What HFCAMPO and walter post is nonsensical.

The healthinsurance system is built for the majority of people and not for the special cases.

There are a few bad insurance companies but the majority is good and keep their promise.

HFCAMPO I think you should consider that your case doesn't apply to all others.

If you save money for your health fund, but you get seriously ill after say 5, or ten years? What are you gonna do then?
Let's say you got lucky, knock-on-wood! And you were able to save all that money, that is good. But most people will be hit by some sort of disease or injury that can cripple them physically as well as financially.

And putting it into Kunming terms, scooter accidents, infections, etc.

It's recommended to have a health insurance, to prevent you from excessive financial troubles, and not to make profit or get your money back.

I've already been here 15 years... international health insurance premium x 15 years + interest + time and hassle saved = ? (you waste time calculating, I'm safe in the knowledge I've already beaten the game)

As for "casevac home"? Yunnan is home. :) Local medicine is fine - good enough for 1.4 billion people, good enough for me. After all, if you aren't able to get a doctor for an op here, you can always fly to Thailand.

good enough for 1.4bn but i hate to think how many die prematurely needlesly every year due to inadequate treats.

@walter
Totally, standard Chinese healthcare it's fine for me, too. Getting normal treatments for the sniffles, OTC, an uncomplicated broken bone here and there, X-Rays, all that normal stuff. I don't even bill it with my insurance company unless it is over 200kuai. As you said, too much paper work. But when sh*t hits the fan, that is what I have to protect myself and my family from.

This is my home, too. But that can change quickly, especially in cases of emergency. 1 friend of mine busted his knees, couldn't work anymore, so back to the U.S.

One buddy had a car accident, still getting treatments, he couldn't get in China, so back to U.K. There are plenty more stories.

and about your calculation, if you say 15 years in China, with annual premium of say (single person) 17,000 kuai =255000kuai with standard interest rate, about 4% isn't it?

Let it be 260k to 300k, how far do you think it will get you.
[all depending on age though, and previous illnesses]

Plus, if you would be still registered at home [country], you can drop your premium by up to 50%.

So, even if you double my calculation, it is barely enough to buy a house. And if you seriously get ill, you'd have to sell that bad boy.
What if the money runs out, while seriously ill?

Then, your loved ones would have to take care of you, burdening them, so that you can save a few thousand kuais? Doesn't sound fair to me.

What if all the bills are paid but you can't work anymore?
Who is paying for all your bills in the first place, living expenses, income loss, etc.?

Plus medical expenses in China are rising dramatically, so for now you may be fine with a few hundred kuais here and there. But in 5 to 10 years, oh boy!

In China the costs for serious illness and injury are not short, of the ones in the West. I had one case, personally and I know wealthier folks that got pulled down on their knees, financially, in less than a year.

Exploding cancer rates, pollution, traffic accidents, and other stuff.

If it is stupid to protect my family from paying for me if thing turn sour, or just a sudden accident, -then I am glad to be stupid.

@Dazzer
Absolutely right. Just check the accident rates, cancer rates. How many have to wave the doctor off, because they can't afford it.

I wouldn't so much bet on the medevac. What they usually do is, they just get you stabilized enough, to put you in a normal airliner, economy class! And fly you home. If you are lucky, you will get picked up by an ambulance. But rarely the case.

So evac shouldn't be the biggest selling points.

I've been paying, on average, £1,500 annually for the past eleven years. I go through the same self questioning every year but always end up renewing the policy. In the same way, I would never drive without car insurance at home. If something big happens somehow you have to pay and if you can't, then someone else has to bail you out. That's just plain selfish.

@tiger: I know a guy who had triple bypass heart surgery in Kunming. US$25,000. It's been over a year now, and he's very happy with the results.

The world has survived without the insurance SCAM for thousands of years except for the last 100 years when some smart rich guy mandated insurance so he can make more money - Insurance is a business, and like a casino, the house always wins.

For those who do NOT want insurance, they are right - For those who want insurance, they are also right.

Each person has their own reason why they want or do not want insurance - Live and Let Live!

If people take care of themselves, do not live recklessly, eat right, exercise, do not drink or smoke or take illegal drugs, then the odds are in their favor - Accidents happen and this is a part of life.

The day I get cancer I will go to TJ in Mexico to get treated or seek any alternative treatment except chemo. Ozone therapy is considered quackery in the USA (Wilhelm Reicht) yet it is used in Germany and a few other countries as cancer treatment.

Cannabis is listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, the highest classification under the legislation. This means that the substance has a high abuse potential and no safe medical use.

Yet there is a patent for cannabis - Patent # 6630507 – Oct 2003 – Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants - Yeah! No conspiracy here!

Movie - Little Big Man - another alternative is to say - This is a good day to die and go to the mountain.

The question I have about the guy with the triple bypass is - Did he drink, smoke and eat unhealthy (overweight) - He probably did.

@Alien
I know a lady who had breast cancer and they paid far over 180000 Euro in less than a 18 month. No special care or treatment, just par with the European or American standard.

HFCAMPO
In Germany Ozone treatment is an additional treatment, not a therapy alone, same as nutrition adjustments etc.
Chemo, surgery and radiation are still the main treatments, and it's good that way, because highly effective and it works well, although it is a tough treatment.

Thousands of years ago, people died like flies, at an average life expectancy, of thirty years of age.
Dying from all sorts of minor diseases, not even including accidents.

One of the reason why we live longer these days, is because insurance companies help keep medical treatment affordable.

Would you drive your car uninsured here, or back home? Same idea, you are not supposed to get rich from it. It's to protect you from the worst problems.
But on the other hand there are a lot of insurance companies right now, offering a health or stay fit premium, or add-on. You don't smoke, and they give you refund, they pay for your, check up's, Yoga classes and other nice treats. Some even give premium, or money rewards, you don't get sick and you save money. Maybe you could check one of these out.
So, it's not all just doom and gloom

For someone very accepting of different opinion, you make sure that they still feel insulted.

So you are saying, that I am part of colossal scam, because I have health insurance?
Actually from the treatments, me and my family received, we already broke even. Not bad for a scam.

If you have a better idea, about making the medical complex more affordable and fair, other than saving money for 30 years, hoping nothing will happen, -I am sure they would love to hear your idea, and make you a rich man.

And please, don't assume that everyone is a hamburger eating drunk, or drug addict. People can get sick without bad habits. Bad habits increase the problem, not always create it.

@Campo: He drank, he smoked, was perhaps a little overweight but not much. Over 60 years of age.

What HFCAMPO and walter post is nonsensical.

For someone very accepting of different opinion, you make sure that they still feel insulted.

Who is insulted? Are you insulted? Why? Why should you feel insulted? Did I insult you in any way? Was I even addressing you at any time?

Please cut and paste the insulting comment here for all forum members to see.

Insurance is a business, and like a casino, the house always wins.

Read! I never said people who buy insurance are wrong or part of any scam - that is your right to do so - just like Walter and a few others do not beleive in insurance.

Ozone therapy is considered quackery in the USA (Wilhelm Reicht) yet it is used in Germany - Thanks for proving that my statement is true.

You missed the most important part - Live and Let Live!!!