Sheryl

And, the OP is asking where to get. Not if to get. Topic is sources of the vaccine.

I subscribed in 2018 so I don't think this is the reason. Others already subscribed have also reported this zone change and corresponding premium rise. Anyway if you are able to stay in Zone 3, even if just for a year more, thst is good. A broker can advise you on options in terms of other indlsurers but note that any pre-existing conditions will be excluded (if they do not prevent getting a policy altogether). I seem to remember you have cardiac issue?

I am not remotely intetested in "sovereignity of opin8on". I am as Moderator of this forum responsible for correcting factual inaccuracies. Vertebroplasty involves an injection through the skin into the spine. Not an "operation".

Using your US based insurance will be problematic at a government hospital. Suggest you investigate whether Ubonrak Thonburi can accept it on a direct payment (by the insurerl) basis or not. If they can not and you have to pay upfront (they might not have a relationship with that insurer) , you should be able to get adequate documentation from them to claim reimbursement whereas even that is iffy at a government hospital and smaller upcountry private hospitals. (May have to handle the pre-authorization process yourself in such an instance).

The meditation center I referred to is not a wat but secular meditation center. The teaching is secular and mot involved with religous or dogmstic beliefs. Teaching from a monk at a wat will be in a Buddhist setting, obviously but Budrhism does not involve belief in or worship of, any sort of diety. And the technique of samadhi meditation is completely free of any "ism", it just works with breath. A monk able to teach this is unlikely to object to teaching a non-Buddhist; the technique itself is universal and secular. As mentioned I am not sure either is suitable for you at this time but religous beliefs of lack thereof is never a barrier to either. I am not aware if the world Federation of ADHD having any presence in Thailand.

I don't understand what you mean. Neithr place is a "rip off", both offer standard influenza vaccine and at half or less of private hodpital cost.

The amount mentioned is quite reasonable for health insurance at that age. In fact lower than any other I know of. The plan has some serious limitations and there are concerns about the long term financial viability of the company, and the transpatency of its operations , but the premium cost is definitely low.

Every state has different systems and the federal government yet another. There is no single unified government plan. Typically government employees have a choice of several group plans, all of them contracted with private insurers. These plans vary in whether they will cover someone living abroad. The situation for ex-military is complex depending on how long they served, whether in war zone or not and other factors. Only some ex-military have coverage abroad.

Not sure what you mean by "US government hospitals"? The US does not have a system of these. A few cities and counties have public hospitals, and there are federally run military and veteran hospitals. That's about it. Overwhelming majority of hospitals in US are privately owned and operated. AFAIK the health plans for US government officials let them use any hospital.

He is referring to a group insurance plan for UN employees. Not available to general public. Health plans of large instutions can afford to continue to cover retirees (on an optional basis and at their expense) since they have a large base of mandatorily included working age people. A major problem for private insurers --- and most especially for private insurer expatriate plans -- is that they tend to attract an older demographic and to have comparatively few healthy younger people enrolled. Opposite situation to that of UN and governmental health plans.

Vertebroplasty is not an operation. It is a percutaneous procedure. And it is commonly done in cases where pain persists/worsens despite passage of time (a full year in this case) and conservative measures. Whether it (or any other intervention) is appropriate in the OP's specific case has to be determined by a specialist.

It is not that he was an NHS employee. All UK citizens are covered by the NHS which is s national healy system not an Empl9yer plan. But it does not cover health care costs abroad. The sort of cover that @Ben Zioner has is unavailable to majority of people. Including the OP.

I don't see how they could at initial application since application would be made from outside Thailand. But like all the new visa changes, need to wait for all the details.

There are some offerings in the islands which you will readily find on Google, mostly led by Westerners who may or may not have any formal training. Caveat Emptor. Most meditation in Thailand is related to Buddhist traditions, which Yoga Nidra is not. There is a center teaching Vipassana Meditation in Khon Kaen https://suvanna.dhamma.org/ But read the Code of Discipline carefully and consider whether you would be able to follow it, especially the no talking and staying within the center for a full 10 days. Note that you will be required to sit in meditation for most of the day from early morning to night, an hour at a time with just brief breaks in between. If you are unsure of your ability to do that, do not apply. If you do apply, be frank about your condition and list the medication you are on. Do not stop any prescribed medication while in the retreat. You might also be able to find a Buddhist temple nearby teaching simple "Samadhi" meditation, ask around. There are undoubtly a number but the catch will be finding one with an English speaking monk. Samadi is actually used as opening technique for Vipassana but is less taxing than actual Viopassana so might be a good place to start.

It depends on the doctor's schedule, some only have hours 1-2 times a week, some daily. It won't be a month long wait but it could be up to a week, it all depends. i would suggest to set up appointments in advance. Surgery can usually be done pretty soon although a day or two is pushing it - you will need some pre-op labs for example. But good chance to get the surgery within a week of the consutlation.

No. L-A is a specific type of visa for migrant workers from neighbouring countries. Presumably what are now non-O, non O-A and non-O-X visas visas will come under 5, Other. What is unclear is what effect this may have in terms of say health insurance requirements which are currently limited to O-A and O-X. Also presumably O visas on basis of marriage and dependency will also come under 5, Other. Also I would assume this reclassification will effect issuance of new visas, not extensions of existing non-O visas....? The LTR visa is an altogether different thing and I think not classified as an "o" visa?

