Details of mandatory health insurance for Non-Imm O-A visas to be announced next week

[elliss]

12 hours ago, wtfracing said:

What happens when the insurance company denies the claim (which insurance companies have a long history of doing) because they can, then the alien is back to square one and so is the hospital. Common sense (something lacking here) would be a compulsory insurance like 3rd party car insurance has where everything is covered but not going to happen as no money in it.

 

 Spot on ,  Insurance companies are in buisness for one reason only.  Profit .

  Claim rejected , go home farlang ...

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by elliss

[ttrd]

2 minutes ago, madmen said:

why? Getting sick doesn't make any difference 5 years or 5 minutes

Literally both Yes and No - the 5 first minutes on Thai soil may not qualify for the insurance meant for long stayers …  

 

From joke to revolver, yes - the time frame should not represent any difference as long as a correct and valid visa is obtained…  

[ttrd]

1 minute ago, elliss said:

 

 Spot on ,  Insurance companies are in buisness for one reason only.  Profit .

  Claim rejected , go home farlang ...

 

They would not have been in business if they never covered nada - it's all about to read the small letters and act accordingly … 

[nong38]

13 hours ago, nong38 said:

This just looks like another ruse by the local insurers to  extract money from people who bothered to get a visa and are easily tracked for contributions. Its far more likely that any unpaid bills are from tourists who arrive by air have an accident and depart by air never to be seen again, how big this problem is depends on whether you want hoards of tourists here or insurance contributions.

If the medical bills are so high then the easiest things to do would be for forms to filled out on route and fee payable on entry.

I should add that although we can see what the easiest thing to do is Thailand has to find an alternative more complicated way of doing things! They don't help themselves and they don't like other telling them there is a better way of doing things.

[ttrd]

1 minute ago, nong38 said:

I should add that although we can see what the easiest thing to do is Thailand has to find an alternative more complicated way of doing things! They don't help themselves and they don't like other telling them there is a better way of doing things.

… not unlike other countries … 

[Huckenfell]

8 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

Several post have suggested that the Thai government could run an insurance plan which would allow foreigners the same access and treatment at Thai government hospitals as Thais. That is exactly what happens here in the UK - applicants for long-stay Visas have to pay an "NHS Surcharge" which I think is about £200 per year, which then enables them to access free NHS healthcare the same as a British national can. Incredibly simple, why don't the Thai government do the same ?

An excellent idea, but probably not lucrative enough for certain persons in government. That is about BHT7500 and i should think quite affordable

 

[ericthai]

14 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I still find this extremely hard to believe as the hospital will never let you leave until paid in full. How do you rack up a bill and then walk away?

I think their numbers are very high, but when are any of their numbers correct.

I can think of a few scenarios that a bill wouldn't get paid. Someone gets in car/motorcycle/ boat etc accident almost dead the hospital is going to take them in, The person dies they dont get paid if no insurance. the person lives but has no insurance theyll make a payment plan and hold his passport (I know not legal, but its done) He disappears and never pays the bill.  The person is wanted by the police and end up in jail, etc etc    

[elliss]

12 minutes ago, nong38 said:

I should add that although we can see what the easiest thing to do is Thailand has to find an alternative more complicated way of doing things! They don't help themselves and they don't like other telling them there is a better way of doing things.

 

              They do help themselves sure,  and a military junta , dont like other people telling them what to do .

               Ref TM30 petition ....Hope you did not add your name to that petition , next extension denied ?. 

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by elliss

[Huckenfell]

2 hours ago, geisha said:

Where are the statistics concerning who has run up this 3 billion debt ? Does it include tourists and expats, does it include workers from neighbouring countries ? Is it a total of 1 year, or how many years ? Are Thais included ? 

 

 

 

It was published somewhere but i cannot find it, however they managed to get all the figures wrong !

 

[UKresonant]

16 minutes ago, nong38 said:

I should add that although we can see what the easiest thing to do is Thailand has to find an alternative more complicated way of doing things! They don't help themselves and they don't like other telling them there is a better way of doing things.

	Surcharge on a normal policy?
TOTAL 3YR	฿1,000,000,001
1YR	฿333,333,334/	200000	OVER 50 EXPATS ?
	฿1,667	EACH P.A.?

[Chivas]

14 hours ago, mania said:

Thailand is not shy about making it tougher for expats to live full time in Thailand

 

Thailand wants zero expats to live here full time when are some going to grasp the reality.

30 days maximum holidays, spend your dosh, behave, get out, rinse and repeat. Thats the only incoming tourists they want. Even SETV are now becoming harder and harder to obtain... Expats go home simple as that or go to neighbouring countries we dont want or need you any more we're rich enough.....$220 Billion in currency reserves translates into Adios Amigo

Edited August 18, 2019 by Chivas

[Huckenfell]

4 hours ago, DNPBC0 said:

Great.  Name the companies,

Please tell me, i am 84.

