Richard007

Thanks for your comments Thailand J and Pib. I will post how it goes for me including timeline and document requests as I think this will be useful information for future applicants.

Hello everyone, I have read all 100 pages of this very interesting thread, so thanks to all of the contributors! I just applied this week for the LTR WP visa. I assume that all of my documents look good to BOI, since my status changed from “Pending” to “Consideration by Government Agencies” less than two days after submitting my application and I did not receive any requests for more documents / information. To those of you who have received LTR WP approval recently (within the last 6 months), how long did it take you to go from “Consideration by Government Agencies” (Step 4) to visa approval (Step 8)? Also, please note if your process was delayed at any point by requests for additional documents that you then had to gather and submit. This information will be very helpful to us "newbies". Thank you!

Hi 818Pilot, 3.5m baht is not nearly enough for me to feel comfortable. What if you are in a serious accident, let’s say a hit and run where you can’t collect from the other driver, and then you are then put in the ICU for a month or two or three? I can imagine the costs could end up much higher than 3.5m. Also, I would bet some cancer cases could run up a bill much higher than that, depending on which medications/treatments are involved. In addition to lower age-based inflation on premiums and a better legal/regulatory environment, I like that the US and EU issued policies have much higher upper limits on coverage than the Thai policies. This is important to me since I also plan to travel to other countries where medical expenses run higher than Thailand. I am looking at a minimum of USD $1 million coverage to feel comfortable, and going from $500K to $1 million coverage does not increase the premium that much because few people rack up medical expenses above $500K in one year. I am willing to spend a little more for the peace of mind.

VisitorsCoverage and IMG have been recommended for visits to the USA. I have not used either so cannot vouch for them. Links below. https://www.visitorscoverage.com https://www.imglobal.com/visitor-insurance

Sheryl, that’s super helpful information. Thanks so much for taking the time to type all this up.

scuba, that is a good idea to seek out someone competent in the insurance/billing dept. to see if they can shed some light. According to April’s written policies, “In case of hospitalisation, you benefit from direct billing service, subject to prior agreement.” but I’m not sure how that works in practice.

818pilot, thanks for sharing that information. That website falls under the “Corporate” tab not the “Individuals” tab. I wonder if the same networks apply to the Individual plans? Just curious, did you ever have a large hospitalization claim with April (i.e. >$2,000)? If so, which hospital was it and did April hit you with a 20% deductible?

Here’s an update for anyone interested in April International (France). I sent April my list of 6 hospitals in Bangkok and asked them to tell me whether or not each of the hospitals listed below charge Reasonable and Customary costs (Yes or No). They refused. I asked April to confirm that none of the hospitals in Thailand would trigger the 20% deductible because the cost of the treatment exceeds local standards. They refused. The only useful comment they made was the following: The costs have to be not much higher than local costs, it’s all. You have to inform yourself as expat if the prices are similar to the local hospitals. I cannot tell you YES or NO for each one. So, in conclusion, April does not currently maintain a list of hospitals in Thailand that are in-network or a list of hospitals that are out-of-network. Whether or not the 20% deductible applies is a case-by-case basis depending on the charges by the hospital for the claim and whether or not April determines that those charges exceed local standards. To avoid the 20% deductible on a scheduled hospitalization, the patient will need to go through the “Request for prior agreement” process with April. If that process indicates that a 20% deductible will apply, then I believe the patient could switch to a different hospital that charges less. It is definitely an issue to be aware of with April, but it only applies to scheduled hospitalizations. The 20% deductible does not apply to urgent hospitalizations due to vital emergencies.

Sheryl, thanks for sharing that information. I do not have access to the Member Guide as I am not a member yet.

keithsimmonds, thanks that’s good intel about Bangkok Pattaya Hospital and Jomtien Hospital.

Etaoin, thanks I will ask them to confirm that none of the hospitals in Thailand would attract the 20% deductible for being out of network. Regarding the booklet, if there are certain conditions that apply only to certain countries or zones, then that information should be spelled out in the booklet, just like they list every country that is included in Zone 0, Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, and Zone 4 in the booklet. There is nothing in the booklet about the 20% deductible only applying to certain countries, so from a legal point of view, it can apply to all countries if they choose to do so. Same thing goes for the April network. I did not expect that the April rep would give me the wrong information but unfortunately, I can confirm that there were multiple times where the information the sales rep gave me directly contradicts what is written in the booklet.

Topt, thanks, I will try that.

topt, thanks for your comments. Yes, April’s sales team is trying very hard to make the sale but I am going in circles with them on the hospital in-network vs. out-of-network issue. They keep dodging the request and trying to convince me it’s not important. Clearly the 20% deductible is one way they keep their claim costs down and apparently they don’t want word to get out on this issue or else they would be willing to share the information I requested. From the comments here on the forum, it seems another way they keep costs down is by not having strong customer support teams in place. Since you are a current customer, are you able to login to April’s Easy Claim mobile app, click on “Contact a doctor” and then on “Access the APRIL network” and check if any of these hospitals are listed for Bangkok? Bumrungrad International Hospital Bangkok Hospital Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital Ramathibodi Hospital BNH Hospital

Tropicalevo, Thanks for sharing your experience. At least they covered the 140K no problem. I wonder if anyone here on the forum knows whether BNH Hospital is still currently in April’s network, i.e. no 20% deductible applies. Good luck getting your claim reimbursed.

It seems that April International (France) is not popular here on the forum, but I know there are some policyholders out there. My questions to current April International (France) Policyholders are: Do you feel that the hospitals included in the April International Network are high-quality hospitals? If so, which other country’s hospital system have you been treated at as a basis for quality comparison, if any? Is Bumrungrad International Hospital included in the April International Network? Is Bangkok Hospital included in the April International Network? Is Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital included in the April International Network? Is Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital included in the April International Network? Is Ramathibodi Hospital included in the April International Network? Did you ever have to pay the 20% deductible for a scheduled hospitalization (i.e. not an emergency) because the hospital was not in April’s network and April determined that the cost of your treatment exceeded local standards (i.e. exceeded Reasonable and Customary costs)?