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

[Max69xl]

On 8/31/2019 at 6:01 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???

This thread is now 55 pages long, and most of the posters still doesn't understand that the proposed health insurance ONLY concerns O-A Long Stay Visas. It's now put on hold for unknown reasons. If expats (and even tourists) staying in let's say Phuket and doesn't have any kind of insurance, and s**t happens, they have in my opinion no right what so ever to complain. There are quite good and cheap so called "Personal Accident Insurances". They cost 5-6000 baht/year. Anybody with a Thai bank account can get them. That will cover many type of accidents, but not if you are DUI.

Stop with the conspiracy theories and try to understand that if you don't have any insurance (or money stashed away) sooner or later you will run out of luck. 

[phka]

43 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

This thread is now 55 pages long, and most of the posters still doesn't understand that the proposed health insurance ONLY concerns O-A Long Stay Visas. It's now put on hold for unknown reasons. If expats (and even tourists) staying in let's say Phuket and doesn't have any kind of insurance, and s**t happens, they have in my opinion no right what so ever to complain. There are quite good and cheap so called "Personal Accident Insurances". They cost 5-6000 baht/year. Anybody with a Thai bank account can get them. That will cover many type of accidents, but not if you are DUI.

Stop with the conspiracy theories and try to understand that if you don't have any insurance (or money stashed away) sooner or later you will run out of luck. 

What's DUI

[Max69xl]

3 minutes ago, phka said:

What's DUI

Driving under the influence.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 8/27/2019 at 10:25 AM, Sheryl said:

Since the requirement -- if and when it comes - pertains to isduance of O-A in one's home country it will not involve immigration so no reason to expect them to hear anything. Instructions would go to Thai Embassies and consulates abroad
 

 

Sheryl, are we really sure about that, that the proposal was ONLY going to pertain to O-A visas issued abroad.

 

I ask, because, a lot of the prior reporting on this topic did mention Immigration and used language that could have been interpreted as also applying to retirement extensions issued here.

 

Unfortunately, there is this ongoing confusion and mis-use of terms even by the Thai authorities when it comes to extensions of stay vs actual visas, where even Immigration at times refers to extensions of stay as "visas".

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 8/18/2019 at 8:21 AM, rooster59 said:

On Friday, a 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.

 

Since the original source for this "news" report was ThaiVisa itself, perhaps ThaiVisa could get back to the unnamed insurance exec who told them there was to be an announcement on Aug. 22, and find out what happened with that?  And update the subject in this thread or a new one.

 

Has the insurance proposal and announcement just been postponed, scrapped or what?

[rabas]

2 hours ago, davehowden said:

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

 

This probably needs its own thread.  It's real, goes into effect soon, and is relevant to retirees who are under the highest priced of 3 categories. There could be some good news, hospitals popular with expats noted for exorbitant prices might need to lower prices to meet the guidelines.

 

[Sheryl]

 
This probably needs its own thread.  It's real, goes into effect soon, and is relevant to retirees who are under the highest priced of 3 categories. There could be some good news, hospitals popular with expats noted for exorbitant prices might need to lower prices to meet the guidelines.
 

Already at least 2 threads running on it.

I would not assume it will change anything given that the listed prices for all categories is much lower than actual current prices.

Hospitals have ignored MoPH pricing guidelines until now (because they ate unrealistically low) and unless there is a new push for enforcement I can't see that changing.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Max69xl]

26 minutes ago, rabas said:

 

This probably needs its own thread.  It's real, goes into effect soon, and is relevant to retirees who are under the highest priced of 3 categories. There could be some good news, hospitals popular with expats noted for exorbitant prices might need to lower prices to meet the guidelines.

 

 "It's real, goes into effect soon"

Where does that info come from? 

[davehowden]

From a site named "CHIANG MAI NEWS IN ENGLISH".

[Max69xl]

22 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Already at least 2 threads running on it.

I would not assume it will change anything given that the listed prices for all categories is much lower than actual current prices.

Hospitals have ignored MoPH pricing guidelines until now (because they ate unrealistically low) and unless there is a new push for enforcement I can't see that changing.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

"much lower than actual current prices" What actual current prices? The most expensive hospitals in Phuket, Pattaya and BKK are much more expensive compared to other places. I have seen prices in Pattaya which are up to 5-10 times higher than in some private hospitals elsewhere in Thailand, and the care is not 5-10 times better. 

[Max69xl]

Just now, davehowden said:

From a site named "CHIANG MAI NEWS IN ENGLISH".

Oh,that site must have much better intel than the biggest newspapers in Thailand. 

[Truthhurts]

On 8/18/2019 at 9:23 AM, Sticky Wicket said:

If you are going to advertise as a tourist destination then you are bound to have a few unwanted costs. However compared to what comes in it's a drop in the ocean.

 

Also they don't advertise how dangerous the country is! 

Most of the injuries/deaths will have been caused by a Thai or Thailand

I just love a dollop of hyperbole

[davehowden]

11 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Oh,that site must have much better intel than the biggest newspapers in Thailand. 

Your right, the source site is "COCONUTS".

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/dual-pricing-foreigners-legal-thai-public-hospitals/

[Sheryl]

"much lower than actual current prices" What actual current prices? The most expensive hospitals in Phuket, Pattaya and BKK are much more expensive compared to other places. I have seen prices in Pattaya which are up to 5-10 times higher than in some private hospitals elsewhere in Thailand, and the care is not 5-10 times better. 

