Claim centres to track down tourists who skip hospital bills

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation

 

 

FOREIGN TOURISTS failed to pay a combined Bt300 million in medical bills after receiving treatment in state hospitals last year, prompting the government to set up “claim centres” to collect what’s due.

 

“These problems mostly hit tourist cities,” Health Service Support Department (HSSD) director-general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong said last week.

He said the HSSD had established claim centres in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani to help state hospitals collect what’s owed them by foreigners they treated.

 

“The centres will work with relevant parties and follow up on payments,” Nattawuth said. 

 

A public-health official speaking on condition of anonymity said foreigners often run out of cash during long stays in Thailand. “And when they need medical services, they simply don’t pay.”

 

In some cases, the official said, foreigners have been hospitalised for months without paying a single baht. 

 

Debt collection a problem

 

“We’ve tried asking their consulates and embassies for help, but not all cases can be solved this way,” he said.

 

Natthawuth said he had heard about hospitals requiring foreign tourists to sign agreements to pay later, but it was difficult to collect after they had left hospital.

 

“This is partly because state hospitals don’t have expertise in debt collection. So we hope the claim centres will be the solution.”

 

The HSSD aims to establish “many” more claim centres this year, he said. 

 

It has also discussed with various organisations about offering foreign visitors cheap travel insurance. 

 

Natthawuth said he hoped travel insurance would become mandatory for all foreign visitors to save state hospitals from having to shoulder the extra burden. 

 

“For now, at least we believe all tour operators bringing people into Thailand should require that their customers have travel insurance,” he said. 

 

In the longer term, he would like to see long-stay tourists be required to buy life insurance, accident insurance and health insurance. 

 

“We’re also thinking about making insurance mandatory for elderly foreigners who retire to Thailand. Otherwise the state hospitals will again be carrying the burden.”

 

Because health naturally declines as people age and seniors require more medical help. 

 

“So we need to address the fact there are many foreign retirees in Chiang Mai. We have to prepare proper measures to ensure they do not become a burden on the public healthcare system,” Nattawuth said. 

 

Thailand’s medical-hub committee last year approved in principle a plan to require newly arrived long-stay immigrants to purchase health insurance for their first year here. They and other foreigners planning to stay in Thailand for one year would be able to buy up to Bt40,000 worth of outpatient coverage and Bt400,000 of inpatient coverage. 

 

A source in Chiang Mai suggested the authorities also consider the medical costs of stateless people and migrants from neighbouring nations. They often can’t pay for treatment received at state hospitals. 

 

“We hope the relevant organisations will provide funds to take care of these people,” the source said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30365540

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-11

 

RELATED: Health insurance from Thaivisa Health Protect

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“We’re also thinking about making insurance mandatory for elderly foreigners who retire to Thailand

i see, so expats without insurance, many of whom won't know this new requirement beforehand , will be turned away and die at the front-door of the hospital; nice look for thailand

1 hour ago, webfact said:

FOREIGN TOURISTS failed to pay a combined Bt300 million in medical bills

After being charged two-tier Farang prices in Thai hospitals,  "Som Nam Nah" comes to mind.    

1 hour ago, webfact said:

foreigners have been hospitalised for months without paying a single baht.

I don't believe it.  In the backwaters of Surin, I was presented with a bill almost daily for my Thai f-i-l's medical condition.

13 minutes ago, mikebell said:

I don't believe it.  In the backwaters of Surin, I was presented with a bill almost daily for my Thai f-i-l's medical condition.

They wheeled me to the ATM with an IV still in my arm.

I would think the last paragraph about migrant workers is where they should focus. These people have accidents at work,  bring pregnant wives with them and are generally  in poorer health than westerners twice their age.

Your lying there half dead on the trolley and the first words, How do you want to pay?

After being ripped off by a hospital in Khon Kaen over a long period for 3 operations for the same thing and finally going home and getting the problem fixed in 2 weeks and no operation was needed. I have had enough and I am going home for good where medical care is soo much better and soo much cheaper.!!!

This idea can be rectified for those on retirement visas - Simply add in the cost of healthcare to the visa. Say 15'000 baht for the first visa and then 5'000 baht for all subsequent visas. Retirees are then free to use government hospital the same as the locals do and for the same cost.  The UK runs a similar concept for those on Tier 4 visas (students) as part of the visa application process student need to make a one off 500 (ish) GBP contribution to the NHS after which they can use it during their studies. 

 

I would also like to know the break-down of those nationalities who as tourists have come here and not paid hospital bills. Perhaps when Thailand marketed itself as a destination for 'as a medical hub for medical tourism' the meaning was poorly translated in the marketing literature! 

Yup they wheeled my bed to the hospital ATM which they extracted from my wallet when I was unconcious. No money no care! 

300 million baht is a drop in the ocean compared to what comes in. 

Most of the injuries were probably caused by Thais in the first place anyway . 

Try making the place safer for tourists !

