friend stuck in hospital with huge bill he can't pay,what now?

[Letseng]

11 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Nonsense..... I have seen successful UK visa applications where GBP 2,000 was more than sufficient. Also incorrect re  flight bookings etc for a UK visa.

If you read part 4 of the link provided above you will find that you are not required to submit a copy of your booking but they may ask for it. Same with insurance.

 

[Lumbini]

What hospital ?


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[tweedledee2]

15 hours ago, cat handler said:

 

Why especially to a country like Thailand, is medical care free in the US for anyone including non-citizens?

 

apart from that I fully  agree, suck it up princess, I might add if you purchase your ticket with a Platinum Visa card Travel Insurance is free.

Can you supply readers with the bank issuers name of the Visa credit card that has free medical coverage included with their free travel insurance?  

[stigar]

4 minutes ago, tweedledee2 said:

Can you supply readers with the bank issuers name of the Visa credit card that has free medical coverage included with their free travel insurance?  

I get 3 creditcards issued in norway..every card have travelincurance..the problem is that if i dont use the cards for this and that im not covered at all..in norway the media warning about this...thats why i make a travelincurance in the same company i use for my car and house..100% fully covered 45 days..if stay longer have to pay extra..i pay about 250 US a year for me and my kids if their registrated at my adress in norway..if we stay longer then 45 days it gets expencive..anyway..better safe then sorry

[Letseng]

51 minutes ago, stigar said:

I get 3 creditcards issued in norway..every card have travelincurance..the problem is that if i dont use the cards for this and that im not covered at all..in norway the media warning about this...thats why i make a travelincurance in the same company i use for my car and house..100% fully covered 45 days..if stay longer have to pay extra..i pay about 250 US a year for me and my kids if their registrated at my adress in norway..if we stay longer then 45 days it gets expencive..anyway..better safe then sorry

Amex offers travel if you buy your ticket with their card. 

[Letseng]

On 3/26/2018 at 5:26 PM, jackdd said:

You said travel insurance is required, i don't see it as well

And 500k THB won't get you much in a UK hospital if you have a serious accident

You may not be asked to show travel insurance but treatment may not come quite for free on the NHS:

https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/uk-visitors/visiting-england/Pages/visitors-from-outside-the-eea.aspx

Edited March 27, 2018 by Letseng

[LolaS]

On 3/26/2018 at 5:43 PM, elviajero said:

You said visitors to the UK need insurance, which is wrong.

 

I gave you the link to the UK government website that proves you are wrong.

 

What are you quoting, and where does it say anything about INSURANCE?

 

You seem to be proving yourself wrong!

buying insurance is less than 5% of amount of money that you need to have for minimum on your bank account for UK. educate yourself, stop gaslighting people here

[LolaS]

22 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Nonsense..... I have seen successful UK visa applications where GBP 2,000 was more than sufficient. Also incorrect re  flight bookings etc for a UK visa.

and 200 GDP is enough for insurence, what is your excuse for not buying it.

[LolaS]

On 3/26/2018 at 7:39 PM, Sheryl said:

Please stay on topic. The topic is a request for advise on what to do re a hospital bill.

can negotiate with hospital or just go from coutry

[LolaS]

On 3/26/2018 at 5:26 PM, jackdd said:

You said travel insurance is required, i don't see it as well

And 500k THB won't get you much in a UK hospital if you have a serious accident

but you will find good insurance for less than 10 percent of that

[elviajero]

58 minutes ago, LolaS said:

buying insurance is less than 5% of amount of money that you need to have for minimum on your bank account for UK. educate yourself, stop gaslighting people here

The cost of insurance is irrelevant. Of course a visitor should have insurance, but IT IS NOT COMPULSORY.

 

Wrong again. There is no minimum amount of money you need in the bank. You need to satisfy the decision maker that you have enough money to cover the visit to the UK.

 

You are the one that needs educating. Or more to the point you need to accept when you are wrong. I suggest you read the UK government website and the requirements for getting a UK visa, and ignore dodgy advice from dodgy visa agents.

 

Disagreeing with you, and proving you’re wrong, is not “gaslighting”. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by elviajero

[ericthai]

1 hour ago, LolaS said:

can negotiate with hospital or just go from coutry

Again here you go, just leave!!  That is your answer. 

Dont own up to something you owe, just leave!

 

My friend had a large hospital bill he made arrangements to pay but they held his passport until they got paid. Hard to leave if you dont have a passport!

[stigar]

8 hours ago, Letseng said:

Amex offers travel if you buy your ticket with their card. 

I know..anyway i pay my tickets with my visacard and have my private travelincurance..many nowegians get stucked in spain some time ago because of weather condicions..allmost everyone who thougth they was covered with their creditcards didnt get any help..the persons who had incurance from their regular incurancecompany was taking wery good care of...when i stay in another country i allways leave copy of my incurance at the counter..and telling them about this...i work offshore and been to 43 different countres..im fully covered when im at work by my company incurance..from the day i go to work and back home..when im on holiday im covered by my private incurance..

