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

[Melbun]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Your post was obnoxious. End of. The vast majority of people in the world don't meet your artificial standard of funding for the only type of living that you think is acceptable.

Oh excuse me for having an opinion and expressing it on a public forum for expats. Huh say that again ?? The vast majority of people in the world  #####..... Wow. Anyhow the end has come for you. Another one I won't bother with.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Melbun said:

Oh excuse me for having an opinion and expressing it on a public forum for expats. Huh say that again ?? The vast majority of people in the world  #####..... Wow. Anyhow the end has come for you. Another one I won't bother with.

I'm assuming you were a previously banned member coming back for another go.

I didn't want to read you the first time, on ignore again.

Edited August 23, 2019 by BritManToo

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Melbun said:

Oh excuse me for having an opinion and expressing it on a public forum for expats. Huh say that again ?? The vast majority of people in the world  #####..... Wow. Anyhow the end has come for you. Another one I won't bother with.

Good news!

[Melbun]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm assuming you were a previously banned member coming back for another go.

I didn't want to read you the first time, on ignore again.

No not banned. But I think I'll leave you and other fragile people.. Bye now. Have a nice day &Keep smilin'

[Melbun]

On 8/18/2019 at 11:50 AM, holy cow cm said:

Yep! I would believe the expats are not even in the running.

Wrong!! Most tourists have comprehensive travel insurance. They are not the problem. And in the future it is going to become mandatory for the few that don't have travel insurance. It's the older folk, with many illnesses that are long term stayers. Why on earth would the Thai's want to single out fleeting tourists and impose heavy burdens on them. Also it's not "a few hundred" expats - try closer to a million.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Melbun

[holy cow cm]

6 minutes ago, Melbun said:

Wrong!! Most tourists have comprehensive travel insurance. They are not the problem. And in the future it is going to become mandatory for the few that don't have travel insurance. It's the older folk, with many illnesses that are long term stayers. Why on earth would the Thai's want to single out fleeting tourists and impose heavy burdens on them. Also it's not "a few hundred" expats - try closer to a million.

I was not the one to say a few hundred. And I do believe it is the tourists more than anything. Motorcycle accidents or what you have it as I have seen so many tourists banged up in hospitals here. So I disagree with your statement.

[Max69xl]

40 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Sure there is no requirement for you to be interested in any other person's "problems" including your own.

I don't have any problems (that I know of). Especially not financial problems. I did plan my life here,and I've been coming and going for more than 30 years. Why should I feel sorry about people who doesn't have a clue about money managing? If you just have your <deleted> comments, you better stay away.

[beau thai]

4 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

I was not the one to say a few hundred. And I do believe it is the tourists more than anything. Motorcycle accidents or what you have it as I have seen so many tourists banged up in hospitals here. So I disagree with your statement.

I would like to think you were correct, but if you walk around hospitals here as some of us have too, you will see many more older farang with persistent (costly) health issues, than the few young accident prone farang with (cheaper) 'mechanical' issues.

But it still beats me how people escape without paying their hospital bills. I guess well over 90% pay up, so applying a 100% (?) solution to a less than 5%(?) problem seems less than smart. If banks did that, they would never make a loan, but they profit from the majority and pursue the non paying minority.

[Max69xl]

7 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

I was not the one to say a few hundred. And I do believe it is the tourists more than anything. Motorcycle accidents or what you have it as I have seen so many tourists banged up in hospitals here. So I disagree with your statement.

Phuket is the No 1 place in Thailand where the hospitals have a <deleted>load of unpaid bills. Somewhere in the region of 300 million baht. Mostly from tourists. 

[Jingthing]

I don't have any problems (that I know of). Especially not financial problems. I did plan my life here,and I've been coming and going for more than 30 years. Why should I feel sorry about people who doesn't have a clue about money managing? If you just have your comments, you better stay away.

I explicitly said that there is no requirement for you to have regard for the problems of others. Duh.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Max69xl]

3 minutes ago, beau thai said:

I would like to think you were correct, but if you walk around hospitals here as some of us have too, you will see many more older farang with persistent (costly) health issues, than the few young accident prone farang with (cheaper) 'mechanical' issues.

But it still beats me how people escape without paying their hospital bills. I guess well over 90% pay up, so applying a 100% (?) solution to a less than 5%(?) problem seems less than smart. If banks did that, they would never make a loan, but they profit from the majority and pursue the non paying minority.

I promise you that the older farangs do pay their bills somehow. They are probably not runners. 

