Sheryl

Actually this site says $50,000 inlcuding COVID in some places and $100,000 COVID sopecific in others on the same page. In addition, under visa requirements it states 40/400K for O and O-X visas and none for O-A, clearly a mistake. The 40/400 was for O-A and O-X and nto for O; even if they have now extebnded it to new O visas they would nto have lifted it for O-A. Also, makes no sense to have a lower insruance requirement for the visa issuance than for entry into the country. I think still quite confused guidance. Alnd yet clear what sort of documentation is needed for insurance policies under the new $50,000 requirement.

Every 10 years unless high risk. High risk would include positive family history or prior colonscopies finding multiple polyps or one or more large polyp (>10mm). Signmopidoscopy (as oppoied to colonoscopy) is every 5 years.

Cigna Global is usually best bet for expat policy over age 80, could consider either their Silver Plan and Close Care Plans. You should get through a broker, very important as they will help with claims afterwards and Cigna especially can be time consuming to deal with (nothing sinister - just ditsy/inefficient admin staff) . Also - extremely important - they can help get the necessary certifications for re-entry which can otherwise be hard to obtain from most insurers. Note that the new re-entry rules are very new and it is not yet clear what type of documentation will be required/accepted but this should become more apparent in the coming month or two. Cigna Silver Plan, even with a large deductible (excess), will cost most than 200K a year. You can see different rates under different deductible and copay scenarios online here: https://www.cignaglobal.com/quote/pages/quote/PersonalInformationLiteV4.html?new=true Warning: do nto enter your true email and phone number or you will be hounded by agents. Close Care premiums should be less bu you can't get quotes online, ask broker. Other alternative is to get a travel policy for the time interval you will be stamped back in for on return. (Same as the date on your current permission to stay or on your re-entry permit). While this will work for re-entry requirements, it may come to pass that insurance will be required for annual extensions of stay at which point travel policy is not a feasible approach. For broker, I recommend AA Insurance www.aainsure.net Offices in Pattaya and Hua Hin or can do it all online

Personally, if the problem is runny nose then rather than taking systemic medications which contain multiple drugs, most of which you don't need, I prefer to use nasal spray Ask for nose drops/spray containing Oxymetazoline, there are a number if brands.

Dizziness (especially when standing) is a known side effect of tamsulosin. Since it has decreased since you stopped the tablets, I'd give it a bot more time to see if it fully resolves. But then of course you still have the problem of what to do re your prostate.may need to return to urologist and ask about alternate medication. I would also suggest you check your blood pressure in different postures, as usually people take it when sitting down. Try: - immediately after standing up - After walking a bit and while feeling dizzy

FIT is a newer test nto yet widely available (if at all) in Thailand. Most labs here still use older forms of test which are nto as accurate. Whatever type of test for occult blood is done, if positive it will have to be followed by a colonoscopy. It is also necessary to do such testing every year as opposed to the once in 10 year schedule for colonoscopy.

Cetirizine lasts longer, dosage is once a day - you could try it. Brand name Zyrtec plus countless local brands. If nasal stuffiness or sinus congestion (as opposed to itchy eyes etc) are prominent features then you might also benefit from steroid nasal drops/spray but should not self prescribe this, see a good ENT first as there might also be a degree of chronic sinusitis present in which case might also need an antibiotic. Where in Thailand are you located?

The 850 baht policies are for people already residing in Thailand, not people newly entering the country. The 400/40 requirement was for the O-A visa. It is still listed as a requirement for the O-A and O-X visas on many Embassy websites, which is of course quite confusing given that there is a requirement for a $50,000 policy to enter the country.....

Except for PSA, absolutely not worthwhile - none of these tests are suitable for cancer screening. Many false negatives and also positives due to conditions other than cancer. Private hospitals love these tests as they lead to a lot of other, expensive (and often unnecessray) tests.Not a single public health authority in the world recommends AFP, CEA and CA-199 for mass screening.

