By Gerry Lin

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Version 1.1

This guide aims to give an update on Medical Services and Health Insurance for Expats in Shenzhen. When I first came to Shenzhen, the family was on Aviva Health Insurance from Singapore, with deductibles. As we got a better understanding of various medical services in Shenzhen and health insurance available locally, we switched to local health insurance without deductible and copayment. With direct billing service of the insurance, we are now able to enjoy the high quality services of the private hospitals and also selected specialists from the public hospitals. Through the process, we also get to link up with a network of doctors here in Shenzhen.

I found that many information online about Medical Services and Health Insurance for Expats in Shenzhen are either outdated or misleading. So I decided to come out with this updated guide while I am working with the top Chinese Insurance Group for products that better serve the needs of Expats. Please check back from time to time, as I am not able to complete the details all at once.

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Many expats still prefer Hong Kong for their medical consultations and treatments. No doubt Hong Kong has good system and doctors there, however you will have to consider the hassles travelling between Shenzhen and HK. In case of emergency, you need to have handy and updated information on hand for medical services around you. Though some may have bad experience with some Chinese hospitals and some doctors, Shenzhen's top medical services may be much better than you think.

Hong Kong University Shenzhen Hospital is running Hong Kong system by HKU, nice and clean, they have an international center with HK doctors and professors from HKU.  However, not many expats know about it.http://szdaily.sznews.com/html/2014-02/20/content_2782644.htm

There are also top private hospitals like Home Woman and Children Hospital, CanAm Medical Center, Far East Woman and Children Hospital and Ren Ji Hospital International Dept, just to name a few, there are also some international clinics in Nanshan area. All are very friendly to foreigners.

Even in the top public hospitals like Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen People's Hospital and Shenzhen TCM hospital, Shenzhen 2nd People's Hospital, Shenzhen Shekou People's Hospital VIP center, we know a network of dedicated doctors there who can speak English and provide good consultations. Though in general, the public hospitals are crowded and you need to make an appointment first, for certain special cases, you will get a better treatment there with their specialists.

Ambulances (call 120)

In Shenzhen there are currently shortage of ambulances. So if you can, take a taxi or other vehicle to the nearest major hospital in the event of an injury or sudden illness. You will need to identify your nearest hospital beforehand. Always bring along an emergency card with your emergency contacts in both Chinese and English.

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Some people may just save some money in their bank account. If you get some serious illness or accident, this is not a good option, and you will never know. I recommend always getting an insurance, if you are on a tight budget, at least a basic insurance.

There are 5 tiers of plans for the expat community here from the top Chinese insurance group:

First Tier: cushy expatriate package that includes top-of-the-line insurance which covers everything, with world-wide coverage. Not recommended for those just stay in China.

Second Tier: Comprehensive expatriate package with coverage of Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Mainland China, that includes inpatient, outpatient and dental.

Third Tier: Comprehensive expatriate package that focuses in Mainland China covering top private hospitals, VIP centers and International Centers in top public hospitals like HKU Shenzhen Hospital.

Forth Tier: Comprehensive expatriate inpatient plan that focuses in Mainland China covering top private hospitals, VIP centers and International Centers in top public hospitals like HKU Shenzhen Hospital.

Fifth Tier: Basic expatriate inpatient plan that covers most public hospitals in China just like social security for the locals.

Renewal of the insurance after each year is guaranteed before reaching certain limit.  Inpatient plans can be extended up to 80 yrs old. All plans have no deductibles, and only the basic plan has copay. Direct Billing available for most packages except for basic, covering most private hospitals and VIP centers.

Outpatient can vary from RMB100 to a few hundred per visit, while HKU hospital offers fixed price package to limit the top line. If you have an extra budget of a few thousand RMB for the outpatient insurance, may as well go for it, otherwise, an inpatient plan is good enough for you.

I am not an expert on plans offered by international insurance companies like AIA, MSH, IMG, Chartis, Allianz, Bupa or William Russell.  They may have plans not shown on their websites and I could give you advice once you have their quotation and hospital network list.

If you need to know more about the hospitals and insurance, you can contact me via Skype or Email.

Your comments are also welcome.

Gerry Lin is a Singaporean that currently resides in Futian, Shenzhen. He is an active insurance agent and financial advisor for the city's expat community. For matters relatd to heath, insurance and investing,you can contact Garry by email: gerrylq@outlook.com or via Skype:gerrylq

Article Source: http://www.shenzhenstuff.com/profiles/blogs/2014-updates-on-shenzhen-medical-services-and-health-insurance