[Melbun]

7 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Phuket is the No 1 place in Thailand where the hospitals have a <deleted>load of unpaid bills. Somewhere in the region of 300 million baht. Mostly from tourists. 

No I can't agree. Most tourists have comprehensive insurance. If they get banged up. They are covered. Just consider this _ 2 week millionaires are busy having a good time with "love". Older fellows have a great deal of opportunity go to the hospital for this and that illness, chronic aches and pains, alcoholism, diabetes, arthritis, chronic respiratory disease (bad air quality), bowel problems, investigative procedures, x-rays, colonoscopies, heart medication issues, renewal of doctors prescriptions, sleeping medication and the list goes on. And lets not forget about major operations.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Melbun

[rabas]

4 minutes ago, Melbun said:

No I can't agree. Most tourists have comprehensive insurance. If they get banged up. They are covered.

38% of all British who travelled abroad did so without proper insurance. 22% admitted to travelling with no insurance at all.

 

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/955239/holiday-travel-insurance-10-million-tourists-without-proper-cover

[Max69xl]

7 minutes ago, Melbun said:

No I can't agree. Most tourists have comprehensive insurance. If they get banged up. They are covered.

Do you live in Phuket? Phuket is one place that the government incl. The Ministry of Health was thinking of when they got the idea for a mandatory accident insurance at the airport on arrival (just a small fee). The 300 million baht comes from an article in The Nation earlier this year. If you read newspapers and not only threads here,you might learn something about the real world. Learn how to use Google and a new world will open up for you. 

[Melbun]

23 minutes ago, rabas said:

38% of all British who travelled abroad did so without proper insurance. 22% admitted to travelling with no insurance at all.

 

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/955239/holiday-travel-insurance-10-million-tourists-without-proper-cover

Even so - MOST will not require extensive medical care that I have listed. They are there for a relatively short time. Expats statistically will be in the waiting rooms of hospitals - by the very fact that they are elderly and more likely to need medical care. That is why medical insurance companies don't like to insure older folk.

And as an additional comment - There is no excuse for being dumb and traveling without insurance. Obviously those people have very few brains.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Melbun

[Melbun]

2 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Do you live in Phuket? Phuket is one place that the government incl. The Ministry of Health was thinking of when they got the idea for a mandatory accident insurance at the airport on arrival (just a small fee). The 300 million baht comes from an article in The Nation earlier this year. If you read newspapers and not only threads here,you might learn something about the real world. Learn how to use Google and a new world will open up for you. 

Don't be overbearing - I am a computer expert.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, beau thai said:

I would like to think you were correct, but if you walk around hospitals here as some of us have too, you will see many more older farang with persistent (costly) health issues, than the few young accident prone farang with (cheaper) 'mechanical' issues.

But it still beats me how people escape without paying their hospital bills. I guess well over 90% pay up, so applying a 100% (?) solution to a less than 5%(?) problem seems less than smart. If banks did that, they would never make a loan, but they profit from the majority and pursue the non paying minority.

I still don't hink it is the retiree or expats making the stink of unpaid bills for the most part.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, Max69xl said:

Phuket is the No 1 place in Thailand where the hospitals have a <deleted>load of unpaid bills. Somewhere in the region of 300 million baht. Mostly from tourists. 

Yikes. 

[emptypockets]

This topic has gone way off.  The thread started off about insurance becoming mandatory for holders of oa visas,  nobody else. 

However it would not make a lot of sense, in the future,  to keep this requirement for someone who's visa allows for a twelve month stay,  maybe stretched to two years,  and not extend this requirement for longer stay people. 

Not the use of the word requirement. 

Many people say they do not wish to purchase insurance. That will not be an option if indeed it does become the requirement. A requirement leaves no wriggle room apart from not complying and running the risk in a similar manner to those on overstay. 

However people may recall some months ago when this came to public attention the spokesperson mentioned a couple of options for health coverage,  one of those being insurance and another being money in the bank. Is it purely coincidental that the 400k requirement for retired folk matches the 400k insurance level.?

 Maybe, maybe not. 

[emptypockets]

3 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

I still don't hink it is the retiree or expats making the stink of unpaid bills for the most part.

It doesn't really matter the cause of the unpaid bills. It is a problem that,  apparently,  needs to be solved.  I can't see requiring OA visa holders to have insurance will solve it to any large degree. And that is who the government are targeting at this time. 

