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

[richard_smith237]

27 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Sadly you know exactly what the comments will be before you read them. Sad indeed. 

I pay a princely sum to ensure my Wife, Son and I are fully insured for our travels.... this is purely so I am not a burden on my family or anyone else should the worst happen. 

My parents paid for travel insurance covering them for medical emergencies when they travelled to Thailand in their 70's. 

 

What sympathy are you expecting for a stranger who has failed to ensure they will not become a burden on anyone else should they fall ill or the unthinkable happens. 

 

If it were a young back-packer who while uninsured broke their leg and needed an expensive surgery, would you have the same sympathy?...   

 

While I feel a degree of empathy towards a lady who has suffered but ultimately has found herself extremely fortunate and survived a serious medical emergency while overseas, I feel little sympathy for the predicament she now finds herself in.

 

There are sometimes extenuating circumstances, but for the most part those who travel overseas without insurance and have found themselves in financial strife as a direct result of this lack of insurance have not taken responsibility for themselves. 

 

 

 

[roadrunner32]

9 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

So then you cant afford it. Stay Home. As most responsible folks have to do.

I'm already at home and it's here in LOS. Why don't you try to stay at home yourself?

[Catoni]

13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Yep.. it must be difficult... BUT.... If you were to travel and fell ill, would you expect strangers to fund your hospital bills and recovery or have you 'self insured' to ensure you can cover any charges should your health slip into decline?

     Well......  my previous trips out of country, I was of course covered.... by both my Ontario Provincial Health and also my private insurance coverage through General Motors of Canada and our private insurance coverage for up to 180 days out of country at a time.  Longer than that, and I buy insurance wherever I happen to be living at the time.. Thailand or Cambodia. 

     So I've never travelled without insurance...I've always been covered....  and would not expect strangers to support me.  (But I would not turn down their help if offered of course.) 

      Now... with this coronary artery problem....  I'm just thankful that when I get it taken care of... and become stable for at least 90 days... that they will again cover me for out of country.

  I had to call the airline and cancel my flight.... they kindly offered me a deal for the future.... nice of them. 

    So I do expect to be able to return to southeast Asia.    

I've had to call my friends there and tell them about my situation....They'er looking forward to me returning.... 

   I hate being in Canada in the middle of winter...  I truly miss Thailand and Cambodia.   I feel more at home there now in that part of the world...     Depressing being here in Canada with this problem.  

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, roadrunner32 said:

To those who, in the comments, sponsor and incite to obtain an health insurance, would be able to indicate which company insures a 64-year-old probably with pre-existing conditions? And at which prices of course. Let's see how good you are.

If you can pay for your own medical emergencies whatever they may be (i.e - have +/- 5million baht instantly accessible) then you would not become a burden on anyone should the worst happen... 

 

So... to your point... to those who, in the comments, sponsor and incite to 'not obtain' health insurance, how would you pay for your medical emergencies? or are you just hoping to get a way with it.

 

Harsh I know and I apologise if that upsets any sensitivities, reality is never pretty.

 

I'm not yet sure what I'll do in my 70's when my insurance premiums have become too expensive for my Wife and I... perhaps a move back to the UK... or perhaps keeping a large chunk in the coffers for an emergency rainy day...  its a tricky issue and not one I'm unsympathetic to, but ignoring the issue, throwing caution to the wind is not a solution, neither is relying on crowd-funding... 

 

 

 

[hello55060]

People shouldn't be allowed to leave their home country without being able to produce valid travel insurance, same why uninsured drivers aren't allowed on the roads in UK. 

[roadrunner32]

5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

If you can pay for your own medical emergencies whatever they may be (i.e - have +/- 5million baht instantly accessible) then you would not become a burden on anyone should the worst happen... 

 

So... to your point... to those who, in the comments, sponsor and incite to 'not obtain' health insurance, how would you pay for your medical emergencies? or are you just hoping to get a way with it.

 

Harsh I know and I apologise if that upsets any sensitivities, reality is never pretty.

 

I'm not yet sure what I'll do in my 70's when my insurance premiums have become too expensive for my Wife and I... perhaps a move back to the UK... or perhaps keeping a large chunk in the coffers for an emergency rainy day...  its a tricky issue and not one I'm unsympathetic to, but ignoring the issue, throwing caution to the wind is not a solution, neither is relying on crowd-funding... 

 

 

 

You didn't answer the question

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, Catoni said:

     Well......  my previous trips out of country, I was of course covered.... by both my Ontario Provincial Health and also my private insurance coverage through General Motors of Canada and our private insurance coverage for up to 180 days out of country at a time.  Longer than that, and I buy insurance wherever I happen to be living at the time.. Thailand or Cambodia. 

