Health Insurance In Thailand_

[theviking]

Hi.

I wonder if anybody could help answer my question.

I am soon moving to thailand, and i do understand that i cant have my travel insurance more than 3 months (according to my t.i. company)

Is there a chance for me to take a health insurance in thailand, as i am not a thai citizen?

I am not that old, and at full health.

Thanks to any reasonible answers.

[OldAsiaHand]

It's no problem at all. BUPA is probably the most popular source of health insurance locally for expats. They advertise heavily in the Post and other publications read by expats. I think they will issue cover for people up to 62 and I've never heard of them requiring a physical from anyone. You can probably get a flyer at the British Club. They used to stick them on the front of the Wall Street Journal, too.

On the other hand, many people doubt that health insurance is a worthwhile use of funds here since health care is very cheap indeed relative to most western countries. My own suggestion is that, if you really do want it, you purchase hospitalization only and don't add in outpatient care. You'd have to go to a lot of doctors to break even on what that would cost you.

[ka12345]

Don't get a local health insurance from BUPA TH, BUPA Bluecross TH, BKK insurance etc. They have very specific deals with the popular farang hospitals and won't cover the type of things that you really need an insurance co for.

I'd suggest BUPA in the UK, IHI (danish company, www.ihi.dk) or any other international insurance from a country where you can put some pressure on them. I have seen some nasty cases where the local insurance co offices of international companies such as BUPA just back out of B5M payments etc.

[Goat Roper]

Hi.

I wonder if anybody could help answer my question.

I am soon moving to thailand, and i do understand that i cant have my travel insurance more than 3 months (according to my t.i. company)

Is there a chance for me to take a health insurance in thailand, as i am not a thai citizen?

I am not that old, and at full health.

Thanks to any reasonible answers.

http://www.tiecare.com/

Give this site a look, I have dealt with these guys before but not for insurance, they were straight up folks with my dealings..

[OldAsiaHand]

Don't get a local health insurance from BUPA TH, BUPA Bluecross TH, BKK insurance etc. They have very specific deals with the popular farang hospitals and won't cover the type of things that you really need an insurance co for.

What type of things are those?

I've had cover with BUPA in Thailand for many years and have never had a problem with coverage any different from the problems you always have with any insurance company in any country.

[ka12345]

What type of things are those?

I've had cover with BUPA in Thailand for many years and have never had a problem with coverage any different from the problems you always have with any insurance company in any country.

First of all they have deals with the hospitals on what treatment to provide for certain conditions etc. I would prefer if a doctor decide on treatment, not an insurance company. (This is something they copied from the US)

They can also refuse to pay for expensive treatment and you have a very slim chance to force them to do so. Suing an insurance co in Europe is a different story than suing one in TH.

One real world example: the wife of an expat had a very rare genetic immune disorder. She did not know that she had it because she showed no symptoms. One day she got sick and required some extremely expensive treatment to survive (millions of baht). When the bill came, BUPA Bluecross claimed it was a pre-existing condition so they wouldn't pay. Sure, she got sick because of something she was born with but neither she nor anyone else knew or had any reason to suspect that she had this very rare disorder. In the end they had to foot the bill themselves.

Local insurance co's are good as long as you don't run up too big bills. If you get really really sick, you are suddenly no longer insured.

[Rangsit]

Health care can be very cheap but go into a good hospital and the costs can mount quickly. My wife has had two operations recently, nearly two weeks in a private room, cost so far: 240,000 baht. I suppose that in the USA or Australia it would have been dearer still, but 240,000 is not exactly cheap.

[RedHong]

Give this site a look, I have dealt with these guys before but not for insurance, they were straight up folks with my dealings..

They look interesting. Anyone had direct experience?

[OldAsiaHand]

ka12345,

I think you're making a wholly unjustified distinction here. The kind of case you cite is quite typical of the way insurance companies worldwide always tried to avoid coverage if they can get away with it, and as for chosing your own treatment, there's not an insurance company on the planet that will pay for any kind of treatment you fancy unless they approve of it (usually in advance).

The assumption that you are better off dealing with a UK company than a Thai company which is affilated with the same UK company is, in my experience, entirely unjustified, more a pointless demonstration of a narrow nationalist focus rather than anything else.

[-J-]

Try healthcare international, you can get a quote in less than 2 minutes

[royar2002]

I have a heartattack and have to change 3 main bloodvessel to the heart. First a small surgery (2days) to find where the problem was and then straight up to the surgeryroom. All together 2 weeks 265k. I was insured by Norwegian govervment untill January 1 2003. After that they stop health care to pensions. My heart attack

was feb3 2003, but after a couple of phones back to the office of pension abroad, they cover my bill. If I still want to have same insurance from my government, cover up to 15k a day, I have to pay 60k a year. Have problem to find a resonable healt insurance after a heart attack. A viking with good health should find a better one in LOS than in Norway.