Health Check: Phuket Immigration confirms mandatory health insurance for O-A ‘retirement’ visas not in force

[ericthai]

5 hours ago, Sjohno said:

If you read further into the article an interesting comment is made (see below) and it appears that the new 800000 baht or 65000 baht/per month ruling for O-A visa has seen an exodus of 2400 expats from Phuket (or a halving of applications) to elsewhere or have they have made other visa arrangements. Apply that ratio across the country and it would be a significant amount of people with their lives uprooted! ????

 

“Col Kathathorn on Wednesday was unable to give a specific number of foreigners staying in Phuket on an O-A visa.

However, he did confirm that Phuket Immigration from January through December last year issued extensions to stay to 4,909 foreigners staying in Phuket on some form of Non-Immigrant O type visa.

From January to July this year, Phuket Immigration issued extensions to stay to 2,422 persons staying in Phuket on a form of Non-immigrant O type visa.”

Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/health-check-phuket-immigration-confirms-mandatory-health-insurance-for-o-a-retirement-visas-not-in-force-72365.php#AMS0P6FIOb9s2fpM.99

 

 

There is no new rule for retirement extension. You've always had to show the 800k or 65k a month.  Also the 4909 was for 12 months.  The 2422 is only 6 months. So looks like nobody left. Hi

However, this is Thailand and numbers from any news or govt department are almost always incorrect.

[sathornlover]

Quote

There are currently no foreigner staying in Phuket on an O-X visa, Col Kathathorn confirmed.

I'm not really surprised …    ????

[CharlieH]

Flame/derogatory post removed.

[Joe Mcseismic]

1 hour ago, ericthai said:

There is no new rule for retirement extension. You've always had to show the 800k or 65k a month.  Also the 4909 was for 12 months.  The 2422 is only 6 months. So looks like nobody left. Hi

However, this is Thailand and numbers from any news or govt department are almost always incorrect.

No new rule? What about the change of seasoning rules. Previously, they wanted to see the 800k spent on living expenses. Now, you're only allowed to spend 400k during seven months. That seems like a pretty big rule change to me.....

[meand]

wake me up when someone has to show an insurance document to an io

[DJ54]

Perhaps insurance company/companies are behind the constant 

posting anout insurance an effort in increase revenue....

[Wake Up]

3 hours ago, kevinmartyn said:

I'm 64 and just received a quote for medical cover in Thailand and the quote was over $6,500.00 USD per Year. OMG. I do not have that amount of spare cash per year! The quote was not the cheapest and there were others in exceeding 10,000 USD. Mm...

I am 59 and the quote from the USA medical insurance is 1200 USA dollars month plus a 6700 USA dollar yearly deductible so 6500 USA dollars  a year sounds cheap to me. I pay 1700 USA dollars  a year for one million USA dollars of coverage in Thailand. Very cheap and will increase every year I get older. That is a fact of life. But to simply say I cannot afford health insurance is not a sensible option IMO. Everyone on earth should have health insurance no exceptions. Unless they are so poor they cannot eat or pay for rent. Then they should be provided health care by their home country not a foreign country. But living in a foreign country as an immigrant is not a right but a privilege that costs money. I don’t care if you own a condo and pay for your wife and kids. Blah blah blah. You have to be able to financially take care of yourself and that includes paying for medical al bills caused by accidents and getting sick when you are old. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Wake Up

[from the home of CC]

39 minutes ago, DJ54 said:

Perhaps insurance company/companies are behind the constant 

posting anout insurance an effort in increase revenue....

for sure the insurance mafia would love a legally mandated windfall - you know behind the scenes lobbying/grafting is going on, hell they're the pro's lol...

Edited August 3, 2019 by from the home of CC

[Captain 776]

God forbid.......it would be simple black n white.

 

Whar does “ not in force mean.?”

 

If you have had Retirement Visa for many years and just renewed it WITHOUT medical coverage..........does that mean it is “in force” and therefore you are exempt from insurance requirement?

[Captain 776]

Just now, Captain 776 said:

God forbid.......it would be simple black n white.

 

Whar does “ not in force mean.?”

 

If you have had Retirement Visa for many years and just renewed it WITHOUT medical coverage..........does that mean it is “in force” and therefore you are exempt from insurance requirement?

