bradiston

33 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Seri Thai did not begin to have the effectiveness of the Viet Minh or MPAJA. Read up on those movements. By the way, it's spelled Pearl Harbor, not Pearl Harbour.

Harbor is the American spelling, anathema to a Brit, along with all the other dropped u words.

The Viet Minh had backing from the US, Russia and China. There's no comparison. Seti Thai were Thais who hated the Japanese invaders, working closely with US and Allied forces in the provision of intelligence, amongst other things. I don't see how you can just write them off. They played an extremely valuable role in liberating Thailand from the Japanese invaders.

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I can agree that the world is changing, but IMO the winner won't be the greedy, decadent, soft, bogged down in stupidities west.

If, as you believe, Thailand is choosing a side, IMO they are choosing the winning side.

Since when has abstaining amounted to choosing a side? I wonder if the other 42 countries that abstained would accept they were, in reality, voting for "the winning side". If the winning side is made up of those that voted against, then I think they will be busy in the next transfer market. Kim Wrong'un in goal? Lukashenko up front? Assad midfield? Trouble is, with only 5 players, they might find themselves a bit stretched. A complete bunch of tossers.

Walk on, walk on...

I found an archived thread for this topic but no further information. Does anyone have a source for this? Please don't suggest Lazada or Shopee. Although the latter advertise something akin to what I'm looking for, it seems it's mislabeled. And I'm not interested in cosmetic grade/refined versions. TIA.

7 hours ago, aussiexpat said:

You walk away from 200 baht for an hour massage, wow, you make them work hard for their money lol

 

I actually thought all the 150/200 shops gave extras which is why so cheap? Guess not.

 

I pay 350 for a good massage on corner of soi 15 and soi bukhao (about 20m down soi 15, before rib shack). 

The less they charge, the more I tip. The girl gets the money that way. Used to work the same way in the bars but some of my favourite places (I don't go to bars any more) changed all that and enforced a buy the girl a drink rule, rather than cash. That way the management take their cut. I don't drink anymore either so was being charged 120 for a soda. What a life.

There's a blind massage parlor just off thappraya, down the walking street alley. 180. Now I would say they do know what they're doing. Best value in Pattaya.

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yeah they all agree to fix the price and raise to 150, same barber shops. There are still 100 baht massage shops around on Buakhao and side roads

Same in Jomtien/Pratamnak area. All 200 minimum. Won't budge. Never understood that mentality. I walk away every time.

When I lived in Lengkee I went almost everyday to Lotus Ann on Klang, right on exit from Buakhao, first on the right. Was 80 THB 2 years ago, now 150. They've lost one or two of their best masseuses (gone abroad) but still maintain a decent standard.

2 hours ago, nahkit said:

The government insurance is included when you pay your vehicle road tax and covers medical expenses up to 30k in the case of a motorcycle accident. So no, if you don't have a legally taxed vehicle in Thailand then you won't have it.

 

My response "comes into the discussion" because you yourself mentioned other sources of insurance in the event of a traffic accident.

My apologies. I ride a hired bike. The company I hire from is well established amongst foreigners (they're on Soi Buakhao, and have been there for an age), but I never bothered to ask about insurance. I had a scrape once with a taxi but the taxi driver settled with the bike company "out of court". I will make enquiries.

10 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Villa sells a Half cream, like a half/half.  Makro as well.  As far as the coffee creamers like back home they do not exist here in Thailand.  I make my own by adding liquid Vanilla and some other liquid flavorings like hazelnut and caramel to the Heavy Cream I use.  

I use this too as it's half the price of whipping cream. But the carton doesn't have any nutrition facts on it, and being a namby pamby woke keto dieter, I'm interested in carb content. The whipping cream is keto friendly, as someone else points out. Is this what you mean by "heavy cream"? I found it didn't keep well after opening even in the fridge. Both are great for protein shakes with coconut and almond milk.

21 minutes ago, sidjameson said:

I heard a stat that retirees die with an average of 70% of their savings unspent. 

That's interesting. I guess it comes from saving all your life. Difficult to let it all go.

1 hour ago, Sparktrader said:

15 years of misery without Thailand.

My first experiences of Thailand in the mid 80s were vastly different to when I came back in early 2000s. But you're right in one sense. I should probably never have left!

1 hour ago, PJ71 said:

that's great but i bet you'd have quit each one of them in heart beat if you could.

Absolutely not! I was being/getting well paid. I had a plan. I enjoyed my work. As a postie I worked every hour of over time given. I cycled to work and back every day, 5am start, Kilburn to Golders Green. In the afternoon I did the knowledge. Took almost 3 years. A lot of things start to go right for you when you dig yourself out of the day to day rut. There's so little incentive here, and almost 0 initiative. I know where it starts, and why. We all do. But it's a completely taboo subject, so best not go there.

26 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

I don't know anyone anywhere that enjoys their job.

I had 3 great jobs in succession. They didn't have a lot in common. System admin and programmer, postie, London cabbie. I loved every minute of each one. My point is, you can treat every job as a challenge, make it work for you, work really hard, and reap the rewards. You can turn any job in the world into heaven or hell. It's up to you.

