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

[Balance]

I spent a lot of time looking for health insurance when I was living in Thailand.  I finally found a policy that maxed out at about TB600,000.  But you first needed to pay the premiums for two years before it paid any claim.  This was from a Thai company.  On UK an US company policies, virtually everything was treated as a preexisting condition and therefore not covered. 

 

I always paid for primary care out of pocket.  However, in 2014 I developed highly symptomatic AFib.  I had kept my Medicare coverage in the States and came back to California for three months and finally underwent a four vein ablation that cured the condition cured the condition.  My total out of pocket cost was $1,800. 

 

I am looking forward to seeing the document, but unless the government will provide insurance that covers preexisting conditions, for almost all people over 50 it will be worthless. 

[muffy]

So what do they want for proof of health insurance ? I have my insurance cards , will that be enough 

[Max69xl]

3 hours ago, muffy said:

So what do they want for proof of health insurance ? I have my insurance cards , will that be enough 

The health insurance for O-A Visa holders are put on hold. So just simmer down and later you'll see what happens. No one knows anything yet. 

[Max69xl]

7 hours ago, Balance said:

I spent a lot of time looking for health insurance when I was living in Thailand.  I finally found a policy that maxed out at about TB600,000.  But you first needed to pay the premiums for two years before it paid any claim.  This was from a Thai company.  On UK an US company policies, virtually everything was treated as a preexisting condition and therefore not covered. 

 

I always paid for primary care out of pocket.  However, in 2014 I developed highly symptomatic AFib.  I had kept my Medicare coverage in the States and came back to California for three months and finally underwent a four vein ablation that cured the condition cured the condition.  My total out of pocket cost was $1,800. 

 

I am looking forward to seeing the document, but unless the government will provide insurance that covers preexisting conditions, for almost all people over 50 it will be worthless. 

Are you talking about the Thai government? Why would they provide insurances for expats? 

[Max69xl]

16 hours ago, lkv said:

Absolutely. And at the end of the day, a 12 month extension is still a 12 month extension, regardless of whether the original visa was a non O or a non O-A. 

 

The permission of stay gets extended anyway, not the visa.

 

It's an individual not insured for a whole 12 months.

 

Maybe not insured on non O single entry would make some sense, that's only a 90 day stay, but 12 months is a long time for one to be uninsured. So many unexpected events could happen in 12 months.

We are talking about the mandatory health insurance for Long Stay Visas, not about insurances you buy yourself while staying here. You don't seem to understand the topic.

[Kelsall]

On 8/27/2019 at 10:39 AM, rott said:

Small point. The OP says details to be issued on 22 August. No details yet??

 

Second (pedantic) small point, the OP was dated 18 August so should have read "this week" and not "next week".

 

Still, bad that there is no announcement yet ( assuming the recent posts are correct, I have not been following daily).

 

 

 

 

 

Respectfully disagree.  It is a big point.  An unnamed source supposedly told one news organization that there would be an announcement regarding health insurance requirements for the OA visa on Aug 22.  Did not happen then and hasn't happened yet.  This is a very long thread based on questionable at best information.

Edited August 30, 2019 by Kelsall

[Jonmarleesco]

On 8/18/2019 at 8:44 AM, 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..

Yes, I, too, find the billion THB questionable.

[Jonmarleesco]

On 8/28/2019 at 2:22 AM, Balance said:

I spent a lot of time looking for health insurance when I was living in Thailand.  I finally found a policy that maxed out at about TB600,000.  But you first needed to pay the premiums for two years before it paid any claim.  This was from a Thai company.  On UK an US company policies, virtually everything was treated as a preexisting condition and therefore not covered. 

 

I always paid for primary care out of pocket.  However, in 2014 I developed highly symptomatic AFib.  I had kept my Medicare coverage in the States and came back to California for three months and finally underwent a four vein ablation that cured the condition cured the condition.  My total out of pocket cost was $1,800. 

 

I am looking forward to seeing the document, but unless the government will provide insurance that covers preexisting conditions, for almost all people over 50 it will be worthless. 

'On UK an US company policies, virtually everything was treated as a preexisting condition and therefore not covered.'

 

Not so. Unless you do actually have a number of pre-existing conditions.

