US Embassy issues advisory on medical care for tourists, long-stay expats

[fforest1]

If your FORCED to have Thai insurance.....Doubling or tripling your rates or dropping you all together if you need to use the insurance would be a guaranteed money maker for the insurance companies.....

 

If you must have insurance that will be like declaring open season on retired expats....     

[Neocon]

8 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

I just want to say that the Tricare for Life Overseas for retired service members is 10 times better than anything they offer here.  You pay the bill and Tricare reimburses you 75% of the cost after $150 deductible.   There is also a Cap of $3,000 per the calendar year.  After you met the cap Tricare for Life overseas pays the full bill.  Plus a few international hospitals here like BHN and Bumrungrad Hospital will charge you 25% of the bill and submit the claim to Tricare for you.  Immigration here better accepts this if we are required to have the insurance.

Bumrungrad stopped direct billing TRICARE for U.S. military retiree inpatient care at least seven months ago. Bumrungrad is non-committal if they will restart.

[asiaexpat]

5 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

The US State Department does not give “friendly” advisories to overseas Americans.  There is always a reason behind it.  To my fellow Americans this a Big Hint:  You will need to purchase health insurance if you are a long term visa holder in Thailand.  Also, when the Health Insurance law becomes comprehensive the Embassy can say “We told you so”,   As an American I have lived in 3 other countries and realized the mission of a US Embassy is not to assist it’s citizens.  Instead it is to promote American businesses.  

How wrong you are. The US State Department frequently provides 'friendly advice." They even have a web site for it. Their latest bit of advice is true for anyone anywhere and does not mean the Embassy has any special knowledge. 

[GinBoy2]

This is a rolling train wreak in progress.

 

Indeed there are a few great hospitals in Thailand, but they come at a price. Do NOT delude yourself that the care you get at the local Govt. hospital will come anywhere close to what you would expect in the West.

In point of fact the further away from any major urban center, the more likely they are to simply warehouse you until you die

 

As @Sheryl rightly points out, any extended stay or any major procedure is going to cost you in the ฿M rather than ฿K range at any decent facility.

 

I think the US embassy is trying, in diplomatic terms to tell you this.

 

Then comes the next dilemma, how do you get insurance at a price you can afford, especially if you are over 60, and the chances are it will exclude anything you are likely to actually need it for!

 

Quite the conundrum

[mania]

8 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Your particular hospital bills may not have gone over 100,000 but inpatient stays in private hospitals very, very often go not just over 100,000k (vast majority for that) but also well over 1,000,000 baht. We have had members here with bills in excess of 3 million on a single hospitalization - major of course, entailing long ICU stay, specialized surgery and the like. But it happens.

 

You should be prepared for bills in the 3-4 million range and if you are not,  best consider additional insurance.

Exactly & something many expats do not realize.

They predict medical costs based on a few tests or physicals they may have gotten in Thailand.

[Fex Bluse]

15 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I hope it is not feeding a fire that kicks the immigration dept to initiate a full spread of exorbitant high coverage across the board for everyone, but it does seem this is a precursor warning for retirees to be prepared for the storm that’s coming.

The difference is that we Farang will complain here online, relatively quietly and ultimately suck it up and figure out ways to pay.

 

The Chinese, on the other hand, would protest en masse and their government would protest and the Thais would then back down or severely limit the requirements.

 

The only way to encourage Thai to do sensible things is through threat of retaliation and they know we Farang won't, so every few years, they'll try on something else knowing we'll just pay up.

[thailand49]

17 hours ago, Thailand said:

I see TV is pushing their own insurance package along with every other click bait ad being for medical insurance, it must be nailed on it's that it is going to be across the board.

Sadly, the prices are out of the world won't give you a quote after 1954?

[wwest5829]

17 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

I just want to say that the Tricare for Life Overseas for retired service members is 10 times better than anything they offer here.  You pay the bill and Tricare reimburses you 75% of the cost after $150 deductible.   There is also a Cap of $3,000 per the calendar year.  After you met the cap Tricare for Life overseas pays the full bill.  Plus a few international hospitals here like BHN and Bumrungrad Hospital will charge you 25% of the bill and submit the claim to Tricare for you.  Immigration here better accepts this if we are required to have the insurance.

