CaptainJack

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

This seems to strongly confirm info about the Colombia health care system. Problems are mentioned but a specific recommendation is made. If over 60 or 62 you will be limited to EPS. Under that and you can add private insurance on top of the EPS. It sounds like the EPS program care can be good. Kind of sounds like a restrictive U.S. HMO. Bigger cities, better hospitals. Many are world class. I think learning Spanish would be essential not just for the medical care but for living in Colombia, period. That's definitely  a downside for many. As far as I'm concerned the required enrollment (and cover) of the EPS being over 60 with preexisting conditions is a massive feature for retiring in Colombia. I know Americans will say, but but but giving up Medicare. Yes, but but but bottom line Medicare isn't really free either, you pay for the extra parts and out of pocket expenses. 

https://medellinguru.com/health-insurance/

https://www.epssura.com/

https://www.eltiempo.com/vida/salud/ranking-de-las-mejores-eps-de-colombia-en-2018-196510

 

 

Thank you times 1000.  I also just got off the phone with my friend from Colombia and it looks like that will be my target destination after some time in Merida. 

Oh, I'll keep paying my Medicare and supplemental insurance until I decide I'm in one place for good.  ????

Just now, brokenbone said:

heres my opinion,

the only time i contemplated and actually turned out living with another man was as a student studying engineering,

with my best friend, no other man or woman was eligible.

 

now as an adult, none qualify, and the only one that ever did qualify was a nympho with the most beautiful breast the world

has ever seen, it just didnt get old looking at them.

 

in cambodia, you miiight find some ganja smoking happy pizza eating hippie that would give it all up for a lesser rent,

but them 20 year ole boys are much more likely to seek their peers if at all possible.

 

i dont see how a retiree can see the appeal of living with another retiree, and even much less so if both are males.

this sounds crazy and likely is, but i'd live with an ex over this i think

Hi,

I get what you are saying.  I figured before I did this program solo one more time, I'd at least reach out and take a try at putting together some group effort.   As I have read countless stories from expats having to leave Thailand,  I would think there might be a few that might want to join forces and increase their odds at success. 

CJ

35 minutes ago, cdnvic said:

Stop the personal attacks (removed) please.

Thank you.

13 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Say what??

What brotherhood?

 

What exactly are you asking for?

 

I don't want to be rude but you sound like the last  person anyone would like to buddy up with!!

That actually was rude.  You don't know me. Wonder why nobody ever seems to actually help anybody on TV? Everyone who knows me personally knows I don't make comments like you made. That was not necessarily to say.

4 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I think kids are huge pull to go home.

Both my daughters from from previous marriage wanted me to go home. When my youngest daughter had a baby, I was actually distraught that I wasn't there for her

When my Thai son, who is a US citizen, graduated college in Chicago told us he was never coming back to Thailand, that was the tipping point for us

Makes sense for your circumstances.  I have no family.  Parents are dead, no siblings or children.  No reason to stay back here beyond 3 weeks unless I run out of other options. 

Additional information.

My pension before taxes and medical insurance is 5,000US a month. I have 18,000US dollars saved. My cost to rent a nice apartment,  replace all the furniture I donated and purchase a decent car destroys my financial planning if I try or have to repatriate.

Other info: I like sex but have gone for long stretches with none. I drink, but I am not an alcoholic.  

3 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Say what??

What brotherhood?

 

What exactly are you asking for?

 

Don't dump your mate for a woman, break promises and give up your life or your mates just to have a gal.

11 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

Congrats on defining some latin american options.  Personally I think Columbia is a good choice.  Has anyone looked into Buenos Aires?  I think not so expensive and a very interesting city with a decent climate.  If you are not a sex addict or alcoholic you will have an easier time transitioning away from Thailand lol.

I like sex but have gone for long stretches with none. I drink, but not an alcoholic.  Thank god!

Instead of replying to the question of if my pension is good (no offense taken), let's get this outta the way.  I can provide bank statements if necessary. 

My pension before taxes and medical insurance is 5,000US a month. I have 18,000US dollars saved. My cost to rent a nice apartment,  replace all the furniture I donated and purchase a decent car destroys my financial planning.  

With that, please keep the suggestions coming.  I have a call in to a friend now who lives in North Carolina who was raised and lived in Colombia. 

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Capt. Jack -- if you've got a good pension as you say, I think I've already identified a quite easy Latin American nation to move to. Colombia. In fact it's visa possible with a very low pension but not practical for Medellin as it's not the cheapest. My information says from in country you can have your initial THREE YEAR retirement visa and cedula within a week or two and using a totally legit immigration lawyer and never have to even visit immigration, fill out a form, or go to Bogota. In Medellin where there is now a nexus of expat and expat support services so getting by without fluency in Spanish has become easier.   Go high end in Poblado, or more affordable in Envigado or Laureles. As far as health insurance for older with preexisting conditions in Colombia, that's something I want to understand as well. Perhaps contact this guy --

https://www.how-to-expat.com/

If you do find good information about that, please share it.

