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Everything posted by xylophone
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Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
It does look like we are in similar situations, albeit that my premium is high because of my 77 years of age. One other poster has simply said "Wrong Insurance" without giving any other information, but I have to consider that at my age (78 this year) there are not many health insurance companies who would take me on, and if they did the premiums would likely be just as high as I'm experiencing now. I was initially with BUPA here, until it changed and they are now Allianz Ayudhya and I stayed with them because I am covered up until the age of 99 and I have had great help/service from their agent here who is also a lawyer and whom I consider a friend. Some time ago I did look at both Pacific Cross and WrLife, however opted not to go with them because there were some adverse reviews on many Internet sites, and some of them were not "pretty" however if you have found PC to be suitable, then good on you. I've come round to another way of thinking, whereby I transfer a lump sum from my bank in NZ and use that as a backstop to cover any health issues, at the same time cancelling my Health Insurance here. Having said that, I will keep the health insurance going for this year, then most probably cancel it before the next extension is due. Like you, I have never had a claim, although they did pay for a colonoscopy a few years back, before I put in place the 50 K deductible, which I thought was good. I would be interested to hear what decision you make and the rationale behind it, and if you don't want to post it here, then by all means send me a PM/message -
What Movies or TV shows are you watching (2025)
xylophone replied to Rimmer's topic in Entertainment
I stopped watching it after the second episode because I'm not keen on watching gays being rodgered or having a dinner party for one thing, secondly Ben Wishaw exhibits many of the characteristics that I remember from his character "Norman Scott" in the series, "A Typical English Scandal" and it doesn't seem that he can shake them off. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but if I refer to Tom Hanks and the different characters he portrays in his movies, without any one of them reflecting on the other, then you may see what I mean. As if to confound the issue, Keira Knightley with her increasingly annoying smile (or attempt at one) just gets on my nerves, so having downloaded the series, I will now delete it. -
What Movies or TV shows are you watching (2025)
xylophone replied to Rimmer's topic in Entertainment
I watched a very old movie last night, which I don't recall watching before, called, "The Battle of the River Plate" and although it was typical of movies made in the 1950s with regard to the "sets" it was still very enjoyable. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
You make a good point with your last sentence, so I'm looking at the possibility of transferring a lump sum from my NZ Bank to my Bangkok Bank account here and thankfully I won't have to touch the peer to peer lending investment as not only does it pay a good rate of interest, it is secured against registered properties. Having said that I can transfer money from my NZ bank to my Bangkok Bank in just over 24 hours by using NZ forex, provided I have got my computer handy, which could prove a problem if I am in hospital and somewhat incapacitated, so after your prompt, I'm planning for the worst but hoping for the best! -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Several options: – If I am in intensive care, I won't know anything about what's going on and either the insurance I've currently got will cover it or it won't, and if it won't then I will be off to the great vineyard in the sky and my Thai daughter will inherit the funds I have here in Thailand and the funds I have have in New Zealand by virtue of a Will I have made in NZ and also one I have made here for my Thai assets. Also I could transfer a lump sum to my Thai bank account and that should be sufficient to keep me away from the Grim Reaper and pay the hospital bills and still leave some investments in NZ. I do have a blank form for a "Living Will" so I suppose I should get on and complete that and give it to the hospital/my daughter. Also the power of attorney (POA) form has been mentioned and I should also get on and complete that for my assets here and see if I can do the same for those in NZ. Thanks for the memory jog and I will get onto that in a day or so. PS. Any one of the scenarios above, or a combination of all, should work, or I could simply transfer all of my investments now to my Thai bank account and then won't have to worry, but at the moment I'm averaging about 7.25% per annum, paid monthly, in a "peer-to-peer" lending scheme in NZ and don't really want to scupper that yet. More work to do. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Working on that one!!!! -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Thanks for the post NanLaew, however my aortic aneurysm is right at the junction where it comes out of the heart, so I don't think it is an abdominal aortic aneurysm, however I may be wrong in my description, but anyway thanks again for the post. