wpcoe

What are the odds that Thailand will be open to incoming international passengers by July 3?

I'm surprised and impressed that they have decent English-language web pages:  https://www.ais.co.th/fibre/en/package_power4special.html

10 hours ago, Emdog said:

When I want to go from Jomtien to Bangkok I take airport bus and then rail link into town. I wonder how many else do that? Oh, and rail link used by many commuters who aren't coming from or going to airport.

7 hours ago, shortstop said:

Me too, nice way not to get caught in traffic. 

Me, as well.   Maybe if I were in a hurry I'd take a taxi service, but I don't mind the journey via the airport.

I'm getting a clearer picture of the situation now.  Thanks to all who have posted.

Do you have to have Medicare Parts B & D to subscribe to a Medicare Advantage plan?  When I've looked at (admittedly, summaries of) Medicare Advantage plans on the internet, I didn't see any reference to Parts B & D, particularly not a different (higher) premium if you didn't pay for Parts B & D.

I turned 65 this month.  I verified via the ssa.gov web site that I was enrolled automatically in Part A on 01-May-2020.  I had called Medicare in the USA to enroll in Parts B & D and they advised that they could only assist residents living in the USA to enroll in the supplemental parts, so I managed to get the embassy to submit my enrollment for Part B, but they said Part D must be enrolled via the USA office.  I was going to give the embassy a week to get the paperwork filed and then call the USA Medicare office again next week to see about enrolling in Part D.

I pay for an Aetna (BUPA) full-coverage health insurance policy in Thailand.  Could I have waited to enroll in Part B -- without penalty -- until such time as I moved back to the USA, providing I kept the Aetna policy?  (Asking for friends who will soon be reaching my age.)

Also, is it possible to enroll in Part D with the USA Medicare office?  And, as with Part B, the same question:  can I delay enrollment -- without penalty -- in Part D as long as I maintain the Aetna policy?

To add to the chorus of experience above, I, too, have had tinnitus for decades.  You do get used to it.  The only time I'm aware of it is when I actually think about it, like when I started reading this thread.  I don't think I'd noticed/been aware of it for months prior to this thread.

It's curious that Villa Market in Hua Hin quotes the BMA as the source of the ban.  Wouldn't BMA rules only apply to Bangkok?

My $1,200 showed up in my U.S. bank (where I had my tax refund direct deposited) over the weekend.  It's listed as "pending," but I think that's because it has to be processed manually by a Mon-to-Fri drone.

Back to health care, and Medicare in particular:

You can get (pretty close to) free care with some Medicare Advantage (MA) programs.  Several years ago when my mother lived in Hemet CA, I was visiting during open enrollment time (when you can change your health care provider without penalty) and saw an ad for an insurance broker who had a free seminar for seniors to compare the various MA plans available in Hemet.  They seemed unbiased, and I assume that was because they got paid from whichever provider you went with, but they had a check sheet for all participants to fill in as the seminar progressed:  costs for ambulance (quite a variety of coverage), routine exam co-pays, doctor & nursing fee coverage, etc, with a column for each MA provider.  We ended up changing Mom's care provider to one that fit her particular needs much better than her current provider.  It was obvious from listening to other participants that other folks made different choices based on their specific needs.

Bottom line was that she ended up with a MA plan that covered the vast majority of her needs with a few co-pays of about $15 or $20 for doctor visits.

Without a MA plan, "plain" Medicare is a loose net to catch some of the costs of senior health care but with lots of holes in it.  Finding a MA plan, usually with a local HMO or PPO, can provide far better coverage.

Years before this seminar, when my father had chest pains and called an ambulance to drive him 15 minutes to the hospital, the bill was $800 for the ride.  No care given in the vehicle nor at home.  Just transportation.  That was over 15 years ago.  I can only imagine what that would cost today.  Some of the MA plans at the seminar only covered $100 of ambulance costs.  That would leave a HUGE bill for seniors to pay.  It pays to shop around.  I would recommend a local insurance broker.

10 hours ago, seasia said:

Hi

 

In Pattaya and all of Chonburi province has been enforced closing of 7s Family & lotus Express from 10.00 PM to 5.00AM for about 3 days now.

 

I do not see how that will help as it only shortens the time available for people to shop hence more in a store at the same time.

There's a post somewhere here on ThaiVisa with a notice from some Cholburi official clarifying that the overnight closure of convenience stores there was *not* CoVid-related, but rather due to some spate of robberies and subsequent stationing of armed guards at the stores.

On 2/20/2020 at 11:08 AM, oceanbreeze851 said:

I agree with the use of Passport. If you want to drive in the USA after your license has expired, obtain an International driver's license based on your Thai driver's license.

On 3/2/2020 at 7:27 AM, gk10002000 said:

That will not work, or should not work.  The international driver license simply restates that one has a valid driver license.  At least that is what happens in the USA.  I went to AAA auto club, presented my Florida License, they gave me a few pages long pamplet written in several languages, attached a photo of me, and all it does is attest that I have a valid US driver license.