[mstevens]

9 hours ago, tweedledee2 said:

Can you supply readers with the bank issuers name of the Visa credit card that has free medical coverage included with their free travel insurance?  

Here is a copy of the terms and conditions of the travel insurance with medical coverage that comes with my visa card.  https://www.bnz.co.nz/assets/credit-cards/pdfs/bnz-platinum-travel-insurance-policy.pdf

[HLover]

Nobody cares the OP posted on other threads and has not responded?

That is a good sheep, baaaa.

Keep those replies coming.

[Mace648]

On 3/23/2018 at 7:59 AM, HLover said:

Any ideas for travel insurance for these incidents?

Last time I was in Bangkok I had to be taken to the hospital for what I thought was a heart attack and I had travel insurance from one of the largest and most well known insurance companies in the world  AIG, and they refused to treat me because the insurance company would not pay the hospital saying that I had to pay and then they would reimburse me. The hospital wanted $12,000 USD to admit me which of course I didn't have in my wallet so I'm laying flat on my back on a gurney in the ER trying to negotiate an amount that would allow me to get treatment and they finally agreed if I would pay $2000 USD on my credit card and the rest when I am released from the hospital. I spent one night in the ICU and the next morning they came in a presented me with a bill of $2700USD for the first night and at that point I had enough and demanded that I be unhooked from all the IVs, monitors,etc so I could check out. Once I got dressed there was a security guard and two nurses waiting to escort me to the payment desk and stayed until they were given the OK that I had paid the bill in full. Once I got back to the USA I sent me bill into AIG insurance and was reimbursed but I after this experience I would never recommend AIG Travel Insurance to anyone. So end of story, I would also be very interested in hearing about anyone who has had a good experience with a travel insurance company since I travel quite a bit and have always had travel insurance  but I would like to find one that would pay in Thailand if I needed medical care.

[scubascuba3]

Last time I was in Bangkok I had to be taken to the hospital for what I thought was a heart attack and I had travel insurance from one of the largest and most well known insurance companies in the world  AIG, and they refused to treat me because the insurance company would not pay the hospital saying that I had to pay and then they would reimburse me. The hospital wanted $12,000 USD to admit me which of course I didn't have in my wallet so I'm laying flat on my back on a gurney in the ER trying to negotiate an amount that would allow me to get treatment and they finally agreed if I would pay $2000 USD on my credit card and the rest when I am released from the hospital. I spent one night in the ICU and the next morning they came in a presented me with a bill of $2700USD for the first night and at that point I had enough and demanded that I be unhooked from all the IVs, monitors,etc so I could check out. Once I got dressed there was a security guard and two nurses waiting to escort me to the payment desk and stayed until they were given the OK that I had paid the bill in full. Once I got back to the USA I sent me bill into AIG insurance and was reimbursed but I after this experience I would never recommend AIG Travel Insurance to anyone. So end of story, I would also be very interested in hearing about anyone who has had a good experience with a travel insurance company since I travel quite a bit and have always had travel insurance  but I would like to find one that would pay in Thailand if I needed medical care.

I guess in hindsight you should have read the T&Cs about payment, and choosing a company that pays the hospital direct.

I had a scuba diving accident, i was about to go into the decompression chamber, i called the insurance company to approve the claim, and they did straight away no problem, they covered the cost direct

[HLover]

6 hours ago, Mace648 said:

be very interested in hearing about anyone who has had a good experience

Thank you for sharing that.  Yes, it would be refreshing and informative to hear an accurate success story regarding insurance in Thailand.

[meechai]

On 3/24/2018 at 3:51 AM, Sheryl said:

Actually from what I have seen,  very, very few people self-insure. Instead what we have are uninsured people who think that is called "self insured". It is not.

 

Self-insured = you have 1-5 million baht (3-5 if you want the option of using private hospitals) set aside for medical care, readily accessible, and you have some means of replenishing it as it is used.

 

By and large the people who find health insurance too expensive are retrirees with no new income coming in and no way of doing the above.

 

Health insurance is not only for the purpose of ensuring access to health care; it is also to help protect financial assets.

 

 

 

Boy that is the Truth! They say self insured but have no real savings

 

This will ultimately cause a ripple in Thailand with its growing aging expat population.

When enough hospitals govt or private get stung

Edited March 28, 2018 by meechai

[Nong Khai Man]

16 hours ago, ericthai said:

Again here you go, just leave!!  That is your answer. 

Dont own up to something you owe, just leave!

 

My friend had a large hospital bill he made arrangements to pay but they held his passport until they got paid. Hard to leave if you dont have a passport!

They CANNOT Hold your Passport, It belongs to The U,K Government....

[scubascuba3]

 
Boy that is the Truth! They say self insured but have no real savings
 

You know them all personally? Some will have plenty of money, others won't

[Mattd]

OP, as has been stated by others, the only sensible option is for him to approach the hospital and try and work out a payment option, he could try to negotiate the bill down a little, but doubtful the hospital will do that.

