Persoal accident and sickness cover for farangs and holiday makers.

[David Walden]

They, that is "many people" in Thailand have been talking about basic heath and accident cover for farangs and holiday makers in Thailand sponsored by the Thai Govt. for many years.  That is a cover witch is first diagnosed as an accident or sickness in Thailand and whilst you are staying in Thailand...I'd like to know if any progress is being made, how much it might cost and above all where to find it.  Perhaps an excess would appropriate to avoid frivolous claims or just provide repatriation to their home country which have free hospital and medical services (almost free like Australia).

With the digital age machines similar to bank ATMS could be placed at entry points to the country to dispense policies for this cover.   (perhaps this question should be in a new subject?

[David Walden]

  On 8/5/2018 at 1:15 PM, Sparkles said:

The elephant in the room is health insurance.Once over 70 seems impossible to get cover.If I'm wrong please tell me

When I am back in Australia I am entitled to Govt Medicare cover.  When I leave it stops.   If I'm out of the country and have medical problem and can get back to Aus I'm still covered.  Having private cover as well is suspended whilst out of the country but I must still pay the premium, so I let it lapse after 31 years with Medibank Private.  Travel insurance only covers you for repairing you enough so that the insurers can transport you back to Aus so you can receive the free Govt. hospital treatment in Aus.  Travel insurance does not does not cover you for any pre-existing problems nor do most cover you if you are over 70 Y/O.  I'm 76 none of these insurers will provide any cover for me. I'm in fairly good health for my age  My only worry which I don't give a hoot about is if I have a catastrophic injury or sickness.  I do have a enough cash reserves (I think) to get back Aus to get the free Govt hospital and medical treatment.

 

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Edited August 8, 2018 by David Walden

[cleverman]

1 hour ago, David Walden said:

  On 8/5/2018 at 1:15 PM, Sparkles said:

The elephant in the room is health insurance.Once over 70 seems impossible to get cover.If I'm wrong please tell me

When I am back in Australia I am entitled to Govt Medicare cover.  When I leave it stops.   If I'm out of the country and have medical problem and can get back to Aus I'm still covered.  Having private cover as well is suspended whilst out of the country but I must still pay the premium, so I let it lapse after 31 years with Medibank Private.  Travel insurance only covers you for repairing you enough so that the insurers can transport you back to Aus so you can receive the free Govt. hospital treatment in Aus.  Travel insurance does not does not cover you for any pre-existing problems nor do most cover you if you are over 70 Y/O.  I'm 76 none of these insurers will provide any cover for me. I'm in fairly good health for my age  My only worry which I don't give a hoot about is if I have a catastrophic injury or sickness.  I do have a enough cash reserves (I think) to get back Aus to get the free Govt hospital and medical treatment.

 

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I take out travel ins at Flight Centre for the period I will be o/seas. If stay longer than anticipated, renew it by email before it expires,. Should say, extend it I mean. Existing medical conditions may be covered for higher premium. I'm over 70. Cover more is the insurer. Contact Flight Center about it. If you take it out for a year say, and return within that time, it cancels. . For me, over 3K O z. 

[cleverman]

P.S. I've had two eye ops. here.  they didn't try to get me back to Oz for the ops. You have to be in Oz to take out the policy. 

[David Walden]

1 hour ago, cleverman said:

P.S. I've had two eye ops. here.  they didn't try to get me back to Oz for the ops. You have to be in Oz to take out the policy. 

Interesting but mostly eye operations are pre-existing problems. It's unlikely you will receive cover if treatment is to be required and if that treatment requirements are iminent for that complaint.  With travel insurance.  The travel policies I have had in the past clearly state the insurers obligation is only fix you up enough to get you back to Aus.  The moment you are on Aus soil the policy ends

     Things do not seemed to have change much in the last 50/60 years from from when I worked in a large Australian Insurance Office as a claims officer in general insurance which include Personal accident and Sickness and Travel insurance policies. (and fire, car etc.)  Often if our client then was a manager or senior staff of a large company with lots of insurance policies with our company and that person had a travel policy for we would pay claims to keep the business.  Often the other ordinary customers who had no other policies we with us we were quite tough with them.  No ex gratia payments there. 

Edited August 8, 2018 by David Walden

[David Walden]

5 hours ago, cleverman said:

I take out travel ins at Flight Centre for the period I will be o/seas. If stay longer than anticipated, renew it by email before it expires,. Should say, extend it I mean. Existing medical conditions may be covered for higher premium. I'm over 70. Cover more is the insurer. Contact Flight Center about it. If you take it out for a year say, and return within that time, it cancels. . For me, over 3K O z. 

Most travel Insurance you purchase from Travel agents is travel agents acting as a broker or agent for only a very few international travel insurance conglomerates.  The most common in Australia is ALLIANZ the name originally came about from a combination of Alliance Acceptance and  ANZ Bank I believe.  If you look at the many different policies and look at where you make a claim if you need to, you are directed to ALLIANZ claims dept for most or all.  There could be hundred of brokers or agents operating in Australia or world wide alone directing their business to ALLIANZ using a different product name but selling the same type of travel policy for a percentage of the premium as commission.  The policy in nearly all cases is exactly the same from one company to the next but often the premium from one agent or another can be quite a different price.  Shopping around for the lowest price is the way to go...most travel insurers have similar conditions (verbatim) but the price can be quite different and by lots. 