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Thank you Lacessit, and I think I did have a CAT scan a couple of years back and I get checked every six months or 12 months via echocardiogram to see if things have changed. Actually I did ask the heart doctor if a stent would "fix it" and also give me peace of mind, however he said the bulge is where the aorta exits the heart, so a stent is not a possibility unfortunately so if it does get critical, then it's open heart surgery (I think) however I'm sincerely hoping I will see my time out on this planet without having to go through that ordeal! -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Yes it seems a lot now, but back then with a very small premium, it wasn't. It's just that over 15 years the annual premium has increased, as it always does. I started the health insurance cover at aged 60 and because of that I wasn't able to increase the total cover in later years and it covered until the age of 99. I elected to choose the 50 K deductible this time to lower the premium, but thinking about it, and that which I have already mentioned, this will be the last year, for me. At 78 years old this year I won't be able to get any cover anywhere else, so it looks like I will have to draw down on my NZ investments, which will more than cover even the most horrendous hospital costs here. There comes a time when weighing up the pros and cons, it becomes just about obvious that the cost/benefit doesn't balance out any more. I suppose that if anything drastic happens, I could always go back to NZ and get free treatment on the government health system, not that I want to do that, but it is an option if things get desperate. In summary, I have enough stashed away to cover me for even the most horrendous hospital costs here, so I will live with that. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
That's where I find it confusing, because that was my original understanding, however as I have to "renew" my policy every year, it could be argued that every year, effectively I take out a new policy so therefore "should" disclose anything that has occurred prior to taking that out. Having said the above, as time goes on with folk, those with yearly renewable policies would have to disclose everything that's happened to them on a year by year basis, thereby making it pointless (in some cases) having health insurance, because there would be nothing left to cover?? Hopefully I am covered, but as I said it will probably be the last year of me renewing my policy as it gets to a point where the cost of the policy could well cover the cost of minor/average surgery and incidents, which I could pay for. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Good idea, and I will do that, thank you. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
Well I have just had an answer from the company representative (the lawyer who I've been dealing with since I took the policy out many years ago) and she contacted the company and she informed me that because I've been with them and had the policy for over 10 years, then I am covered for this event. I suppose I should get this in writing, so I will ask her to confirm this by email, however I've always found her to be a helpful and trustworthy person in the past, so I will think about that aspect. Having said that, there is a clause in the policy document which states that any pre-existing condition which existed when the policy was taken out, can be included at sometime in the future of either two or five years hence (can't recall exactly so I will look again). Despite all of this, I will go ahead and renew the policy for this year, and that will probably be the last time. -
Be aware of this even if you have Health insurance cover!!!
xylophone replied to xylophone's topic in Insurance in Thailand
You make a good point, so I read through the policy document and can't find anything about my "duty of disclosure" or similar wording, however it could be hidden away in some other area so I'll take time to check it out a little later. In addition I contacted the agent, who is also a lawyer and told her of the situation and asked her if she would contact the company direct and get an answer for me. It's highly likely that this condition I have, has been with me for many years and has never been discovered, but now it has, it puts a whole different perspective on things. Having said that, my premium was becoming quite hefty, so I asked if they would include a 50,000 baht deductible (the amount which I pay for any procedure) in order to reduce the premium payable, which they did. However now I come to think about it I have 50,000 baht which I have to pay upfront, as well as a 160,000 baht premium and my total cover is only 1 million baht, so I'm wondering if it's worth renewing it??? I will make the final decision when I hear back from my agent, however at the moment I am 50-50 about renewing it, because I do have investments in New Zealand which I can call on (transfer) if necessary, but really didn't want to dip into these. Decisions to make which I will do shortly. Thank you for your input/suggestions. PS. This is the same Health Insurance company with whom I am renewing my policy. -
I have had health insurance cover here in Thailand for about 15 years, and every year it comes up for renewal, so I renew it! And of course every few years the premium payable gets more expensive, and it is due this month. About three years ago when I was undergoing a medical check, the electrocardiogram discovered a bulge in my aorta so I had another scan and the heart doctor said it was small and not to worry too much about it, however it needed "watchful waiting" with checks every year, or less. I didn't disclose it because I had no treatment for it and as I was covered by health insurance when it was discovered, I thought that all would be fine? However I am now doing some digging around prior to my health insurance policy renewal and although I haven't contacted them yet, it appears that many health insurance companies consider that to be a pre-existing condition when one goes to sign the policy for the next year! I just thought I would sound a word of warning, although I will be in touch with my health insurance agent and report back on what I find as it appears that some companies will re-insure in spite of this, whereas others won't or will consider it a pre-existing condition which will not be covered in the new policy. Food for thought.