I think what oceanbreeze851 meant was that if you have both a USA and a Thailand drivers license, but the USA one has expired, you can still drive in the USA with a Thailand license + an obtained-in-Thailand IDL supplement.

In my case, I have no Thailand license.

On 3/2/2020 at 8:30 AM, Leaver said:

In your opinion, what's the current occupancy rate of condo's in that area?

I have no clue, do you?

17 minutes ago, JimmyTheMook said:

The empty Foodland plot on Theprasit is a great location and think a store would be a success as it would service all the local condos in that immediate area and lots of the traffic passing up and down the road as the original location on Klang does.

As an owner of a condo in that area, I agree.  But, they would need a decent sized parking lot to supplement the locals with those driving in from farther out.  

4 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

Spraying water in the polluted air actually does make all the pollution particulates heavy and fall to the ground to be washed away.

It would need to be continuous and who wants to walk through a constant mist?  If it's a one-and-done spraying, within minutes after they spray, the air would be as dirty as ever, no?

1 hour ago, gk10002000 said:

Most states used to issue a valid Non Driving ID and from my quick research many will still do that.  Many people do not drive for a variety of reasons. 

Yeah, but I want to be able to rent a car when I visit family, so I need a license.  Otherwise, I'm not interested in driving either.

On 2/24/2020 at 7:09 AM, andy said:

Interesting that Hawaii is only offering the Real-ID version of the DL, I hope this is not a sign of things to come.

 

I had to go the US a few months before expiry last time, and did the DL renewal in person - they were pushing the Real ID hard, but I couldn't meet the proof of address requirements.  No problem, as they offered a non-Real-ID version, and said they would continue to do so.  May have to look into SD as who knows how long that will last.

Every state I checked now issues Real ID drivers licenses.

I agree with several statements above and couldn't care less about having a Real ID license, since I have a passport (and Global Entry card), but it seems that to get and maintain a drivers license it's no longer possible to get a non-Real ID license (or will be soon.)

Regardless, I no longer can drive since I now no longer have a drivers license.  Hawaii would only issue a duplicate (non-Real ID) of my lost license if they mail it to the original address for the license.  That address no longer exists, so all they can do is issue a new one, and it will be Real ID.  And, even if they could mail me a duplicate, it expires next year and any renewal will require Real ID compliance.

For long-time/permanent residents of Thailand from the USA, do you maintain a USA drivers license? If so, how?

Earlier this month my wallet, with my Hawaii drivers license in it, was stolen. It was issued pre-"Real ID" gold star licenses. They will only mail a duplicate of the old license to their last address on file for me (which is no longer valid.)

They only issue "Real ID" licenses now, and said at renewal time next year I would have had my license taken because I would not be able to provide a current local address with two forms of verifying ID (rental contract/property deed, utility bills, etc, all in my name).

How have you maintained your USA license, and how will you with this REAL ID cr@p?

In case someone jumps on the "Rah, Rah, South Dakota" bandwagon to apply/renew a SD drivers license you now also need two forms of ID, and "If you use a PO Box, one of your address documents can show that address; however, your other address document MUST show your physical/residential address."

How long will this show continue?  Daily cleanings?  No more cleaning?

9 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

For those not aware the new Windows Edge (Version 79.0.309.71) is Chrome based and works great with easy conversion from Chrome.

To be technical, the new Windows Edge is Chromium based.  Both Edge and Chrome are Chromium-based browsers, as are several others.  I use Comodo Dragon, another Chromium-based browser.

20 minutes ago, toolpush said:

I heard a rumor as to why they quit using staples to secure the TM6 in a person's passport. Supposedly since it is forbidden to alter or deface a passport, it was determined that stapling did in fact deface a passport so that is why they stopped. But again, just a rumor.

Doesn't using a rubber stamp on a passport page deface/alter it?  Ditto for any handwritten notation on any such stamp?  The rumor's probably correct, but it's a bit absurd, don't you think?

3 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

It will rarely be excellent, but moderate will do.

Thailand in a nutshell, some would say.  

Another happy Dr.Anna customer here.  She had her own practice in California (Santa Monica, I think?) and has vast experience with light-skinned folks' skin cancers.  Sheryl on the Health Forum also speaks very highly of her.

Anybody else Google "Greg Pace," the "original Yellow Wiggle" to see if he were the Chinese-looking fellow in that pic?

Are the black plastic bags (available in many sizes, many stores have a representation on the floor indicating the actual size) any better for the environment than the single-use bags at cashier counters?

I used the single-use bags as trash bags to toss into my condo building's trash bins on each floor.  Now, out of necessity, I will be using the black plastic trash bags.  Which one is more environmentally friendly in a trash dump?

(This is a serious question, not a troll...)