   My perusal of most of these insurer's policy conditions are that many will not insure you if you are over 70Y/O without a penalty and any pre-existing matters will most likely require comprehensive costly medical assessments or reports making it difficult to purchase insurance on the internet or off the shelf.  Don't even try.  If you decided not to declare pre-existing conditions when purchasing, this is likely to come back to bite you when and if you make a claim, all will come to the front if you have not declared it, your claim will likely be rejected...agent often forget to tell clients about the conditions, just click the boxes and if simple and no pre-existing matters are shown it's all done, just give me the money.  They just want the commission quick which can be quite generous.

   There are other travel insurers also in the travel insurance business who also have lots of brokers and agents working for them.  Most are conglomerates.

 

PS Lots of travel insurers offer a policy which is for a year, but...but...but you are only covered for 90 days overseas over this one years period.  Quite good for frequent flyers who may be overseas for a combined period less then 90 days.  Like 6 trips of 2 weeks =maybe 87 days.  Once you are overseas past the 90 days it lapses.  Watch out for young players...can be a trap for players...

Edited August 8, 2018 by David Walden

[AlexRRR]

Your banks platinum credit card will give you or at least me up to 6 months continuous travel insurance, its free and on returning and flying back out will cover you for a further 6 months, if planning to live overseas for most of the year and like to come home for a month or two this is an ideal way of going about it.

[David Walden]

17 minutes ago, AlexRRR said:

Your banks platinum credit card will give you or at least me up to 6 months continuous travel insurance, its free and on returning and flying back out will cover you for a further 6 months, if planning to live overseas for most of the year and like to come home for a month or two this is an ideal way of going about it.

Thank you AlexRRR...yes I have overlooked that.  I am getting on a bit but I do have an ANZ and Citibank cards I'll look into it.  perhaps upgrading to Gold is the way to go.  I think you have to buy all your travel costs on your card to get this (I  think).

[David Walden]

If you are required to have even limited accident and sickness cover in Thailand it's unlikely to cost anything for Thailand consuming these premiums in their hospital system.  It would have to be compulsory and no frills, just essential cover or prove you are covered by with an independent company on arrival.  In the US if you don't have travel insurance "you die".  Thailand just might come out with a profit.  The biggest hurdle would be getting it past the established Travel health cover providers.  They make billions and billions out of travel insurance.  The ratio of premiums collected to claims settled with travel insurance is very low and the policy conditions have as many holes a Swiss cheese.

 

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[cleverman]

On 8 August 2018 at 12:23 PM, David Walden said:

Interesting but mostly eye operations are pre-existing problems. It's unlikely you will receive cover if treatment is to be required and if that treatment requirements are iminent for that complaint.  With travel insurance.  The travel policies I have had in the past clearly state the insurers obligation is only fix you up enough to get you back to Aus.  The moment you are on Aus soil the policy ends

     Things do not seemed to have change much in the last 50/60 years from from when I worked in a large Australian Insurance Office as a claims officer in general insurance which include Personal accident and Sickness and Travel insurance policies. (and fire, car etc.)  Often if our client then was a manager or senior staff of a large company with lots of insurance policies with our company and that person had a travel policy for we would pay claims to keep the business.  Often the other ordinary customers who had no other policies we with us we were quite tough with them.  No ex gratia payments there. 

Eye ops pre existing , where did that Info come from. I had two detached retinas.

[David Walden]

50 minutes ago, cleverman said:

Eye ops pre existing , where did that Info come from. I had two detached retinas.

Yes detached retinas are just like an accident they unpredictable and mostly instant, not likely to be pre-existing and you are lucky that you where in Thailand.  My young orthodontist in Aus makes regular trips to Thailand to further his knowledge on eye procedures he tells me that Thailand is about 2/3 years further advanced with eye surgery then in Aus and about 6 years ahead of the USA.  They are doing so much surgery that they can afford the very latest equipment.

Edited August 9, 2018 by David Walden

[cleverman]

Rutnin eye hospital Bangkok, the tops.

[David Walden]

4 hours ago, cleverman said:

Rutnin eye hospital Bangkok, the tops.

Ophthalmologist I should have said (eye doctor) not orthodontist (tooth doctor)

[topt]

On 8/8/2018 at 9:53 AM, David Walden said:

Often if our client then was a manager or senior staff of a large company with lots of insurance policies with our company and that person had a travel policy for we would pay claims to keep the business.  Often the other ordinary customers who had no other policies we with us we were quite tough with them.  No ex gratia payments there. 

I am genuinely confused as to what exactly is the reason for this thread since you seem to have, or have had, a vested interest?

It seems to me to be a rambling collection of thoughts covering a number of insurance issues many Oz specific........

[AlexRRR]

20 hours ago, David Walden said:

Thank you AlexRRR...yes I have overlooked that.  I am getting on a bit but I do have an ANZ and Citibank cards I'll look into it.  perhaps upgrading to Gold is the way to go.  I think you have to buy all your travel costs on your card to get this (I  think).

Yes thats right you need to pay for your airline tickets with your card, Platinum Cards certainly with Com bank which I have allow for this once you have it you can do online or phone in person to the insurer. 

[seajae]

aussie medicare lapses if you are living out of the country for more than 5 years even if you go back occasionally, found this out when I tried to renew my medicare card a few years ago and it was refused. Going by what I was told any medical expenses in Australia have to be paid for by me, no govt help, dont know if I was lied to as the govt offices tend to try to BS to you if it benefits the govt

Edited August 10, 2018 by seajae

[David Walden]

23 hours ago, topt said:

I am genuinely confused as to what exactly is the reason for this thread since you seem to have, or have had, a vested interest?

It seems to me to be a rambling collection of thoughts covering a number of insurance issues many Oz specific........

Yes vested interest I admit 56 years ago.  My point beware of Govt, private health cover and travel insurance cover that have loop holes in the policies.