I understood this ( no idea if this is correct or not) to be.........it only applies to anyone applying for a new “O” after the date they formally make it required.

 

Is that a correct understanding?

[Psimbo]

3 pages in and as usual we have 2 1/2 pages of rhetoric and BS by people completely unaffected by it. This is about PHUKET Immigration fer farksake.

Edited August 3, 2019 by Psimbo

[Captain 776]

1 minute ago, Psimbo said:

3 pages in and as usual we have 2 1/2 pages of rhetoric and BS by people completely unaffected by it. This is about PHUKET Immigration fer farksake.

Lolol theoretically........IF it applies there, it should apply to all........have not ever seen any separation anytime there is a news release on it

[Jiggo]

10 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

mandatory health insurance.. buckle up its coming ????

Ticket Booked

[Huckenfell]

11 hours ago, Sjohno said:

If you read further into the article an interesting comment is made (see below) and it appears that the new 800000 baht or 65000 baht/per month ruling for O-A visa has seen an exodus of 2400 expats from Phuket (or a halving of applications) to elsewhere or have they have made other visa arrangements. Apply that ratio across the country and it would be a significant amount of people with their lives uprooted! ????

 

“Col Kathathorn on Wednesday was unable to give a specific number of foreigners staying in Phuket on an O-A visa.

However, he did confirm that Phuket Immigration from January through December last year issued extensions to stay to 4,909 foreigners staying in Phuket on some form of Non-Immigrant O type visa.

From January to July this year, Phuket Immigration issued extensions to stay to 2,422 persons staying in Phuket on a form of Non-immigrant O type visa.”

Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/health-check-phuket-immigration-confirms-mandatory-health-insurance-for-o-a-retirement-visas-not-in-force-72365.php#AMS0P6FIOb9s2fpM.99

 

 

How much damage has this Phuket figure alone done to the countries income. Wait till it hits Pattaya.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I have no idea what the OP article is talking about....

 

I've had a retirement extension of stay here for years, but I've never ever had an O-A visa or ever even come close to one. So why is Phuket Immigration talking about a supposed insurance requirement for O-A visas that they don't even issue...

 

Unless, they keep talking about it in terms of O-A visas, but what they really mean is to apply the insurance requirement in the future, if ever enacted, to retirement extensions instead or in addition to actual O-A visas that are issued via MFA (not Immigration).

 

BTW, there are LOTs of people here on retirement extensions of stay who've never had an actual O-A visa and didn't get their extensions of stay based on any kind of O-A visa... So what's all this supposed to mean for them?

 

Edited August 3, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Huckenfell]

11 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

the 2422 persons is for half year so assuming that ratio continues that puts it at 4844 or down less than 100

 

 

Have they any idea how much the average ex-pat spends in Thailand per year.

[Huckenfell]

9 hours ago, peter14 said:

Well all foreigner exodus  and the retire one that will not buy fridge car home  schootforntheir wife or gf... making immigration harsh will NOT help anyone come back .. Thailand soften your stance or loose all...

Its known as "Killing the Goose that lays the golden egg"    but will officialdom realise this.

[fullcave]

10 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

And it’s a great idea. In the past 12 months my insurances have paid out over 250K for my illnesses and a minor traffic accident.

Better for you, but not better for everybody. Once you calculate the deductibles and the fact that in many cases you are simple not covered you realise it's a racket. I have adequate funds at my disposal to easily insure myself. 

[Huckenfell]

6 hours ago, ianezy0 said:

Agree 100%. But the 5 companies in the link state that the policies will be acceptable to immigration. All they seem to have done is moved some figures around and then charge a lot more for less coverage.

Well i never !  who would have believed that.

[Huckenfell]

3 hours ago, Wake Up said:

I am 59 and the quote from the USA medical insurance is 1200 USA dollars month plus a 6700 USA dollar yearly deductible so 6500 USA dollars  a year sounds cheap to me. I pay 1700 USA dollars  a year for one million USA dollars of coverage in Thailand. Very cheap and will increase every year I get older. That is a fact of life. But to simply say I cannot afford health insurance is not a sensible option IMO. Everyone on earth should have health insurance no exceptions. Unless they are so poor they cannot eat or pay for rent. Then they should be provided health care by their home country not a foreign country. But living in a foreign country as an immigrant is not a right but a privilege that costs money. I don’t care if you own a condo and pay for your wife and kids. Blah blah blah. You have to be able to financially take care of yourself and that includes paying for medical al bills caused by accidents and getting sick when you are old. 

