Around the New Year’s Day, some large hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei Province, received many patients who took advantage of the winter break to visit relatives back home and consulted medical treatments, regardless of the types of their insurance plans – Either F-1/J-1 insurance or H1B insurance (aka h1b保险).
3-Month Inpatient Operation Overseas vs. 1-Week Surgery In China
Zixuan (alias), a graduate student in the United Stated, had a lump on her left breast. A local doctor booked her for surgery three months later. Zixuan was not worried about the cost of treatment, since the company purchased the OPT insurance for her. Since she has just graduated, purchasing the OPT insurance (aka opt保险) is mandatory. However, due to the fast growth of the lump, she decided to have the operation when she returned home during the winter break. In consideration of good body image, Xiaoxi (alias) had three dental fillings in Wuhan, because the cost of filling a tooth in Australia is several times than in China.
Benefits in China: Low Cost, Short Waiting Time, Easy Communication
“Although majority of international students buy health insurance in the U.S. (aka 美国医保),” said a dentist Cheng Zhigang, “they have to pay for some specialized treatments on their own such as orthodontics or vision correction. The cost in these treatments in developed countries is about 10 times that of in China, which is quite a financial burden for international students and their families.” Therefore, many international students prefer to receive treatments in China. The experts summarized in 3 main reasons.
Foremost, without a health insurance in the U.S. (aka 美国医疗保险) the medical treatments are extremely costly. Secondly, waiting time is too long. It’s normal to wait for two to three weeks to see the doctor in the UK, but in China patients do not need to wait that long. Last but not least, the communications between patients and doctors are sometimes misunderstood. Many international students do not know professional medical terms, which may not only result in delay in diagnosis but unnecessary expenses or disputes as well.
Experts’ Suggestions: Treating Illness Early
Experts remind international students of treating sickness early than later and strongly recommend to buy student health insurance (aka 留学生保险) before studying abroad. While selecting recommended international student insurance in America (aka 美国留学生保险推荐) by schools, students should pay close attention to the coverage of hospital diseases and periods and then make the best decision.