Yes, those retired with Tri-Care global medical coverage are very fortunate. They earned their benefit through their service. I submit that those of us on earned (and continued premium payments) also earned our medical benefits. As all should know, Medicare cannot be used outside US territory. I want Medicare overseas benefits extended on the same basis as Tri-Care benefits. Thoughts?

[OmarZaid]

Marry a government worker -- they have great insurance

[graemeaylward]

Does the US government have shares in Private hospitals in Thailand? No mention of the excellent world class treatment that is available in public, government run hospitals at a fraction of the cost!


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[wwest5829]

10 hours ago, malibukid said:

how about extending Medicare to your citizens?  thank you USA

Agreed! On the same basis as earned Tri-Care global coverage. Obviously is already being done with Tri-care. Cheaper, world-class coverage here in Thailand. Until recently, Thailand has been promoting medical tourism and elderly care ... US extension of Medicare benefits would save the US provided Medicare system money. I know ... forget it. The US for-profit medical folks would certainly oppose.

[upena]

Link the AmEmb article is where? I don't see it on the embassy web site and I have not received email alert from American Citizen Services. Only place I see this "avisory" is the Phuket news.

[fullcave]

11 hours ago, Mansell said:

I was just on vacation in Vietnam. That country looks like a good option if things don't work out here. I enjoyed paying much less for very good Mexican and Indian food there. Taxis in DaNang were very cheap and a quick way to get around. I might try to get a long stay in a hotel there as the breakfasts are amazingly good with many options. This was my fourth time there and I actually think it is better than Thailand.....and this mandatory health might be the final straw. Even the wife and kids loved the place, but her working there might not be possible. Everybody spoke to her in Vietnamese as they thought she was one of them. And it was cooler there.

Where did you visit? I'm seriously considering other options as well. Thailand has gone down hill since the control freaks took over. 

[rumak]

9 hours ago, fforest1 said:

 

If you must have insurance that will be like declaring open season on retired expats....

 

 

 

 

 

Rumak's Rant  ( from a small room in a foreign embassy )

 

1984 has come and gone.  Most of the hard work has already been accomplished, with the masses firmly

entrenched in 9 to 5 jobs performing the tasks of their masters.  At the end of the day/week/life one is left with a few toys and possibly a house.  (Divorce laws do work to take that away from many).  AH, then the retirement years come that was always shown in brochures to be a time of relaxation,  sitting on the porch and watching the lovely grandkids,  or out on the golf course or the boat fishing for marlin.  Only problem is that someone somewhere keeps raising the cost of everything.  Heck, even the property tax on the house you paid for 30 years ago keeps going up.  And THEN,  the dreaded happens.  Medical issues !

Somehow , that wonderful lifestyle that you were living for most of your life slaps you in the face and says " diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, IBS, arthritis, etc etc etc.  "  NO WORRIES !  You have been paying for health insurance .  Sure, the cost of that has gone up and up and up but at least you're covered.  Well, until you have a problem .  HA!   read the fine print .  I mean the very fine print.  Where it says that the company is going to do all it can to not pay and get rid of you as soon as possible.  

Well, you know what.  There has always been this small group of individuals (not really a group, since groups have pretty much been rendered impotent and are easily monitored).  But there were a few trouble makers that snuck through the cracks of conformity,  somehow managing to get a few dollars saved up to carry them through to the end.  To accomplish this within their means they chose to move to areas and live in ways usually deemed non-conformist by those in power.  Oh, if only labels could kill.  The thing is, non-conformists are sometimes pretty resourceful .  It is almost a necessity for survival in this modern world.  And so I have survived for the better part of my life .  Yes, the computer with access to information is a blessing for some,  entertainment for most.  I knew that the downside is that big brother now knows where I am every second and probably what I am eating for breakfast.  I take that risk, having thought that they were too busy going after terrorists or child support runaways.  I guess I underestimated their greed though.  Don't they already control enough, i thought ?  I was wrong.  They will not stop until they have every single person in the world under their power.  FREEDOM'S JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE.  

Sorry, gotta go.  There's a large contingent of CIA  (certified insurance agents) breaking down my door.

 

According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. And more than 75 percent of all physician office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

 

Hmmmmm,  so that's why they keep upping the stress levels !

 

Have a nice day , y'all    ????

xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sal Boto]

Anyone know how much for the required insurance?  $1,000 a year?  i can live with that.................lol.  Mid-50s good health.