Edited August 30, 2019 by Jonmarleesco

[Max69xl]

9 hours ago, Kelsall said:

Respectfully disagree.  It is a big point.  An unnamed source supposedly told one news organization that there would be an announcement regarding health insurance requirements for the OA visa on Aug 22.  Did not happen then and hasn't happened yet.  This is a very long thread based on questionable at best information.

August 18 was a Sunday,so August 22 is next week. 

[Tuvoc]

Another example of a couple travelling without travel insurance and facing huge bills. Unusual though and different from what you normally see. They made the conscious decision not to buy it and take the risk. And of course the inevitable GoFundMe page has been set up:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7411805/British-couple-stuck-child-born-three-months-early-holiday.html

 

When learning of the cost they simply should not have travelled.

[EVENKEEL]

1 hour ago, Max69xl said:

August 18 was a Sunday,so August 22 is next week. 

  I loose time often myself.

[Kelsall]

4 hours ago, Max69xl said:

August 18 was a Sunday,so August 22 is next week. 

I was referring to his first point.  The announcement did not happen.

[Grumpy John]

What really is behind this push to impose inferior health insurance on falang.   In my 10 years here I had a scooter accident and a car accident and both times the government insurance paid the hospitals.  When I had skin cancer removed from my face, arm and leg in full surgery I covered the cost.  I spent 2 nights in a public ward (not that bad) after the op and the total including everything was 14.800 baht.  Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital is a well equipped hospital. Plus a few hundred baht for outside food....hospital food didn't look to good!  My wife was with me, she slept on the floor and did her bit for me....getting outside food getting me to the toilet the first post-op day.  So, what is behind this....is it easy money for insurance company mates???

[mania]

4 hours ago, Tuvoc said:

Another example of a couple travelling without travel insurance and facing huge bills. Unusual though and different from what you normally see. They made the conscious decision not to buy it and take the risk. And of course the inevitable GoFundMe page has been set up:

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7411805/British-couple-stuck-child-born-three-months-early-holiday.html

 

When learning of the cost they simply should not have travelled.

Perhaps not the case but.........Many folks are traveling as tourist to USA now in the hopes of giving birth & getting citizenship for baby

Folks like this are given 6 month entry & baby was due in 3 so possibly

Edited August 30, 2019 by mania

[lamyai3]

22 minutes ago, Grumpy John said:

So, what is behind this....is it easy money for insurance company mates???

Yes, and since the coverage levels that have been set make the insurance unnecessarily inexpensive due to the outpatient cover, it's largely unfit for purpose.

 

A second reason is to take the shine off the excellent Non O-A visa, the continuing existence of which must be a real thorn in the side of an immigration department intent on making life harder for long stayers. 

[Vacuum]

On 8/27/2019 at 8:36 AM, sumrit said:

And neither did I mention a non immigrant 'O' visa.

 

An O-A visa can be extended in exactly the same way and that's what I was referring to. You don't have to convert an O-A to a non O in order to obtain a one year extension.

But you need to have 400-800k in the bank to do it, which is the same as having an insurance.

[brewsterbudgen]

Another example of a couple travelling without travel insurance and facing huge bills. Unusual though and different from what you normally see. They made the conscious decision not to buy it and take the risk. And of course the inevitable GoFundMe page has been set up:
 
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7411805/British-couple-stuck-child-born-three-months-early-holiday.html
 
When learning of the cost they simply should not have travelled.

But not relevant to this thread which is not about tourist travellers.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[burner2014]

5 hours ago, lamyai3 said:

Yes, and since the coverage levels that have been set make the insurance unnecessarily inexpensive due to the outpatient cover, it's largely unfit for purpose.

 

A second reason is to take the shine off the excellent Non O-A visa, the continuing existence of which must be a real thorn in the side of an immigration department intent on making life harder for long stayers. 

 

Just had a discussion with a friend. Sorry to be a little off topic, but you sum it up well.

This Health Insurance Topic  + the high THB + TM30 makes Thailand at the moment very unattractive. I wonder who will buy the expensive overprized condos still or the millions of new cars once the Thai people can't pay their loans anymore.  The chinese? But they also seem not really happy with Thailand anymore.

Big big problems coming in my opinion from a lot of sides, mostly economy wise. IF the expats are leaving due to stuff like the mandatory health insurance and if tourists are staying away from TH due to the high THB, the tourist sector (and a lot of people) will be jobless or have a big cut on their income. 

