Travel insurance warning as NI man loses leg after Thailand motorbike accident

[zleo99]

5 hours ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Teachers at private schools in Thailand are specifically excluded from the Thai employment laws.  They don't get social security unless their school chooses to 'opt-in' and without social security, they don't get government health insurance, though the school should offer some sort of other health insurance.

 

 

Is it still possible to pay/be charged as per private hospital to use government hospitals in the event your employer does not pay govt health insurance? Can one pay the govt health insurance as a private person, e.g., if employed by a private school? 

Does being a volunteer on a Non-Immigrant O Visa, but still working in s school with a work permit, count as being employed?

Many thanks for replies (Mother trying to get her head around how to get the best coverage for her soon-to-be teacher daughter in the event of sickness or accident).

 

[simon43]

Many thanks for replies (Mother trying to get her head around how to get the best coverage for her soon-to-be teacher daughter in the event of sickness or accident).

 

Kudos for having the good sense to consider this important subject.  Payment into the SS involves contributions from the employee, the employer and the government.  If the employer is not part of the SS scheme then you (as an individual) cannot be part of the SS scheme.  The only exception is where you have previously been employed and paying into the scheme for at least 12 months.  After that period, if you're no longer employed/part of the SS scheme, you can still pay into it as an individual.  (So that last case doesn't apply to your daughter I think).

 

If your daughter will be working as a volunteer with O visa and work permit, then she can't really be classified as a tourist.  You can probably get travel insurance for her on renewable 90-day terms, but a claim under that policy could be denied.

 

How old is your daughter?  Still young I assume?  I think your best option is a cheaper health insurance policy from a Thai company that only covers Thailand and/or south-east Asia.  I say this because although Thai insurers have a reputation for kicking you off the policy if you make a claim (eg by refusing to renew your policy or increasing the annual premium to a crazy amount), they don't have a reputation of refusing to cover a valid claim.

 

So you get a reasonably cheap (compared with an international expat) local policy.  If (heaven forbid), your daughter needs to make a valid claim, this should be honoured by the company.  Should they then to refuse to renew the policy, your daughter is still young enough to have a wide choice of alternative company policies to choose from, if she stays in Thailand.

 

Bear in mind also that these Thai insurers may increase the premium/refuse to renew if it concerns an illness that could re-occur or is now considered a pre-existing condition.  Breaking a leg, (unless it leads to ongoing complications), could hardly be a reason to refuse to renew the cover for your daughter.

 

Finally, it doesn't matter if you have the best medical cover in the world, and you do stupid things - you can still die as a result.  We read every week on this forum of tourists/young foreigners who visit Thailand and die or are serious injured as the result of a motorbike accident.  Thailand is (according to stats), one of the most dangerous places in the world to ride a motorbike.  It is the drunken idiot in the car behind you, or the moron who runs the red light that kills you. (I lost 2 good friends in Phuket who were very experienced big bike riders and died after being hit by cars driven by local drunks...).

[otherstuff1957]

^^

Most reputable private schools offer some sort of health insurance as part of the their compensation package.  If not, one can always buy health insurance or rely on the fact that government hospitals are ridiculously cheap.

 

If you ride a motorcycle in Thailand I would strongly recommend getting the best insurance you can afford.  It's not a matter of if you have an accident, it's when you have an accident.

[donim]

Very unfornate for this lad wish him a good recovery and

have the insurrance paid back to his family. There should be a

special regulation about cash in advance from the hospitals

by not depending on one their family but instead go an ask

assistance from a organisation like eurocross can do.

 

By the way, what country is NI. That's the suffix of a country

in the Americas and a callname for  one in the big African

continent but his color says different. Sure he is from that

northern country in the UK. Which, ofcourse should say UK

and if not, start using Great Britain for those below them.

 

Or.. Was he a knight?

 

Rgds

Edited February 25, 2019 by donim
topo typo

[Sheryl]

International expat health insurance is no different for living in Thailand than living anywhere else and is VERY worth having. What you seem to be describing are the policies of many (but not all) Thai companies. For some reason I do not understand, many expats believe the only way to have health insurance here is to buy a "Thai" policy and they do not look at international insurers.