The hospital could request immigration to stop him departing the country until the bill is paid.

 

For those who have posted that 500,000 is outrageous, yes it is a lot of money, however, we do not know what the hospital did for this, was it a band aid and some TCP, or surgery with a lot of after care.

 

It is so very easy to rack up a big bill here, a friend of mine had to have heart bypass surgery 3 years ago, he was admitted and operated on a Thursday, in ICU for one day, followed by lots of physio etc. and then discharged on the Wednesday morning, it would have been Tuesday afternoon, but the hospital and his insurance company argued over 150 Baht's worth of wet wipes, which delayed it a day..........!! The total bill was just over 1.2m Baht and this doesn't include the angiogram prior, or the OPD stuff after, of which there was quite a bit.

 

Be aware that a certain private hospital located in Pattaya doesn't have two-tier pricing, it has at least 3, That is Thai, Long term Farang and Tourists, an ex. colleagues wife worked in the accounting department there and confirmed this.

 

For those talking about ambulances and choosing a hospital, first off I agree 100% with Sheryl, if you can get there by private car, then do so, if not then in the Pattaya area chances are the first on the scene will be one of the foundations and they will take you the hospital which pays the most commission if you are unable to tell them.

When my son had a motorcycle accident in Pattaya, the foundation pick up turned up very quickly, he was thrown in the back of a pick up and taken to BPH, no one asked him where he wanted to go to, where he stayed for a week and underwent an operation to pin his broken femur, bill was 400,000 Baht, I know coz I paid it!

[Mattd]

On 26/03/2018 at 5:20 PM, LolaS said:

sufficent funds are more than 500 000 THB to show for UK visa, so please stop gasslighing as

It is not on topic, but where on earth did you pull that figure from?

There are many people who get issued a 6 month visit visa to the UK who do not have even close to this, nor do they need to have. The funds required would depend on the nature and length of their stay.

Short term visitors (6 months or less) to the UK do NOT need to purchase health insurance, it is highly recommended, but definitely not compulsory, unlike the Schengen visa, where it is compulsory.

[LolaS]

6 hours ago, Mattd said:

It is not on topic, but where on earth did you pull that figure from?

There are many people who get issued a 6 month visit visa to the UK who do not have even close to this, nor do they need to have. The funds required would depend on the nature and length of their stay.

Short term visitors (6 months or less) to the UK do NOT need to purchase health insurance, it is highly recommended, but definitely not compulsory, unlike the Schengen visa, where it is compulsory.

it doesnt have to do with notion that you are covered, or go in debt or jail bcs of medical bill in UK, that just doesnt happend

[cat handler]

On 27/03/2018 at 4:37 PM, tweedledee2 said:

Can you supply readers with the bank issuers name of the Visa credit card that has free medical coverage included with their free travel insurance?  

Citibank Platinum VISA Card provides free Travel Insurance if you purchase your Airline Tickets with your card,  many of these Visa cards do too but have different requirements. Citibank even cover you for motorbike accidents up to 250cc but always read the PDS of any Insurance Policy so you know what your covered for.

 

[mstevens]

12 hours ago, Nong Khai Man said:

They CANNOT Hold your Passport, It belongs to The U,K Government....

This is the official line, but in practice this is not always how things work and getting your passport back might not be as easy as saying it's HM property and smugly threatening to call the embassy.  There have been various reports over the years of people (ex-girlfriend / police / motorbike shop) holding someone's passport and real challenges for the passport holder getting it returned.

Edited March 28, 2018 by mstevens

[Mattd]

10 hours ago, LolaS said:

it doesnt have to do with notion that you are covered, or go in debt or jail bcs of medical bill in UK, that just doesnt happend

What do you mean?

Again, it is really not hard to understand, you do not NEED to purchase compulsory health insurance for a short term visa / visit to the UK, it is not a requirement for visits of 6 months or less.

Nobody is saying that the visitor should not purchase travel / health insurance for that visit, same as a tourist to here should purchase travel insurance, it would be very unwise not to, however it is up to the individual and their perception of the risk.

It is extremely unlikely that the UK would jail somebody for an unpaid bill to the NHS, unless it was intentional fraud, which would be hard to prove.

99% of the time the debt would be waived, simply due to the logistics of recovering it, the person would not be welcome to the UK again though!

[Sheryl]

Again...please stay on topic.

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[mommysboy]

But what happens if he simply can't pay- no money, no job, or a generous benefactor?  Is it the hospital ward in prison?

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, mommysboy said:

But what happens if he simply can't pay- no money, no job, or a generous benefactor?  Is it the hospital ward in prison?

They will not let him out until he reaches some sort of payment agreement with them.

 

If he has no money and no job, he will just have to get one...and sell off whatever assets he can (cat, motorcycle, etc).  But how on earth would he have been  living in Thailand all this while with absolutely no money and no income?