Sheryl

The Official Information Act 1997 in Thailand pertains only to government entities. I am not aware of any Thai law that would enable you to obtain internal emails from a private company. Police can of course get such if it is part of a criminal complaint (and they trouble to seek it) but as a civil litigant I do not think you can. If as you stated in your OP you are seeking only refund of premiums then >95% chance complaint to OIC will resolve it, subject of course to policy provisions. If you are seeking more of a refund than policy terms allow for, you will not get that through OIC and very, very unlikely to get it in court either. If contrary to your OP there is more in dispute than premium refund (e.g. a claims dispute) then resolution through OIC is more iffy but I would still give it at least 50-60% odds. The problem is that OIC is good at enforcing contractual terms of a policy but lacks any medical expertise (so too do most Thai health insurers which is often part of the problem to begin with). However just knowing you have lodged a complaint with OIC will often be enough to spur an insurance company to settle with you as they do not want OIC investigation. Contrary to what some posters here have assumed, OIC is not on a cozy basis with the insurers but rather very much in a regulatory role and they fear it.

It would indeed have been at the beginning of its use and very few therapists were at that point certified in its use. I have some doubts as to whether the one you worked with was. And, even if he was (open to doubt) he could nto possibly have had much experience with it. I have undergone EMDR myself with 2 different therapists and excellent results. Both were certified and very experienced, in fact one was an instructor in it. We did not go straight into EMDR, started it after a number of conventional talk sessions first to build rapport and give the therapist a feel for the issues. The EMDR process itself as I underwent it emphasized letting the client have control and proceeding very careful always mindful of the response. It is often best to start with memories/events that are lower on the trauma scale first and slowly move on to the more loaded ones, always geared to patient's tolerance and ensuring that the process does nto result in re-traumatization but rather in successful processing of the trauma in question. Elements of Cognitive therapy were mixed in, i.e. with each traumatic memory underlying beliefs about it were identified and replaced with more realisitic and constructive beliefs. I would urge you to give this another try. Done right, it really, really works.

I fully understand the bit about wanting to cancel. I actually advise people against getting Thai-based policies. Nonetheless your OP stated what you seek is refund of premiums paid, having cancelled your policy. No mention of a claims dispute, just refund of premiums, So my questions stand: what are the policy conditions for that? And do you have proof you notified company of cancellation and requested refund?

Any lab can do a simple dipstick test for nitrates. But sensitivity is quite low. In no way as accurate as a culture, and cultures require special facilities. Many commercial labs do not do this. Many labs (but not all) can also do a microscopic examination of urine for the presence of white blood cells. This too has very low sensitivity (<50%). One needs to look very criticall at what a "urinalysis", at either a lab or a hospital, actually concssts of. A lot of places are doing a simple dipstick test.

What type of test exactly did they do? As urine culture is definitely not on their webpage list. I suspect maybe a simple dipstick test for nitrates? (which for UTI in a man, not what is needed).

Culture and sensitivity is not a simple test. Many labs cannot do it.

A great deal depends on the skill of the EMDR-trained (and hopefully, certified) provider and the degree of trust and rapport between them and the client. EMDR was not even developed until 1987 and has been further refined since. I would suggest giving it another try, world of difference between how it was done back then and how it is done now. But make sure first your therapist is EMDR certified. You can find listing here https://www.emdria.org/find-an-emdr-therapist/ In Asia pickings are slim but if you are in the US, many providers to choose from.

A question for those fro mthe UK: What on earth is the difference between a "state pension" and a government pension? I see the distinction in the UK-Thai DTA but have no idea what it means, to me a "state pension" and a "government pension" would mean the same thing. ???

It is very much not a pension. It is not a pay out of your contributions (plus your employer's contributions on your behalf). It is funded through a tax on currently employed people. Today's working people pay for their elders' SS. Which is exactly why, with numbers of older people rising, there is such uncertainty about future benefits.

Infection confined to bladder or prostate will not cause/explain back pain. Back pain does occur in kidney infections but these are severe illness accompanied by high fever and often vomiting. Occasionally a kidney cyst will cause back pain. test for infection won't determine if you have a kidney cyst, and most kidney cysts do not warrant treatment. The back pain stopping twice when taking antibiotics is almost certainly coincidence not causation. The intensity and type of back pain often changes. If I were you I would drop this line of inquery and see a good physiotherapist re your back.

Worth noting that US Social Security is not a pension. Which is why future benefit levels are hard to predict. It is not funded by what you paid into it but by a payroll tax being paid by all currently employed persons.

