Y Chang

SooKee, I am the OP and thank you for sharing your thoughts. I completely concur with you! When I posted my inquiry regarding April insurance, I also explored other options. What I noticed was that there is a big jump of ~40% or more when hitting the 65/66 years old age band. For the other AseanNow members who might be interested, the table below includes a few examples to illustrate this jump: A quick calculation shows that there is a jump of at least 38% once one hits 65 or 66. These premium data are provided by the insurance company sales or broker and based on selecting the highest possible deductible; they apply to 2024's rate, so next year these numbers will again go up due to inflation, adjustment etc. SooKee, like you mention, finding the right balance between insurance and self-insured is tricky. The older we get, the harder it is! And again, thank you for sharing your experience.

Not me. It's someone I know.

Here is one data point for Scapho (secukinumab) injection from Bumrungrad back in 2022: There were a total of 9 injections. First 4 injections were once a week. Next 5 injections were either 3 or 4 weeks apart. The cost of each injection was either 15225 or 17082 thb. Physician fee for each visit ranged from 1000 to 1580 thb. Other hospital/nurse fee was 430 thb. There was also an initial imaging test that cost 1520 thb. Bumrungrad gave a 10% discount for the drug when paying via bank transfer. So total for the first month was 65820.6 thb. Each subsequent visit/injection was between 15000 to 18000 thb. Using the above numbers as reference, 50,000 thb for the first month may not be enough, but after the first month it is more than adequate. However, do note that this is one data point from Bumrungrad. Charges very likely will be lower at other hospitals. Hope that helps!

Thank you everyone for the reply, particularly Sheryl and Etaoin Shrdlu. I believe I was connected to expatinsurnce.com (and some other brokers) through ExpatDen. I filled in some basic personal info on ExpatDen and a few quotes came back. Expatinsurance.com being one of them. The broker introduced himself as a senior broker from Expat Insurance. He offered me the Global Medical Insurance Plan from IMG and the quote came directly from IMG. SiriusPoint is both the insurance carrier and the underwriter, while the plan administrator is IMG. I believe the insurance itself is legit. Also, the premium and benefits fit my criteria almost perfectly. I was looking for reviews regarding this particular plan so as to help me make a final decision whether I should go for it. But unfortunately the ones I found were on IMG's travel insurance products and almost all the reviews related to claims and payments were negative. I remember reading some AseanNow posts and some posters mentioned that brokers can act as a middle person and help resolve issues with the insurance providers. So I started looking for reviews on this brokerage firm. Unfortunately I didn't find any. Therefore in my original posting I was asking if any members have used this brokerage firm to buy health insurance. I then asked this broker suppose I need a pre-certification or make a claim after a treatment, do I contact IMG directly or go through him. He said he is a full service brokerage and can assist with pushing things along if anything ever gets stuck or I need help. I am very tempted to sign up for this insurance plan through this broker. What's really holding me up is that I am not having the confidence that when I need IMG to pay for treatment, will they look for all types of excuses not to pay... Besides looking for reviews on this insurance plan, any other suggestions on what else I can do to boost my confidence with this plan?

Has any AseanNow member used this broker (www.expatinsurance.com) to purchase international health insurance? Are they helpful when you have issues with payment to the medical providers? Do you recommend this broker?

I am considering the above insurance plan. It is underwritten and insured by SiriusPoint (a US company), and is administered by IMG (a subsidiary of SiriusPoint). The plan comes in 4 tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Everything looks great on paper, from the coverage area to the benefits. However, there are very little reviews available online regarding this expat health insurance plan. Most reviews on IMG are related to their travel insurance products. If any Asean Now members are (or had been) insured by this plan, would you kindly share your experience? In particular, I am interested in the following: 1. Pre-certification: How long did it take IMG to process the pre-certification? What was the outcome, did they issue or did they reject? If reject, what was the reason? 2. Direct-billing: Assume the treatment was pre-certified, did they pay the medical providers after the treatment as they had promised? Were they any issues or dispute in terms of the payment amount? 3. Claims/reimbursement: If you have filed a claim after treatment, how long did it take for IMG to process your claim? What was the outcome, did they approve and pay, or did they reject? If they reject, what was the reason? 4. Renewal: This plan should provide lifetime coverage. Have you been denied renewal? If you have, what was the reason? 5. Premium: What is the percentage increase in annual premium within an age bracket? And from one age bracket to the next? If there is anything I have overlooked, please feel free to share as well. Look forward to hearing your thoughts. As always, appreciate your time in advance.

