While healthcare is less expensive in some parts of Asia, several Asian countries have very costly healthcare services that are comparable with the United States. Most expatriates moving to Asia will opt for global healthcare as they will not be covered by local health plans or those plans are not able to cover their requirements or offer adequate access to medical care. In many parts of Asia, there are issues such as communication problems, longer waiting periods, little or no privacy and less sophisticated equipment. There may be significant differences in the quality of service and medical expenses incurred between treatments received at public and private healthcare facilities in different parts of Asia.
Private healthcare facilities in Asia have English-speaking physicians, state-of-the-art testing equipment, and little-to-no waiting time. Due to the standard of such care, obtaining an expat health insurance plan for Asia can provide peace of mind and excellent access to care locally and regionally. For certain complicated surgeries or specialty services in Asia, it may be recommended that one travel abroad for better treatment. A comprehensive expat health insurance plan can take care of all the incurred expenses.
Learn more about global healthcare for countries in Southeast Asia. We have provided some great information for expatriates living in this region who require global health insurance and information. This includes: Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
Most countries in Asia have some form of public healthcare plans for their citizens. The effectiveness of these plans varies from country to country. Japan, Singapore, and South Korea are some countries in Asia where the healthcare system continues to maintain consistently high standards. China and Indonesia are countries where the healthcare system is exceptional in major cities via private care, but medical care drops off once you start to get into rural and remote regions. Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar fall into the category of nations where the state of healthcare is deficient. Good expat health insurance plans can help avoid any kind of strain for those visiting these countries and rural regions.
Certain commonly used drugs are accessible from pharmacies in many Asian countries without any prescription. Also, if you are comfortable with the local language, you can easily buy many kinds of non-prescriptive drugs for just a few dollars. Some expats in Asia may self-insure out-patient care and medicine if they live in a country where such costs are minimal.