Most internationally issued policies, both travel insurance and regular, will cover motorcycle accidents provided no illegal act was involved. No insurer, anywhere, will cover injuries sustained in the course of illegal activities. In the context of motos these would include driving without a licence (valud here), not wearing a helmet and driving while intoxicated.

There is no "fine print" in any policy I have seen, and I've read many. The provisions are laid out in normal print and clear enough.

Hospitalization costs in cases if catadtrophic illness or injury are NOT cheap here unless you consider 1-4 million baht cheap.

General health insurance asude, one can also get Personal Accident insurance at very low price. Need to read the provisions closrly as the amount reimbursable for medical costs is much less than the overall policy cap.

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[Sheryl]

One of the biggest problems is that if you don't have a motor bike licence,as so many don't .guess what NO health insurance.

Now this is true (though in OP case not the issue...he simply didn't have insurance).

You do have to have had a license valid in Thailand, not been drunk and been wearing a helmet.

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[essox essox]

On 2/23/2019 at 9:24 AM, BritManToo said:

He was a teacher, surely his employers were legally required to cover him under the SS scheme?

If they didn't cover him, he could just sue them for the medical costs.

and just how long would it take to receive any money?? We are in Thailand !!

[builder]

Bangkok Hospital koh Chang charged my wife 17,000 thb for first Rabies shot of a course of 5 shot, the remaining 4 shots were done at Bangkok Red Cross for 350 thb per shot.  She was bitten by a cat in a restaurant in koh Chang.  You have some insurance then we charge more...

I got bit by a dog a few months ago I went to pong nam Ron hospital Chanthaburi got all injections over some weeks sometimes one sometimes 2 cost between 150-280 each visit have to get one more


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[jabis]

On 2/24/2019 at 6:17 AM, simon43 said:

 

 

 

As has been pointed out on numerous occasions, please check the fine print of any insurance policy issued by a Thai company.  Many have the legal right to refuse to renew your annual policy if you have made a claim in the previous year, or can individually 'price you out' by raising the renewal premium only for you.

 

Insurance policies that are issued by overseas (UK, European) companies, such as BUPA International, Healthcare International, Davidshield, Cigna etc are not allowed by law to penalise you if you make a claim, and must renew your policy each year on the same terms as everyone else in your age band, (although your policy may have individual medical exclusions or a higher premium to cover pre-existing conditions that were put in place when you first took out the policy).

Yeah like I said you need to be either a) savvy with thai legal jargon or b) ensure you have someone you trust with the power of attorney level to explain the details. I have had a few accidents, minor surgery etc covered, and my premiums have not gone up, and I do think it's because I had excellent help from a person involved in litigation, when we were drafting the coverage package. 

Someone else mentioned that people are *only* looking for only Thai insurers, but I really took the best bang for the buck out of all considered, and indeed read all of the fine prints, so there couldn't be any loopholes for the company to barr legit claims. Takes a lot of effort to find a decent one, I'll grant that, but I wouldn't doom&gloom exclusively Thai insurance companies, it's all over the world where they try to pull a fast one on your money ????

[pellets]

On 2/23/2019 at 9:31 AM, overherebc said:

Unfortunately this is

'No country for safe biking.'

Don't care if you've ridden safely for the past 30 years or not, in fact I believe if you've never come off in your early years of biking the more likely it is to have a bad one here. 

Early on I managed a few 'down the road on my wee pink bum' happenings and they are the best experiences to have to learn what biking is about.

I bought a big bike here

( 1100cc ) after 30 years of UK and EU riding and hung up the helmet after about 2 years here. It was just too scary.

Been riding BIG bikes here for 17 yrs, and my SMALLEST bike is an 1300 R-Bike.
Find the roads of a good quality, and good to make long trips.
Anyway, you always have to watch out for (other) morons riding like they never seen other people on the road.
Accidents can happen everywhere, and of course, there are WAY to many idiots on the roads in this country, majority are locals...(and underage)

[overherebc]

12 minutes ago, pellets said:

Been riding BIG bikes here for 17 yrs, and my SMALLEST bike is an 1300 R-Bike.
Find the roads of a good quality, and good to make long trips.
Anyway, you always have to watch out for (other) morons riding like they never seen other people on the road.
Accidents can happen everywhere, and of course, there are WAY to many idiots on the roads in this country, majority are locals...(and underage)

All true but the odds against you are much higher here. 