The discussion, like the MoPH list, refers solely to government hospitals.

Private hospitals are a whole other matter.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Max69xl]

39 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

The discussion, like the MoPH list, refers solely to government hospitals.

Private hospitals are a whole other matter.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Expats with a private health insurance or a smart tourist with a travel insurance never set foot in the cheapest government hospital anywhere in Thailand. 

[Vacuum]

16 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Expats with a private health insurance or a smart tourist with a travel insurance never set foot in the cheapest government hospital anywhere in Thailand. 

Why?

[Max69xl]

3 hours ago, davehowden said:

Your right, the source site is "COCONUTS".

 

https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/dual-pricing-foreigners-legal-thai-public-hospitals/

So where is the connection to the proposed mandatory health insurance? I'm not surprised about dual pricing at government hospitals. 

[rott]

Have I missed it?

 

On 18th August details of mandatory private health insurance were due to be announced next week.

 

My concentration wanders sometimes so can anyone help please?

[rott]

On 8/19/2019 at 8:05 AM, Roy Baht said:

You people still don't get it. It's put up or pack up time. Do you know what you're supposed to do if a hospital stay forces you to spend the 800K in your bank account? Put another 800K in your bank account. The Thai gov't wants people who can afford to live here. You think it's about "walking away" from medical bills? What do you think happens when one of you uninsured morons dies in hospital--or joins the Pattaya Flying Club? Who pays for that? Non-Thais have no right to live here. Period. And if you can't afford to live here on THEIR terms (it's their country) you have to go live somewhere else. That's just reality. And if reaches the point where I can't afford to live here anymore (which it might), I will just leave--not whine like a bitch on Thaivisa.

Best example of whining like a bitch I've seen in a while.

[Max69xl]

20 minutes ago, rott said:

Have I missed it?

 

On 18th August details of mandatory private health insurance were due to be announced next week.

 

My concentration wanders sometimes so can anyone help please?

There were no announcement August 22. I heard it was put on hold for some reason.

[lkv]

53 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

There were no announcement August 22. I heard it was put on hold for some reason.

But no announcement it was put on hold?

 

That does not inspire much professionalism to me. ????

[3421abc]

So now that they decided to charge expats double at hospital they probably have to double the requirement of the coverage for the mandatory insurance ????????????????

[Trollmann]

10 hours ago, rabas said:

 

This probably needs its own thread.  It's real, goes into effect soon, and is relevant to retirees who are under the highest priced of 3 categories. There could be some good news, hospitals popular with expats noted for exorbitant prices might need to lower prices to meet the guidelines.

 

I posted a thread on this on sunday the 1 september

 

[Max69xl]

1 hour ago, lkv said:

But no announcement it was put on hold?

 

That does not inspire much professionalism to me. ????

I don't think there's a Thai word for professionalism.

[Trollmann]

9 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

I don't think there's a Thai word for professionalism.

 

[Max69xl]

8 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Why?

Are you serious? Have you ever been inside the cheapest government hospitals in Thailand? The equipment they have look like they bought it from a museum. The private hospitals have better equipment,better doctors and way better care. Why do you think common Thai people without insurances must go to the government hospital in their Amphoe? Do you think they can pick any hospital they want? 

With a simple travel insurance from EU you can pick a good hospital. You are probably one of those who are so scared about a mandatory health insurance. You can always use it at a crappy government hospital. 

[Max69xl]

9 minutes ago, Trollmann said:

 

Have you ever heard about sarcasm? ????

[Thaiwrath]

42 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

Are you serious? Have you ever been inside the cheapest government hospitals in Thailand? The equipment they have look like they bought it from a museum. The private hospitals have better equipment,better doctors and way better care. Why do you think common Thai people without insurances must go to the government hospital in their Amphoe? Do you think they can pick any hospital they want? 

With a simple travel insurance from EU you can pick a good hospital. You are probably one of those who are so scared about a mandatory health insurance. You can always use it at a crappy government hospital. 

As a lot of doctors practice in both, I fail to see how you think better better doctors are in Private hospitals.

As for better care, because doctors and nurses get a bigger salary, it doesn't make them a more caring person, quite possibly the opposite.

[lkv]

54 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

You are probably one of those who are so scared about a mandatory health insurance.

Why would people be scared about the concept of a mandatory sub standard rip off product? ????

 

I know, I know, it is what it is, take it or leave.

[scorecard]

14 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

As a lot of doctors practice in both, I fail to see how you think better better doctors are in Private hospitals.

As for better care, because doctors and nurses get a bigger salary, it doesn't make them a more caring person, quite possibly the opposite.

  1 hour ago, Max69xl said:

Are you serious? Have you ever been inside the cheapest government hospitals in Thailand? The equipment they have look like they bought it from a museum. The private hospitals have better equipment,better doctors and way better care. Why do you think common Thai people without insurances must go to the government hospital in their Amphoe? Do you think they can pick any hospital they want? 

With a simple travel insurance from EU you can pick a good hospital. You are probably one of those who are so scared about a mandatory health insurance. You can always use it at a crappy government hospital. 

As a lot of doctors practice in both, I fail to see how you think better better doctors are in Private hospitals.

As for better care, because doctors and nurses get a bigger salary, it doesn't make them a more caring person, quite possibly the opposite.

 

Quote "The equipment they have look like they bought it from a museum."  That's just not true and is unfair. Many government hospitals are quite up to date and many have fully board certified specialists and many speak good English.