ericthai

I dont understand you're question, if he is in the united states then why are you worried about his visa for Thailand?

20K max

immigration was so relaxed about visas, boarder runs, overstaying back then. I had several times an IO told me to just overstay....boy miss those days.

thanks for the book, but seems you dont understand Thailand govt just yet. The OP's friend followed the rules and should've been approved. It was the IO looking for money that caused the problems. Just like many Thai govt offices it's always hit or miss if you have issues!

Actually recovering from Covid doesn't mean you have better protection. I had two friends that had covid and they both ended up getting covid a second time. It is recommended that you still get a covid vaccine even if you had covid 19 as the natural immunity appears not to be strong enough, however as with any medical situation it's not the same for everyone. I'm not sure what lays ahead for Thailand but I know it wont be pretty.

So you know this from personal experience? why do you guys post <deleted> like this when you dont really know. I bought my condo in Thailand in 2004 sold it in 2015 for almost 3 times as much as I paid for it.

I did read it. Again you believe the papers? you believe someone is going to go tell the police they broke the law? The papers write what they are told. The police can't say we were watching porn, so a story is made up. Give it some time and you'll learn how things really are in Thailand.

so your thinking is some local thai was watching fansonly and saw this and went to the police to tell them they were watching porn (which is illegal)? Keep the rose tinted glasses on. I'm thoughts are, the police were watching fansonly and recognized the place and decided they could make some cash.

That's great news! Taiwan will be so happy to hear that.....meanwhile china is creating islands and building bases on them

you're new to Thailand? Thai's trusting the police ????????

Thailand already has this fee, this is an additional fee they want to add. I think early 2000's they stopped collection of cash upon exit and had it included into the ticket.

When you fly into Thailand they are not checking for any exit stamps from other countries. Allot of countries dont have exit stamps (USA, Hong Kong, Australia etc). Thai immigration only looks for exit stamps at boarder crossings.

To be eligible for any Medicare advantage plan or Medicare supplement plan (Medigap plan) you must be a resident in the USA and must remain in the service area (typically no less than 6 months out of the year) Some plans may allow you to be out of the service area longer than 6 months, but you must have US residency no PO boxs are allowed to be used as a resident address. Note: if you are on a Medicare advantage plan and you are out of your service area you are only covered for emergency care. There is no coverage for routine check ups, preventative etc.

Thanks for that. Let me be clear so I dont confuse anyone, the following I'm talking about the USA. Just one word of precaution on using an agent. I hate to say this but, I would avoid any agent that works directly for a plan. I would find a broker that is independent and contracted with all or most of the plans in your area. The reason being, an agent working for a company only have their plans to offer and they have pressure on them to get sales so they will try and push you onto one of their plans. However, with a broker they are contracted with everyone and will find the best plan that works for you as all the Medicare advantage plans pay just about the same. Sometimes a plan might look good to you, but once you start looking at medication costs or co-pays things change. A local broker will know what plans are suited for certain health needs, they typically know the doctors in the area and best thing, is if you ever have an issue you have an agent to take care of things. Got a bill you're not suppose to get, a good agent will take care of that for you. Original Medicare is not bad coverage, but I firmly believe in the advantage plans as they save you so much on your Medicare costs and add benefits not covered by original Medicare, but sometime original Medicare is best for someone. If anyone has a question or needs some help checking plans available in the USA all I need is a zip code and county. No name or other info. I'm always happy to help, just pm me!

Thank you for pointing that out I'm sorry if I mislead you, that was not my intent. I was providing information about all medicare options not necessarily considering just expats as there are guys that only spend part of the year in Thailand and also guys that used to live in Thailand and still follow this forum. Next time I'll make sure to be more clear so I dont confuse anyone.

My advise is to join part B, the longer you wait the more of the penalty. Trying to get affordable healthcare as you age will be difficult to impossible. I would find a local agent in Hawaii and discuss all your options. Medicare wont work outside the USA so when you do travel to Thailand I would get insurance to cover you for your stay. Some advantage plans allow you to stay out of the service area longer than 6 months, so you might find a plan that allows you to stay 10 months in Thailand. Almost all the plans in Florida have out of USA coverage that allow 6 months out of the service are and coverage up to $100,000 USD with a $500 co-pay. So you might get lucky.

please re-read, Where did I say an expat could enroll in a Medicare advantage plan?

yes allot of people game the system. The plans are setup by zip code due to payment structure. The higher the Medicare population in a zip code the more money available and the better the benefits (No monthly premium, Part B give back, $0 co pay for doctors etc). I've had clients deicide where to buy a house dependent upon Medicare plans available in that area. The plans are getting so competitive that benefits are increasing each year. Just make things clear for some of you guys. The three parts to medicare are Part A = Hospital care Part B = Doctors, ambulance, tests etc Part D = Medications Most cases Part A is free as long as you have enough working credits (roughly 10 years) Part B you do a have a premium and as stated it is based on financials. Unfortunately if you make more you pay more. Medicare part D needs to be purchased from a private insurance company. If not enrolled during your initial ICEP then you will incur a penalty of 1% of the national average per month for every month your eligible and didn't enroll. The national average is currently (2021) $31.47 and CMS expects to be $38.18 for 2022. Don't confuse Medicare advantage plans with supplement plans or Medigap plans. Medicare advantage plans you are with private healthcare company and in most cases see their doctors. Typically this is no or a low monthly premium and you have co-pays. A Medicare Supplement plan or Medigap plan you have a large monthly premium anywhere from $250-$400 per month depending on plan. However you then have no co-pays and can see any doctor that accepts Medicare. You dont have any part D coverage so need to purchase that too. These plans get costly, but give you freedom. I hope this helps some of you guys, if you have any questions I'm happy to help.

I dont get what you're saying, Chinese were in the USA long before Nixon.

If you're living in the USA at least 6 months out of the year then you should look into Medicare advantage plans. Some of the plans in some areas in the USA have a part B refund. These plans work with Tri-care too.

Thank you for your service. Nice you have Tri-care that is the best you can have!!

yes, you need to be careful as they do send out letter to verify you're still alive. Also Medicare advantage plans will send out letter to verify you're still at your address. Rules state you cant be out of your service area for more than 6 month or you'll be dropped. I've worked in the Medicare industry if you need help you can PM me. For Social Security I use the 1-800-772-1213 Typically you have 30min-40 min wait. Note: Be careful reading stuff on the internet, there is allot of miss information on medicare.

I dont see where it would be up to a Thai person, everything comes down to economics. So you believe that a person selling their condo in a building where the other units that are sold to an expat for say 4 million baht you expect a seller to sell it for less than 4 million if sold to a Thai?? Is that what you are saying? do you work for the Thai government?

So you believe the only reason Thailand exists is to be a extremely cheap destination??