The Inexpensive Hospital Visit

I regret to inform you that I have fallen ill. I am happy to report that this is entirely normal for people coming to the hamlet. It seems there’s something viral in the water that nearly everyone contracts and builds up an immunity to. Call it Montezuma’s revenge, Korea style, or as my host father put it with R.’s help, “Area sickness. [The hamlet's] area sickness.” Both previous ATEs to this area contracted it to varying degrees of severity. The first was sick for a couple of months. The second for six months, but he refused to go to the hospital until he had to go in to the ER. Even one of the native Korean English teachers, who grew up on the coast, contracted something when she first came here. My case isn’t too serious. A touch of sinus congestion and general discomfort associated with the common cold. A feeling of diarrhea, though only going once a day as per usual. It does come out different colors now though…

At any rate, these symptoms were bad enough for me that I didn’t want to repeat my predecessor’s semester long experience with the area sickness. I called the Powers that Be to tell them I was heading into the hospital and to ask about how to fill out my government insurance forms. They confirmed that my symptoms were the same as the former ATEs and that if I got any worse, I should probably come into Seoul. (That didn’t sound good.) Filled out the insurance forms. Asked my co-teacher to take me to the hospital, which she gladly did having already encouraged me to head in and also now having an excuse to skip a dedication ceremony for the new dormitory that the H.S. just built. So, we went. The doctor didn’t even really check me out. No weight check, height check, nose check, ear check or throat check. He just asked for my symptoms, my co-teacher translated, I was diagnosed with a common cold and a viral infection, prescribed some medicine and I was sent off to the front desk to pay my bill.

I was a little worried about this. I had to pay out of pocket. My bills would be covered by Uncle Sam, of course, but I had to pay them first and then I would be reimbursed. Turns out I didn’t have to be worried one bit. One hospital visit at the Hamlet General costs a whopping,

11,400 RoK won or $12.46.

Really? Yes, really. Oh, well, just put that on the credit card then.

I talked with my co-teacher about this. Turns out, that’s the going rate without insurance. With insurance, what my co-teacher pays, is about $5 a visit. Contrast this with the United States where a routine check-up like this costs around $20 for a co-pay if your insurance policy is decent and about $100 if you can’t afford insurance. (My teacher flipped when I told her about this.) Granted, South Korean medicine isn’t what U.S. medicine is, but for me to come in so I can get an antibiotics prescription from a guy who’s only going to confirm what I already know? $12 sounds a lot better than $100.

Oh, and how much did those drugs cost, again without insurance? The same. 11,400 RoK won or $12.46. I paid this in cash.

So, if you’re in Korea, hospitals are cheap. I wouldn’t want my cancer treated here, but for the routine stuff, it’s a steal.