Thanks! This is good information.  I can turn several bad financial decisions around quickly with the right place to live and using the head on top of my head. 

Update!

I will look closely at Latin America,  but if too hard, I will look to fly to Phenom Phen, get a one year visa for 300 dollars and hunker down and work at repairing my savings.  

I will use travel insurance for my medical insurance as long as legal. 

I will be looking for other expats in similar situations to possibly partner with. They have enough money to live, if sharing a flat, live really well and build some better savings. My savings is very little from several divorces and bad decisions.  I am lucky my pension is good.

The savings I have I will not risk putting in a Thai bank or will I live in Thailand again. 

I see my own circumstances as this simply.   I have cut too many ties already in the USA.   I am 66 and will not be able to afford medical insurance with preexisting conditions.   I do not want to live in the USA,  especially with limited savings,  now no car or home, no family and few friends. 

I am looking at options to improve my remaining life.

If there are others that may consider teaming up and trying Latin America or Cambodia, let me know. I will be traveling light and fast these next few months and will make a definitive decision soon.

FYI. I made a serious mistake and hired a visa company to fast track my retirement visa. I gave them my Embassy Letter.  I did not know until after the fact they had deposited 800k in my bank and withdrawn it the next day.  This involved me as complicit in bribery. 

I was advised by several expats that i stood a very high chance, because I needed to supply my previous bank records I was in risk of arrest and deportation and leave.  Do not consider trying to renew.  It was just to much risk.

PPS. Letting go of my Thai girlfriend was the hardest.  They are so easy to fall in love with.

21 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

ah, ok, but are they all the same ?

the colonies in caribbean, probably some place in latin america too belonging to US, diego garcia is rented from brits

but perhaps still a place you are a citizen of,

a bunch of pacific islands taken from japan,

altho they are horribly fat over there,

and many places that altho not belonging to US,

offers generous visas to US citizens,

like vietnam/philippines/alize and a range of other hosts

I don't know about alot of places.   I do know a lot of countries in the Asian world are tightening up their visa requirements.  For me, I would have jumping at PR,  but they got wiped out my two hurricanes. 

I will try and find out if there really are viable options before calling it quits. 

14 minutes ago, brokenbone said:

to fellow american expats, IMHO, the reason you would

consider getting entangled in yet MORE visa hassle & uncertainty is because you havnt got sufficiently fed up with

the amount of visa hassle & uncertainty in thailand in the first instance.

 

i think there is a solid rift between europeans & americans in that regard, europeans only ever want a life in warm climate

free of visa hassle & uncertainty, like EU just with warmer weather.

USA got plenty of warm territories where you are a citizen from start to finish, why wouldnt you just go to to one of the many plots ?

You hit the nail straight on the head.  Good for you. Now, why? I can only answer for me.  I was not feeling at all like I belonged in America.   It does not feel like the American I grew up in.  I have worked and traveled across most all of Asia and SE Asia.   It felt more like I was home.

Maybe 5, 10 or 15 years ago, that would have worked.   Times change.  Countries change.  Governments change.  

That is why I stayed in Thailand after extended travel and work with the NGO I work with in Vietnam.   

That is my answer.   Now? How about Latin America? Can I make that work? 

Let's see how it goes.  Peace brother.

33 minutes ago, CaptainJack said:

Not everywhere.  Some countries have national health plans that don't have a 59 or 64 maximum age limit to join. 

 

My actual reasoning is much simpler.   In Thailand, I found out for certain there was nothing I could buy except an expensive International plan.  Part of the higher cost was I wanted the most coverage possible,  being so far from the USA and my Medicare Advantage medical insurance.  

 

Why was that important? When I looked at how much an extended hospital stay can really cost, and no possibility of surviving a 30 or 40 hour flight to get back to my home country,  I was shopping at the higher coverage range.

 

It is my rational,  but I'm betting if I can get some solid basic coverage and I can be stabilized,  I can evacuate back to the USA.   That was also something that drove the international Expatriate insurance quotes up too.  The premium for evacuation was 2 or 3 times higher then from south of the border or even Europe. 

 

Makes sense. The costs to get transported back to the USA from Thailand is obviously going to be higher. 

 

I'm working on getting more information as I go. I'll let y'all know.

PS. My two main expat friends in Bkk, one an American there for over 20 years, the other having made the move from New Zealand both had different approaches to the medical insurance issues.  My American friend is married to a Japanese woman and covered by her insurance.   Plus, they have no intention of dying in Thailand,  and plan to retire to Japan where her family lives.

My Kiwi friend is hedging his life and medical needs on evacuating home to New Zealand if necessary.   He has family that would even come to Thailand to bring him home.  I have neither of those. 

My Thai friends are pretty typical.   They all just say, "why you worry, everyone die".

I won't say I made a mistake thinking I could retire in Thailand and make it all work at age 66, but I did not do the research required.  I've been playing catch up for too long.

I will say, I have not liked being back in the USA,  but that is preferable to a host of other alternatives that could have been way more costly for me.

Over the next few months of traveling Latin America,  I'll arrive at a decision based on facts, including what is realistic for me.  I will repatriate if I need to.  

