Mum’s plea after ‘big-hearted’ son, 29, who rescues Thai dogs, struck with brain tumour and needs £15,000 to fly home

[BestB]

14 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

 

I think he was probably talking about the standard europe assistance insurance that you can purchase for cheap, it's limited to 3 months - 3 days or something like this , but yes, you also have real travel insurances which can cover you much longer.

 

 

My complimentary platinum master is 6 months , gold is 3 months. And that’s the free ones. ????

[Pepper9187]

Just now, BestB said:

My complimentary platinum master is 6 months , gold is 3 months. And that’s the free ones. ????

 

Yep gold is 3 months ! That's the only reason why i kept mine over all these years.

[BestB]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

 

   That is travel insurance though , that doesnt cover living in another country

 

Define living, if you return home and take out s new policy every 6 or 12 months, each new policy is valid as you travelling.

 And I used mine for major shoulder surgery, all covered.

 

now I could not use it as I Am no longer a resident of my home country, been away for too long, but first about 5 years was ok as I was often traveling back home

[BestB]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

 

   That is travel insurance though , that doesnt cover living in another country

 

Define living, if you return home and take out s new policy every 6 or 12 months, each new policy is valid as you travelling.

 And I used mine for major shoulder surgery, all covered.

 

now I could not use it as I Am no longer a resident of my home country, been away for too long, but first about 5 years was ok as I was often traveling back home

[BestB]

3 minutes ago, Pepper9187 said:

 

Yep gold is 3 months ! That's the only reason why i kept mine over all these years.

Platinum is 6, should upgrade????

[Pepper9187]

Jokes apart,

 

Real shame people around here are already blaming and judging the guy for not having an insurance.

I have no sympathy at all for these persons.

 

Have you seen someone's dying from a brain cancer ? I guess no, otherwise you would have some empathy, if he really has a malign brain tumor, considering his past (previous cancer before), he's probably going all the way down, and that's a one way ticket. 

 

Hope i'm wrong, there's no "good" cancer or good way to die at 29, but that one in particular is a BAD one.

[crazykopite]

????????Make the most of the time you have my friend rather than suffer with all the medication and treatment , my prayers and thoughts are with you And your family????????

[snoop1130]

British man facing £100,000 bill after falling ill in Thailand without insurance

By Lucy Middleton

 

George Gannon, pictured with girlfriend Natalie Hobbs, woke up on September 25 unable to speak or move his legs (Picture: Caters News Agency)

 

A British man who fell ill in Thailand is now at risk of being stranded on an island after his hospital costs went into the thousands.

 

George Gannon, 29, awoke on September 25 to find that he had lost the ability to speak and move his legs.

 

The social media consultant and DJ, who has lived in Thailand since 2014, was then diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and rushed to hospital in Koh Samui by ambulance boat.

 

Now George, originally from Basingstoke, is facing mounting medical bills, including at least £600 a day for his treatment and £3,500 for an operation, as he doesn’t have health insurance.

 

Full Story: https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/01/british-man-facing-100000-bill-after-falling-ill-in-thailand-without-insurance-7993797/

[balo]

Sorry even if you're young you need to take care of your body and be prepared , I am sure he could afford a cheap insurance, living in Thailand since 2014 , that's 4 years . 

 

[ukrules]

5 hours ago, balo said:

Sorry even if you're young you need to take care of your body and be prepared , I am sure he could afford a cheap insurance, living in Thailand since 2014 , that's 4 years .

 

Once you've already had cancer once your chances of getting any kind of cheap insurance are pretty low.

[Ron19]

On 9/29/2018 at 7:49 AM, colinneil said:

I cannot comment on this mans case, but yes a person can wake up 1 day and is unable to walk.

My first wife woke 1 morning unable to move/ walk, night before she was 100% ok.

She was airlifted to hospital by coastguard helicopter, and was diagnosed with Gullian Barrie syndrome.

A mate of mine had exactly the same thing happen to him. Preparing to represent his state in a national sporting competition, one day fine the next unable to walk  and subsequently diagnosed with Gullian Barrie syndrome and spent 6 months in intensive care and now 40 years later, still unable to walk.

[Ron19]

On 9/28/2018 at 7:40 PM, blackhorse said:

The headline is a mum thing and you can't blame her for making him look good ahead of the inevitable go fund me.
I feel sorry for him, he wasn't in a jet ski accident or no Helmut scooter.
But those symptoms do you really just wake up one day without any warning and you can't walk?

Doesn't sound right.

Yes  you can, very common. ( see my post above this )

[PoorSucker]

12 minutes ago, jacknorman said:

What treatment do they give him if he not had an operation? 600 pound a day for meals and a bed big BS

That's what Bangkok hospital on koh samui charges, transfer him to government hospital in Nathon and cut the cost to a fraction. 

[malcoml]

10 minutes ago, car720 said:

someone please enlighten me as to what insurance everyone is talking about?  Not Travel Insurance, that's for sure.  Does anyone seriously believe that a Thai insurance company would pay up?

Yes they do. My dad lives there and has had quite a few claims on his insurance policy.

 

i lives there and we made a claim through AIA I believe for my sons treatment.

[Ron19]

A number of off topic and troll posts as well as answers to them have been removed.

[dinsdale]

Bt25,000 per day and going on Bt150,000 for the op. Expense for the op may not be that over the top but Bt25,000 per day? Well we all know private hospitals are thieves.????

[davethailand]

37 minutes ago, car720 said:

someone please enlighten me as to what insurance everyone is talking about?  Not Travel Insurance, that's for sure.  Does anyone seriously believe that a Thai insurance company would pay up?

