GoKunming Forums

Long term health (feeling)

JanJal (1243 posts) • +1

@AlPage48: "If China instituted a similar "no charge to the user" system they would have to collect the costs in taxes somewhere else."

Actually China's public health care is already heavily state-funded. Yes, the public pays fees, but those are small compared to what same operations would cost somewhere else, even when considering the average income difference.

I asked about this from one Chinese doctor that I visited couple of years ago, and he outright said that they'd ask for more money and people would pay, but the government does not allow it. No wonder if there are some shady practises to increase the profits.

Bigger difference may be in state structures.

In China the threshold to become a tax payer is quite high (and much higher after latest IIT reforms) , so lot of people that would be tax payers with similar jobs in west, are solely net receivers here.

Also the state here gets revenue from many other things than taxes - state-owned tobacco industry being one relevant to public health.

redjon777 (560 posts) • 0

www.telegraph.co.uk/[...]

Think this clears up the health care / residency issues for anyone interested. If you want to keep the residency of your new country that is outside Europe but get healthcare in the UK then they'll be charging you 150% price. But if at any point you move back to the UK you'll be instantly available for the treatment with no cost which is an added bonus for anyone who now has residency of another country.

cloudtrapezer (756 posts) • 0

It's not about if you want to keep residency elsewhere. It's whether they decide you have residency elsewhere. Very different. And will cover be restored instantly? They may want proof of your intention to stay, for example house purchase. I've seen circulars sent to GPs telling them to be on the lookout for returning expats. I don't want to labour the point or worry you unduly. It's just something to be aware of.

redjon777 (560 posts) • 0

@cloudtrapezer not really a worry, just something that got brought up in the thread so I went with it :o) I'm personally covered back home, just posted the link for any other British that might be interested.

Peter99 (1246 posts) • -1

Doesnt it say premises are u must also be covered by a health insurance if living outside europe. Well are u. I never bought any health insurances, while living fifteen years in asia, when hospital can cost 5euro. But it was a risk game. Saved me lot of money, even ive almost died a few times (mostly happened in tibet).

In my native european eu ccountry u get kicked out of healthcare if u stay outside europe more than six months. And u need to do some struggle to get back in there when u move back (unless u are illegal immigrant, then its no problem).

redjon777 (560 posts) • -1

Not really bothered about the intricacies of it all as I’ll definitely be back full time in the UK in a couple of years. But the funny part is yes, illegals will be seen without cost lol.

Peter99 (1246 posts) • -4
Comment hidden by user downvote Click to expand

I could add here, that when I arrived back to Europe healthy, I did one more health check. This was on purpose so that I could prove I arrived tback o Europe healthy and not coming back sick and try to use the system in some way after being fifteen years away without insurance. That paper is, or at leats felt, handy, in case bad storms had showed up.

But u can expect it to look quite peculiar, going to ur nhs, when the guy in front of u, still with kalashnikov oil on his hands, who never paid taxes to your system, comes out of the door smiling, and after u go in for interrogation, u come out with a blue mark on the ass.

And btw, ive been able to get back in the eu system (after being more than two years out of it inside eu) by being employed outside my native eu country, in another eu country, by a company that offers a health insurance as part of employment deal. That insurance, in turn, gave the permit for a NI (social insurance) number which also gave eu health insurance back. I dont know, how others do, but i wasnt whining after it when i didnt have it, maybe its faster if u keep pushing it. Who knows...

Ishmael (462 posts) • -1

@janjal: Hope this all makes you feel better about your health here.
@Peter: Illegals, kalashnikov oil... jesus, man!

JanJal (1243 posts) • 0

@janjal: Hope this all makes you feel better about your health here.

Not so much feeling better about my health, but my bank account - knowing that the state aggressively prevents prices from inflating too fast.

I'd return this to the earlier argument by someone suggesting the health doesn't make anyone happy. Yeah, money doesn't either.

That said, I do have an international health insurance (excluding USA) with option to evacuate elsewhere when treatment is not available locally.

But that is about money, not health.

If I'd describe my feelings about the health here, it's not so much my health (and sorry to say, none of the expats who voluntarily come here), but those locals who don't have much choices.

I've been to a state-funded hospital in Changning county (hotspot for tobacco production in Yunnan), where the patients and their guests smoke their state-funded cigarettes outside the in-patient rooms, in the toilets, and in the elevators.

I had the opportunity as I was funding last week of my late father-in-law in terminal care when he was dying to lung cancer.

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