Pharma) and everything is cheap (including insurance) without a subsidy.

[Scuba]

17. My admiration for Koreans continues to climb. n/t