I took no holidays for 7 years, I was a single parent. I finally had enough to return to Thailand after a 15 year absence and put the deposit down on a house out here. Never looked back. It really REALLY helps to have a plan, which is where I think maybe Thais fall down. The wages are so low, how an you plan for a better future?

2 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

If two or more policies are covering the same loss, there are a couple of things that would need to be looked into. First is whether one policy states that it is primary coverage, if it is silent, or states that it only pays if all other insurance has been exhausted. If it is primary, it should pay first. If two policies state that they are primary or are both silent, then one needs to look to see if one is a more specific type of policy. A motor policy with PA benefits would probably be considered to be more specific for a motor-related claim than a standard PA policy covering all types of accidents. 

 

There are other scenarios such as when two or more policies pay on a contributory basis.  It is usually best to avoid situations where policies pay on a contributory basis, because it may cause gaps and shortfalls if the policies are not almost identical, although there may be times when contributory policies are desirable.

 

The above does not apply to accidental death or dismemberment benefits under PA policies where multiple policies may pay these types of benefits without violating the principle of indemnity.

I'm wondering whether the suggestion by my insurer to take out multiple policies in order to beef up a particular aspect of the cover, eg medical expenses, is actually viable. It suggests claiming on all 5 policies every time you had legitimate cause to claim on just one of them is a possibility. Hmmm. Yet more questions. So all claims could be increased by a factor of 5.

10 minutes ago, nahkit said:

I have personal health insurance with Pacific Cross which has a 40k baht deductible. I top this up with a Chubb PA policy which includes, amongst other coverage, coverage for accidents up to 100,000 baht. 

 

I can confirm that my Chubb policy definitely covers me for broken bones having made two claims, once for a broken thumb and the 2nd time for a broken leg (both of them motorcycle accidents).

 

The Chubb policy costs me just over 5k a year and includes my wife (presumably its calculated on age, I'm in my sixties).

 

Bradiston being quoted 9k for similar coverage seems very excessive.

 

"Plus, some insurers will look at what other policies you have. If you have motor vehicle insurance, a health insurer might say that that is the prime insurance provider if you suffer injuries as a result of an RTA. They might step in if the funds from that policy become exhausted but I'm not in any ways an expert. The whole things a minefield. "

 

When the claim for hospital treatment for the broken leg was submitted to my insurer, nobody asked me if I had motor insurance coverage. I used a combination of the government insurance/Chubb insurance to cover the 40k deductible that I would have otherwise been responsible for, there was some initial confusion on the part of the hospital as to who was covering what but my insurance agent, who speaks reasonable english, dealt with any queries they had.

It's possible we're not comparing like for like. You say you have "coverage for accidents for 100k". Is that for medical expenses? I'm 72. I fit into a much higher premium bracket than a 6x year old. There are much cheaper policies available with the same insurer, starting at 2,900 pa, then 4,500 pa, but which carry only 20k and 50k medical expenses cover respectively for my age and occupation group. The 9k I'm being quoted drops to 6.5k and 7.8k for the 61-65 and 66-70 age groups respectively. I think the cover for accidents is adequate - 7 figures, except motorbikes, at 500k.

Yes, your PA policy covers broken bones, but the 100k you mention covers what, exactly? Were all expenses covered by your PA insurance? You say you used "government insurance". Not sure where that comes into a discussion of PA and private medical insurance. I certainly don't have it.

42 minutes ago, racket said:

I would, since Vladimir Putin is finally breaking the neck of the globalists scumbags. BRICS is the future. 

BRICS without Bolsonaro and Brazil would be an interesting prospect. Do you think Lula is likely to fall into line with Putin and Xi? And Modi seems not to know which way to turn. You think Putin's your friend? He's wringing Europe's neck, that's for sure, but as Churchill said, some neck, some chicken. Europe has to learn to fight again. It's become just a massive bureaucracy and Putin saw that.

21 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

Thanks for the clarification. That helps myself and others!

I posted this rather lengthy reply which may fall under a TLDR heading. I'll add it here, as I was unable to edit my original reply.

It covers both, pillion and driver, but it's a good question. There are a million and one pages on the web on the subject of accident v health insurance. Some quote medical policies that have accident cover as an add on, others mention that insurance is mandatory for instance for owning a motor vehicle. In the UK this minimum used to be called 3rd party, fire and theft, meaning by law you had to insure against, amongst other things, injuries to a 3rd party if caused by you. Of course in discussing motor insurance, you need to include vehicle damage so it becomes a completely different beast to health insurance. Plus, some insurers will look at what other policies you have. If you have motor vehicle insurance, a health insurer might say that that is the prime insurance provider if you suffer injuries as a result of an RTA. They might step in if the funds from that policy become exhausted but I'm not in any ways an expert. The whole things a minefield. So I think the suggestion to take out multiple personal accident policies isn't such a crazy idea. Ok, it's an extra 45k THB pa, £1200 maybe, £100 pm, but if it saves you lengthy and costly legal arguments, and gets you patched up and back on your feet, could be it might prove worthwhile. (Note the could be/might be!). But could be, as some very helpful and knowledgeable people have said, superfluous.

