Health Insurance for yearly extension in Thailand

[Jaray]

I have just watched the latest video on Youtube by Integrity Legal and their interpretation of the new rules re Health Insurance for Retirees/Marriage etc extensions seem to say that the mandatory health insurance will be necessary not only for O-A visa applications from Thai Embassies abroad, but also ALL the yearly extension stayers in Thailand.  >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQ-gH_JHrU

[Pattaya46]

Who care about the "interpretation" of some Youtubers ?

No official of the MFA said anything about extensions in Thailand.

[madmen]

HAHA very first thing he says is that its 'speculation"

 

Nice advertising though ????

[lamyai3]

I'd be very wary of anyone's advice on this subject if they're in the business of selling something. 

[Jaray]

I very much hope the lawyer in that video is wrong! ????

[sirineou]

34 minutes ago, Jaray said:

I have just watched the latest video on Youtube by Integrity Legal and their interpretation of the new rules re Health Insurance for Retirees/Marriage etc

 Thank you for sharing

I watched the whole video and the presenter sounded very professional and made a good case , supported by evidence .

Though he repeatedly made it clear that the regulation applied to extensions based on Retirement, and nowhere did he say it applied to mariedge , in fact  if I understood correctly, at one point stated that it did not applies to extensions based on marriage.

    To others who dismissed the video , I suggest they take the time to watch it before doing so. 

Edited June 2, 2019 by sirineou

[DrJack54]

10 minutes ago, Jaray said:

I very much hope the lawyer in that video is wrong! ????

So respect a lawyers opinion? Not worth pinch of S. Why post topic like this. Been covered in many threads. Surely this thread will be closed soon.

[elviajero]

As legal firms in Thailand often refer to an extension of stay as a Retirement Visa it is not surprising that they confuse the entry visa (O-A) with a stay permit.

 

There has been no indication from the authorities that they will apply this medical insurance to extension permits. It is just 'O-A' visas issued by embassies.

 

The O-X (newer visa) already has compulsory insurance. The O-A is next.

Edited June 2, 2019 by elviajero

[sirineou]

22 minutes ago, sirineou said:

 Thank you for sharing

I watched the whole video and the presenter sounded very professional and made a good case , supported by evidence .

Though he repeatedly made it clear that the regulation applied to extensions based on Retirement, and nowhere did he say it applied to mariedge , in fact  if I understood correctly, at one point stated that it did not applies to extensions based on marriage.

    To others who dismissed the video , I suggest they take the time to watch it before doing so. 

Some one reacted with laughter to the above reply, I don't know what I said that was funny, I guess simple minds are easily amused.

[tgeezer]

The ignorance of officials in Thailand is shocking, do they not know that it is not a visa but an extension of stay! 

[DrJack54]

6 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Some one reacted with laughter to the above reply, I don't know what I said that was funny, I guess simple minds are easily amused.

Yes they are. So post and/or start threads that are based on imaginary interpretations of what we currently have before us. 

Just look at many current threads. Some just throwing up the "what might occur" on just about everything.

Deal with it when it occurs. 

[madmen]

Great work by the lawyer. Thats 10 people in short time that know his name and company. Give it two weeks and this thread will be 1000 posts long...brilliant strategy

 

All based on his own words "this is speculative"

damn they're good ????

[Mitkof Island]

Still a lot of nothing !!!! And again NO mention of Type O Marriage visas. But one Thai based YT channel continues stirring the crap for views is claiming everyone is leaving but him. P.S The guy is well known for having more than a few missing screws and in my opinion anyone listening to him are missing the same. There is no reason freaking until we hear it from the Thai government directly. And even then i have no doubts they will screw it up. Those policies they offer are 100% crap.

[DaRoadrunner]

I bet health insurance will eventually become compulsory for all long stay visas. What we have seen so far is only the tip of the immigration iceberg.

 

While I'm at it, does anyone know if the Thai insurance companies cover us when outside of Thailand?