CEA is absolutely not a suitable screening tool and should never be used for that purpose. Not only will it not show presence of polyps, it will nto show many cancers and on the other hand will often be positive in the absence of cancer. " CEA is not recommended for screening or diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Sensitivity and specificity are both very low as levels are frequently normal in early disease and may be raised in many benign diseases and most types of adenocarcinoma.... CEA has poor sensitivity for diagnosis of early colorectal cancer, (3%, 25%, 45%,and 56% in Dukes stage A, B, C and D colorectal cancer respectively, at a cut off of 5 ug/L) Specificity is also poor, as many benign diseases as well as most types of adenocarcinoma can give rise to elevated CEA concentrations Therefore CEA cannot be recommended for a screening test in unselected individuals and cannot be used alone for diagnosing or ruling out colorectal cancer." http://www.nbt.nhs.uk › sites › default › files › G... Stool test for occult blood is better than nothing but nowhere equal to a colonoscopy. Further tests will be necessaery if it is positive, it will often fail to detect polyps, etc. Colonoscopy is still the gold standard for screening for colorectal cancer, and has the huge advantage of not only identifying but allowing for removal of pre-cancerous polyps.

Any of the benzos (valium, xanax etc) would likely work but these are controlled drugs, you cannot legally buy over the counter. If you do decide to take something I suggest to make it something you have taken before (or do a trial run) as some people have paradoxical reactions. And of course do nto plan on driving afterwards.

But is it a 50 (or 100k) COVID policy or a general insurance policy that includes COVID? In other words, can the liusted COVID policies still be used? BTW I think your agent may be wrong re people entering on O re-entry permits. Only COVID insurance has been required for that for some time.

"All travelers are required to purchase valid travel insurance that covers medical expenses including COVID-19 treatments of up to 50,000 U.S. dollars. The previous coverage required was 100,000 U.S. dollars." This seems to imply that a COVID only policy - such as shown on https://covid19.tgia.org/ is not allowed. Is that correct?

There are many, many possible causes of dizziness. It would help to know: 1. Name and dose of the prostate medicine you stopped and of the BP medicine you take 2, Have you recently received Astra Zeneca COVID vaccine? (Dizziness is common side effect)

Closer to 30K these days in Bangkok

Prices will vary not only with the hospital but also with the type of MRI (which part of the body, with or without contrast)

I strongly advise that you select an internationally issued policy and not a Thai issued one as the later can and will raise premiums based on claims history (by as much as 25% per year on top of age-related increases) , making lifetime guaranteed renewal meaningless as you can get priced out just when you most need your insurance.

Ultrasound is much cheaper so, assuming no other symptoms, could start with that

No, not normal. Abdominal ultrasound is good idea.

Ask AA about April Global, which is what I have and got through them.

If you have your own 800K there is little to no reason to use an agent.

Yes.

Moved to the CBD forum

As others have said -- entirely usual for US insurance policies to not cover costs outside the US. Even when there is provision for emergency care abroad it is usually timebound e.g. for trips of not more than 21 - 30 days. There is no US based insurance I am aware of that would meet the needs of an expat living abroad. You need to get a specific expat policy, of which there are many. If expecting to make regular (short term) visits back to the US, and needing cover there as well, Cigna Global's Close Care policy might be a good fit (issued by Cigna Global, not Cigna US). Buit whatever you opt for, get it through a good broker familiar with expat health care. I suggest AA Brokers, www.aainsure.net Or if you are in Thailand just temporarily, get a travel policy. If here for work, discuss the insurance limitations with your employer.

But apparently still inpatient AND outpatient...all outpatient not just the high cost outpatient things like chemotherapy and dialysis, day surgery etc. The outpatient part is the problem. That and the fact that: 1. Most Thai companies will not issue new policies to people over 65, and none will do so after age 75, making it impossible for much of the target group to comply with the requirement. 2. Foreign policies effectively cannot be used due to the wording of the required "Foreign Insurance Certificate".