well to start off with i have o-a long stay based on retirement.i go back to my home country for a visit and i purchase medical travel insurance  there for my stay in thailand. my wife works at Sakon Nakhon hospital and tells me they will not honour medical insurance...they want you to pay in cash!now iam just wondering if this is the norm for thai government hospitals?Would this be the same for private hospitals? thanks....

Why must it be government. I would choose the most expensive hospital eg bumrungrad in BKK

By the way you can purchase travel insurance in Thailand through nomads. Cheaper than flying to oz unless you go every year anyway

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Most government hospitals are not set up for direct billing with insurance companies so you have to pay first and be reimbursed.

Most private hospitals have direct billing arrangements , at least with major insurers.

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Upcountry most private hospitals are likely not where you would want to be treated and suspect many non-chain type will not have any billing arrangements so you may indeed want to use facility of wife.  Which is a use for the 800k retirement bank account if you use that method - in worst case you might have to make a visa run (or extend 60 days to visit wife) to allow funds to age the 3 months but most years should be fine.

okay thanks all for your info!

If your wife works for the government then it is my understanding that you are insured through her. I have a friend in Khon Kaen and his wife is a nurse and he gets free medical assistance 

1 hour ago, Poppin said:

If your wife works for the government then it is my understanding that you are insured through her. I have a friend in Khon Kaen and his wife is a nurse and he gets free medical assistance 

My wife is a retired school teacher.  As a gov't worker, I have been covered by her health plan coverage. I have had CT scans (as a AVR patient from surgery in USA), 90 day cardiology consults at NE Heart Center, unrelated emergency room visits, etc. and have never paid any out of pocket costs.  You have to register with you wife's government administrative agency and get in the system and be issued a number, and then register with the hospital(s) , get a pink card, and then you'll be good to go.

thanks Poppin and Avvocato for your info....ill be checking that out for sure!

Spouses, Thai or foreign, are indeed covered under the Civil Service Social Security Scheme.

 

This is the only one of the 3 government health schemes where that is the case.

 

Not all people working for the government have this -- only career civil servants. Contract employees of government agencies do not.