Mandatory health insurance for non-immigrant O-A retirement visa holders likely to take effect in July

[sfokevin]

43 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

70.000 to 100,000+

And those competitive rates are for someone in perfect health with not preexisting conditions or medication need history...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, SheungWan said:

O-A does not require any baht bank balance.

 

Right... just the equivalent of 800K baht in the applicant's home country bank account (or one of the other financial options)...  FWIW, I didn't say it had to be in a Thai bank account.

 

But there's no way to talk about the O-A requirement without talking about it as 800,000 baht, since that's the actual rule language, and any equivalent foreign currency amounts are going to vary based on the exchange rate at any given time. 

Edited May 16, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SheungWan]

38 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Right... just the equivalent of 800K baht in the applicant's home country bank account (or one of the other financial options)...  FWIW, I didn't say it had to be in a Thai bank account.

 

But there's no way to talk about the O-A requirement without talking about it as 800,000 baht, since that's the actual rule language, and any equivalent foreign currency amounts are going to vary based on the exchange rate at any given time. 

I think it is important re O-A to refer to "equivalent". If just referring to baht, then there is an assumption that it is held in a Thai bank. One of the distinctions of the O-A visa has been that financial requirements can be held outside of Thailand as opposed to Extension rights to stay.

[SheungWan]

I am throwing it out there that since application for an O-A visa is done within one's home country then one can apply for a single-trip travel insurance policy. In the UK can get up to 18 months subject to <66.

[DogNo1]

Wow!  This thread must contain the most confusion about visa terminology that I have ever seen on ThaiVisa!

 

Since the age of 70, I have lived in Bangkok on continuous one-year extensions and during that time have paid 12-13 million for various health care charges to a hospital that has raised its fees to a gross overcharge level.  Last year, I paid more than the maximum listed amount for a colonoscopy ($800.)  I no longer use that hospital and am now paying 33% of what that hospital charges for everything.  I am able to self-finance my health care costs and do not want to pay for extra insurance costs to cover people who can not self insure.  If I were to be required to pay that insurance fee, I would be forced to limit my length of stay to 180 days or less and seek my medical care back in Japan where I need only pay 10% of all my medical and dental costs.  That would be too bad because I enjoy living in Bangkok nine months of the year.

[Jip99]

20 minutes ago, DogNo1 said:

Wow!  This thread must contain the most confusion about visa terminology that I have ever seen on ThaiVisa!

 

Since the age of 70, I have lived in Bangkok on continuous one-year extensions and during that time have paid 12-13 million for various health care charges to a hospital that has raised its fees to a gross overcharge level.  Last year, I paid more than the maximum listed amount for a colonoscopy ($800.)  I no longer use that hospital and am now paying 33% of what that hospital charges for everything.  I am able to self-finance my health care costs and do not want to pay for extra insurance costs to cover people who can not self insure.  If I were to be required to pay that insurance fee, I would be forced to limit my length of stay to 180 days or less and seek my medical care back in Japan where I need only pay 10% of all my medical and dental costs.  That would be too bad because I enjoy living in Bangkok nine months of the year.

 

 

In which case, this thread does not apply to you.

[inThailand]

These stats are like my beer bins. A complete fabrication of the truth. 

[jeffandgop]

7 hours ago, SheungWan said:

O-A does not require any baht bank balance.

SheungWan you are Wrong...Annual Extensions of Stay for O-A Visas require- and have for years- evidence of a monthly income or a sum of money in a bank prior to applying..  The current requirements are 800,000baht IN a Thai bank 2 months prior, and which must remain in the account 3 months after renewal and can then withdraw only up to 400,000baht keeping the balance in the account untouched; or proof of a monthly income derived from overseas and deposited into a Thai bank account no less than 65,000baht per month for 12 consecutive months prior to applying for the Extension of Stay renewal.

[lamyai3]

8 hours ago, mitebbots said:

I want to get an OA this week and plan on spending July - December most likely. I wonder if I can get month-to-month medical?

 

I will be in and out often, 30 days might be a bit tight tho. 

If you apply before the changes are brought in, you won't need the medical cover.