Well, it makes sense now why the few sales reps I interacted with were quite eager to sell me the moratorium policy! Sheryl, thank you for your input. They are highly respected, as always! They have helped me tremendously in avoiding many traps in this long journey of looking for the right expat insurance.

I posted some questions on expat health insurance not too long ago. Now I am considering the insurance underwriting type, ie. full medical vs moratorium. While each type has its own pros and cons, full medical underwriting seems to be more straight forward to me. I declare my medical history during the application process and all the exclusions and inclusions are spelled out upfront. However, for moratorium, there is no review process involved; although I can get insurance right away, I won't know exactly what is excluded until I make a claim. Do any of you purchase the moratorium type of insurance? Can you share your experience of the claim filing process and the outcome?

Thank you for the detailed explanation, Sheryl, and thanks for your time, as always! Will definitely check out AOC.

Thank you everyone for your input, particularly Sheryl and richard_smith237’s. The discussion help me clarify a few things now: 1. APRIL France is a wholesale broker. 2. APRIL International offers health insurance. The plan is MyHEALTH. There is a MyHEALTH Hong Kong, MyHEALTH Thailand and MyHEALTH Asia, just a few flavors I am aware of. Here is my story so far: I went to April France website, then select April International. Under “look for a plan”, I entered long term insurance in Thailand. The website returned with “MyHEALTH Thailand”. I then entered some other personal information to ask for a quote. A day later, a lady with a Thai name and with email extension “@April.com” contacted me. I asked her if she represented April out of Thailand or France, she said she was representing APRIL Asia. She suggested MyHEALTH Hong Kong (for a few reasons) and she confirmed that it is an international health insurance plan. I have a few questions at this point, and will appreciate any input: 1. @Sheryl, as you got your insurance from APRIL France, and APRIL France is a broker, which means APRIL France is not the insurer. Who is the insurer then? Are you also under MyHEALTH? If you are, which region does it cover? (Please feel free to let me know if you feel that this information is too personal or too intrusive, I understand). 2. Is it safe to take the words from this lady from APRIL, that the policy she is selling me is indeed an international policy? Is there anywhere I can verify additionally, or any documents I can ask for or check? 3. My goal really is to get a truly international insurance and I hope to avoid purchasing a local Thai policy unknowingly. If there are other safer brokers or insurance providers I can go to, please feel free to make any suggestions. 4. FYI, some approaches I have already made or will make: a. I have already approached ICI (International Citizens Insurance), they can’t provide any plans that fit my budget. b. I have contacted Expat Insurance and waiting for their response. c. GeoBlue is too expensive. d. Cigna Healthcare seems to have a plan that fits my budget, but they have very bad reviews. e. I will contact AOC, as suggested by Sheryl. f. Will also look into VUMI, as mentioned by richard_smith237. Thank you so much for everyone’s time, and as usual, I learn something new all the time!

Thank you for the info topt. I was wondering, are you currently with April International then? What is the difference between April France and April International? Regarding the reference from Sheryl, I was only able to retrieve her direction to AA-World. Unfortunately, their website has still not been launched yet. Sheryl, do you mind provide the contact info of your French agent again? Thank you so much.

I am interested in exploring expat insurance provided by April. Previous discussions in the forum mentioned about an entity called April France and it seems like this should be the one to purchase expat insurance from. However, when I google April expat insurance, the search only returns April International, and the contact is a local agent in Thailand. This agent told me that she represents April Asia. I am a bit confuse. What is the difference between April Asia and April France in terms of expat insurance they are providing? Does anyone have a link to April France? And better yet, a direct contact from April France? Appreciate any response in advance!

A friend of mine has breast implant a few years ago and is thinking about getting an MRI scan to check for breast implant rupture. Any recommendation for a hospital in Bangkok or Pattaya that offers this procedure? Sheryl, any insights? Thanks and look forward to any feedback!

Try Diane Extra Hair Fall Control. I have been using it. Works quite well. Here is the Shopee link: https://shopee.co.th/????-Set-Shampoo-Treatment-Moist-Diane-Extra-Hair-Fall-Control-สูตรพิเศษ-ลดการขาดหลุดร่วงของผม-i.32328318.16162610570?sp_atk=4de0c56c-cee6-46b8-9e41-cdd22025799d&xptdk=4de0c56c-cee6-46b8-9e41-cdd22025799d You can also but it at Matsumoto Kiyoshi (https://www.matsumotokiyoshi.co.th/en/). They have branches at many malls.

