If health insurance becomes mandatory ,what then?

[crees]

Ah, so many things to worry about and only so much time … maybe we cross that bridge when we get to it

[jesimps]

Another thread for the smug and self-righteous to tell us how clever they are and what a load of irresponsible bums are their fellow farang. Think I'll give it a miss.

[ocddave]

Maybe we can sign an affidavit that says we will jump off the balcony of the nearest highrise building before we burden the Thai medical system. Win-Win for everyone! ????

[Jim7777]

7 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Just a bunch of unfounded rumors about it.

It all started from a news article stating they were considering it for OA long stay visas issued at embassies and consulates which did not happen. Not a word more about it since then.

True sometimes this site puts out really good information but sometimes it also starts unfounded rumors I’ve noticed.

Edited February 7, 2019 by Jim7777

[Caine]

6 hours ago, bert bloggs said:

in that case many are going to be turning up at airports in their home countrys ,with nowhere to live and in dire straights , the Daily Mail will love it in the UK .

Who gives a toss, that’s what comes of burning your bridges 

[joebrown]

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Maybe there could be an exception of the rule. Anybody who has no health insurance must have a million baht cash in a special account which will be available in case he/she needs the money for health issues.

That shouldn't be really a problem because everybody should be prepared. Or who do you think should pay your hospital bill i.e. for a heart operation? Should the Thai tax payers be responsible for that bill? Or should someone setup another fund-me account?

 

Everybody should be responsible for his/her own bills. If you have money, fine. If you have an insurance, fine. And if you have no money and no insurance then don't be surprised that the Thai taxpayers don't think they are responsible to pay your bills.

You, and a few other posters say "the Thai taxpayers don't think they are responsible to pay your (medical) bills", or something on the same lines.

Do YOU think retired expats don't pay tax in LOS? If you do then please tell me something I can buy for everyday use that isn't taxed. Please consider the following generally quoted/accepted statistics relating to Taxpayers in LOS :-

Jul 8, 2013 - Thailand has a population of around 70 million. According to the National Statistics Office, the 20-and-over workforce comprises about 38 million people. But the Revenue Department only has approximately 10 million people registered to pay income tax.

You can see that 74% of those over 20yrs pay no income tax at all, yet they are entitled to enter/benefit from the Thai Government Health system. If that's the case then consider that expats are being told to bring an income of 65K/40K BHT into LOS every month. I feel that a high % of this income will be spent on items yielding tax to the Thai Treasury. This should be compared to the average income of untaxed Thais. I wager that we expats produce a much higher tax yield than 74% of those Thais paying no income tax at all.

IF untaxed Thais can benefit from the Government Healthcare system, then why can't we???

[Myran]

32 minutes ago, ocddave said:

Maybe we can sign an affidavit that says we will jump off the balcony of the nearest highrise building before we burden the Thai medical system. Win-Win for everyone! ????

Tell that to the person who has to scrape you off the sidewalk.

[ocddave]

Just now, Myran said:

Tell that to the person who has to scrape you off the sidewalk.

Maybe we can pay a smaller security deposit for that, say 1000 baht?

[youreavinalaff]

Nobody living here should need the Thai government to tell them they need health insurance. They should already have it. Common sense.

[Lacessit]

3 minutes ago, ocddave said:

Maybe we can pay a smaller security deposit for that, say 1000 baht?

Way too much. Most cleaning staff in condos would do it for 300 baht. But then, you're not worried about cost at that stage..

[slk350]

if it happen's, I am leaving bin looking for an exuse for a long time.

 

[KhunFred]

Check into this. It provides coverage ONLY at government hospitals, but it seems affordable.

 

http://www.insurance-in-thailand.com/affordable-health-insurance-for-anyone-in-thailand/

[Mavideol]

4 minutes ago, slk350 said:

if it happen's, I am leaving bin looking for an exuse for a long time.

 

and we all be crying the blues 555

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

So, 1 million in a special account for possible medical bills plus 800,000 in another account for Visa purposes plus, according to Thai Immigration, a further 800,000 a year for living expenses.  "That shouldn't be a problem because everybody should be prepared"?   Given the usual one month's notice of course. 