[Letseng]

On 2/24/2019 at 2:00 AM, balo said:

I am not a teacher , I can only recommend what I personally have experience with.

 

AXA accident insurance 

https://www.axa.co.th/en/AXA-Smart-PA-Good-Life

 

AETNA (ex BUPA) Health insurance :

https://www.aetna.co.th/en/

 

What does an over 65 yr old do?

Or do 66 yr olds no longer travel?

[lamyai3]

On 2/23/2019 at 9:45 AM, stevenl said:

Meet the requirements and it will cover. But no license e.g., and yes, it will not cover.

Unlikely a UK citizen around that age would have a licence that covers motorbikes as well as cars. UK is not a motorbike culture for most, too expensive and lousy climate. 

[roo860]

Are you on about a 30yr old?

Unlikely a UK citizen around that age would have a licence that covers motorbikes as well as cars. UK is not a motorbike culture for most, too expensive and lousy climate. 

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[BritManToo]

17 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Unlikely a UK citizen around that age would have a licence that covers motorbikes as well as cars. UK is not a motorbike culture for most, too expensive and lousy climate. 

I had a m/c licence since I was 19 and I'm from the UK.

All my pals at college and university had them too.

Edited February 28, 2019 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

On 2/24/2019 at 2:00 AM, balo said:

I am not a teacher , I can only recommend what I personally have experience with.

 

AXA accident insurance 

https://www.axa.co.th/en/AXA-Smart-PA-Good-Life

AXA PA ....... medical expense coverage up to 10,000bht per accident, up to 250,000 if on a m/c.

That ain't gonna get you far.

Edited February 28, 2019 by BritManToo

[scorecard]

On 2/24/2019 at 12:47 PM, Huckenfell said:

Does anyone know if this is in fact correct.

Well maybe it depends on the type of teacher, type of contract.

 

Example, I know 2 Thai universities who give some foreign lecturers a yearly contract of employment (cannot be more than 1 year, and even with the 1 year contract they won't sign the lecturer up with the Thai SS office. Tested several times, answer from the director is NO.

 

[lamyai3]

32 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Are you on about a 30yr old?

 

 

Yes. You'd see a much higher percentage of UK drivers who grew up in the 1950s and 60s with licenses endorsed for motorbikes than among younger generations. Back then it was more common to start out with a scooter or small bike, there was much less traffic on the roads and it was easier and cheaper to get the full licence.

 

Of all the vehicular traffic on UK roads, motorbikes make up around 1% or less. And registrations for cars outnumber those for motorbikes at a ratio of around 30:1. Not that many UK drivers have their licenses endorsed for motorbikes (other than small mopeds up to 50cc). When the Royal Thai Police finally cottoned onto this around three or four years ago, they couldn't believe their luck. 

[balo]

34 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

AXA PA ....... medical expense coverage up to 10,000bht per accident, up to 250,000 if on a m/c.

That ain't gonna get you far.

Well it depends which hospital you choose. And how badly injured yo are. Better than nothing. 

 

 

[lamyai3]

40 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I had a m/c licence since I was 19 and I'm from the UK.

All my pals at college and university had them too.

How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? My dad, uncle etc all had motorbike licences, and I have a few UK friends in their 60s who do. But I'm in my early 50s and it's much less common in my age group and below. 

[lamyai3]

On 2/25/2019 at 6:27 PM, builder said:

I got bit by a dog a few months ago I went to pong nam Ron hospital Chanthaburi got all injections over some weeks sometimes one sometimes 2 cost between 150-280 each visit have to get one more

Me as well, last year. Prices similar to yours at government hospital and Thai Red Cross. The only expensive shot was immunoglobulin, needed because I hadn't had any rabies shots before. Didn't even need to explain what happened, they could tell as I hobbled in with fang marks on my leg.