7 minutes ago, ParadiseLost said:

Schengen (EU) countries for starters. Although they don't have easy or cheap retirement visas - unless you are rich, that is.

So this convinces me that there is no end to this.  Everything possible seems to be happening to make it just too difficult for the average decent person to live here

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Expats overwhelmingly support mandatory health insurance of over 50s: Poll

I don't support it, in my area we are around 24-25 expats and none of us agreed/supported it, thus the poll is misleading/incorrect,

a plausible explanation,  which one(s) in the government (an/or his/hers relatives) has $$$ interests (shares) in health insurance companies

1 minute ago, Mavideol said:

I don't support it, in my area we are around 24-25 expats and none of us agreed/supported it, thus the poll is misleading/incorrect,

Please also, i am confused.  Does this apply to foreigners coming on holiday?  Hope not.  How many more nails in the coffin

Also what exactly is a O/A Visa?

I don't...nor does anyone I know. 

I support the Thai government coming up with an affordable insurance plan for long-stay, non-tourists, especially those with Thai families and those over age 70.

4 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

Or over sixty . Confused yet ? And even if you had the insurance is the company going to pay anything when the time comes ? I do not trust insurance companies as far as i can toss them. Your just tossing money out the window. I will just save my money . Is insurance mandatory in Malaysia, Cambodia or Vietnam ? NO!

I wouldn’t be relying on receiving any decent medical treatment in Cambodia or Vietnam whether you have insurance or not.

Malaysia has an excellent hospital system but you are expected to pay as I understand do most of the locals.

I have just returned from a trip to Melaka where I fell ill requiring outpatient treatment.

The service and treatment was excellent but I was asked to produce my passport which was returned after I had paid the bill.

Maybe this a policy that should be adopted by Thailand to deal with the non payers.

2 minutes ago, CM Dad said:

I support the Thai government coming up with an affordable insurance plan for long-stay, non-tourists, especially those with Thai families and those over age 70.

Yes that i think is fair.  But affordable is the key because it is another cost on top of all the others that have recently been introduced.  All too much - too fast

2 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I wouldn’t be relying on receiving any decent medical treatment in Cambodia or Vietnam whether you have insurance or not.

Malaysia has an excellent hospital system but you are expected to pay as I understand do most of the locals.

I have just returned from a trip to Melaka where I fell ill requiring outpatient treatment.

The service and treatment was excellent but I was asked to produce my passport which was returned after I had paid the bill.

Maybe this a policy that should be adopted by Thailand to deal with the non payers.

That system already applies in Thailand

This is illogical. If anyone wants medical insurance and they are young enough then they can simply buy a policy for themselves that don't need any government to force them to do so. Similarly we are told that expatriates are abusing the State hospitals. There is no need for Compulsory medical insurance to fix this; the State hospitals should make foreigners pay in advance or deposit a credit card before treatment which is what I had to do when using the Private wing of Chulalongkhorn for an operation. I paid over Baht400,000. This is what the NHS does in UK.

The reality is that this measure is solely a xenophobic administration's intention to drive out expatriates. 

3 minutes ago, StevieAus said:

I wouldn’t be relying on receiving any decent medical treatment in Cambodia or Vietnam whether you have insurance or not.

Malaysia has an excellent hospital system but you are expected to pay as I understand do most of the locals.

I have just returned from a trip to Melaka where I fell ill requiring outpatient treatment.

The service and treatment was excellent but I was asked to produce my passport which was returned after I had paid the bill.

Maybe this a policy that should be adopted by Thailand to deal with the non payers.

Holding passports to ransom is normal practice in LoS, particularly in tourist hot spots.

40 minutes ago, connda said:

Which supports the notion that this is a gift to Thai insurance companies.

NEWS FLASH!  Hot off the press from BOOOOPA.  Unless something was lost in the translation, at present, my next renewal will cost B72K.  (Oh, joy!).  However, if I upgrade to OPD B75,000 maximum (no smaller amount available), my new premium will be B120K.  That is an additional B48K for something I don't use, don't need, and don't want. 

5 hours ago, newatthis said:

A sensible statement. Even the hospitals have said it's the tourists.

 

And I wonder if it will be interpreted that way by the IO's

They will interpretate it anyway you want for a brown envelope. 