[GinBoy2]

38 minutes ago, OmarZaid said:

Marry a government worker -- they have great insurance

Actually it depends

 

You may well be talking about marrying a Thai Govt worker. 

I'm married to a Thai who works for the US Government

 

She's a civilian contractor for DoD.

 

Now I'm not complaining the coverage we get through BCBS is great, but it's nothing better than any other civilian would get outside of the Federal system.

 

It's not like Tricare or the like

[quandow]

14 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

My guess is that if they do have insurance, then a majority have insurance that is not accepted here.

I have insurance as a retired civil servant. GREAT in the states, WORTHLESS in Thailand.

[connda]

Notice that we are now being inundated with ads and admonishments for health insurance companies who are offering high premium, low payout polices riddled with exclusions for pre-existing conditions.

The shear number of these new ads as well as the media bashing long-term expats as freeloading medical bill skippers and now governments getting into the game even to the point of saying that if you can't afford 'adequate insurance' (whatever that may be) then Thailand is not the right place for you - how fascinating in it's ramifications.   

What I come up with is there is a lot happening behind the scenes.  It's as though blood and chum have been tossed in the water and the insurance sharks are circling their prey with the intention of chewing off small pieces of flesh at a time.  Don't want to kill the host, just bleed them dry before discarding them.

These Thai proffered policies will be essentially worthless as they don't cover pre-existing conditions which virtually all aging expats of retirement age will have.

Someone with diabetes is excluded for diabetes coverage, that person is most likely to be hospitalize due to diabetes which is not covered, and then must pay out of pocket!  How does this protect the Thai hospitals from patients who can not pay?

 

Someone with cancer is excluded for cancer coverage, that person is most likely to be hospitalize due to cancer which is not covered, and then must pay out of pocket!  How does this protect the Thai hospitals from patients who can not pay?

 

Someone with coronary issues is excluded for coronary coverage, that person is most likely to be hospitalize due to coronary problems which are not covered, and then must pay out of pocket!  How does this protect the Thai hospitals from patients who can not pay?

 

This is not about having 'adequate insurance', such as the ridiculous 40k out-patient policy that will be required - this is about harvesting the wealth of a class of foreigners living in Thailand who inject billions of Thai baht into the GDP of this corrupt country and then are rewarded by being lined up and further harvested of their wealth for insurance products that are predatory in the price structure as well as their lack of real coverage.

 

This is governments and corporate entities finding a source of wealth and finding a way to harvest that wealth.  If this was actually about protecting the Thai health care system from those 'who can not pay for health services', then the government would require that healthcare insurers to provide affordable policies that cover pre-existing conditions.  But that is not what this is - it's a money grab.

When they kill the geese that lay the golden eggs and those billions in foreign capital that are injected into the Thai GDP dry up as long-term expats pull up stakes - who knows, they will probably double down.

It's getting time to start polishing Plan B.  

[Emdog]

10 hours ago, malibukid said:

what did you expect from the world richest country.  look who's in charge.  as an American i could expect nothing less.  it was once a great nation. sucks now.  we have to take care of the immigrants first these days.

If you are referring to Trump (look who's in charge), this is one thing I wouldn't pin on him or Republicans (though both are appalling).

US expats are lower than a flea on a Soi dogs butt regardless of party. We just don't matter, taxation aside.

[Searat7]

I thought the language used in the US advisory was very carefully crafted but the message is clear :  If you don’t have “Deep Pockets” (eg lots of money) you really need to have insurance coverage in Thailand.

[malibukid]

hmm, i wonder who is behind this statement.  did the Thai government "ask" the U.S. Embassy to make this statement?

btw the way Medicare U.S. does cover Americans for ER services here.

[Pedrogaz]

15 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

The US State Department does not give “friendly” advisories to overseas Americans.  There is always a reason behind it.  To my fellow Americans this a Big Hint:  You will need to purchase health insurance if you are a long term visa holder in Thailand.  Also, when the Health Insurance law becomes comprehensive the Embassy can say “We told you so”,   As an American I have lived in 3 other countries and realized the mission of a US Embassy is not to assist it’s citizens.  Instead it is to promote American businesses.  

Sorry Must disagree here. I am a dual national and can compare the US embassy to that of the UK. The US embassy without question is the best I have ever dealt with. You want an embassy that cares nothing for its citizens, try the UK embassy.....absolutely awful....they want to do nothing at all for their citizens and the prices for the consular services are outrageous. Useless. Contrasting the US, it puts the citizen at the centre of its operation, and yes it promotes US business and has the FBI and CIA spying, but it never fails its citizens in time of need.