45 minutes ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

After being charged two-tier Farang prices in Thai hospitals,  "Som Nam Nah" comes to mind.    

Good point. Since those who did pay and overpay they owe us, not the other way around. 

1 hour ago, jonclark said:

This idea can be rectified for those on retirement visas - Simply add in the cost of healthcare to the visa. Say 15'000 baht for the first visa and then 5'000 baht for all subsequent visas. Retirees are then free to use government hospital the same as the locals do and for the same cost

No common sense on this forum please

I heard they are going to make us all get veterinarian medical insurance. We are treated like dirty animals anyway. 

Seems it is mostly travellers from third world countries and/or countries with some kind of gov. healthcare who have no concept of taking out proper insurance while traveling or retiring abroad  and expect a foreign country to pick up their medical bills. Bit shortsighted or even dumb IMO. Good medical care here often runs more expensive than back home. Come prepared.... MS>

24 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Your lying there half dead on the trolley and the first words, How do you want to pay?

That happened to me, private hospital in Pattaya, the 1 just of central road/ second road.

On a gurney in emergency room, after a mild heart attack, first question, do you have insurance.

10 minutes ago, jonclark said:

This idea can be rectified for those on retirement visas - Simply add in the cost of healthcare to the visa. Say 15'000 baht for the first visa and then 5'000 baht for all subsequent visas. Retirees are then free to use government hospital the same as the locals do and for the same cost.  The UK runs a similar concept for those on Tier 4 visas (students) as part of the visa application process student need to make a one off 500 (ish) GBP contribution to the NHS after which they can use it during their studies. 

 

I would also like to know the break-down of those nationalities who as tourists have come here and not paid hospital bills. Perhaps when Thailand marketed itself as a destination for 'as a medical hub for medical tourism' the meaning was poorly translated in the marketing literature! 

Where do you get a figure of 15,000/5,000 baht, insurance costs $2000US a year.

The only ones I know who didn't pay their hospital bills on the spot are 6 feet under. 

 

By the way can or will a Thai hospital file a claim against your estate for unpaid medical bills? 

26 minutes ago, jonclark said:

This idea can be rectified for those on retirement visas - Simply add in the cost of healthcare to the visa. Say 15'000 baht for the first visa and then 5'000 baht for all subsequent visas. Retirees are then free to use government hospital the same as the locals do and for the same cost. 

 

Good idea. That would satisfy me - even if I have my own seprate insurance those sums wont bother me drastically.

 

They seem to have setlled on the basic med coverage at 40k a year though so far (thats with no preconditions as I had to take out this particular insurance for a failed visa application then cancel it).

 

Edited March 11, 20197 yr by MRToMRT

27 minutes ago, rodney earl said:

After being ripped off by a hospital in Khon Kaen over a long period for 3 operations for the same thing and finally going home and getting the problem fixed in 2 weeks and no operation was needed. I have had enough and I am going home for good where medical care is soo much better and soo much cheaper.!!!

Some years ago here in Phuket the hospital said he had cancer so millions of Baht later after the op's when he was well enough to fly home UK they said he didnt have cancer, shower of b@st@rds here

6 minutes ago, inThailand said:

The only ones I know who didn't pay their hospital bills on the spot are 6 feet under. 

 

By the way can or will a Thai hospital file a claim against your estate for unpaid medical bills? 

Reading between the lines, thats probably what a "claim centre" will be doing.

And here comes the mandatory overpriced Health Insurance with no choice of company or coverage

Is it even possible to get health insurance over a certain age? 

 

12 minutes ago, colinneil said:

38 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Your lying there half dead on the trolley and the first words, How do you want to pay?

Find me a country in the world, if you can, where this does not happen. Even within the British NHS this question is asked unless you're resident there.

 

1 hour ago, JimSaints said:

And here comes the mandatory overpriced Health Insurance with no choice of company or coverage

They can't organize a piss up in a bar. They surely will <deleted> up this and make even more expats shake their head as they exit for a new home country. 

3 minutes ago, Crash999 said:

Is it even possible to get health insurance over a certain age? 

No. Which is why the concept above of adding health insurance costs to your visa application + annual extensions is a really good one.

 

 

It's people who skip out without fulfilling their obligations that make life increasingly difficult for those of us who live responsibly.

 

1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

i see, so expats without insurance, many of whom won't know this new requirement beforehand , will be turned away and die at the front-door of the hospital; nice look for thailand

I doubt that very much. If they are planning to make this a requirement then obviously it will be made clear to whomever it applies to....by means of form filling or by a request to produce the insurance before being granted permission to stay?

Sure labors from the surrounding countries might be skipping out of paying....

But if your a western farang no way will you ever get out of paying....WESTERN FARANG NEVER GET OUT OF PAYING.....But the press never gets tired of repeating this lie...

But the lie needs to be repeated over and over to help bring in mandatory insurance....

Edited March 11, 20197 yr by fforest1

A lot of people on this thread seem to be confusing State Owned and operated public hospitals with Privately Owned and operated hospitals.