 

Or can anyone recommend an insurance company that provides international cover?

Edited June 2, 2019 by DaRoadrunner

[sirineou]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Yes they are. So post and/or start threads that are based on imaginary interpretations of what we currently have before us. 

Just look at many current threads. Some just throwing up the "what might occur" on just about everything.

Deal with it when it occurs. 

The Op stated Marriage , and I wanted to say that nowhere in the video it mentioned extensions to stay based on marriage in fact the opposite. 

 I guess the adage of "no good deed ever goes unpunished" applies. But who am I to argue with a Doctor.  

[DrJack54]

8 minutes ago, sirineou said:

The Op stated Marriage , and I wanted to say that nowhere in the video it mentioned extensions to stay based on marriage in fact the opposite. 

 I guess the adage of "no good deed ever goes unpunished" applies. But who am I to argue with a Doctor.  

"Based on retirement" extensions have zip to do with non O-A visas obtained in ones own country. Read your own post. 

The proposal is for O-A applications. Not extensions based on retirement.

Edited June 2, 2019 by DrJack54

[sirineou]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

"Based on retirement" extensions has zip to do with non O-A visas obtained in ones own country. Some call it Symantec's, but read your own post. 

The proposal is for O-A applications. Not extensions based on retirement.

for retirement

 

[DrJack54]

1 minute ago, sirineou said:

for retirement

 

What the....

The current proposal re insurance is for applications for NON O-A.

What do you not understand. Anyway wasted time on leading you to water. 

Anything else is just scaremongering. 

[DrJack54]

7 minutes ago, sirineou said:

for retirement

 

Oh...I get it. Your confused with the word retirement. The O-A visa, I believe on Thai website refers to something like O-A retirement. This is completely different to annual extensions. I could currently have an extension based on retirement then for my next extension apply based on marriage or parent of Thai etc. Extensions have nothing to do with an O-A VISA.

 

[puchooay]

24 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

I bet health insurance will eventually become compulsory for all long stay visas. What we have seen so far is only the tip of the immigration iceberg.

 

It already is. The only long stay visa is an O-A. 

 

Those living here long term and going to immigration each year are not  on visas. They are on extension of stay.

[sirineou]

7 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What the....

The current proposal re insurance is for applications for NON O-A.

What do you not understand. Anyway wasted time on leading you to water. 

Anything else is just scaremongering. 

You might want to talk about what you want but the Op I was reacting too is about extensions to stay . Go to page one and read the OP,or better here is a quote.

 

1 hour ago, Jaray said:

I have just watched the latest video on Youtube by Integrity Legal and their interpretation of the new rules re Health Insurance for Retirees/Marriage etc extensions seem to say that the mandatory health insurance will be necessary not only for O-A visa applications from Thai Embassies abroad, but also ALL the yearly extension stayers in Thailand.  >>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQ-gH_JHrU

 " Retirees/Marriage etc extensions " being the operative quote. 

My reply that extension for Marriage was not mentioned  except for the one time where it was mentioned as not applying. 

It seems to me we are talking past each other and that;s the last thing I have to say on the subject. 

[arithai12]

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

 Thank you for sharing

I watched the whole video and the presenter sounded very professional and made a good case , supported by evidence .

Though he repeatedly made it clear that the regulation applied to extensions based on Retirement, and nowhere did he say it applied to mariedge , in fact  if I understood correctly, at one point stated that it did not applies to extensions based on marriage.

    To others who dismissed the video , I suggest they take the time to watch it before doing so. 

Why should I take the time to watch an advertisement?

Wake me up when there is an announcement from Thai Immigration.

[merijn]

45 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

I bet health insurance will eventually become compulsory for all long stay visas. What we have seen so far is only the tip of the immigration iceberg.

 

While I'm at it, does anyone know if the Thai insurance companies cover us when outside of Thailand?

 

Or can anyone recommend an insurance company that provides international cover?