[mania]

1 hour ago, jeffandgop said:

SheungWan you are Wrong...Annual Extensions of Stay for O-A Visas require- and have for years- evidence of a monthly income or a sum of money in a bank prior to applying..  The current requirements are 800,000baht IN a Thai bank 2 months prior, and which must remain in the account 3 months after renewal and can then withdraw only up to 400,000baht keeping the balance in the account untouched; or proof of a monthly income derived from overseas and deposited into a Thai bank account no less than 65,000baht per month for 12 consecutive months prior to applying for the Extension of Stay renewal.

You are the wrong one actually ????

 

You are confusing an extension done in Thailand with what the previous posters were discussing which was OA applied for in Home Country

 

When applying for a one year OA in home country  (US for example)

The Baht equivalent can be in US or Thai bank

 

Quote below from US Thai Consulate in Washington

https://thaiembdc.org/consular-services/non-immigrant-visas/non-immigrant-category-oa/

Quote

 

6. US or Thai bank statement or evidence of adequate finance showing a deposit of the amount equal to and not less than 800,000 Baht or an income certificate (an original copy) with a monthly income of not less than 65,000 Baht, or a deposit account plus a monthly income totaling not less than 800,000 Baht In the case of submitting a bank statement, a letter of guarantee from the bank (an original copy) is required

 

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by mania

[graemeaylward]

All of this is very interesting but begs the question, why don't the hospitals, whether public or private have insurance against theft? For example, if I have my wallet stolen whilst in hospital, having given it to medical staff for safe keeping, I would expect the hospital to reimburse me through their insurance policy. Non payment of any bill is theft and should of course be dealt with by full force of the law, but the hospitals should insure themselves against such theft! It's the same as landlords insuring themselves against tenants who fail to pay rent. Just common sense, don't force ridiculous insurance premiums on people who cannot claim due to age and pre-existing conditions who always pay their hospital bills!


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[brewsterbudgen]

SheungWan you are Wrong...Annual Extensions of Stay for O-A Visas require- and have for years- evidence of a monthly income or a sum of money in a bank prior to applying..  The current requirements are 800,000baht IN a Thai bank 2 months prior, and which must remain in the account 3 months after renewal and can then withdraw only up to 400,000baht keeping the balance in the account untouched; or proof of a monthly income derived from overseas and deposited into a Thai bank account no less than 65,000baht per month for 12 consecutive months prior to applying for the Extension of Stay renewal.

You are confusing an Extension of Stay based on retirement which is done in Thailand and applying for an OA visa which is done in your home country. It is only the OA visa that will require insurance from 1 July.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Mango Bob]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

You are confusing an Extension of Stay based on retirement which is done in Thailand and applying for an OA visa which is done in your home country. It is only the OA visa that will require insurance from 1 July.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

All Extension of stay will require it.

[Lenny Jones]

OK - who is telling the biggest porky ever!

38 million retirees? - The WHOLE Thai population is only 69 million?

ANNND - the 2017 stats by immigration puts retirees at 73,000.

 

This is a big forum - I would like to see a post from ANY RESIDENT RETIREE who has skipped a Thai hospital leaving a bad debt

[micmichd]

11 hours ago, humbug said:

someone posted the link thread on the guy working for the health industry with his call centre chasing unpaid bills, at the end of the article he states the stages, first stage one group of foreigners, final stage tour company foreigners all requiring insurance, yes its a sellout of immigration to the health industry, yes  the plan might not work or only be left at the first stage, who knows with this crime gang, how long they can stay around, but thats maybe the reason why 30-40 million foreigners was put in the nation article, even with lost in translation, if their whole plan succeeds, thats 30-40 million people on various stays etc paying 50-100 billion baht to the health industry every year, thats the whole point of their wacko greed plan, when you have a crime gang happily sell elephants, forests etc they will happily sell out foreigners to the health industry.

 

i also think agents will make an extra killing in all of this and good luck to them and those that use them, because this feels like one big almighty scam

The sellout is to the insurance industry, not to the health industry. 

The bills in Thai clinics or hospitals are not that expensive, yet private health insurances might refuse to pay them - and in the end nothing would change then. 

 

[Lenny Jones]

On 5/15/2019 at 9:25 PM, Pattaya46 said:

I struggle to understand all the figures given in this article ??

Mainly:

Surely that is fully incorrect. I would bet tens or hundreds thousands at max, no?

Absolute garbage. It took me less than 10 minutes research to cut them to pieces.

