ericthai

and how is Ukraine a threat to Russia?

wow, you speak thai and understand things better than most. Ahh...what visa are you on again??? oh yeah! you're on an extension of stay, not a visa....but you know better than most!

You might want to check into FBAR more. My understanding from my accountant is that transferring money out of your account wont help with FBAR. I was told that the rules state that if your foreign bank account (and any bank accounts you have access to, I have to list our corporate accountants as I'm listed as an officer with account access) exceeds $10,000 in a year you have to file. However, I have been told that it's also an annual aggregate total. I use an the account at my lawyers office for my taxes.

20+ years ago sure using visa exempt (not visa on arrival) you could do boarder runs like this, but those days are gone. The govt cracked down on that looong ago. You can get by with a few boarder hops but trying to stay 1yr plus on visa exempt doing boarder runs will no longer work.

Come on you know better, how will he get a quote without a shop seeing the car? You think the owner is going to let him drive the car around to get quotes? The owner will need to take the car to the shop who is Thai and will talk things over.

Big difference in respect and forced participation. Making someone observe a religious holiday has nothing to do with showing respect. according to you Thai's need to respect my religion too. my wife's going to be happy when we only have fish on Fridays during lent.

ha ha, you really think that will work in Thailand? The guy will get each shop to increase the quote!

yes you are correct, to be on a Medicare advantage plan you must reside at your residence minim 6 months of the year. Maybe I misunderstood the poster as I thought he stayed in the USA part of the year. Plans do check and will send out address verification letters from time to time to make sure the member is living at stated address.

yes you are correct plans require you to reside in the service area at least 6 months a year and doing otherwise would be fraud. I thought the poster stated they spent most of their time in the USA. Also correct, the worldwide coverage that the plans provide are for emergences situations only.

I'm not sure why you would switch to Medicap plan, this is increasing you health care cost. The G plan will have a monthly premium and depending on age and location that can be anywhere between $100 to $350 a month, then you still need to get a part D plan (medications) this ranges anywhere from $25-$70 per month. Also you will have to go through underwriting and pre-existing conditions can be an issue. The only time you are able to enroll in a Medicap also called a Medicare supplement plan without underwriting is when you first enroll in Medicare. I'm not saying a medigap or supplment plan is not a good thing, it's great but costly. If someone travels around the USA allot or has allot of medical issues, or just wants to the freedom to go where they want then this is a good plan. If someone is in generally good health and happy with the plans network of doctors then in my opinion an advantage plan is a better choice.

When back in the states look for an advantage plan that has coverage outside the USA for emergencies. Not all plans have this coverage on their plans it depends on the state and county if this is available. If you want you can PM me your zip code I can check if anything is available in your area. Some plans offer a part B rebate so might even reduce your part B cost.

Their are several issues. First being fraud is a big issue in the USA with Medicare, if it was made available worldwide their would be rampant fraud. (what do you think the Thai hospital's would charge US Medicare....normal rates or added fees? ) The other issue is Medicare is pushing physicians / Hospitals on preventive care, this would not work outside the USA. Medicare is almost out of funds, impossible for them to implement worldwide. However, there are Medicare advantage plans that do cover outside the USA. Some cover up to $100,000 USD others cover up to $200,000 USD, but this is more or less travel coverage not meant for living outside the USA.

If you have 40 working quarters then part A is no cost (if you dont have enough working credits then you can pay for part A which if you have credits of 30+ quarters then you would pay $274 for part A, if you have less than 30 quarters then you would pay $499 per month for part A. Again most people have enough earned credits (about 10yrs) for a premium free part A. You might be thinking part B, as part B everyone has to pay for which was increased this year to $170.10 per month. This is higher if you earn more. Some Medicare advantage plans offer rebates on the part B in main markets. The rebate can be anywhere from $50 up to $148.50 and these plans still provide low copays, with extra coverage (non-emergency transportation, Over the counter, Dental, Vision, hearing, etc. Your next trip back to the USA. you might want to reach out to an insurance broker to see if you have better options. United is a great company, but very big and sometimes difficult to deal with. Also their plans are not as rich as some other companies. You can go to Medicare.gov put you zip code in and it will show all plans in your area. Very good tool!! Additionally if you have questions you can PM me, I'm a Licensed Medicare insurance agent in the USA so I can answer any questions someone may have.

This is a good move. Did you check some other plans that have a part B refund? If you're not really using the plan I would look at a plan that provides a partial refund on the part B premium. Almost all counties in Fla have a refund (give-back) plan. Also beware that the plan will send out an address verification letter to your address in the USA. (rule is your not suppose to be out of your service area for more than 6 months) If this is not completed and returned they assume you moved and will drop you from the plan so make sure relatives look out for that (i've had this happen to people that only live in Fla 6 months and then up north for 6 months).

Insurance guys typically show up promptly when you contact them. I've had 2 accidents in the past 20+ years and the Insurance guy showed up took care of everything. I didn't even speak to the police or show my license to anyone. My second accident a drunk guy hit me. He tried to pull the expat is at fault, but the police took my side told him to go home or he would have problems for drink and drive. Just like everything else in Thailand what I experience can be totally different from the next guy. Allot of this things come into play, age, the way ypur dressed etc, byt i believe most of the time it's a person's attitude that's causes issues.

I think it's a no pass zone, so the motorcycle shouldn't be passing either. I blame both driver's.

so the whole world should come to a stop? ....no progress, nothing until covid is over??

The big deal is that you're friends dont really own the land/house. They own 49% of a Thai company along with 2 or more thais that own the other 51% of the company and the only reason for the company to exist is for land ownership which is illegal but is being ignored for now. You know this is Thailand and just because something is done doesn't mean that it's legal. Things can change at anytime, It only takes one person high enough up in the government to get <deleted> about something for changes to happen. I've lived and worked in Thailand for decades and things that would be allowed and accepted 25 years ago are now very strictly enforced.

in the USA anyone can get tested at no cost. I know several illegal immigrant's in the usa that were tested (PCR test) several times at no cost.

make a carpet and have a bbq

Ah Yes, I should’ve added murders.

yup Thailand is doing great! a trustworthy elected government in place, almost no unemployment, tourist's banging on the door to get in, hotels full, the restaurants have waiting lines, everyone is drinking, gogo bars are full along with the soapys... then I woke up!

They have tired but the ones that tried were arrested, deported or disappeared.

meanwhile millions of people came to Thailand every year. You're on this forum, if you and your Friends dont think Thailand is Hip, then why are you here??

And the rest of the story?