Mandatory health insurance for foreigners aged over 50 in Thailand - why it may not affect you

[daejung]

Hello,

 

I am not sure to understand : Does this obligation applies only to Non immigrant O-A visa end not to extension based on Non immigrant O visa ?

In my case, 3 month non immigrant O visa, followed by 1 year extension based on retirement whih expires in april 2020 :

Will an insurance be asked when i ask for a new extension in april 2020?

Will this insurance be asked when I enter Thialand in november 2019 with my existing extension valid till april 2020?

 

Thanks

[scubascuba3]

Hello,
 
I am not sure to understand : Does this obligation applies only to Non immigrant O-A visa end not to extension based on Non immigrant O visa ?
In my case, 3 month non immigrant O visa, followed by 1 year extension based on retirement whih expires in april 2020 :
Will an insurance be asked when i ask for a new extension in april 2020?
Will this insurance be asked when I enter Thialand in november 2019 with my existing extension valid till april 2020?
 
Thanks

have you seen anything that says non imm O? there is your answer

[Sheryl]

Hello,

 

I am not sure to understand : Does this obligation applies only to Non immigrant O-A visa end not to extension based on Non immigrant O visa ?

In my case, 3 month non immigrant O visa, followed by 1 year extension based on retirement whih expires in april 2020 :

Will an insurance be asked when i ask for a new extension in april 2020?

Will this insurance be asked when I enter Thialand in november 2019 with my existing extension valid till april 2020?

 

Thanks

1. Entering on an existing extension via a re-entry petmit should not require any sort of documentation as you are not extending permission to stay. Just using a permit to re enter on a permission already granted.

 

2. The police order clearly and repeatedly states O-A visa only. Nonetheless some believe it applies to all retirement extensions including O. Makes no sense to me, why would they choose to say O-A if they meant also O?

 

Yet others claim that an additional order will be issued that applies to O visas. I have no idea as to that. They don't confide their plans to me... [emoji849]

 

I think things will be a lot clearer by early next year, at least as regards the order just issued. Anyone with an extension coming up sooner might want to ask their local IO.

 

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

 

 

 

[rohitsuk]

On 5/15/2019 at 2:46 PM, Dogbarker said:

And who has been the  cause of this due ri sensational reporting Thai visa and the Nation . for several months many expats have been worried that it may affect them . I feel the frustrations of many expats due to your poor clarity .

Yes, indeed and not a word of any of it in The Bangkok Post, according to a search I just did. except this from 2013:

Compulsory insurance for expats and tourists?

Published on 18/04/2013

» The government is considering forcing foreigners to buy health insurance before traveling to Thailand.

[ramrod711]

On ‎5‎/‎15‎/‎2019 at 1:44 PM, jessc said:

I thought this article was clear and helpful, even if the rules still are not. Thanks!

However, a suggestion: should this new requirement for mandatory health insurance ever be extended to apply to extensions based on retirement, perhaps the health insurance that Thai Visa is selling (notably, right along side these articles) could also be available to the full range of retirees who've lived in Thailand for many years - - often because paying full rate for medical care in Thailand is STILL less expensive than buying insurance back home. Currently the Pacific Cross insurance Thai Visa is hawking only covers people to age 64.

The expats who will be most effected by this requirement, if applied to extensions based on retirement, are those who have retired here on a fixed income, and who have aged out of basically any insurance (affordable or otherwise) available for purchase in Thailand. So, even if financially able to buy the insurance, they can't. And, likely, have no where to go to if unable to stay in Thailand.

My thoughts exactly, well put. I've been here 14 years, married, 3 pensions so no problems meeting financial requirements. One fly in the ointment, I'm diabetic so any health insurance that I can buy are very unlikely to cover heart, stroke etc. I don't want to buy insurance that excludes those ailments and probably couldn't. Previous reports state that 400,000 baht coverage would be the minimum requirement, how about allowing people to deposit 400,000 baht for the exclusive purpose of medical care. I wouldn't mind doing that, I don't expect Thai people to pay for my medical costs.

[fishtank]

6 hours ago, judokrab said:

But it's true. Both OA visas - and extensions to OA visas - will require medical insurance from October 31. 

 

It certainly is not true.

[scubascuba3]

It certainly is not true.