I recommend you see Prof. Wicharn at the BNH Hospital Spine Center https://www.bnhhospital.com/search-doctor/entry/4093/ Bring CD of your MRI with you. He will do an Xray there (he has his own special protocol for Xrays). As you might know, this condition is often treated by vertebroplasty which is a minimally invasive technique which injects liquid cement into the bone. For physical therapy. get Prof Wicharn advice before starting it. You might then like to use the BNH hospital PT department or, if not, this stand alone PT place is recommended by many (but bring with you detailed instruction from doctor) https://www.bpcphysio.com/ Prof Wicharn is available only twice a week and in high demand plus he often travels abroad so book early to see him.

But there is a 5 year moratorium on anything else. A significant problem IMO. I now need an operation that will cost about about 550k baht. It does not qualify as an emergency, but I am in a lot of pain and will be in even more is I don't get it, and also might eventually develop an emergency condition (and even suffer loss of function) if it is not dealt with proactively. What I need is not available through public hospitals, either. If I had taken out this insurance less than 5 years ago, it would not cover me, and this would be quite a problem/cut a serious dent in my funds. I had no way of predicting this 4-5 years back, either. So one is taking a chance getting a policy with such a long Moratorium. Maybe it won't matter, but maybe it will.

Health care in Thailand is hardly cheap. Private hospitals especially, are now on par with the UK and other western countries in price. A single hospitalization (if for a major/complicated condition requiring ICU care etc) can easily reach 3-4 million baht in a private hospital and 1 million+ in a government hospital. in fact some international insurers, based on current costs, are now grouping Thailand in a zone that includes much of western Europe.

In other words there is a 5 year moratorium period.

Agree but often no need to actually say much of anything. Just make eye contact and sort of gesture "where?" (Or indicate a place you want and glance at them to see if OK.) Don't try to be sit in a part of the restaurant that looks like it might be closed without first checking with the staff. Making eye contact on entry also helps get you served more quickly.

Easy to say now. Not so easy to deal with when it happens. It is often not a question of just "going". It is more often a question of quality of life. Living in pain or not. Going blind or losing the ability to walk, or not. Etc etc. If you might not have enough for something serious, then you are not in fact self-insured. You are (very) under-insured.

I Referred to how many days visa exempt Lao and Cambodian citizens currently get when entering Thailand. Nothing to do with cost of people going to Laos or Cambodia. The topic is changes to visa requirements for entrance into Thailand

From prior post this is a group policy for UN employees and ex-employees. Excellent luck for that group of people but not an open option that anyone can get. Some governments provide something similar to their employees, and retirees, some do not. With those who do, one usually has to have met criteria for retirement (X number of years worked, worked until age X etc) to be able to keep the cover for life. For most of us, the only options are individual private insurance or self-insuring. Neither is cheap and there is no way to predict which will turn out to cost less for a specific individual in the long run. Past and current health are not reliable predictors especially as we age. Private individual policies will feature premiums that go up significantly as you age, especially once past 60-65, no exceptions. (The likelihood that you will use the insurance also greatly increases as you age). Self-insuring as already discussed requires significant funds right from the onset* and some way of replenishing them as used. * the "just bank what you would have spent on premiums" idea is deeply flawed as it assumes no major health expenses until X years have passed. That is never guaranteed, and is especially unlikely for people who are older. To effectively self-insure you need capital you can set aside from day one. It is important to understand how health insurance works. Some seem to mistake it for a savings plan and think they should expect to get back in coverage something at least equal to they have paid in over time, and if they don't then it is a "scam". That would be a savings scheme not insurance. In any effectively run health insurance, the majority of people will end up having paid more in premiums than they get back in paid benefits, and a minority will get benefits worth more than hhey paid in premiums -- in some cases vastly more. Group A in effect subsidizes group B. The model works because people having no way of knowing which group they'll end up in over the long run, so are willing to risk having paid out more for the security of knowing they"ll always be able to get health care without depleting their assets. Incidentally the same is true for the NHS which is in no way "free", if is paid for in taxes (including VAT as well as income taxes, capital gains tax death duties etc . Absorbs nearly a fifth of all UK government revenue) and most people will pay more than they receive in benefits while others get far more in benefits than they paid for. There are of course important differences in when and how people pay and how the payment burden is spread out among people but this basic principal still holds.

I could provide some suggestions as to specific policies if you provided information on your state of health and prior surgeries/hospitalizations/regular medications. Options for newly enrolling are limited at your age but depending on the aforementioned details, there may be some options. HOWEVER, all are likely to cost about what you were paying when you dropped your prior insurance, if not more. Over the age of 70, even with a 2,000 excess, a decent policy is likely to cost 4,000+ a year. It does not matter whether you personally have had claims, it matters what the average pay out for insured persons your age is. That is how insurance works. (Also, past history of claims is not a very good predictor of the future especially for older people. Quite normal to have no hospitalizations / significant problems up to that age and then to start having them frequently...sooner or later). If you opt to "self insure" make sure you have readily available at 3-5 million baht (1-3 million is willing to use only government hospitals) and a means to replenish it as used. Most people here who say they are "self insured" are in fact uninsured, or under-insured. Sooner or later this because a major problem.