The issue is not where but what test. What you actually need, if you have symptoms suggestive of a urinary tract infection, is a urine culture and (if positive) sensitivity. All hospitals and some major labs in Bangkok can do this - it is not listed on the webpage of Lifecare or CCs Labs. Many doctors will try to skip that and just provide antibiotics (shot gun approach) first. Which can make it subsequently difficult to identify the causative organism and suitable antibiotic if the initial treatment fails. Note that even with urine culture, prostate infections may be missed. Semen culture is better but good luck persuading a Thai doctor to order this. Ideally, should get both urine and semen culture and, if then sensitivity if either are positive. These are never part of check up packages you'd have to see a urologist first and have him order them. you might try calling Dr. Olivier Clinic but make sure to specify: urine culture and sensitivity semen culture and sensitivity (NOT sperm count which is usual semen test). I doubt they do this onsite but they can probably send it out to a hospital lab and you may do better in getting Dr. Olivier to order this than you would with a Thai doctor. Highly unlikely you have a kidney infection as if you did, you'd be severely ill (high fever etc). But bladder or prostate infection possible especially if you have an enlarged prostate.

.Age related SS benefits are not related to the number and age of dependents. There are some specific situations where a dependent child (aged under 18, or aged 18-19 and still in school) can themselves receive a SS benefit tied to the retiree's earning record.

Yes earned includes such things. But in ths case of US Social Security it cannot be taxed in Thailand per the US Thai Tax Agreement. DITTO uS government pensions. Terms of other countries' treaties vary when it comes to pensions.

I haven't seen any policies with "small print". As your thread is about getting refund of your premium after cancellation: what are the policy conditions for that? And do you have proof you notified company of cancellation and requested refund? As this is what it will come down to.

Already ansered in another thread https://aseannow.com/topic/1309407-pls-recommend-bangkok-doc-for-ablation-for-paroxysmal-atrial-fibrillation/ This one closed.

This thread seems to assume: 1. That only things harmful to one's health are enjoyable. 2. That things harmful to one's health will only shorten life, nto affect it's quality. #2 is definitely wrong. #1 is certainly not true for everybody. Most people I know are not concerned much with the length if their life but rather with its quality - which does require some attention to health.

If you find out, let me know. The Thai Embassy in PP often applies different rules to Cambodians with regard to visa than is the norm elsewhere. As for the web site those postings are both very old and not specific to Cambodians.

Per the OP no notice - much less a couple of hours notice -- was given.

From feedback, I cannot recommend that option. At least not for anything serious or needing speciliazed care.

Nothing in the OP suggests the man in question is worried about his insurance. Nor does it imply any insurance claims were denied, on the contrary it implies all have been paid including some very hefty bills for ICU care at BPH. His friend for some reason is worried that as the insurance claims mount up at some point the insurance will no longer pay. All insurance policies have caps - -a maximum either per year or per event. Possibly he is nearing that threshold. Or, possibly his friend is unnecessarily concerned. Without details as to the specific policy impossible to say.

Making a complaint to the OIC in no way precludes subsequent legal action. The OIC is consumer-friendly. It is also inclined to be very literal with respect to insurance contract provisions. If your insurance policy states that all or part of premium is refundable, and you went through the prescribed procedure to request refund, OIC will require that the insurer issue the refund. Often as soon as insurer learns you made a complaint to the OIC, that is all it takes to spur them into action. (Provided of course your are entitled to a refund under the terms of the policy).

If she is employed but not a civil servant then she is under regular SS. Spouses are not covered, only the employee.

If unable to find in local pharmacies can order from https://medtide.com/ or https://medisafepharma.com/ For medtide you have to register and sign in to do a search. For medisafe search function online does nto work, use messenger to send inquery.

As there is a lot of confusion on this thread let me clarify: The Thai system of universal health care access has 3 channels: 1. Civil service Social Security system. This is only for civil servants; people working for government on a contractual basis do not qualify. Foreigners who are married to a civil servant, or are the legal parent of a civil servant, are covered through them. This is the only one of the 3 channels of health cover where this is true. Only biological parents or legal adoptive parents are covered; "step parents" are not. 2. Regular Social Security covers most people employed in the private sector, with exception of very small employers and some private schools. Foreigners are covered if employed but cannot be covered through a spouse or child. Once under this scheme and employed more than a year it is possible to continue it indefinitely through private contributions. 3. The "universal" or "30 baht" scheme covers all Thai nationals not covered under one of the 2 schemes listed above. Only Thai nationals are eligible.