I've recently retired from Federal service in the USA (NON-MILITARY) and I'm wondering about how and if my health insurance will work living in Thailand. I know my Blue Cross insurance is accepted here by many providers, and there's a network of 'preferred' providers. In fact, I've already visited a doc in BKK that was happy to accept my card as full payment for all services rendered! My question is, are they only covering me because they are assuming I'm on vacation, or do they not have a problem extending their coverage with expats? The best I can find in the online fine print of the plan is that I am covered overseas. I can't find anything about a time limit of coverage or a limit on overseas claims. Any retired FEDS out there??

why not e-mail the provider?

I'm a little hesitant to contact them directly if I can find out through other means, instead. If they do have restrictions, I'd rather have them thinking I just take a lot of vacations until I can make other insurance arrangements. Once you stop paying premiums into this government program, you can't come back, and the rates are extremely good ones by American standards.

I'm seeing on a Federal Workers forum that the insurance I carry -Blue Cross Federal- is definitely the way to go overseas for US Fed workers/retirees. So I guess I just lucked out choosing the right carrier. US Fed workers/retirees have the option of joining a variety of different private insurance plans. At least, for the time being.

I'm not with BC/BS but with another carrier, have been retired here since 1992, no problem with coverage.  Except, I pay up front, submit the receipts, and am reimbursed perhaps a month later.

 

Mac

You can determine what types of services are offered by Blue Cross  in your Thai location by going here and using the drop down for your, country and then city:

 

https://webcorpsf.secure.force.com/WS/BCBS_SearchProvider2

 

Here is Pattya, Bangkok has more options:

 

The information you are after is on the Blue Cross FEHB web site , you just have to do your own research on how  claims / reimbursements are handled and what your co-pays are going to be:

 

https://www.fepblue.org/benefit-plans/coverage