     So I've never travelled without insurance...I've always been covered....  and would not expect strangers to support me.  (But I would not turn down their help if offered of course.) 

      Now... with this coronary artery problem....  I'm just thankful that when I get it taken care of... and become stable for at least 90 days... that they will again cover me for out of country.

  I had to call the airline and cancel my flight.... they kindly offered me a deal for the future.... nice of them. 

    So I do expect to be able to return to southeast Asia.    

I've had to call my friends there and tell them about my situation....They'er looking forward to me returning.... 

   I hate being in Canada in the middle of winter...  I truly miss Thailand and Cambodia.   I feel more at home there now in that part of the world...     Depressing being here in Canada with this problem.  

 

I wish you a smooth and successful Operation, a speedy recovery and an enjoyable return to Thailand.... 

 

I think its pretty obvious that you are one of those who takes full responsibility for themselves - I hope your insurance holds up to their comments. 

 

Question (To anyone who may know): Does the retirement Visa entitle retirees to govournment medical care in Thailand? or does that fall under being in a yellow house book etc? (I'm still way too young for retirement, but it would be interesting to know and perhaps helpful to others).

[roadrunner32]

7 minutes ago, hello55060 said:

People shouldn't be allowed to leave their home country without being able to produce valid travel insurance, same why uninsured drivers aren't allowed on the roads in UK. 

Well, then only who are  young, handsome and healthy will travel all the others at home

[Catoni]

2 minutes ago, hello55060 said:

People shouldn't be allowed to leave their home country without being able to produce valid travel insurance, same why uninsured drivers aren't allowed on the roads in UK. 

    Travel insurance for cancelled flights and lost luggage etc. is one thing.  People can buy travel insurance that does not cover medical. 

   Travel medical insurance is something else... and usually much more costly.  

 

   Travel medical insurance may get so expensive to the point that you have to be very well off financially to travel....otherwise...  sorry.... you stay in your country.....  don't try to cross the border or get on a flight out of country..   Allowed to dream about foreign lands... but never see them or live there..          

[Catoni]

10 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I wish you a smooth and successful Operation, a speedy recovery and an enjoyable return to Thailand.... 

 

I think its pretty obvious that you are one of those who takes full responsibility for themselves - I hope your insurance holds up to their comments. 

 

Question (To anyone who may know): Does the retirement Visa entitle retirees to govournment medical care in Thailand? or does that fall under being in a yellow house book etc? (I'm still way too young for retirement, but it would be interesting to know and perhaps helpful to others).

      Thank you for your kind wishes Richard.....  Best wishes to you and your family.. 

[Catoni]

4 minutes ago, roadrunner32 said:

Well, then only who are  young, handsome and healthy will travel all the others at home

young, handsome, healthy.....or.... wealthy......   Yes... you're allowed on the aircraft... have a nice flight.... ???? 

[farangx]

2 hours ago, roadrunner32 said:

To those who, in the comments, sponsor and incite to obtain an health insurance, would be able to indicate which company insures a 64-year-old probably with pre-existing conditions? And at which prices of course. Let's see how good you are.

Oh, that is so easy.  All one has to do is very simply start a gofundme from home to cover the insurance premium otherwise an estimate of hospital expenses of say 2,000,000 million baht to Thailand.  If lucky the folks back at home might even cover the travel expenses.  Once the money start rolling in, only then should one apply for an e-Visa, because a visa exempt would be too short a stay. 

 

While mandatory travel insurance seems a bit over the top.  Perhaps set medical expenses for those without travel insurance is doable.  Say 3,000,000 baht for major surgeries and 1,000,000 baht for non life threatening.  These fees must be set high to encourage those visiting Thailand have travel insurance.  Otherwise who wouldn't want a free medical holiday.

 

 

[Mac98]

 

Rubbish.  Do you really expect us to accept that an insurer will just pay a bill as presented? Insurers all have a set list price for procedures, medical devices and drugs. They also have agreements  with hospitals. A hospital can present an invoice for 1000baht, but if the health insurer cross checks against its industry association or internal cost lists and sees that it should be 500 baht, well, the hospital will only get 500 baht.  That's the beauty of  health insurance:The insurer  verifies the charges  and the costs.

The classic example of this is dental coverage on a group health plan. The insurer pays a maximum for specified procedures and surprise surprise, dentists do not charge more than that when a patient is covered by  a health insurance plan (from a known, reputable insurer.)