31 minutes ago, Kay McDonnell said:

Does anyone know which other countries in the world, have this mandatory rule for foreigners?

The difference is that apart from some countries in this region I cannot think of any Western countries including my own Australia where a fifty year old with the equivalent of 800, 000 baht in the bank can just turn up and live there therefore the issue doesn’t arise

Unless you are a refugee or asylum seeker you have to go through a very rigorous process to obtain residency which as we often read on this site often isn’t granted.

If you are successful you are then entitled certainly in Australia to free treatment.

For others who are visiting they have to pay.

"Expats overwhelmingly support mandatory health insurance of over 50s..."

Of course they do. I mean, who doesn't want to be forced to spend extra money as an extra to the minimum requirements that farangs need to have to qualify to 'live' in Thailand (65k/month, 800k/400k per year)? 

Anyway, what actually IS that money for then, if not for things like this?

Also, how come the 2 haven't been interlinked, in the sense of, "Hey, rather than needing an income of 65k/month, we'll lower the requirement by that amount to account for your health insurance."?
 

2 hours ago, randy723 said:

WHO DID THE POLL. I never seen or heard of a poll and do not believe there was a poll and if there was any smart expat that has been here over 3 years would never vote for this

 

The Nation Group - Owners of Thaivisa 

might have forgotten to include the poll ... BUT they knew how you would vote  

 

I'm feeling the love this morning. 

5 hours ago, bluesofa said:

... There was a report last week of one office telling an applicant that his 400K Baht for his marriage extension needed to stay in his account for three months after the application.

I believe it's 2-months before [the visa] and 3-months after.

9 minutes ago, evadgib said:

Holding passports to ransom is normal practice in LoS, particularly in tourist hot spots.

If this is the case then why are the hospitals not being paid?

On the occasions I have visited both private and public hospitals in Thailand I have never been asked to surrender my passport I have been treated and asked to pay at the end.

Perhaps I have an honest face or not considered fit enough to do a runner !!

 

 

3 hours ago, mike787 said:

Apparently the numbers are real...Expats want insurance...

Expats want insurance like they want a boil on their rear end.

by using an agent can you bypass the insurance requirement?

3 minutes ago, Odisan said:

I believe it's 2-months before [the visa] and 3-months after.

Do you have link to somewhere stating that please?

 

5 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

by using an agent can you bypass the insurance requirement?

The agent wants paying

Impossible to buy health insurance for over 70’s! Maybe if you pay 100,000 plus baht!

 

will need to clean up Insurance first!

5 hours ago, Mitkof Island said:

Or over sixty . Confused yet ? And even if you had the insurance is the company going to pay anything when the time comes ? I do not trust insurance companies as far as i can toss them. Your just tossing money out the window. I will just save my money . Is insurance mandatory in Malaysia, Cambodia or Vietnam ? NO!

It wasn't mandatory in LOS until a few days ago !

How old are in most cases the Gofundme clients?  What about  mandatory insurance for those kids?

Where is the poll? I havent seen it. Why do you hide it in 65+ pages? Do it again and do it right please.   

I always thought the biggest problem Thailand had with foreigners unable to pay their hospital bills came from youngish tourists who had motorcycle accidents and drug ODs and similar mishaps. Now they're singling out the retirement visa group as being the villains. 

That wont happen: the new 800-400k requirement for the > 50yo has been exactly created for this purpose... and wait for the mess in march 2020 when officers whill have to check the balances of the bank accounts for 1 year !

When poeple answered that poll I'm pretty sure they had in mind the short time visitors who have accident on motorbike etc...

 

Anyway, in both cases those 2 categories of people bring much much cash than those few non-paid hospital bills, so I really doubt nothing will really change soon.

Edited May 15, 20197 yr by Spellforce

36 minutes ago, rexall said:

NEWS FLASH!  Hot off the press from BOOOOPA.  Unless something was lost in the translation, at present, my next renewal will cost B72K.  (Oh, joy!).  However, if I upgrade to OPD B75,000 maximum (no smaller amount available), my new premium will be B120K.  That is an additional B48K for something I don't use, don't need, and don't want. 

so its the OPD X30 visits or ER, am I covered? Not on O-A, but sure this is just the start of it all.

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 20197 yr by SkyNets

I don't overwhelmingly support it.