Here's just one item:

 

[zydeco]

10 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

I think they are being unfair to those who need to have health insurance to start it on 1 July.  They should give a year of grace to get the insurance.  It will not be easy for those over 70 to find a health insurance company to take you.  It is not going to happen overnight.

They don't care.

[Lenny Jones]

On 5/15/2019 at 9:26 PM, Isaanbiker said:

The requirement was introduced because foreign expats have piled up unpaid medical bills of more than Bt300 million since 2016. 

 

   How many of them were direct neighbors, or generally from SEA?

 

    Watching locals subtracting 10 baht from 100 baht by using a calculator makes me think. How accurate is this statistic then? 

 

    

Inaccurate? - That's an understatement! - It took me 10 minutes research to find out this ranks as Thailand's best ever attempt at rubbery figures

[brewsterbudgen]

All Extension of stay will require it.

Who knows?! All Immigration law can change. The current plans however only affect OA visas which can only be applied for in the applicant's home country.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[zydeco]

Really want to see more of a breakdown of the statistics. Just who are the nationalities skipping out on their bills? People from those countries should be targeted and the others left alone. Just as with the letters of income.

[nasa123]

This is new scamming from the politicians, how many stocks do these people some decide this in the various insurance companies.

[Olmate]

6 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Really want to see more of a breakdown of the statistics. Just who are the nationalities skipping out on their bills? People from those countries should be targeted and the others left alone. Just as with the letters of income.

Don’t get the income letter connection with not paying medical bills, please explain!

[zydeco]

9 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Don’t get the income letter connection with not paying medical bills, please explain!

Only three nations were targeted with the letter of income disqualification based, supposedly, on their fraud. Similarly, Thai Immigration should list just which countries' citizens are responsible for not paying their medical bills. As with the letters, sanction those countries' citizens and not the ones whose citizens are paying up or barely causing a problem. 

[humbug]

49 minutes ago, micmichd said:

The sellout is to the insurance industry, not to the health industry. 

The bills in Thai clinics or hospitals are not that expensive, yet private health insurances might refuse to pay them - and in the end nothing would change then. 

 

i understand why you replied to my 'health industry' and why i didn't use 'insurance' but i am looking at the whole not the part, and i say this because the large private hospitals will also be behind this, not just insurance companies, it all means more money for the whole eg ministries, hospitals, insurance

[Olmate]

13 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Only three nations were targeted with the letter of income disqualification based, supposedly, on their fraud. Similarly, Thai Immigration should list just which countries' citizens are responsible for not paying their medical bills. As with the letters, sanction those countries' citizens and not the ones whose citizens are paying up or barely causing a problem. 

Amazing logic!????

[Nowisee]

On 5/15/2019 at 9:49 PM, gunderhill said:

Can we have the statistics for corruption losses  in Thailand for the last 3  years also? or maybe they don't have a calculator  big  enough? I bet that figure would be most interesting!!

I reckon this junta have ""0 baht left in the coffers  but maybe the accs. dept told them otherwise, seems they're trying to screw  money any which way they can.

 

Trillions!

[malagateddy]

They don't care.

How much do you think you would pay in the UK...Bupa for example for out patient care value £1000..and in patient care to value of £10000??

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[CanterbrigianBangkoker]

12 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

I struggle to understand all the figures given in this article ??

Mainly:

Surely that is fully incorrect. I would bet tens or hundreds thousands at max, no?

100% it's incorrect!

 

I had to re-read it a couple of times to check my eyes were'nt deceiving me!

 

So, in a country of just under 70 million, over half of them are expat retirees!? hahahaha! Where the hell are these figures from!?

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

100% it's incorrect!
 
I had to re-read it a couple of times to check my eyes were'nt deceiving me!
 
So, in a country of just under 70 million, over half of them are expat retirees!? hahahaha! Where the hell are these figures from!?
 
 

The figures have been adjusted, seems like the 38 million was visitors !!
OA visa holders for 2018 was 80,950 .

[CanterbrigianBangkoker]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

The figures have been adjusted, seems like the 38 million was visitors !!
OA visa holders for 2018 was 80,950 .
 

Good to know they can report correct information, even if it takes them two goes! ????

38 million!!! ???? Who allowed that to go to press!? ????