@ Sheryl, it is a routine screening.

I am planning to get a colonoscopy and am comparing the prices among the 3 hospitals indicated in the title. First, the price: 18,000 bhat (St. Louis), 21,000 (MedPark), 29,000 (Bangkok Hospital). All the price quotes exclude biopsy, polyps removal, special equipment and medication. Additionally, St. Louis does not take any appointment; the procedure is available Monday to Saturdays on a first come first serve basis. Has anyone had a colonoscopy in any of these hospitals? How much do you end up paying? I'd like to get a ballpark figure what the final total bill will be. Also, what is your experience with the hospital and the doctor? Do you recommend one over another? Thanks and look forward to any insights!

Try M.T. Interlab (https://mtinterlab.co/en). Their price is very reasonable, and the results are out usually within 1 to 2 days.

Save the frogs, thank you for the info. In the past couple days, I have also received advices from other sources regarding the role of Vitamin K2 in bone building and heart health. I have also been reading more on calcium from natural sources (instead of supplements). Turns out designing a high calcium diet may not be as difficult as I thought. I may use a combination of supplements and food for calcium sources initially. I am still going to get the CAC scan, so there is a reference point at least. Thank you again for all the helpful advices. And thank you everyone for the input and feedback. Appreciate it!

This is an interesting piece of data. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Recently I did a bone density test and based on the test score I have osteopenia, therefore I am planning to take calcium supplements. Searching on the web, there seems to be some studies which suggest that calcium supplements can increase the risk of heart attack. Nevertheless, I still think that in my own situation the benefits outweigh the risk. However, I want to monitor if my intake of calcium supplement will indeed increase my risk of developing cardiovascular disease. I plan to take a coronary artery calcium (CAC) scan before I start the supplements (this will serve as a baseline). In a year or two, I will take the CAC scan again to check for any development on CV disease. My question is: is the CAC scan the right test for this purpose? If not, what will be the correct test? Appreciate any input in advance!

Has anyone been to this rose garden (https://www.lovethailand.org/travel/en/1-Chiang-Mai/10988-Ban-Buak-Tey.html)? It seems that besides this website, I couldn't find any other source of info regarding this place, and I am not able to locate it on Google Map either. I would like to find out its address, contact info, and how to get there. If anyone has been there, please kindly share the information, as well as your experience visiting this farm. Alternatively, if there are other similar rose gardens in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai, please feel free to recommend. Thank you!

I will be traveling to Chiang Mai and possibly Chiang Rai with a friend, who is a very seasoned traveler. He has been to many different places in Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and Europe. This will be the first time for the both of us to visit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and I hope to take him to places that will feel unique and memorable to him. I came up with the sight-seeing and activity list below. For those who are locals or familiar with the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai area, please let me know if any of the places on the list are worth (or not worth) going, and kindly include a brief reason why. And further, if there are any "must visit" places that are missing from the list, please let me know. (Please note that we are more interested in scenic places and less interested in temples.) We also want to visit some hill tribes. As I understand, there are many in the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai hill areas, like the Hmong, Karen, Palong, Lisu, Lawa, Padaung, Lahu, and Akha. Which one should we pick? Finally, we will need to rent a car with a driver to take us around. Any recommendation on a reliable transportation service company? Look forward to some good suggestions!

Thanks Sheryl. I am located in Bangkok.

It seems that the supplies of Lispril in Thailand has not improved since last May. I still have trouble finding the medicine. I checked with many drug stores and they don't have it. Does anyone know if this medicine has been recalled, or the manufacturer Siam Bheasach has stopped making it? On the other hand, if you are able to procure the medicine, please kindly share your source. Thank you!

I want to rent a SUV or minivan with a driver for sightseeing purpose. It will be a one-day round trip; pick up from Bangna Bangkok to Amphawa Floating Market and then back to Bangna Bangkok. A Google search pops up many companies such as ThaiTaxis, BangkokBeyond, DriveMate, Klook, GetYourGuide, DelightCar, etc. Has anyone used any of these companies? Which one do you recommend? What was your experience in terms of vehicle maintenance, driver's safety skills and punctuality?