[Huckenfell]

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

But you will still be better off with Health Insurance of some kind.

 

If the UK can do health cover for non British  200 GBP  ( Bht 7,500 approx) why cannot Thailand.

 

[Pablosbmb]

14 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Same here. Once you're conscious, and disconnected from any IV/monitors they watch you like a hawk, making doing a runner impossible.

 

I think a lot of the unrecovered medical expenses fall into two categories:

 

 - tourist has a minor accident, gets treatment maybe can't pay full boat.

 

 - tourist or foreigner dies after incurring medical treatment, making recovering payment challenging.

 

 

Anyone staying here on an extension could be found, and be made to pay or be deported. Implementing some insurance scheme seems like overkill, but then money to be made.

 

 

 

 

 

The Billion baht was overcharges therefore there is no debt for unpaid hospital bills.  See how easy that was to clear up? Think like a Thai easy peasy.

[mommysboy]

55 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Have you been to a public hospital and seen how stressed the system is. We would need to pay in a hell of a lot to be given such privilege, even in the public system. Last time I was in a public ward, it was 8 to a open room and the staff were run off their feet. I had a friend stay in for 30 days in the public system last month. He could not get a private room and it still cost him 80,000 baht for treatment. It was not very nice at all.

cheap really!

[Krataiboy]

Here's a shocker.  This spokesman for a leading Bangkok law firm specialising in expat visas is convinced the new insurance rules WILL apply to any retiree seeking to extend an existing visa!

 

 

Edited August 18, 2019 by Krataiboy

[fforest1]

12 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Here's a shocker.  This spokesman for a leading Bangkok law firm specialising in expat visas is convinced the new insurance rules WILL apply to any retiree seeking to extend an existing visa!

 

 

Yea and only HE can can help you fix the problem...(for the right price of course)....

[fforest1]

24 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

If the UK can do health cover for non British  200 GBP  ( Bht 7,500 approx) why cannot Thailand.

 

Because 7,500 would hardly cover the wax job on a new Benz...

[Isaanbiker]

The mandatory health insurance requirement was proposed to help Thailand tackle the large number of unpaid medical bills from foreigners who receive treatment in Thai state hospitals.

 

  What they "forgot" to mention was that most of them are from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar which is totally unfair to us. 

[mania]

9 hours ago, Rocket Hawks said:

Interesting. I travel a lot. Just got back from France. I’ve never thought to get travel insurance. I’ve always thought travel insurance was for suckers. Good luck getting the insurance to cover you ???? hah. 

 

Never had had an issue with not having travel insurance in Europe or Asia but that may have something to do with being a US citizen?

 

Travel insurance seems like a scam to me. Does anyone actually know of someone where having travel insurance was actually useful?

 

I would never waste my money on health insurance in Thailand as paying out of pocket for most issues is very cheap here. Anything serious like cancer and I’m flying back to the US anyways where I have health insurance. And if I get hit by a truck, I wouldn’t want to live anyways. Please put me out my misery if that happens. So health insurance doesn’t really make sense for me.

Meh..

You joking?

 

Companies like IMG, Patriot International etc. sell travel insurance with equal or better coverage to major medical insurance

 

Perhaps you confuse travel insurance with the old sold at airports type that cover the flight only?

 

Yes I know many that buy & have claimed for accidents or illness & were covered.

 

Yes pay out of pocket is fine too as long as you can? Ever been hit by a car? Had a stroke? was it pretty easily paid out of your pocket?

Folks like you always think if anything serious I will just hop on a plane home....yeah right except someone in pain is not allowed on the plane

As for putting you out of your misery yeah sure after they try to save you & then??? Who pays the bill you left?

 

Instead a simple law will likely put you out of their misery ???? Because you are exactly who this law is being created for.

Edited August 18, 2019 by mania

[tropo]

15 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I still find this extremely hard to believe as the hospital will never let you leave until paid in full. How do you rack up a bill and then walk away?

 

All we can do is wait and see what comes out and how it is written. Not going to speculate, but I have my feeling there is more to it than that..

Really? So if you cannot pay they keep you there to increase the size of your bill - forever, if the person doesn't have the funds. Do they have cells at the hospital to imprison patients that can't pay? Hospital bills can soon become extreme and beyond most people's ability to pay if they don't have insurance... especially at certain hospitals that specialize in providing enormous bills to profit from travel insurance.

 

Then of course there's the major problem of tourists or expats with insurance who can't claim insurance due to exclusions. For example, they are riding a motorcycle or driving a car without a valid licence. 

 

This is all much ado about nothing. 1 billion baht of unpaid hospital bills over 3 years with the number of tourists visiting Thailand is chicken feed. That's about USD $30,000 per day distributed over 100's of hospitals over the whole of Thailand. Only a very small percentage of these bills would be incurred by expats on 0-A visas. Most would be from regular short visit tourists. Most of the $30,000 per day would be recovered by hospitals padding bills for travel insurance companies. 