Last thought.  I had been gone either traveling Asia or trying the living route in Thailand for 11 months.  In only 11 months,  I find the USA alien.   I cannot imagine what someone would experience having to repatriate having been away for 10 or more years.  It would have to be traumatic. 

1 minute ago, Mike Teavee said:

At least (messy or not) you have the option for getting the documents from Thailand, after 10 years living in Singapore I'm screwed if they insist on getting Police clearance from every country you've lived in for the past X years as Singapore will only provide Police clearance for Citizens & PRs

 

Yes I should have took PR years ago but it would have cost me a % of my salary for what to me at the time was worth nothing (much though I love the place, I wouldn't live here if I wasn't working & if I am working they sort my Employment Pass out)... Turns out that decision might bite me in the ass (am > 50 now, no chance of getting PR unless I marry my Singapore GF - So no chance of getting PR then) when it comes to looking to move elsewhere.

 

Incidentally, when I looked into SRRV for Philippines, not being able to get Police Clearance for Singapore could present a challenge, heard similar for guys who are trying to move from SG to Aus.

 

Yikes! Sorry bro. I think these are all things none of us ever considered years ago.  I was reading about how much a problem it can be yesterday just getting through immigration in another country if one has a "deportation " stamp for an overstay. A lot for anyone to think about....

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I really don't know exactly how it's done. I reckon the situation will be somewhat different for each target nation. But that is one of main purposes of this topic. Gathering reports over time of what works and what doesn't work for the different countries that do require the reports from Thailand. I can say when they are required in Latin America almost definitely they will need an apostle and official translation. A major pain of course but the good news is this requirement will be only one time.

 

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

 

 

 

Two days to go....

I've been thinking about what the issues would be regarding obtaining a police clearance and good conduct letter.

It occurs to me that the type of visa is not likely the real issue.   I think it will be how long an expatriate has lived in Thailand and whether they have held themselves out as residents, especially if in their home countries,  they have formally notified government agencies and other entities that they live in Thailand.

In that I never formally moved my legal residence from Texas, and other then transferring money to an offshore banking account,  Thailand was never a place I would have to call "home". I have traveled to over a dozen different countries,  so for a month or more in the last few years.  Were those residential relocations to another country? No, they were travel.  

Whichever Latin American nation one might want to make a future home, I think it will be a potential mess getting the required documents from Thailand,  or any other country outside ones home nation. As is often the case, it will probably get down to the individual IO as to what is acceptable and what is not.

Even in the USA,  when I got my last security clearance,  the highest one I held, I had to list every place I ever lived since birth. That took quite a lot of research.  I'm lucky my parents were still alive to answer questions. 

I guess it eventually gets down to how attractive the candidate is to immigration.  I have read that for Mexico,  if you are investing money in the economy,  whether purchasing property or you have a large amount of savings and disposable income,  the vetting process is much easier.  

I'll ask around in my travel when I meet any expatriates,  although,  I suspect most information will be obsolete. 

Need to talk to recent expats....

Hi,

Just dropped in to say thanks for the positive feedback.  I leave for a three month exploration Monday for Mexico, then, Costa Rica,  Colombia and Panama.  

I'll check in occasionally to see how things are going with the visa stuff for everyone.   I hope it works out for everyone that found themselves in a pinch.  I did stumble across one important point made by several expats and tourists on others sites as I have investigated Latin American.   That was how important it is not to get a black deportation stamp in your passport.   I read several stories where individuals were not allowed into other countries because they had a Thai deportation stamp.  

The other thing I discovered was, apparently,  as of 2016 and new immigration laws passed then, Thailand has been a really difficult country as regarding getting deported.  

Some of you here probably know the 2016 laws that are referred to?

Well, I'm rested, packed and plane tickets purchased for this next journey.   

Good luck everyone....

CJ

8 minutes ago, whitemouse said:

 

What if you spend 6 months in Thailand, stretching TR, that's  what I do.

6 months is easy, so far, just 2 TR.

 

With more than  2 back to back TR in your passpirt, in order to stretch your stay to 7 months, has become tricky. Even just 2 SETV stickers are red light to regional embassies, 30 days visa waiver stamps should really be avoided due to unique way IOs at DMK operate, ask me how I know!

After 5 months break from the region seems to reset IO computers, returning from overseas after 5 months IO has never raised questions in BKK nor DMK 

 

Then chose your home for another 6 months, this can be in the region, no need for Latin American adventure. 

 

Reading all I can, there are no good places for permanent residence in South America, not in Latin America. There are countries where you won't be robbed on day 1, but not comparable to SE Asia's best places.

 

Unless you crave the authentic Mexixan food, in Mexico. Is it worth to move your life there? 

 

Sell condo, then rent  6 months in Thailand, it is laughably cheap, as you well know. Owning condo here is only an anchor on your neck, get rid of it (I suspect you already have). That way you are ready to catch first flight out of here when things become serious, and they will, you know it!

 

Have no ties to Thailand.

 

 

All good points.  I am in process of considering all possibilities.