British woman, 64, stranded in Thai hospital unless she can pay 450,000 THB for treatment

[Dumbastheycome]

5 minutes ago, Johnnyy said:

Unless you have a stack of pre-existing conditions, a premium is only going to cost around £50. There really is no excuse for not taking out a policy. 

I only travel once a year so as soon as I buy the ticket it’s insurance next. 

If you are a regular then get an annual one.

Hope the lady gets it all sorted.

The  "pre existing" could  be the real reason for no insurance. Sadly.

[bkk6060]

I will giver her nothing and could care less..

[ebean001]

Here is what the world should do. All countries should collect a fee for all tourist for health care. It can be a small fee for the policy but the deductible is fairly high and no ‘preexisting conditions’ are covered.

Keep it simple. Otherwise, tourism worldwide is going to shut down because of the cost of health care.

Assume (for example Thailand) 35m visitor a year. Each pays 1000b per month ($33). At a minimum, the gov would collect 35,000,000,000b. That should pay for a lot of health care.

There are about 10m expats. Charge them 1000/month. That becomes 120,000,000,000b.

Would is 150 billion baths enough? (about 4billion US Dollars).

Now make all medical visits a high deductible…like 20% of the bill up to 60,000b ($2,000us) out of pocket.

All of my numbers can be changed but keep life simple. It is scary to visit another country because of health care. Soon…no one will visit another country.

It can be thought of as a 'cost of doing business'.

 

[Lucius verus]

Getting tired of all these Brits who come out to LOS with no insurance then go begging on the net to cover their bills. There must be a lot of gullible people out there shelling out money to any hustler who opens a GFM site.

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, Greyhat said:

People are always very quick to judge in these situations but any one of us could easily make a mistake in life. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

 

All the best to the family for what must be a very difficult time.

Foresight should have applied in this case.

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, Dumbastheycome said:

The  "pre existing" could  be the real reason for no insurance. Sadly.

 Sadly By the time you reach a certain age, almost everything is pre existing. 

[FritsSikkink]

33 minutes ago, spermwhale said:

Surely if you're traveling here you must have a credit card! How can people travel without one, especially at her age? How do they pay for hotels? flights? it makes no sense. Grifter. 

Debit card, cash

[wgdanson]

1 hour ago, Greyhat said:

Granted, but it's happened now and rather than jeer and condemn the poor lady I'd rather offer my sympathy and best wishes.

Sympathy and good wishes will not sort her heart out or get her out of the hospital, it's hard cash she needs, so she can get back to UK and get sorted for free.

[FritsSikkink]

4 minutes ago, ebean001 said:

Here is what the world should do. All countries should collect a fee for all tourist for health care. It can be a small fee for the policy but the deductible is fairly high and no ‘preexisting conditions’ are covered.

Keep it simple. Otherwise, tourism worldwide is going to shut down because of the cost of health care.

Assume (for example Thailand) 35m visitor a year. Each pays 1000b per month ($33). At a minimum, the gov would collect 35,000,000,000b. That should pay for a lot of health care.

There are about 10m expats. Charge them 1000/month. That becomes 120,000,000,000b.

Would is 150 billion baths enough? (about 4billion US Dollars).

Now make all medical visits a high deductible…like 20% of the bill up to 60,000b ($2,000us) out of pocket.

All of my numbers can be changed but keep life simple. It is scary to visit another country because of health care. Soon…no one will visit another country.

It can be thought of as a 'cost of doing business'.

 

There are people who already have health insurance here.

[wgdanson]

What will the hospital do....keep her in until she can pay?

[NextStationBangkok]

My Lord, you are finally plugged(anchored) in Thailand! ????

[Chelseafan]

2 hours ago, Oziex1 said:

Please understand , pre existing conditions are not covered even if she had no knowledge of the condition the insurance company will make a case of it.

 

I have high blood pressure that is effectively controlled by medication but so what, I can have my travel policies reviewed by Dr's appointed by the insurance company, no doubt this would raise the premium and still it is highly unlikely for me to be covered should I have a heart attack.

As cleverly explained to me by the lady who sold my last travel policy. My priority was, am I covered if I have an accident while riding a scooter.

I have exactly the same and declare it on ,my insurance. Premiums go up by about £10.

[wwest5829]

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

A friend of mine had a triple bypass at Chula Teaching Hospital. 180,000 baht. So why the 450,000?

 

Go to a different hospital.

Dec. 2015, Chiang Mai RAM. Stent, +2 angioplasties. Week of ICU and a regular room. Then stroke at end of the week. Total bill 411,000 baht. Just to cross reference some comparative costs. Everyone's case is, of course, different.

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Because Barbara was only visiting Thailand for a short holiday

Which presumably means that she entered Thailand on the basis of a 30-day visa exemption. Unless her permission to stay has already expired, she will need to obtain 90-day medical extensions in accordance with paragraph 2.25 of Police Order 327/2557 to avoid a potentially substantial overstay.

 

However, if her permission to stay has already expired, then she can, in all probability, kiss goodbye to future short holidays with her son in LOS for a number of years (assuming, of course, that she would still be up to them physically).

[miamiman123]

Sell or get a home loan.....UK just stole Venezuelan gold!!!

[bkk6060]

9 minutes ago, ebean001 said:

Here is what the world should do. All countries should collect a fee for all tourist for health care. It can be a small fee for the policy but the deductible is fairly high and no ‘preexisting conditions’ are covered.

Keep it simple. Otherwise, tourism worldwide is going to shut down because of the cost of health care.

