Welp, nothing like having nothing to do cuz I’m in the hospital to start my first Life in Taiwan series. More about the hospital stay in another post.
I’m sure you’ve heard about how great Taiwan’s healthcare system is. With one being how cheap it is to get the treatment compared to back home. My experience has been out of pocket is often about the same or double my co-pay back in the states. For office visits.
Since we’ve been here for so long, I decided to get all the tests I’ve ever wanted to get out of pocket since I’m having a midlife crisis.
What Kind of Tests Can You Get?
Well now, whatever you want to pay for! Typically they come in tiers of checkups. A standard out of pocket one can have blood draws that do cholesterol, cancer markers, ultra sounds, etc. Then you can have
- Colonoscopy / endoscopy
- Low Dose CT for lung
- EKG and other tests for heart
- MRI of whatever body parts you want
- OBGYN related
- X-ray for body fat
- Osteoporosis checkup
- Tumor markers
- Rheumatology
Here’s a sample list from Cathay Hospital Health Clinic.
I suggest you think about your family medical history and what you may want to get checked up for based on that. For example, I lived close to the freeway for many years, and also I read that women often get lung related diseases due to the years we spend cooking (especially Chinese food which has a lot of smoke), so I got a LDCT scan.
This is a scan that is not often done in US. But since Taiwan has a lot of lung cancer and out of pocket checkup isn’t expensive, they’ve been pushing it here. Usually by the time lung cancer shows symptoms it’s a bit late.
I also thought of my family history and asked for specific blood tests that and checkups related to that. Read about my checkup here.
How Much Does It Cost?
Honestly, it doesn’t differ THAT a much between hospitals. What you’re looking for is a check up at a 健康中心. Many hospitals have them. There are also dedicated health clinics. I would say expect a basic one to start at $150 USD and then go up to $2000-$3000 USD if you’re adding in expensive machines like CT, MRI, colonoscopy and endoscopy.
I personally wouldn’t do a super cheap one because US insurance covers most of these basic checkups for the price of a copay. It may not be as “comprehensive” looking on paper when you get the report. The Taiwanese ones look very impressive But at the end of the day it’s your basic cholesterol basic health checkup.
Instead, budget $1000-$3000 USD, with average around $2000. ($6-7萬）
😱😱😱 I know, it sounds like a lot. But we’re talking about CT and MRI scans here. Perhaps something to do if you have a similar mid life crisis or want to do it for your 50th birthday.
Since costs don’t really differ by a lot, Unless you really want the cheapest, comparison shop base on other factors, namely, the healthcare check up packages you want. Every clinic offers slightly different packages. Another factor may be language and after checkup service.
For specifics on what I got, check out my review of 北投健康中心.
Where to Get It
As I mentioned, all hospitals do them in their special health checkup centers. It’s called 健康中心. This is a bit different than your checkups that are covered under health insurance. Taiwan has those too though it’s not annual like my US insurance.
Famous hospital in Taiwan is 台大 NTU. But apparently you need to make your reservations up to 6 months in advance. I also looked at 慈濟 Tzu Chi, 台北和平醫院, which may be the city hospital, and the local hospital closest to me. Other ones are 國泰 Cathay, 榮總 Veterans Hospital.
Considerations
- English?
- Consultation after checkup
- Packages offered
- Referrals
At the end, I went with 北投健康中心 because they cater to foreigners and can provide an English escort. Their website is even in English. But know that their English packages are way more expensive than their Chinese versions.
Another reason I went with them is because I got to talk to a doctor for at least half an hour afterward to ask all my questions, and more importantly, a nutritionist. My friends got a check up and they also had a doc consultation which they said lasted 20 minutes? Probably because they had simple checkups. I know that I love to ask questions and I didn’t want to feel rushed.
Lastly, think about what happens when there’s a problem with your test results. Often they will refer you to a doc in the hospital they’re affiliated with. So you may want to go with one whose hospital you like.
All of these centers are like your Starbucks, with nice decor and lovely rooms. The higher end ones have English menus. I liked our experience at 北投健康中心 and will have a separate review for them. Since I haven’t gone to the other ones, I can’t say it’s a better choice. But I liken it to a spa experience. Everything is quiet and there are very few people in the clinic. I didn’t feel like a sardine nor rushed, which a visit to a Taiwanese hospital can make you feel.
Here are some pics of the Veterans Hospital.
Links
To save you some time, here are some links to English websites