Most Thai health insurance company's will provide cover when outside Thailand but in most cases the insurance company must be informed beforehand of the planned travel and there is a limit of days a year that this is allowed.

[sirineou]

Just now, arithai12 said:

Why should I take the time to watch an advertisement?

Wake me up when there is an announcement from Thai Immigration.

the OP took the time to post it for no benefit to himself but because he thought it might benefit others.I think he might think twise next time, and there goes TVF down hill.

  No one says you have to watch it, or even reply to this thread. Simply that before dismissing it, one should have at the very least watch it. How else would you know what you are taking about ? Pro or against. 

[madmen]

3 minutes ago, sirineou said:

the OP took the time to post it for no benefit to himself but because he thought it might benefit others.I think he might think twise next time, and there goes TVF down hill.

  No one says you have to watch it, or even reply to this thread. Simply that before dismissing it, one should have at the very least watch it. How else would you know what you are taking about ? Pro or against. 

Nonsense. Nothing wrong for calling it for what it is and that's an advertisement.

Now you have seen it and seemed pretty excited so how about you post the link that leads to immigration announcing health insurance is valid for anything other than O-A..No? didnt think so.

 

Why would anyone watch it past the first minute where he says its speculation..plenty of that here with TV immi experts 

[sirineou]

23 minutes ago, madmen said:

Nonsense. Nothing wrong for calling it for what it is and that's an advertisement.

Now you have seen it and seemed pretty excited so how about you post the link that leads to immigration announcing health insurance is valid for anything other than O-A..No? didnt think so.

 

Why would anyone watch it past the first minute where he says its speculation..plenty of that here with TV immi experts 

First it does not apply to me, I have top of the line Blue Cross Blue Shield that covers me in Thailand,  when and if it becomes necessary all I need is a letter from my insurance with an explanation of coverage. 

But , unless I am terribly mistaken,  This health insurance is for long stay, Im I correct? 

I could be wrong, I Travel often out of Thailand and don't require extensions to stay.  

if I am correct then it will require an extension to stay. otherwise it will not be long term. And according to this video and other things I have read it applies to long term retirement extensions. 

Now there is a confusion(again if I understand this correctly)  that it would apply only O-A obtained from embassies abroad, and not from O-A obtained in Thailand , that the video seems to contradict, and, again if I understood this correctly only to O-A extensions to stay based on retirement and not based on Marriage.

Please correct me where I am wrong. I like to know since I will be retiring from work in less than a year and would be getting  an extension to stay based on marriage with multiple entry permits so I can travel, and In three years when I turn 65 I plan to drop BCBS and go on medicare and thus lose my BCBS Thai coverage. 

I appreciate someone who knows more than I do correcting me as I am making future plans based on my assumptions.  

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by sirineou

[tgeezer]

We will find out when it happens. In case the same wording is used O-A visa etc. when they mean a non-immigrant visa nothing will be clear because we insist on separating visas and extensions for situations which Thai describes; stamp for permission to enter, and in country, stamp for permission to stay etc.  In conversational Thai “extend visa” (wisa) is used for all extensions. In country you can be issued a visa which according to the forum is impossible because visas can only be used to enter a country but clearly, to me anyway, it is used for the purpose of extending. Even when they stamp ‘USED’ across a visa it remains in the passport because it gives the authority to extend. I come to this conclusion because when issued a new passport a note of my original visa was made in the new passport in spite of it being ‘used’ many years before. It is not possible to enter ‘visa exempt’ and apply for retirement for example, you must pay a fee and the proof that you qualify to apply is the visa or stamp.  I don’t want to upset those people who have their Thai-Visa jargon off pat but be aware that it applies only to this forum and to read more into O-A visa than long stay visa is fruitless. 

[madmen]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

First it does not apply to me, I have top of the line Blue Cross Blue Shield that covers me in Thailand,  when and if it becomes necessary all I need is a letter from my insurance with an explanation of coverage. 