Rubbish. That's the way it works at home, not with travel insurance. You have to pay the bill first, then they check how much they will cover and send you a check for that. Now it's up to you to fight with the hospital over the balance of the bill. Good luck with that from 5,000 miles away! (My daughter experienced this.) And if I had the money to pay the bill up front, I wouldn't need the damn insurance, which they will find some way to pay nothing (pre-existing condition, incorrect paperwork, your fault because police cited you - the farang is always at fault). Never give money to the insurance crooks. Save the premiums and use that to pay for a good time!

   Rather than forcing tourists and expats to buy health insurance, which is practically impossible if over a certain age or ever been sick with anything) they should give them the option of signing off on any care. Go ahead and roll me off to the side of the road, or pull the plug if I'm in a hospital! All that would be needed is depositing $500 upon arrival to cover incidental costs (ambulance, examination, sending you up the nearest chimney) which you reclaim at the airport when leaving.

[Fireyfish]

Travel insurance should be compulsory ... 

[fouryesrs]

18 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.  

maybe nobody have 10000 pound ...maybe her friends are not rich like you

[fouryesrs]

17 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 

its all right what people write here BUT maybe it was her first trip and she is not an groundet thai expert just wanted to see her son....so what if u go other country in europe example spain for a week...if something happens you will be helped because in your own country u are covered...the advantages of beeing part of a developed society that values health and automated mass coverage of one or another kind..U blame tge son...he lives in los..means he must have money ..he should take out a bank loan to help her mom...

[hello55060]

5 hours ago, Catoni said:

    Travel insurance for cancelled flights and lost luggage etc. is one thing.  People can buy travel insurance that does not cover medical. 

   Travel medical insurance is something else... and usually much more costly.  

 

   Travel medical insurance may get so expensive to the point that you have to be very well off financially to travel....otherwise...  sorry.... you stay in your country.....  don't try to cross the border or get on a flight out of country..   Allowed to dream about foreign lands... but never see them or live there..          

 

I don't know what country you're buying from but in the UK when you buy travel insurance all that is included in most cases for example for with the premium package (the one on the far right £0 excess) can be purchased for £218 a year worldwide excluding US and Canada for 12 months. the middle one is £175 and the cheapest package on the left is £150. And it's from a reputable company I used before I started my work in SG which gave me private healthcare when I started working there a long time ago now so I haven't had to bother doing my own insurance for 5 plus years now that my company has that covered, but this was just a quote I did today from UK company as an example based on my age and worldwide coverage ex USA and Canada for 12 months coverage, doesn't seem bad to me

 

That works out just under 60p a day with the most expensive package and not paying any excess to claim.

 

A small price to pay rather than all the gofundme begging. 

 

I'm in my late 20's though, so I appreciate the cost would be higher for a older guy but surely even just a 2 week trip or 1 month if you're 50, I'm quoting for 1 year. I have no idea so pardon my ignorance on the subject but still I surely can't be worth the risk of something bad happening to you.

 

I just think if you can't afford proper travel insurance, then you shouldn't go on a plane in the first place. And if you're already that sick, why bother going any way you're clearly not up to health. Your health and safety should always be a priority and it's nothing but pure ignorance to put your families in that position if anything happens to you by traveling without insurance unless you got a few million in the baht and can afford the bill if shit hits the fan, but those guys would be buying the insurance in the first place.

[fouryesrs]

17 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

agree .... health insurance should be under tge control of governments...in los and in gb ...if it is not regulated than u experience this type of bazaar

[superal]

14 hours ago, jonclark said:

 

The compulsory health insurance needs to be very carefully considered especially if it becomes a mandatory requirement. 

 

If you are over 60 health insurance becomes increasingly difficult and expensive as, well, the older you get the greater the risk of falling ill. And that risk is covered by the company to whom the premium is paid.  Additionally most insurance companies request that older people get a check up so the risk can be assessed, and the premium adjusted to compensate for any risk. 

 

If a a government sponsored scheme for a fee of 1'500 is introduced, without a health check (and its kinda hard with 32 million visitor per year to insist they all have a health check - imagine the queues at immigration! ) it makes very good sense to go on 'holiday' to Thailand just to use the health insurance that is mandatory (government sponsored??) to your entry, even if it is a relatively 'cheap procedure' the cumulative cost will soon outstrip the cost of the premiums for the country. And we need to remember that travel insurance would define this woman's condition as 'emergency medical care' , as it appears to be life threatening. 