I had Bupa Private health insurance in Thailand for years, on the few occasions I've claimed on it they always paid out.

 

[BEngBKK]

When I had my first health insurrance made in Bangkok, the company asked me just to say no to all previous illness.

I asked why they wanted me to lie and they told me that the insurrance companies do not share information so they can not find out.....

Later after 1 year they forgot to renew the insurrance but they did charge my credit card.....

Now I only stick to my Thai social sequirty at a private hospital in BKK. Great free service and free medicine.... 432 Baht/Month

[fullcave]

Must have taken him to a private hospital to run up such a high tab and naturally he has a private room. Most of the locals could never afford such high level service and it appears neither could he. Glad he pulled through just saying.

[Dogbarker]

So working in Thailand he now expects free UK NHS treatment. I think there is a criteria for entitlement if you have been out of the UK for some time?high expectations of being British and the "rights" demanded.  Certainly the costs do sound high for daily treatment.... And other hospitals would be less but I suspect moving now maybe difficult. I do feel sorry for this young man and hope he recovers. Pleased to see how Thailand has managed to save his life .... With previous medical conditions there is always a risk .. The dice rolled wrong this time .

[tigerfeet]

1 hour ago, car720 said:

and a friend of mine, aged 32, dropped dead of a heart attack in my lounge room in Kalasin.  When it hits it hits and that's it.

I hate people who have smart arse quips when it is not happening to them.

spot on i cannot get insurance but have money in the bank to cover me just in case.sorry to hear about you friend my condolences to you and his family 

[graeme64]

1 hour ago, car720 said:

someone please enlighten me as to what insurance everyone is talking about?  Not Travel Insurance, that's for sure.  Does anyone seriously believe that a Thai insurance company would pay up?

Yes - they would. BUPA and several others. I have heard one case that according to the insured they did not pay. but also many cases where they do. 

[graeme64]

On 9/28/2018 at 10:59 PM, PremiumLane said:

Personally, I think it is criminal that healthcare is unobtainable for so many on this planet and so expensive. There is something fundamentally wrong when people die over profits for medical insurance companties

what a stupid comment - should we pay for food??? more important than healthcare. what about shelter - why we paying for that?? cant not get to work with out transport why am i paying for that? healthcover is CHEAP and afordable - this coverage would be FREE in the UK - he CHOSE to move to Thailand - if he could not afford health cover - he could NOT afford to live here. Simple.  

[suzannegoh]

On 9/28/2018 at 8:40 PM, blackhorse said:

But those symptoms do you really just wake up one day without any warning and you can't walk?

Doesn't sound right.

What can happen with certain types of brain tumors is that they grow slowly for a long period of time without symptoms and then at some point the tumor causes one of more seizures. Sometimes that first seizure can be devastating. Often too person with the seizure has no memory of what happened during the seizure so they might not know one occurred unless told by some one who found them during the seizure.

[ICECOOL]

1 hour ago, car720 said:

someone please enlighten me as to what insurance everyone is talking about?  Not Travel Insurance, that's for sure.  Does anyone seriously believe that a Thai insurance company would pay up?

Quite interested in examples of Health Insurance companies in Thailand in not honouring their policies. 

[Old Croc]

Many people think that total costs of care in a hospital should be set at the level of the room fee. They do not take into account the different levels of care, or medication, some patients require.  Someone paralyzed and unable to talk or even feed themselves, would require constant monitoring and treatment from doctors and nursing staff, perhaps in an intensive care unit. The high daily costs for this patient may be reasonable for his level of treatment.

Bear in mind that private hospitals are there to make a profit, not to provide cheap care or even to just cover costs. 

A 29yo can't make the same cost assertions that many of us older expats do regarding health insurance with impossibly high premiums or unobtainable altogether. Living here, with a history of serious health problems, the guy really should have bought insurance.

Deciding to live on a tropical Island, uninsured, after a near fatal bout of skin cancer probably indicates he doesn't always make the best personal decisions. Did he continue to monitor his health after moving to Thailand?

 

[petedk]

1 hour ago, malcoml said:

Yes they do. My dad lives there and has had quite a few claims on his insurance policy.

 

i lives there and we made a claim through AIA I believe for my sons treatment.

Yes, they pay up and then refuse to renew the contract. At least that is what happened to me.

I am actually signing a new contract with AIA today. I hope I never have to use it though.

 

I think it is essential to have medical insurance as you never know when something will happen to you. Only yesterday, was my sister-in-law diagnosed with a brain tumour.

[Old Croc]

1 hour ago, Ron19 said:

A mate of mine had exactly the same thing happen to him. Preparing to represent his state in a national sporting competition, one day fine the next unable to walk  and subsequently diagnosed with Gullian Barrie syndrome and spent 6 months in intensive care and now 40 years later, still unable to walk.

You may recall Alistair Clarkson, a very fit former AFL footballer, and legendary coach, also had an attack of Gullian Barrie syndrome a few years back. He seems to have made a complete recovery.

[petedk]

38 minutes ago, graeme64 said:

Yes - they would. BUPA and several others. I have heard one case that according to the insured they did not pay. but also many cases where they do. 

 

You need to read the policies carefully. There are many small things that are not covered. That's what makes choosing an insurance company so difficult.

[fxe1200]

1 hour ago, dinsdale said:

Bt25,000 per day and going on Bt150,000 for the op. Expense for the op may not be that over the top but Bt25,000 per day? Well we all know private hospitals are thieves.????

 

Thieves! In my hometown in Germany the rate is about 11.000 per day. 25.000 is a true ripoff.