It is true according to post #539. Disagree?

[saengd]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

9 hours ago, fishtank said:

It certainly is not true.

It is true according to post #539. Disagree?

It's true that proof of health insurance will be needed for extensions to O-A visa's issued after 31 October, it's less clear whether it will be required for   O-A visa's issued before that date. According to a prominent and well regarded visa company in Chiang Mai, proof of health insurance will be required when any O-A visa is extended, after 31 October.

[steve187]

52 minutes ago, saengd said:

It's true that proof of health insurance will be needed for extensions to O-A visa's issued after 31 October, it's less clear whether it will be required for   O-A visa's issued before that date. According to a prominent and well regarded visa company in Chiang Mai, proof of health insurance will be required when any O-A visa is extended, after 31 October.

that's how the order posted at post 539 reads

[NightSky]

If the media didn't stir up drama in news articles people wouldn't became paranoid and plan to leave.

 

For some news outlets Its a bit like selling the golden goose isnt it? Paranoia stirs up a frenzy but every time that happens you'll lose some visitors. 

 

[sumrit]

12 hours ago, ramrod711 said:

My thoughts exactly, well put. I've been here 14 years, married, 3 pensions so no problems meeting financial requirements. One fly in the ointment, I'm diabetic so any health insurance that I can buy are very unlikely to cover heart, stroke etc. I don't want to buy insurance that excludes those ailments and probably couldn't. Previous reports state that 400,000 baht coverage would be the minimum requirement, how about allowing people to deposit 400,000 baht for the exclusive purpose of medical care. I wouldn't mind doing that, I don't expect Thai people to pay for my medical costs.

The regular changes to various visas/extension requirements are to encourage,channel people into using the correct visa.

 

The insurance requirement only applies to O-A visas used/issued after 31st October. As you are married and came here 14 years ago, I assume you arrived with a non O visa and extended (marriage) yearly after that. So the insurance rules wouldn't apply to you anyway.

[MAGA 2020]

On 5/15/2019 at 2:10 PM, connda said:

There is a huge difference between having 'adequate health or medical insurance' and being forced to buy mandated insurance that covers little to nothing but cost a fortune, and is so full of exclusions for pre-existing conditions as to be fundamentally useless.  But the mandated insurance which covers little and costs a fortune are those being touted by the Thai government.  

I have adequate insurance in excess of 30 million THB, but it doesn't meet the terms of Thailand's mandated insurance.  And that's a problem.

I've yet to see minimum requirements. Where is your assumption written that mandates 30 mil isn't adequate 

[losername]

Please forgive me.  I have not read all 37 pages of this thread and the answer to my question may have been given elsewhere.  Due to the uncertainty about this I have been somewhat complacent.  I am on retirement extensions originating from my O-A visa issued in UK.  Since my arrival I have had insurance with one of the companies listed as suitable online.  I have the ฿400,000 cover with the same company through the same broker and have maintained that policy for well over a decade.  It seems I might have to arrange cover of  ฿40,000 OPD but that should not present a major cost.  In the official documents I have seen they always refer to buying insurance "online".  I bought mine through a broker.  Does anyone have knowledge of or thoughts on whether this is a real problem or just loose wording?

[ramrod711]

On ‎10‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 8:32 AM, sumrit said:

The regular changes to various visas/extension requirements are to encourage,channel people into using the correct visa.

 

The insurance requirement only applies to O-A visas used/issued after 31st October. As you are married and came here 14 years ago, I assume you arrived with a non O visa and extended (marriage) yearly after that. So the insurance rules wouldn't apply to you anyway.

It isn't clear to me that only O-A visas issued after 31st October need to comply with the requirement although I certainly hope you are correct. I don't use the marriage visa, just the extension of my original Non O visa. My point is that, if a policy has a minimum requirement of 400,000 baht there is no greater risk to the Thai health system if a 400,000 baht deposit is locked into a Thai bank for that purpose.

[tomahawk]

So is it even possible for any foreigner over 70 years old to get Thai health insurance anywhere?

[whiteman]

I am 73 in April and I swapped from NZI Thailand branch to AXA out of the UK I did it all online from Thailand I have lived here 16 years and it saved me 85,000 bhat a year with a lesser excess too. PM if you need more info