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Worst Joke Ever 2025
xylophone replied to warfie's topic in Jokes - Puzzles and Riddles - Make My Day!
I recently spent $6,500 on this registered Black Angus bull. I put him out with the herd but he just ate grass and wouldn't even look at a cow. I was beginning to think I had paid more for that bull than he was worth. Anyway......I had the Vet come and take a look at him. He said,, the bull was very healthy, but possibly just a little old, so he gave me some pills to feed him once per day. The bull started to service the cows within two days……. all my cows! He even broke through the fence and bred with all of my neighbor's cows! He's like a machine! I don't know what was in the pills the Vet gave him ... but they kind of taste like peppermint… -
Worst Joke Ever 2025
xylophone replied to warfie's topic in Jokes - Puzzles and Riddles - Make My Day!
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Worst Joke Ever 2025
xylophone replied to warfie's topic in Jokes - Puzzles and Riddles - Make My Day!
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Good day Kingston Kid, as you may recall, I did have a problem converting it from word doc to another format and I'm not altogether sure that it was successful, however I still have the word document on my PC and I'll try AGAIN to convert it to another format although it would be a lot easier to send the word document – – on that point, I suppose if you sent me your email address via PM then I could send it to you via email, which would probably be a lot easier and I can assure you I have all of the safeguards in place, such as Malwarebytes and and Windows Defender so you should be safe and I will erase it after I've sent it. What do you think about that?? If it's not acceptable, then I'll keep trying to convert it to another format! On another point, it is about six pages long (in both English and Thai) so I'm not sure that the mods would accept that?? Please reply with your thoughts, by PM if you wish, and in the meantime I'll search for a better format. Xylo
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Latest news on this subject.....seems like trump his numbnuts really haven't got a clue and Pete Hegseths rant at the podium in the White House was meant to steer the public away from the stuff-ups of the CIC and was aimed at praising the military folk (brave folk I agree). Pure deflection and polital propaganda......he should be ashamed of himself, but then again maybe he'd been on booze again!! "Iran could begin producing enriched uranium again in “a matter of months,” the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, as damage caused by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities was “severe” but “not total.” Iran clearly has the capacity to rebuild its nuclear facilities, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the IAEA, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, said in an interview with CBS News. Grossi’s assessment that damage to Iranian nuclear sites was “not total” contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “totally obliterated.” https://www.politico.eu/article/iran-resume-uranium-enrichment-months-iaea-rafael-mariano-grossi/ AND... UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran could again begin enriching uranium in ‘matter of months ’https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/29/world/iaea-iran-enriched-uranium-intl
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Donald Trump Seems A Sure Thing For a Nobel Peace Prize!
xylophone replied to BangkokReady's topic in Political Soapbox
Well none of those are known to be those which emanate from Trump's lying mouth......he is a known and compulsive liar and the poorly educated and gullible believe him........poor souls!! -
Donald Trump Seems A Sure Thing For a Nobel Peace Prize!
xylophone replied to BangkokReady's topic in Political Soapbox
Ah, I see the cult is strong within you!! -
Donald Trump Seems A Sure Thing For a Nobel Peace Prize!
xylophone replied to BangkokReady's topic in Political Soapbox
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Coming trade deals or massive inflation?
xylophone replied to spidermike007's topic in Political Soapbox
Apparently he signed a deal with the Penguins on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald islands near Antarctica, along with other remote external Australian territories. A bigly win for the MAGAs!!