5 minutes ago, The Fugitive said:

You mention treatment following a moto accident. Would that be as a driver or pillion and/or being a moto taxi passenger? If as a driver wouldn't you need to be covered by your own motor insurance?

It covers both

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

For what you are looking for, health insurance is the way to go, even Pacific Cross 3m type cover is better than the one you're looking at, 500k isn't enough

I have health cover but there's a question mark over whether it covers slipping over in the bathroom and cracking my noggin on the washbasin, or something similar. Hip?  Elbow? Wrist? Motorcycle accident? The overlap between health and accident seems a grey area, so cover all bases for the extra is maybe worth it. My health insurers say I'd be covered for in house care after a serious fall, eg hip replacement. But, I don't have it in black and white, written down anywhere I can see. I researched the cost of hip replacement in Thailand. Anything between 300k and heaven knows where. 1.5m? Could be. But you'll not find the latter kind of medical expenses cover anywhere I don't think.

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

45k premium for 500k cover sounds really rubbish

The 500k is just medical expenses, which is what I was looking for. It would also include 2.5m for motorcycle accident, 5m physical assault or murder (?), 10m public accident (stampede?), 5m for non motorbike related accident. But all the accident cover is linked to life cover, so typically Thai. In other words, accidents resulting in loss of life, limb, sight etc. I'm not sure about the motorcycle cover. SOS included. Maybe broken bones is included. So many questions, and each one needing a separate answer.

On 10/5/2022 at 9:52 PM, bradiston said:

It was Happy Senior 3. I won't renew. It only covers 100,000 of medical expenses. Wouldn't even cover a broken toe.

It was suggested, by the insurers themselves, that if I wanted more in medical expenses, I buy 5 low end policies (actually 9k each pa) which pay 100k in medical expenses. I checked with the company and apparently this is permitted. It would cost me 45k THB pa to get 500k medical expenses, plus 5 times the life cover. Maybe worth it? Anyone any experience of this? I think it is a reputable Thai company. But I guess there might be something in the small print that says only one claim per policy(holder). I wonder if there's a catch, but that's now built into my psyche!

10 hours ago, marcus111 said:

Just curious....

Do you speak fluent "THAI" if you are doing translation and teaching..????

More so translation...????

Or even fluent English

2 hours ago, tomster said:

Hi Bradiston,

 

Can I ask what the name of your Allianz policy is?

 

I am looking at their My Health policy and it covers 8 million including illness or accident (I think).

 

Trying to get clarity on this as it seems like your cover with them is limited on the accident side of things.

 

The policy I am looking at is 58k though which is obviously quite expensive.

 

Cheers.

It was Happy Senior 3. I won't renew. It only covers 100,000 of medical expenses. Wouldn't even cover a broken toe.

2 hours ago, tomster said:

Hi Bradiston,

 

Can I ask what the name of your Allianz policy is?

 

I am looking at their My Health policy and it covers 8 million including illness or accident (I think).

 

Trying to get clarity on this as it seems like your cover with them is limited on the accident side of things.

 

The policy I am looking at is 58k though which is obviously quite expensive.

 

Cheers.

You're looking at health insurance. I was looking for Personal Accident Insurance. It may be the health insurance will cover hospitalisation after a serious accident. My insurers have confirmed this, but they'll probably tell me exactly what I want to hear. It's a minefield.

1 hour ago, internationalism said:

if you have health policy, it also does cover accident, to the limit of your policy. 

 

that's explanation from Kay from misterprakan.com , which I got the last year:

"You will be covered the maximum amount of the insurance per accident as long as you are not doing anything illegal (driving drunk, racing, driving without a license). 

The coverage for accidents is the same as the coverage for any illness and covid. They will just follow your coverage for premier plus. So maximum coverage is 3 million per year following the terms of your plan."

 

I have pacific cross. In their health plans accident is included and covers 100-400k per year (depending on which policy you have). That covers disability, loss, but also smallish outpatient accident - will include broken bones. 

Your hypothetical hip replacement after accident will be covered by your health policy. For any treatment which includes general anasthesia you will have to be admitted to hospital and health policy is paying.

 

With pacific cross you can upgrade accident to 1mln (possibly much more, some 5mln, when taking their top end policies) for 150b for each additional 100k.

 

If you decide to take only PA, bear in mind:

"Medical Expenses Benefit

Medical expenses benefit is usually 10% of the insured amount, although some insurance companies have made their own policies that cover more for medical expenses. This coverage will benefit the insured person should an accident result to an injury that requires hospitalization."

"https://misterprakan.com/en/accident/personal-accident-insurance

 

I would rather upgrade health policy, than get separate PA. Unless you have large deductible. Or don't want to lose no claim discount (and also risk premium hike for the next 2 years) - as is the case with pacific cross

Yes, you're right, so I'm chasing up my medical insurers to find out if they cover any accident related hospital admissions.