"6500 US dollars per year sounds cheap to me"  thats around Bht 199,645.  Not at all cheap to me.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, kevinmartyn said:

I'm 64 and just received a quote for medical cover in Thailand and the quote was over $6,500.00 USD per Year. OMG. I do not have that amount of spare cash per year! The quote was not the cheapest and there were others in exceeding 10,000 USD. Mm...

 

I don't know how you managed to get such a high quote (a US company?,package included in and outpatient?) but this is way more than usual.

 

At 64 you can get a good, international expat plan less than half that amount. I'm 66 and paying about $2,400 (with a $500 deductible).

 

Only inpatient cover is needed, not OPD, but make sure the IPD plan also covers (1) day surgeries (2) outpatient cancer treatment and (3) outpatient dialysis. Most do but not all.  Aside form things like that, OPD costs in Thailand are quite affordable, no need for OPD cover. 

 

US insurance companies will always be more expensive than their European counterparts. Likewise, a plan that includes cover for the US will always cost vastly moire than even "worldwide excluding the US".

 

More geographically restricted coverage will be cheaper still. Mine is worldwide excluding: Bahamas,  Puerto-Rico, United States, Japan, Singapore ,Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin.

 

Contact AA brokers for detailed options for cover in Thailand  www.aainsure.net

 

 

[madmen]

Have they any idea how much the average ex-pat spends in Thailand per year.

During happy hour a lot. After that not much

[Jumbo1968]

6 hours ago, meand said:

wake me up when someone has to show an insurance document to an io

Exactly has anyone ever tried too read and understand the terms and conditions in an Insurance Policy, nigh impossible so what chance has an IO with a limited knowledge of speaking and reading English understand one.

[brianthainess]

6 hours ago, madmen said:

Have they any idea how much the average ex-pat spends in Thailand per year.

no. but my guess would be About 800,000 k and it all goes to Thais.

[LivinLOS]

15 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I just spoke to an AIA insurance agent here in Thailand.... their best policy still only gives you 10,000 baht coverage for out-patient cover... they do not have a policy that covers 40,000 !!!!

So no-one can purchase that in Thailand.... maybe immigration should talk to insurers first to see what policies they provide instead of pulling figures out of the air as to what foreigners should buy!

it has to be one of the specific approved policies.. not just 'any policy of that amount of cover'.. 

 

https://longstay.tgia.org/

[LivinLOS]

13 hours ago, sathornlover said:

I'm not really surprised …    ????

Yeah I noted that also.. 

 

I am really curious how this works.. I am still a few years out of being 50 but would jump at the chance of a 10 year visa, especially as I am in and out of the country, but the nitty gritty seems to indicate theres an annual health insurance check (and a 5 year check the funds are still here but that I am fine with) where for me the whole appeal is not having an annual check, being out the country when I want with no schedule, etc etc.. 

[LivinLOS]

11 hours ago, Wake Up said:

Then they should be provided health care by their home country not a foreign country. But living in a foreign country as an immigrant is not a right but a privilege that costs money. I don’t care if you own a condo and pay for your wife and kids. Blah blah blah. You have to be able to financially take care of yourself and that includes paying for medical al bills caused by accidents and getting sick when you are old. 

A very wealthy man once told me.. Insurance is for poor people.. 

 

If you can really self insure, what burden are you.. By that I dont mean the person with a million or two baht.. 

[flyingtlger]

Good bye Thailand....Hello Vietnam!

 

 

[johnarth]

21 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

mandatory health insurance.. buckle up its coming ????

First they will have to force the insurance companies to agree to insure people over 75 years of age best of luck with that or they will have to declare everyone over 75 is dead so not need insurance

[chrissables]

15 hours ago, stevenl said:

O-A visa are not renewed, a stay can be extended. A thread like this shows the importance of that distinction.

Then this whole thread is about nothing! ???? Why are Phuket Immigration even talking about it.