 

The obvious answer it to exclude pre-existing conditions, and associated procedures, but does pre-existing translate into conditions that have not been diagnosed? Does it only cover cost up to a limit? Or treatment at a government hospital, Does it include repatriation costs as Thailand has a sadly high number of tourist deaths. It is not a simple make travel insurance mandatory situation.

 

I am sure the vast majority of people would take the insurance and not claim, they would rather enjoy their holiday, but given that Thailand is a medical tourism hub, many medical tourist would be looking at this and think why not lets put in a claim? 

I reckon where your thinking is wrong is that if there were such a mandatory health insurance it would only cover emergency treatment and not mundane claims . Plus the patients medical history could / should be able to be accessed by the Thai medical team to reveal previous and current ailments .

Have to say that whilst I do not condone this womans actions as the insurance premiums were low and only a fraction of her travel costs , I bet that the majority of TVF members do not carry health insurance as the premiums are beyond their budget . Their thinking  has been told to me by saying that smaller medical treatment is affordable but in the case of something major it would be a return to their home land for , in the case of a UK ex pat , NHS treatment . But I have also heard that if you are out of the UK for more than 2 years you lose the right to treatment.

[mickyboy]

The girl jumped swimming pool broke her neck boy today 17 English killed motorbike this women plus the others pay £500 for plane ticket and spending money on top but no insurance their selfish behaviour taken go fund me money from someone who could done more with that money rant over 

[LomSak27]

Cue, Heartless Expats.

 

From your hillocks of moral superiority, ATTACK!!   

[The Stranger]

A lot of the people commenting in this thread seem to confuse the travel insurance for tourists with the health insurance for expats.

Sent from my CPH1823 using Tapatalk

[Lukecan]

15 hours ago, Kaopad999 said:

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

 Excellent one : )

[richard_smith237]

33 minutes ago, mickyboy said:

The girl jumped swimming pool broke her neck boy today 17 English killed motorbike this women plus the others pay £500 for plane ticket and spending money on top but no insurance their selfish behaviour taken go fund me money from someone who could done more with that money rant over 

The girl who broke her neck diving into the pool was insured, but her insurance refused to pay out - a despicable course of action by the insurance company. In this case I think the crowd-funding is valid. 

 

In the other cases, I agree...  

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed. 

[n210mp]

10 hours ago, Letseng said:

Go to www.journeyman.com.

I'm over 70, husband is 74, we pay +- 135£ for a one year policy with trips up to 90 days.

 

Thanks for that but cannot open the site.

Journeyman.com

Failed to load page content

[hello55060]

1 hour ago, The Stranger said:

A lot of the people commenting in this thread seem to confuse the travel insurance for tourists with the health insurance for expats.

Sent from my CPH1823 using Tapatalk
 

She was traveling from the UK to visit her son in Thailand for a holiday no? So she's not an expat and she was a stupid bint not to buy insurance in the UK prior to her departure. Tried to save a few quid down to the negligence of herself thinking oh ill be okay and now begging random people to help pay her bills. 

[harrycallahan]

You could always use a little more.

[brianthainess]

Nothing in this story tells us if she is in a private or Govt hospital ????????

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, hello55060 said:

 

I don't know what country you're buying from but in the UK when you buy travel insurance all that is included in most cases for example for with the premium package (the one on the far right £0 excess) can be purchased for £218 a year worldwide excluding US and Canada for 12 months. the middle one is £175 and the cheapest package on the left is £150. And it's from a reputable company I used before I started my work in SG which gave me private healthcare when I started working there a long time ago now so I haven't had to bother doing my own insurance for 5 plus years now that my company has that covered, but this was just a quote I did today from UK company as an example based on my age and worldwide coverage ex USA and Canada for 12 months coverage, doesn't seem bad to me

 

That works out just under 60p a day with the most expensive package and not paying any excess to claim.

 

A small price to pay rather than all the gofundme begging. 

 

I'm in my late 20's though, so I appreciate the cost would be higher for a older guy but surely even just a 2 week trip or 1 month if you're 50, I'm quoting for 1 year. I have no idea so pardon my ignorance on the subject but still I surely can't be worth the risk of something bad happening to you.

 

I just think if you can't afford proper travel insurance, then you shouldn't go on a plane in the first place. And if you're already that sick, why bother going any way you're clearly not up to health. Your health and safety should always be a priority and it's nothing but pure ignorance to put your families in that position if anything happens to you by traveling without insurance unless you got a few million in the baht and can afford the bill if shit hits the fan, but those guys would be buying the insurance in the first place.

Most ex pats here are in there 60s DOH !