 

I am constantly amazed at the condescending attitude of posters on here who clearly have more money than they know what to do with and assume everybody else is in precisely the same boat.

 

Try explaining the new rules to an 80 year-old guy, with family here but who cannot meet your proposed new requirements and therefore has to return to his home country he has possibly lost touch with and leaving his Thai family behind.  These things always seem simple and affordable to many young posters on here, but remember that one day, if lucky, you too will be old.

I think you miss the point.

Personally I don't have a lot of money in the bank but I have a good health insurance. And obviously that health insurance will pay when I get sick. So my health care cost are covered by the insurance and nobody else has to pay for me.

 

Now let's look at your 80 year-old-guy. Does he have a health insurance in Thailand? Does he have lots of money in the bank? What happens is he is unconscious and someone brings him to a hospital and the hospital does some emergency operation. Let's say 200,000B for a start. Who will pay that if he can't pay it? His farang or Thai family? The Thai taxpayer? The foreign (i.e. UK taxpayer)? Who?

 

I understand that the guy want to live here. But there is often a difference between what people want and what they can afford. I had a couple of friends in Thailand who moved back to the UK because they had health issues with they couldn't afford to pay themselves in Thailand. Yes, I would have been happy if they would have stayed in Thailand. But they couldn't afford it anymore...

 

[Sheryl]

Check into this. It provides coverage ONLY at government hospitals, but it seems affordable.
 
http://www.insurance-in-thailand.com/affordable-health-insurance-for-anyone-in-thailand/

Not launched yet AFAIK????

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[OneMoreFarang]

50 minutes ago, joebrown said:

You, and a few other posters say "the Thai taxpayers don't think they are responsible to pay your (medical) bills", or something on the same lines.

Do YOU think retired expats don't pay tax in LOS? If you do then please tell me something I can buy for everyday use that isn't taxed. Please consider the following generally quoted/accepted statistics relating to Taxpayers in LOS :-

Jul 8, 2013 - Thailand has a population of around 70 million. According to the National Statistics Office, the 20-and-over workforce comprises about 38 million people. But the Revenue Department only has approximately 10 million people registered to pay income tax.

You can see that 74% of those over 20yrs pay no income tax at all, yet they are entitled to enter/benefit from the Thai Government Health system. If that's the case then consider that expats are being told to bring an income of 65K/40K BHT into LOS every month. I feel that a high % of this income will be spent on items yielding tax to the Thai Treasury. This should be compared to the average income of untaxed Thais. I wager that we expats produce a much higher tax yield than 74% of those Thais paying no income tax at all.

IF untaxed Thais can benefit from the Government Healthcare system, then why can't we???

What's your point?

Let's say you would spend 50,000THB per month and you would pay 7% VAT which is about 3,500THB per month. What do you expect to get "for free" for your 3,500THB contribution? If we like it or not tax is needed for many things. But tax does not and can not cover everything for everybody - especially foreigners who choose to live here.

[sleepy99]

Any Thai health insurance that accepts retirees over 80 years old? What would happen to the retiree older than 80 that can’t signup for health insurance due to age?

[OneMoreFarang]

4 minutes ago, sleepy99 said:

Any Thai health insurance that accepts retirees over 80 years old? What would happen to the retiree older than 80 that can’t signup for health insurance due to age?

Then he should think about why he didn't think about that before he got old.

That's like stopping work maybe when you are 65 and then you think: From what should I live now?

There was enough time to do some planning...

[KhunFred]

2 hours ago, jesimps said:

Another thread for the smug and self-righteous to tell us how clever they are and what a load of irresponsible bums are their fellow farang. Think I'll give it a miss.

I Have consistently noticed a smugness among the "got my 800K, doncha wish YOU did?" crew.  Karma comes a knockin'........eventually.

[BritManToo]

50 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Personally I don't have a lot of money in the bank but I have a good health insurance. And obviously that health insurance will pay when I get sick. So my health care cost are covered by the insurance and nobody else has to pay for me.