But , unless I am terribly mistaken,  This health insurance is for long stay, Im I correct? 

I could be wrong, I Travel often out of Thailand and don't require extensions to stay.  

if I am correct then it will require an extension to stay. otherwise it will not be long term. And according to this video and other things I have read it applies to long term retirement extensions. 

Now there is a confusion(again if I understand this correctly)  that it would apply only O-A obtained from embassies abroad, and not from O-A obtained in Thailand , that the video seems to contradict, and, again if I understood this correctly only to O-A extensions to stay based on retirement and not based on Marriage.

Please correct me where I am wrong. I like to know since I will be retiring from work in less than a year and would be getting  an extension to stay based on marriage with multiple entry permits so I can travel, and In three years when I turn 65 I plan to drop BCBS and go on medicare and thus lose my BCBS Thai coverage. 

I appreciate someone who knows more than I do correcting me as I am making future plans based on my assumptions.  

 

HH immigration already confirmed through the nation news/ TV interview that it does not include retirement extension and the word retirement extension was used.

 

But if you want to listen to an ambulance chaser through his youtube advertisement declaring his hypothetical scenario then go right ahead. No doubt when it comes to retain the services of lawyer you will remember his name , his counting on it ????

Edited June 2, 2019 by madmen

[elviajero]

4 hours ago, puchooay said:

5 hours ago, DaRoadrunner said:

I bet health insurance will eventually become compulsory for all long stay visas. What we have seen so far is only the tip of the immigration iceberg.

It already is. The only long stay visa is an O-A. 

It's not. They introduced the 'O-X' visa last year, which has compulsory insurance. It has undoubtedly been a flop and that could be one reason for them pushing it on to the 'O-A'.

 

I don't think they will push medical insurance on to existing expats. What is likely to happen is that future retirees will have to buy the 'O-A' and insurance before applying for their first extension, and it may become a condition that they keep the insurance going. In other words they will introduce it over time through the new retirees.

 

Quote

Those living here long term and going to immigration each year are not  on visas. They are on extension of stay.

They are on visas. If they don't have the right category of a non-immigrant visa they can't get the 90 day stay that they ultimately extend by 1 year. 

 

A Visa is used to enter the country, and subsequently a Permit is issued granting an extension of stay. But the permit will not be issued unless the applicant has the appropriate visa.

Edited June 2, 2019 by elviajero

[sirineou]

16 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

The thing here is that it has been clearly stated in the news, with quotes from Immigration officials, rhis only regards O-A visa that can only be applied for in ones home country. As far as it goes today, the proposal is not in effect yet, but will most probably be. That means that it will at the moment not regard extensions of stay, which many times are referred to as Retirement Visa and Marriage Visa.

What will happen in the future no one knows. There is of course a big chance in the future that it will include all visas that can be related to long stay.

First of all please excuse my confusion if indeed I am confused. I travel in and out of Thailand often enough because I work in the west, and because of it I have not required long stay visas.  Also I have Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance that covers me globally so I never had to worry about medical for now.   All these will change once I retire in the next year or less. But I get to keep my BCBS insurance until I am 65 at which point I go on medicare. So whatever the requirement I dont care for the next three years but then it is time to care, so I like to be educated on the subject and plan accordingly.   

   The way I understand it an 0-A will be good for a year and then you need to file for an extension to stay either based on retirement or based on marriage.

I fail to see why they would require health insurance for those who get a retirement visa abroad, but not require it for those who get an extension to stay based on retirement in Thailand.

I would not make any sense.  Don't both groups have the same health concerns and burdens on the system? 

Anyway, I don't think it affects me since I am married and would file under mariedge when the time comes.  But even though I don't think health insurance is required for extensions to stay based on marriage , I am not entirely sure, and not certain that even if it isn't at this time, it will not be in the future . TIT

Am I correct in my above thinking , if not where am I going wrong?