 

 

[steve C]

Som Nam Na, Same no money no honey. No insurance no Thailand. Simples !!!

[Tuvoc]

1 hour ago, Huckenfell said:

If the UK can do health cover for non British  200 GBP  ( Bht 7,500 approx) why cannot Thailand.

 

 

Exactly. They could. And being insurance based, they win some (those that don't claim) and lose some (those that do) 

[lamyai3]

9 hours ago, Number 6 said:

Not a popular visa with good reason anyway.

 

I imagine with this news there will be 10-15 unhappy people tonight.

Not sure what you mean here, unless you're confusing it with the Non O-X? Figures have quoted that the number of Non O-A visa holders (or those on extensions thereof) is 80,000, around one third of the long staying expat population. You only need to refer back to the very long threads from a few months ago when this was first announced to see the large numbers of people on here who were horrified by this news. 

https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30369468

 

The visa was enormously popular, and in the wake of all the other visa culling that's happened (including the loss of the multi Non O as an e-visa) it reigned supreme as by far the best choice for someone over 50. It allows up to two years of hassle free access to Thailand, close to half the validity period of a 5 year Elite visa, but with less hoops to jump through in applying and at around 1% of the cost. Small wonder they felt the need to clip it's wings. 

Edited August 18, 2019 by lamyai3

[lkv]

Yeah, so whoever is left (foreigners), will be paying through the teeth if they wish to continue and stay in Thailand.

 

Thai economics dictates that, the more leave, the more expensive it will become for remaining ones.

 

The Government needs to refill the coffers somehow, at the same levels or more, both on legal payments and under the table payments. They cannot go on minus.

 

So expect an increase in the cost of living from two directions there.

 

Whether people buy Elite, or insurance on extensions, or use agents that will charge more (obviously), one way or the other, people will pay more. Which is the objective.

 

Then prices increase in Thai baht (third).

 

Then home currency loses value or baht is kept artificially high (fourth).

 

And lastly, while the foreigner is forking out more and more foreign currency, he must not forget to do the TM30. It's the law, you see ????Aliens must be regulated.

 

Sounds like fun.

Edited August 18, 2019 by lkv

[yogi100]

18 hours ago, nodomino said:

I’ve been living in Thailand for 13 years. I have no idea what the Thai government is going to come up with to solve their nonexistent insurance problem. I throwing in the towel. Im leaving.

Those who run the country are quite happy for you or any other ex pat to leave as they personally have no financial interest in your remaining.

 

Like many Thai people they don't want ex pats or long termers in their country. They won't come out and say it but they want you to leave.

[UKresonant]

Is a proportion of the 333Mbaht/year, occurring as a result of insurance claim rejection? 

[Number 6]

1 hour ago, lamyai3 said:

Not sure what you mean here, unless you're confusing it with the Non O-X? Figures have quoted that the number of Non O-A visa holders (or those on extensions thereof) is 80,000, around one third of the long staying expat population. You only need to refer back to the very long threads from a few months ago when this was first announced to see the large numbers of people on here who were horrified by this news. 

https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30369468

 

The visa was enormously popular, and in the wake of all the other visa culling that's happened (including the loss of the multi Non O as an e-visa) it reigned supreme as by far the best choice for someone over 50. It allows up to two years of hassle free access to Thailand, close to half the validity period of a 5 year Elite visa, but with less hoops to jump through in applying and at around 1% of the cost. Small wonder they felt the need to clip it's wings. 

Wow. I stand corrected - 80k.

 

I did look at the threads but they were often tangled with posts about other visas. I'm also on a standard O and admittedly not all that interested.

 

[Number 6]

4 hours ago, tropo said:

Really? So if you cannot pay they keep you there to increase the size of your bill - forever, if the person doesn't have the funds. Do they have cells at the hospital to imprison patients that can't pay? Hospital bills can soon become extreme and beyond most people's ability to pay if they don't have insurance... especially at certain hospitals that specialize in providing enormous bills to profit from travel insurance

 

I was taken by a hospital to an ATM machine quite literally. If I said I couldn't pay no idea how that would have ended.

[yogi100]

19 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

I thought that the plan was to increase the airport PSC from 700 baht to 800 baht as of 1 October 2019, and that the resulting 3.8 BILLION baht generated annually would go to the MoH to cover the ~ 200 million baht unrecovered annual medical expenses incurred by foreigners, with a tidy 3.6 BILLION baht left over for, well, stuff.

 

https://morning-news.bectero.com/economy/24-May-2019/144181

 

 

 

What is PSC? I don't pay anything at the airport nor does anyone else I know! We used to pay an exit fee of 500 Baht but that was years ago.