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Q: Have you buy medical or health insurance in Shenzhen ?
Living in Shenzhen sometimes can be a tough issue ,especially when you got sick or injured without any health or medical insurance .
A friend currently got injured , now he has to stay in hospital for a month .which i am very sorry about that . But what i am more sorry is the high medical cost . Since he didn't buy the medical insurance, now he has to pay a large amount of money !
lucky is he is rich enough to pay that. But i can't stop thinking what if situation like this happens to me ? (Cos i haven't buy any insurance yet )
So maybe it's time for me to buy medical insurance or health insurance . How about you ?
10 years 6 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
I have Ping-An accident insurance and China Taiping Life/Critical disease insurance. I also have the option to just go back home, should I get something non-urgent.
Scandinavian:
Note. The way Chinese insurance works, you are better off buying it sooner than later. The older you get the more expensive it gets (for the same coverage) and the more likely you are of having to go through a full health check and if anything is found you will not be eligible to buy insurance (or it will be at a way higher cost)
LesterF:
Are these part of your benefits package at work or do you buy them on your own? I'm wondering about the monthly premium compared to international providers :) Thanks
Scandinavian:
My insurance was originally paid by my employer, but as I don't work presently I pay myself.
It's about 1000 per month for the Life/Critical disease one, it covers treatment up to 500000 and my wife would get the same sum if I get hit by a taxi. The accident insurance I cannot remember, but it is less than 1000 per year and covers hospitalization up to 50000 in case of getting hit by a taxi, but not killed.
It is a very difficult equation. In Zhuhai a hospital bed is about 30 per day, but as soon as the doctors do anything to you, the price goes up, just a fluid drip will be at least 100 extra.
The insurance agent, when we bought these some years ago, had no god suggestion for how much coverage I should have. The only parameter she was concerned about was how much would my wife get, should I die. This is the primary selling point for the Chinese insurers, to not leave your family with nothing, should the breadwinner loose.
My critical insurance will only be valid until I turn 65, at that time I will get the money paid back with some interest. They promise high interest but hey, that is probably not going to happen. The policy is only paid for 20 years, then you have no further expenses.
Also, prices for healthcare in China is going up a lot faster than most other things. What is good coverage today, might not be tomorrow.
You can look into some of the more inexpensive international insurances available. I previously had my insurance with Seven Corners (not good) and now on my second year with IMG (excellent). They cover pretty much everything and even some dental procedures. Right now I think I'm paying about 400-500 RMB a month for mine. Lonely Planet also partners with an insurance provider of cheap medical insurance (forgot the name but you can find it on their website).
The school you are with would have already put you on a group insurance scheme right? I'd be surprised if they hadn't.
ironman510:
Don't be surprised man, trust me, I'm also in Shenzhen. 70% of training centers and schools won't give you that mandatory health insurance. Only Wallstreet, EF, DK, Public and University currently offer it and a few no name schools might. This is kind of like the Obama care of China, School don't want this because it cost them and the teacher some money and most teachers want the full salary and not be deducted health and pension fees. The so called 15,000 public school salary is really only 12,800 after all the deductions. My mates were pissed after celebrating in COCO park about getting a higher salary over 12,000 but they soon learned that those benefits cost them their new salary and they were back to their old salary wage.
Hotwater:
Do you really think the OP is a teacher? I hope they are not teaching English!
"Have you buy medical or health insurance in Shenzhen?"....."Have you" is past tense so the question should be "Have you bought....."......if they are asking if you will you do it in the future then it should have been "Will you buy......?".
I'm not an English teacher but I'm in a pedantic mood tonight!
Your best choice and legal one is going to Ping-An insurance. Just jump into a taxi and say: wo yao qu Sam-mu (I want to go to Sam Club.) It's the only Sams Club in Shenzhen. Go to the 2nd floor and you'll see Ping-An bank and they'll have someone who can speak English.
1 year will cost 15,000 to 25,000, depends on the package. I got the 20,000 package, I'm covered for colds to surgery and even full cancer treatment if the devil tries to ill me. Thats pretty darn good.
If you want the phone number I can ask my wife to get you in direct contact.
ironman510:
BTW: If you have a car, they can also help. Ping-An cost my BYD S6 SUV Y5000 a year.
Scandinavian:
Just FYI. Car insurance is state regulated. If you feel like paying less, go somewhere else for next years renewal, sometimes the sales agents are willing to forfeit their commission to keep their sales numbers up in order to stay in a higher pay bracket.
ironman510:
Cool, I'll try that idea of yours out next Dec, 2014, thanks man.
i dont have any faith in insurance in this country at all, my contracts at private schools like aston, universities like shandong university, nobody has ever gave me a policy document showing i actually have insurance. at the economic university a friend had medical bills but the insurance would not pay until the school provided proof that the teacher had paid taxes on his salary to china. the school paid the bills in cash, no insurance payment, logical thinking, he never had insurance.
a friend with motorcycle accident, aston would not not provide tax documents for insurance, aston paid the bill cash.
i would be more inclined to find a teacher who actually got paid or a hospital that got paid by insurance, i think when you investigate, you will find the school paid the bill and lied to you and said insurance paid the bill. i.e. no insurance, just a marketing gimmick and if you become unhealthy, my friend at the economic university after the claim was given the 5 year rule excuse in his 8th year and told to get lost, we cant pay for unhealthy teachers here anymore, and now we dont want you.
bottom line, dont get sick or your days are numbered, hope this is different in other provinces but this is reality in shandong province.
my new contract states that i provide my own health insurance and not the company, not sure this is even legal, but TIC.
If you have an insurance document, call or visit their office to find out if the document is legal what supporting documents you need to have a claim paid, some insurance companies only pay for chinese citizens and the school will never tell you, china and nigeria are very good at making fraudulent documents that say your covered, as Ronald Reagan said, trust but verify.
also if you work at a large university, the contract usually states that your treatment must be done at their already paid for medical clinic, most universities over 15000 students have their own lazy inexperience medical personnel for enjoyment and treatment. the good ones work at real hospitals and make real money. TIC