[Melbun]

8 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

It doesn't really matter the cause of the unpaid bills. It is a problem that,  apparently,  needs to be solved.  I can't see requiring OA visa holders to have insurance will solve it to any large degree. And that is who the government are targeting at this time. 

OK stay positive. Good on you.

[Angry Dragon]

21 hours ago, Thaidream said:

We are much closer in thought on this issue- 

 

The actual  premise  behind insurance is that the insurance pool should include everyone of any age and indeed younger people who pay in are part of that pool.  An   a ctuary will  determine that there are more people below the age of 50 than above due to levels of mortality and therefore the pool will pay out more  as people age due to more illness.  But that is the whole point of everyone having insurance.  Coverage is needed at every age level and those who are retired and on a pension have no further earning capacity and live off a mostly fixed pension.

 

If the Thai social security system- the health coverage only was applied to thiose foreigners on one 1 yesar extensions/Visas - the money generated would more than make up for any payout.   The current charge for medical care if one is in the system is 457 Baht per month or approximately 5500 baht per month per person.  If there are 500,000 expats that become eligible (all Nationalities)- the money generated at the end of year 1  would be approximately $92 Million  (US Dollars at about 30 Vaht  to 1).

If 100,000 foreigners or 20% of the total used the Thai Government system each year and spent an average of 100,000 Baht (US3,333.99) that would be around $33 Million out of the original $92 Million.

The result of this - all long stay foreigners have medical coverage; The excess funds in the system can go to improved facilities or services in the Thai medical system which would be a boon for all Thai citizens. They could even tack on a 10% surcharge to the final hospital and this system would be much fairer than the worthless insurance coverge they are proposing.

 

I still believe  Healthcare is a human right- because the right to life is enshrined in all countries constitutions - and  Universal Healthcare as proposed by some members of the Thai medical establishment should not be used to generate profit or make doctors wealthy.

 

 

Well it would be hard to argue against such as scheme if your numbers play out as you suggest.  I'd be all for it, not that it would matter ????

[Angry Dragon]

21 hours ago, expat1010 said:

easy solution for the old farts, marry the Thai GF, get an O visa and after 3 years apply for permanent residency. insurance problem solved

they might not need to have to worry about the requirement to have insurance for visa purposes, but they won't be able to take advantage of any Thai health care system unless they get insurance or somehow manage to qualify for the public scheme (which I believe requires working and making social security contributions).

[overherebc]

@Angry Dragon

 

You have obviously researched well the conditions for getting PR.

????????

[roobaa01]

can someone here confirm or comment on :

 

my friend claimed he was now insured through his thai wife's health insurance.

his thai wife has been working as service staff for a hotel in pattaya since december 2017 and obtained health insurance through her employer.

 

wbr

roobaa01

[lkv]

1 hour ago, Max69xl said:

The 300 million baht comes from an article in The Nation earlier this year. If you read newspapers and not only threads here,you might learn something about the real world. Learn how to use Google and a new world will open up for you. 

Depends what newspapers you read. My Thai friend once said to me that several are pro government, pro Prayuth etc.

 

He specifically made a reference to one that also owns a visa forum website.

[dabhand]

5 minutes ago, lkv said:

Depends what newspapers you read. My Thai friend once said to me that several are pro government, pro Prayuth etc.

 

He specifically made a reference to one that also owns a visa forum website.

Does that also include the likes of ScandAsia?

 

This is a thread from 2016 which OP gives details of just a few hospitals and the millions of baht in unpaid bills from treating foreigners, with an obvious focus on Scandis:

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/900767-uninsured-foreigners-burdens-thai-public-hospitals/#comments

[lkv]

24 minutes ago, dabhand said:

Does that also include the likes of ScandAsia?

I was referring to more major newspapers, that are government controlled.

 

I have no idea about the one you mentioned, other than, it's a Thai publishing company located in Ladprao, Bangkok.

Edited August 23, 2019 by lkv

[Angry Dragon]

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

@Angry Dragon

 

You have obviously researched well the conditions for getting PR.

????????

conditions for getting PR or benefits of having PR?  ????

 

[overherebc]

12 minutes ago, Angry Dragon said:

conditions for getting PR or benefits of having PR?  ????

 

Conditions for getting,  and add the cost of application, the 3 years unbroken work record on extentions, not visas and 100 per nationality per year and the more than one year wait for a decision etc etc.

Unless you want to invest 10,000,000 baht you most likely would never see again and I believe you still have to do TM30's and re-new everyear and pay extra everytime you leave the country.

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by overherebc