Here is my true life experience with healthcare in Korea. I got super sick. Fever, sweating, sore throat.. basically felt like death. I laid in bed two days before realizing it wasnt going away and i needed to go to the doctor. It was after 5 on a friday so my only option was the emergency room. I didnt have to wait at all, and got right in. They did blood work, urine analysis, chest x-ray (lungs), swine flu test, neck x-ray (checkin my lymphoids), EKG, gave me IV fluids, antibiotics, and they sent me home with a bunch of medication.
Guess what the ER visit cost me, WITHOUT INSURANCE and being a FOREIGNER?
Less than $160 US ....
Also at one point i got an eye infection from my contacts. I went to a regular doctors office. Again, ZERO wait. He checked out my eyes and gave me a prescription to fill at the pharmacy. Without insurance the office visit cost me $15 and it was $15 to fill the prescription for antibiotics and eye drops.
So last week, back in the good old USA i got another eye infection.. went to the eye doctor.. waited half an hour to be seen and then was charged $78 for the office visit, $83 for eye drops (pharmacy) and told to make another appointment to follow it up. That visit cost me another $78.
So for the same thing, basically pink eye, cost me $30 in Korea and $240 in the US.
I cant imagine what the ER visit would have cost in the US.. but i bet A LOT more than $160
We need reform!