[IssanCalling]

On this and forums, I see people saying, no need for out patient. In my experience Physiotherapy or god forbid Chemotherapy are often done as an outpatient and can be very expensive. Outpatient does not necessarily mean the bill will be 200 or so Baht... Just my thoughts. 

[malibukid]

9 minutes ago, Emdog said:

If you are referring to Trump (look who's in charge), this is one thing I wouldn't pin on him or Republicans (though both are appalling).

US expats are lower than a flea on a Soi dogs butt regardless of party. We just don't matter, taxation aside.

by not using our Medicare over here we are saving taxpayers in the States back home millions.  this should be appreciated. if Medicare coverage was extended to expats overseas they would still save 70-80% of comparative cost for the same procedures back home.  time for this to change.  the Republicans traditionally favor conservative fiscal policy and should support this.

[rwill]

20 minutes ago, Sal Boto said:

Anyone know how much for the required insurance?  $1,000 a year?  i can live with that.................lol.  Mid-50s good health.

One of the better ones offered for the longstay visa is from Pacific Cross.  The cheapest plan for ages 56-60 is 35,795 per year.  Around $1,125 US (of course that changes all the time with the exchange rate.

 

https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/health-insurance/longstay-visa/

[holy cow cm]

2 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

The difference is that we Farang will complain here online, relatively quietly and ultimately suck it up and figure out ways to pay.

 

The Chinese, on the other hand, would protest en masse and their government would protest and the Thais would then back down or severely limit the requirements.

 

The only way to encourage Thai to do sensible things is through threat of retaliation and they know we Farang won't, so every few years, they'll try on something else knowing we'll just pay up.

Can't see one word that is not true in your post. But the Chinese are seen as en-masse of the billions, and we are only pockets from our own perspective countries. Its how they see it inside their Thai box.

[connda]

5 minutes ago, IssanCalling said:

On this and forums, I see people saying, no need for out patient. In my experience Physiotherapy or god forbid Chemotherapy are often done as an outpatient and can be very expensive. Outpatient does not necessarily mean the bill will be 200 or so Baht... Just my thoughts. 

I've been funding my out-patient coverage for 12 years.  This isn't the US where a doctor visit and meds will set you back hundreds of dollars or a colonoscopy a few thousand dollars.  This is Thailand where those outpatient procedures are 10 times less than the US and completely affordable out of pocket.

Anyone who can not afford to pay out-patient care in Thailand out-of-pocket probably can not afford the insurance either once they reach 60 years old.  

[holy cow cm]

28 minutes ago, quandow said:

I have insurance as a retired civil servant. GREAT in the states, WORTHLESS in Thailand.

That's the problem and then there is the costly useless insurance here. I would not mind at all to a government policy that was 10k per year.

[connda]

6 minutes ago, rwill said:

One of the better ones offered for the longstay visa is from Pacific Cross.  The cheapest plan for ages 56-60 is 35,795 per year.  Around $1,125 US (of course that changes all the time with the exchange rate.

 

https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/health-insurance/longstay-visa/

Then if you plan to spend your life here - look out!  Health care premiums increase exponentially as you age.  Eventually the premiums are close to being the same as the yearly maximums and your retirement wealth will be drained until you can no longer afford to stay - or - you actually are living in poverty in the 'affordable' third world country where you thought your retirement funds would last while providing you with a higher quality of life then you expensive home country.
What if you've invested in a home, car, family?  Tough - if you can't pay $3,000 or $4,000 or $5,000 for a Thai insurance policy that allows you to stay but doesn't offer you beans for coverage - then get out!  That's why it's probably better off looking for a different place to live, and for those who are just arriving?  "My insurance only costs me $1,125 per year."  Sure, today.  10 years from now?  20?  At what point are you force out the door.  Don't invest in staying as you will be forced out.  

[Danthai]

Agree. Retired military should have no problem because it is an excellent benefit for retired military. Not sure Thai Immigration knows much about it, but here in Chiangmai, as I understand it, has a contract with Tricare and bills directly for their part. Also, part if the coverage is the benefit is Coverage 100% coverage after the first $3000 of allowable benefit each year.

 

Hope the US Embassy can help educate the Thai Immigration about the Tricare coverage for active and retired military.