Assume (for example Thailand) 35m visitor a year. Each pays 1000b per month ($33). At a minimum, the gov would collect 35,000,000,000b. That should pay for a lot of health care.

There are about 10m expats. Charge them 1000/month. That becomes 120,000,000,000b.

Would is 150 billion baths enough? (about 4billion US Dollars).

Now make all medical visits a high deductible…like 20% of the bill up to 60,000b ($2,000us) out of pocket.

All of my numbers can be changed but keep life simple. It is scary to visit another country because of health care. Soon…no one will visit another country.

 

 

The problem with those amounts are corruption temptation.

Travel to the 3rd world (not here) countries with lousy medical care is at an all time high and will just continue.

Most people do not get life threatening illnesses and do not care and that mindset will continue.

People generally do not think they will get sick, until they do.

[Proboscis]

3 hours ago, mercman24 said:

its not that they want to stay in a private hospital, they are generally taken there by taxi drivers who are in cahoots with the hospital and get a kickback, most tourists do not know of this, my friend, got taken to Pattaya Bangkok Hospital, despite me telling him otherwise. (thats where you end up if you go by taxi), he was cajold by the staff to stay in a private room. it was *oh you dont want to stay in a general ward with the riff raff basically. ok room very nice a bed where a guest could stay fridge etc, but he did not need any of these things, his 3 days cost his insurance company a fortune. i think they see you have health insurance and the bill gets doubled, just scammers, like everything in this country, for instance the 180,000 for a triple bypass. was the realistic bill, i bet that would be near a million anywhere else. still the UK is no different, when they hear BUPA their eyes light up, my knee scan years ago was double the normal rate

3 days in Pattaya Bangkok Hospital cost him a fortune?

[hobobo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Because Barbara was only visiting Thailand for a short holiday, she did not take out insurance for her trip.

Pretty dumb IMHO, especially as insurance cover for short holidays is very affordable.

[observer90210]

"No insurance...".....this may resume the whole issue....and with such habbits, soon even those with an insurance entering Thailand, could be required to take some ripoff insurance on arrival....

[Dario]

3 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

A friend of mine had a triple bypass at Chula Teaching Hospital. 180,000 baht. So why the 450,000?

 

Go to a different hospital.

What's the correct name for Chula Teaching Hospital? I might need to go there for a brain scan.

[alex8912]

3 hours ago, shackleton said:

Its all been said before about people not having enough Medical  Insurance cover or None at all

 and no doubt we will be reading about the same subject in the near future 

Good job there are generous people who contribute  to the Go Fund Me 

But don’t you already see it’s becoming like the boy who cried wolf? This is happening way to much and the first people the bleeding heart crew ( as you call them generous people lol) will  NOT be helping out soon are people over 60 who may need it. The children and younger ones will get the “ generous” contributions only, then probably no one will soon. There are just too many go fund me pages  all over the world. This person lying in hospital now begging just had to get a simple insurance policy for a short term stay. Now citizens of the world may pay and some big insurance company in England gets off Scot free. It’s just not right. A really needy person who made NO mistakes will get less. 

[Jai Dee]

A misquote and replies have been removed from this topic.

[bluesea]

This is what stuffs the whole bloody expat system up, <deleted> coming overseas without Travel Insurance, then we the mugs have to pay more!!

[Suradit69]

3 hours ago, shackleton said:

Its all been said before about people not having enough Medical  Insurance cover or None at all

 and no doubt we will be reading about the same subject in the near future 

Good job there are generous people who contribute  to the Go Fund Me 

And yet when the subject of insurance comes up on TV there are still those who claim indigent, uninsured farang are not a problem when it comes to hospitalization bills.

 

No matter how sad and unfortunate some cases may be, the fault lies with the irresponsible individual who then seeks sympathy and money from others to resolve the problem.

[catman20]

4 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Go fund me.      x

 

Loan.   

 

All those friends and family and nobody is prepared to loan this woman £10,000 instead they go to the local paper to assist in begging money from strangers. I understand that many Brits, used to the welfare state, travel abroad without insurance and expect others to pick up the tab but I don't have to like it. My mother is 86, regularly travels abroad and arranges insurance every time, which she has never used.  

spot on..................all these losers must come from that Jeremy Kyle show. 

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

No matter how sad and unfortunate some cases may be, the fault lies with the irresponsible individual who then seeks sympathy and money from others to resolve the problem.

To be fair,

it would help if the hospital weren't charging 10x more because of her white face.

 

Alternatively,

Why not just let her die, at 64 she's had a good run, time to leave.

[ScotBkk]

Go fund me.      x
 
Loan.   
 
All those friends and family and nobody is prepared to loan this woman £10,000 instead they go to the local paper to assist in begging money from strangers. I understand that many Brits, used to the welfare state, travel abroad without insurance and expect others to pick up the tab but I don't have to like it. My mother is 86, regularly travels abroad and arranges insurance every time, which she has never used.  

You're all heart ! I would like to nominate you for Heart of Gold award. Because you would bring a tear to a glass eye lol

Sent from my SM-G570F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[ScotBkk]

 
No matter how sad it is:
Going abroad without an insurance is like jumping from 10th floor and think they will survive.
Some never learn !

Don't you mean pushed lol

Sent from my SM-G570F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Kaopad999]

Okay, just based on the headlines and without reading the whole article. Let me guess. GoFundMe? 

[Briggsy]

Just now, Kaopad999 said:

Okay, just based on the headlines and without reading the whole article. Let me guess. GHoFundMe? 

You got it in one! ????