 

[wazzadg44]

Now the 31st, 13 days after this first appeared-where are the details supposedly being published last week? Are they having second thoughts? Too hard basket?

[sqwakvfr]

 “senior executive from one of the insurance companies involved in the scheme told Thaivisa that the Office of Insurance Commission, the Ministry of Public Health, the Foreign Ministry and Immigration Bureau will announce the insurance requirements for  Non-Immigrant O-A visas on 22 August.”

 

1.  Senior Executive from one of the Insurance Companies”??

 

2.  The Thai Insurance Commission and Ministry of Public Health are mentioned first and second.  A Deputy Minister of Public Health is the only governmental officical I have read has made any kind of comment on this matter.  Is anyone on TV that has seen any kind of comment made from any other governmental agency?  

 

3.  Also this link:  https://longstay.tgia.org/. No longer appears on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.  This link showed the five Thai Health Insurance companies that have been allegedly approved to sell the new policies which comply with the new requirement(400K IPD and 40K OPD).

 

I am not fully convinced Thai Immigration or the Ministry of Foreign Affair have fully bought into this? At least not yet?  For this policy to be fully implemented the following parties would have to be in complete agreement:

 

1.  Ministry of Public Heath

2.  The Insurance Commission

3.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs

4.  Immigration.

Edited August 31, 2019 by sqwakvfr
Grammar

[ThaiBunny]

4 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

senior executive from one of the insurance companies involved in the scheme told Thaivisa

But it's been a great way of attracting eyeballs to the TV site

[rabas]

3 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

senior executive from one of the insurance companies involved in the scheme told Thaivisa

But it's been a great way of attracting eyeballs to the TV site

 

And, attracting concerned expats to said insurance companies' websites. When expats no longer  buy policies, perhaps there will be some announcement or other, or perhaps not.

 

[Melbun]

On 8/31/2019 at 9:01 AM, Grumpy John said:

What really is behind this push to impose inferior health insurance on falang.   In my 10 years here I had a scooter accident and a car accident and both times the government insurance paid the hospitals.  When I had skin cancer removed from my face, arm and leg in full surgery I covered the cost.  I spent 2 nights in a public ward (not that bad) after the op and the total including everything was 14.800 baht.  Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital is a well equipped hospital. Plus a few hundred baht for outside food....hospital food didn't look to good!  My wife was with me, she slept on the floor and did her bit for me....getting outside food getting me to the toilet the first post-op day.  So, what is behind this....is it easy money for insurance company mates???

Not so quick friend. That was relatively minor surgery. How about if you had to have VERY serious surgery to the tune of  2 - 3 million baht ?? do you have the resources to cover that ?? And realise that it may send someone bankrupt. Insurance is there in case you need it (just in case).

Edited September 1, 2019 by Melbun

[Jumbo1968]

Any announcement yet, they said that it would be announced next week that was on August the 18th ?

[Vacuum]

On 9/1/2019 at 4:46 AM, Melbun said:

Not so quick friend. That was relatively minor surgery. How about if you had to have VERY serious surgery to the tune of  2 - 3 million baht ?? do you have the resources to cover that ?? And realise that it may send someone bankrupt. Insurance is there in case you need it (just in case).

What I understand, this mandatory insurance will only cover up to 400k.

[Jumbo1968]

4 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

What I understand, this mandatory insurance will only cover up to 400k.

Has it been introduced yet ?

[Vacuum]

4 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Has it been introduced yet ?

Not to my knowledge.

[Max69xl]

8 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Not to my knowledge.

If you have followed this thread,you would have known that the mandatory health insurance for O-A Visa has been put on hold. There were no announcement August 22,but info came from other sources. 

[Max69xl]

On 8/31/2019 at 6:27 AM, mania said:

Perhaps not the case but.........Many folks are traveling as tourist to USA now in the hopes of giving birth & getting citizenship for baby

Folks like this are given 6 month entry & baby was due in 3 so possibly

38% of UK tourists travel without travel insurance. Then they're complaining about hospital bills when they crash their motorbike in Phuket. Go figure.

[davehowden]

Maybe they have put it in the "too difficult" tray and are going to introduce this instead.

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/dual-pricing-foreigners-legal-thai-public-hospitals/?fbclid=IwAR3pq091XOtu8Z-1NX7BO-tO5fV0djLR2C95bewbKnQwqtjnXN10PVQtA_s