Y Chang

I am looking for travel medical insurance for a 2 to 3 months trip in the U.S. My insurance brokers recommended AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited and MSIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited. Has anyone purchased one of these insurance and made claims? Was the claim process straight forward or complicated? Please share your experience. Thanks!

Thanks Sheryl. Appreciate the info.

Boomer2020, I have a follow up question regarding payment procedure for the bill you mentioned above: for both the medicare and the supplemental plan portions, did you pay out of pocket first then got reimbursement? Or, did the doctor bill medicare and the supplemental insurance directly? Thanks and look forward to your reply.

I have been going to Ployfany Pharmacy recently. It is located on Jomtien Beach Road. The owner's name is Ploy and she is a pharmacist. She is there most of the time. Whenever available, she will suggest generics (with big price difference compared to brand names) for me to consider. I have also gone to Save Drug and Boots. They are chains and have locations in many malls. You can find Save Drug at the basement of Central Festival, or in Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. Boots can be found on the third floor and basement of Central Festival, in Terminal 21, and many major malls. Here is the google map location for Ployfany (if it doesn't work, you can search for Ployfany Pharmacy on Google Map): <iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3889.3005232999712!2d100.8742285499631!3d12.88838729086584!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x3102974594fa49c9%3A0x6f97e0dfc5376a74!2zUExPWUZBTlkgUEhBUk1BQ1kgKOC4o-C5ieC4suC4meC4ouC4suC4nuC4peC4reC4ouC4n-C4suC4meC4teC5iCDguJ_guLLguKPguYzguKHguLLguIvguLUpIOiNr-W6lyDQkNC_0YLQtdC60LA!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1641868238706!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="400" height="300" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy"></iframe>

bbko, bang saen guy, thank you for the info, so helpful, really appreciate it! Happy New Year!

digbeth, thank you for the information. Appreciate it!

I'd like to go to this reservoir (อ่างเก็บน้ำบางพระ) but not sure where the entrance is. Do I need to go through the Chonburi Office of Irrigation 9? If anyone knows how to get there, please kindly share the directions. Thanks! And Happy New Year!

Sheryl, Boomer2020, thank you so much for sharing the valuable information, and thank you everyone else for your input. Your information and input are tremendously helpful in our decision making. Happy holidays! Hope 2022 will be a great year for you all!

BTW, the 24000+700 bhat I quoted above covered gastroscopy and colonoscopy.

We went to RSU Healthcare. Here is the link to their website: https://rsuhealth.com/new-home-en/. The doctor was Varocha Mahachai, MD. She spoke English quite fluently. The procedure was done under sedation, not general anesthesia, so it was very sleepy but not unconscious. For your reference, the price a year ago was 24,000 bhat plus an additional 700 bhat for medication charge. We were quite happy with their service. Hope that helps!

ChristianBlessing, Sheryl, KhunLA, Jingthing, thank you for your input. You all have very good points; I will certainly consider them. ChristianBlessing, you suggested getting Part D. If I understand correctly, Part D is similar to Part C, it requires the applicant to live within the plan service area. However, if my understanding is incorrect, please feel free to point that out. Like many others, my husband and I want to be prepared in case of a serious illness. As US expats, it seems that Medicare is a fallback option. We probably all know that coverage provided by Medicare Part A+B is very limited. As such, additional coverage is crucial. The reason we explore Medigap is because during the open enrollment period (i.e. when one turns 65), an insurance company can't use medical underwriting. I came across this article (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/retiring-abroad-what-medicare-plan-should-i-get) which seems to answer some of my questions regarding Medigap. The article states that “you need to be a resident of a state when you first buy a Medigap plan. After that, if you moved outside the U.S., your Medigap plan would continue in effect so long as you paid the premiums.” This leads to a question: is filing a state tax return adequate to claim residency of that state? Are there any other requirements? For the US expats who are covered under: 1. - Part A only; 2. - Part A+B; 3. - Part A+B+Medigap and/or Part D; and have received services under the corresponding coverage, would you share your experience in terms of the services provider options, billing, payment, your share of payment, and the application process (for Medigap)? Thanks for your time!

My husband and I live in Thailand and we travel to the US couple months each year. He is turning 65 and is considering signing up for Medicare Part A+B. We have some questions and hope that other US expats with similar experience can share their insights. 1. Part C & Medigap: My understanding is that Part C (Medicare Advantage) requires one to live in the service area of a Medicare Advantage insurance provider. Does Medigap have the same requirement? 2. Medigap: Assume Medigap does have the above residency requirement, which means that he will have Part A+B only, then I have the following sub-questions: a. I google on doctors and hospitals who accept Medicare, but I wonder if they refer to Part A+B, Part A+B+Medigap, or Part C. Any thoughts? b. Does Medigap allow immediate sign-up for expats upon repatriation? If not, is there an annual sign-up window? 3. Drugs: It is my understanding that Part A covers drugs used during an inpatient hospital stay or at a skilled nursing facility, while Part B covers drugs that cannot be “self-administered”, like those one gets at a doctor's office or hospital outpatient setting. If I interpret correctly, in an outpatient setting, drugs that are not covered under Part B will be those “self-administered” drugs such as blood pressure or diabetes drugs (i.e. prescription medications you would normally take on your own). Please confirm my understanding. 4. Please feel free to provide any additional information I may have overlooked. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thank you all for your recommendations. I will definitely check those places out.

This posting is on behalf of a 24-year old female, who is looking for an acne doctor to treat her pimples which concentrate on her t-zone area. Proactiv used to work well for her until a few months ago. She tried other OTC cleanser and treatment but nothing works. She would like a doctor who speaks fluent English and has training in the US, UK, or Australia. Ideally, the doctor is located in Pattaya, but Bangkok is good too. Any recommendation will be appreciated! :)

Thank you all for your recommendation. Appreciate it! Yuen

Can anyone recommend a dermatologist in Bangkok or Pattaya that is experienced in treating fungal infection and psoriasis? I speak very little Thai so I will need a doctor who speaks fluent English. A doctor who has been trained in the US, UK or Australia will be a plus. Thanks and look forward to your reply. Yuen

Back in March I purchased my auto insurance which is the Type 1 fully comprehensive via a broker. I thought this insurance covers the Por Ror Bor mandated by the Thai government. A few days ago I went to Land Transportation Office to renew my car tax. Only then did I notice that the policy of my fully comprehensive insurance stated ไม่รวม พ.ร.บ.. I was told that in order to renew my car tax I had to buy the Por Ror Bor. So now I have 2 auto insurances with 2 insurance companies, as such I have the following questions: 1. If an accident occurs, do I contact the Por Ror Bor insurance company first before the comprehensive insurance company? 2. Is it typical that the Por Ror Bor insurance is purchased separately from the comprehensive insurance? 3. Ideally, I want to have just one insurance policy and deal with one insurance company. Is Por Ror Bor sold only by authorized companies? 4. If car tax can only be renewed with a valid Por Ror Bor, does it mean that my auto insurance covered period needs to cover until the expiration of the next car tax? Appreciate your time and look forward to your response. And please feel free to offer any additional information or advise that can be helpful for this case. Y