Gao, Australian.

Some students asked, is it expensive to see a doctor in America? Not very expensive, but super expensive. Many people will hear online complaints about the high medical expenses in the United States before going abroad. How exaggerated is it to see a doctor in America? I believe many people have heard of this stalk: "The last sentence before the US Emperor fainted: Never call an ambulance!" ! ! " .

When I saw it, maybe everyone thought it was a little funny. But the cost of calling an ambulance in America is really beyond your imagination. Generally, people will jump from $500. The most terrible thing is that American ambulances will "meter" and charge by mileage ... I have heard that someone spent $ 1.772 to get on an ambulance that took 15 minutes (9 miles), but he was not dying at that time, and was called by the staff only when he hit his teeth while swimming. Such a high ambulance "dispatching fee" often makes many weak patients or injured people feel helpless, that is, they have no choice but to worry about whether they can pay the fee.

In addition to ambulances, walking to the hospital to see a minor illness will cause you shocking medical expenses. Such as fever, dislocation, ankle sprain, finger cut by a knife and other minor injuries. If you are not careful, you will receive a medical bill that you can't put down.

Even Gao once complained on the show that medical care in America is really expensive.

This problem is not unique to international students. Even American local tyrants spit out the medical expenses in the United States, and it is easy to become poor due to illness. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why many international students will wait until the holidays before returning to China to see a doctor. Because even with round-trip air tickets, it is cheaper to see a doctor in China than in the United States.

Although international students generally buy medical insurance at school, not all medical insurance services can pay for all ambulance expenses. Under normal circumstances, they still have to pay part of their own money.

There are many reasons why American medical care has remained high. The main reasons are as follows:

The threshold for practicing doctors in America is high. The training period of American doctors is not only as long as 12- 15 years, but also the education cost is very high. The high professional threshold causes a serious shortage of doctors, which of course corresponds to the high income of doctors. When wool comes out of sheep, medical expenses will inevitably rise;

The sky-high remuneration and the existence of great occupational risks. No matter how skilled a doctor is, it is difficult to guarantee that he will not be misdiagnosed. In the United States, the cost of litigation for patients is very low. Once an accident happens, it will damage the doctor's career, and the amount of compensation will be unbearable for the doctor.

In order to reduce this situation as much as possible, the best way for doctors to avoid risks is to follow the standard procedures, prescriptions and dosages of insurance companies as far as possible, and do things according to the rules without taking risks.

American "humanitarian" medical system. There are laws in the United States that hospitals can't refuse patients, and nurses and doctors won't drive patients out of the hospital because they are poor. Therefore, the charging mode of American medical care is generally to see a doctor first and then pay.

This directly leads to the abuse of medical resources by many illegal immigrants and low-income or even non-income people. Drug addicts go to the hospital to take morphine, but they have no money to eat and stay in hospital to eat and drink. For those who can't afford these high medical expenses, most of the medical expenses are unfunded. These high consultation fees are either made up by hospitals themselves or reported by the government. In order to make ends meet, medical institutions can only share costs from people with insurance and income.

The price of medical expenses in the United States is opaque. Different treatment costs will vary greatly in different hospitals. The most important thing is that patients as "consumers" have no way to know how much they will spend before deciding on a treatment.

Of course, there are still many criticisms in the American medical system, which leads to high medical expenses in the United States. Anyway, in America, it really is. ....

For international students in China, it is particularly important to ensure their safety abroad and learn to help themselves. Should I go to the hospital for a big injury or a big bump? If you have a minor illness, you can solve it by taking medicine yourself. Don't "trouble" the hospital.

What medicine should I take to America?

The United States has strict regulations on the purchase and sale of drugs, and many drugs are not allowed to go through customs. Cold, cough, sore throat and stomachache are all western medicines used in China. These medicines need not be taken. At first, I will bring some topical medicines for relieving pain and itching from falls to the United States, which is not easy to find and some local medicines are not very easy to use. It is strongly recommended to bring some Ma Yinglong and dermatitis ointment, and Hong Kong Wan Li Zhuifeng Zhitong ointment can also be prepared.

There are generally no specialized pharmacies in the United States. So, where can I buy medicine?

Large chain stores?

Commonly used drugs can be bought in the drug monopoly area of large chain stores, and the price is also suitable. The pharmacists employed by these "pharmacies" all graduated from regular schools and obtained examination certificates. Therefore, as long as you explain the symptoms such as stomach acid, stomach pain, low back pain and headache to pharmacists, they will soon find suitable and inexpensive over-the-counter drugs to relieve the pain.

Convenience store

I have seen many convenience stores like CVS pharmacy, Rite Aid pharmacy and Walgreen pharmacy on the street. If these convenience stores are marked with the word drugstore, they usually sell medicines. Go straight into the convenience store, cross the shelves of food and daily necessities, and you will see the drug shelves and the drug counter with pharmacists dispensing drugs.

Filling?Station?

If you suddenly feel unwell, and you can't find the pharmacy nearby for a while, don't worry, you can go to a nearby gas station to have a look. All gas stations in the United States have convenience stores, which are usually open 24 hours a day. It is convenient to buy things here in the morning or at night, and the price is not too expensive. In addition to selling auto supplies such as coffee, drinks, food, cigarettes, engine oil and antifreeze, gas station convenience stores generally sell commonly used over-the-counter drugs.

For details, please stamp Dalian Xueweigui subscription number (dlguixue)