Quite a lot of older people with health insurance have exclusions.

So effectively they would still be a 'burden' on the Thai health system.

Never saw any point in having insurance when it won't pay for everything, no questions asked.

[StevieAus]

8 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

 

I suspect they will allow you to purchase it, just you wont be able to claim on it.. 

 

That seems to fit the Thai model of service interactions perfectly.. 

Not my experience with health insurance here, when it was needed on a couple of occasions  didn’t even have to make a claim the hospital arranged everything, we didn’t pay a cent.

[StevieAus]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Quite a lot of older people with health insurance have exclusions.

So effectively they would still be a 'burden' on the Thai health system.

Never saw any point in having insurance when it won't pay for everything, no questions asked.

The only people who are a burden on the Thai health system are those who don’t pay.

I don’t think Thai government hospitals in my experience have any problem treating expats as long as they pay.

In which case they get more than the 30 baht that most Thai patients pay.

[JackThompson]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Now let's look at your 80 year-old-guy. Does he have a health insurance in Thailand? Does he have lots of money in the bank? What happens is he is unconscious and someone brings him to a hospital and the hospital does some emergency operation. Let's say 200,000B for a start. Who will pay that if he can't pay it? His farang or Thai family? The Thai taxpayer? The foreign (i.e. UK taxpayer)? Who? 

Same question applies for the traveling gap-student or a 35y.o. on vacation who is in an accident. 

 

Put everyone in the pool, have it only take care of "stabilize and send home," and let people opt to put up bank-money as a deductible in exchange for a lower premium (which should double as part of the 400K "never spend" money immigration now requires for retirement-extensions), and the cost would not be an issue.

[billybog]

10 hours ago, Pravda said:

This should be easy.

 

Many long term expats bought land and houses for their wives and family. 

 

Since Thais care so much about the family they will sell the land and house to help the Farang stay in Thailand.

 

 

Good luck with that....lol

[billybog]

32 minutes ago, JackThompson said:

Same question applies for the traveling gap-student or a 35y.o. on vacation who is in an accident. 

 

Put everyone in the pool, have it only take care of "stabilize and send home," and let people opt to put up bank-money as a deductible in exchange for a lower premium (which should double as part of the 400K "never spend" money immigration now requires for retirement-extensions), and the cost would not be an issue.

didnt I just read that the 400,000 is now going to be 800,000

[Searat7]

One situation not mentioned are foreigners living here part time on an O-A Visa. I am American so must pay for USA Social Security which offers no overseas coverage. I spend 7 months a year here (in Thailand) now and always make sure I purchase travel insurance for the time here. Before turning 65 I had full insurance coverage here but that no longer made sense once I had Medicare plus Supplement Plan in USA (which in my case is not cheap).

[perconrad]

10 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

They can't? or they don't want pay? 

Many rather cheap Thai insurances accepting nearly everyone,

by example https://www.viriyah.co.th/en/longstay-form.php#.XFud1nduJhE

But they do not pay for much

 

[sleepy99]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Then he should think about why he didn't think about that before he got old.

That's like stopping work maybe when you are 65 and then you think: From what should I live now?

There was enough time to do some planning...

That's not answering the question, no need to stomp on the fact that they haven't got one yet, just yes or no. What options are there for Expats over 80, which are probably in the thousands that resides here.

Edited February 7, 2019 by sleepy99

[richard_smith237]

3 hours ago, jesimps said:

Another thread for the smug and self-righteous to tell us how clever they are and what a load of irresponsible bums are their fellow farang. Think I'll give it a miss.

 

But you didn't give it a miss did you?... you felt compelled to tell everyone your opinion while at the same time dismissing those opinions you don't agree with.... Thats not giving it a miss !!!!

 

'Giving it a miss'... would actually mean giving it a miss and not writing anything !!!! Duh ! 

 

 

 

[baansgr]

11 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

They can't? or they don't want pay? 

Many rather cheap Thai insurances accepting nearly everyone,

by example https://www.viriyah.co.th/en/longstay-form.php#.XFud1nduJhE

Where do you get one of those longstay 5 year visas???