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

[LawrenceN]

3 hours ago, tracker1 said:

I would have thought with the millions of tourists flooding Thailand that they would be more of a medical problem [than] a few hundred expats living here !

You're way off. There are hundreds of thousands of expats living in Thailand. The US Consulate in Chiang Mai has 20,000 registered expats (not tourists). That's just Americans, and just in the North.

[Naamblar2014]

Perhaps another way of looking at this

If tourists are having so many accidents,  then maybe one could assume that Thailand is a very dangerous country to visit.  A country where the government does not provide a safe and secure environment for travellers. Perhaps our home country embassies should be issuing warnings not to travel.

[Pedrogaz]

I have said this before.....1 billion baht over three years is PEANUTS.....$30 million over 3 years.

We should be given some facts....how much of the $10 million a year is from tourists and how much from residents. I don't see a lot of stuff in the news about residents....I see a lot about toursists.

Now you want to turn the residents over into the hands if the rapacious insurance companies who'll charge us 200,000 a year for 440000 baht of coverage. GREAT IDEA Thailand. 

I am sick of this stupid place.

[Prizma]

So what about the people entering the Country with a Non-O and have it extended (exact same way like the Non-O-A) every year? Their original visa still stated "Non-O" - so they would not need the insurance? Odd.......

[hotchilli]

If only they channeled the 2,000 baht VOE fee into a health fund that would more than cover any "unpaid bills" 

[gearbox]

26 minutes ago, AboutThaim said:

Maybe they're not trying hard enough.  I look for travel insurance when in Oz every year. Some will insure up to 99 years old.  Health insurance is probably much more expensive or difficult.  This year about $750 for 9 months for TI.

Being Cheap Charlie I don't pay even that. I have free TI with my Citibank Signature which has unlimited medical and is valid for 6 months when you buy return tickets. Need to go to OZ every 6 months, which I have to do one way or the other either for work or to get new documents, etc. In a case of big emergency all insurers will try to send you back home ASAP to minimise their expenses, so they'll fly me back directly to the excellent Oz public health system. However everything changes so my plan B is to self insure with a couple of mils in a bank account available immediately in a case of emergency, or credit cards with high enough limit to cover the initial bills.

[thasoss]

2 hours ago, mercman24 said:

40,000 is a rediculous sum of money,  i have said this before, but worth repeating a friend had 2 operations for skin cancer, his bill was 6000.  i went in to the gov hospital, had the works, tests  etc x ray,  got tablets, my bill 1200 baht, they are taking the piss. talk about insurance scam, yes they are the scammers, anyhow i am too old for this crap, i can self finance, but it looks like they want your money full stop. any other country is looking good for me at this moment in time

mandatory health policy for extensions of stay is really just an added cost to stay here on top of the 800,000....quotes for 60-70 year olds is anything from 60,000-100,000 baht.For the govt/health assurance companies it's a money grabbing exercise.As others have said any out of pocket hospitals are not caused by long term stayers,they know this.We will have to wait and see what they come up with cost wise and service wise,

[lamyai3]

2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

in the USA the word "scheme" is always used as a verb.

 

"make plans, especially in a devious way or with intent to do something illegal or wrong."

"You know...they're schemers. Schemers trying to control their little worlds. I'm not a schemer. I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are."

The Joker - The Dark Knight

[Mango Bob]

1 minute ago, hotchilli said:

If only they channeled the 2,000 baht VOE fee into a health fund that would more than cover any "unpaid bills" 

That money already have pockets it is going into.  They don't want you touching that.

[maxcorrigan]

2 hours ago, mania said:

Most responsible tourists have travel insurance....Same as most responsible Expats

 

But both groups have enough irresponsible folks who do not. Then when injured/sick etc

want to start a go fund me page or leave a medical bill behind at hospital

 

 

In any case anyone who does not see this becoming a mandatory part of all yearly visa renewals has not been paying attention.

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

 

 

2 hours ago, mania said:

Most responsible tourists have travel insurance....Same as most responsible Expats

 

But both groups have enough irresponsible folks who do not. Then when injured/sick etc

want to start a go fund me page or leave a medical bill behind at hospital

 

 

In any case anyone who does not see this becoming a mandatory part of all yearly visa renewals has not been paying attention.

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

 

"Same as most responsible Expats" Easy eh? try doing it when you're over eighty with a couple of minor strokes under you belt, see how much it costs and with all all clauses built in which would amount to virtually no coverage at all, that is if you can get cover in the first place, easy to make these statements when you're young and bullet proof!

[AboutThaim]

While back in Oz reading about this coming into effect on 1July I checked to see how much it would cost.  Cheapest cover for 40,000 outpatient 400,000 baht inpatient for me, 73 yo, was around 72,000 baht per year.  One could get more cover, 860,000 inpatient for about 146,000 baht per year.  The article was saying this is comparable to foreign companies offering health insurance.  Except it didn't say that the payout figure in foreign countries could be much higher.

I took basic travel insurance for $757 AUD for 9 months with unlimited hospital and accident and enough to see me off if I cark it.  It seems to me the Thai figures just could be extortion.

[flexomike]

1 hour ago, Tofer said:

The money you show for visa extensions CAN be used once the extension has been awarded!

 

Who told you different?

not on a retirement extension

[fforest1]

Why cant Thailand just let farang use the 30 baht Thai medical scheme like the Thais use....Then every one covered...

[JESSVANPELT]

This should be interesting. Currently if your over a certain age you cannot get insurance in this country and if your older say 70+ it not affordable for the average pensioner, so unless they are going to devise a special policy for us all this really will bring about a lot of departures.

[gearbox]

4 minutes ago, AboutThaim said:

While back in Oz reading about this coming into effect on 1July I checked to see how much it would cost.  Cheapest cover for 40,000 outpatient 400,000 baht inpatient for me, 73 yo, was around 72,000 baht per year.  One could get more cover, 860,000 inpatient for about 146,000 baht per year.  The article was saying this is comparable to foreign companies offering health insurance.  Except it didn't say that the payout figure in foreign countries could be much higher.

I took basic travel insurance for $757 AUD for 9 months with unlimited hospital and accident and enough to see me off if I cark it.  It seems to me the Thai figures just could be extortion.

72k is way too much for what you get. A typical Medibank Private standard hospital cover will set you back around $1600-2000 AUD per year, which is around 42k baht now. These policies have no limit on major items like emergency surgery or onco. And everything is Oz is much more expensive to start with. A comparable insurance in Thailand should be no more than 15-20k baht.

[UglyBug]

3 hours ago, tracker1 said:

I would have thought with the millions of tourists flooding Thailand that they would be more of a medical problem then a few hundred expats living here !

" a few hundred living here " ? There is no proper record but it is quoted on several sites Between 500,000 and a Million ! living in Thailand ????

 

[ZAKY]

Can’t  beleive that a foreigner can run out of a hospital without paying his bill, unless its done with the complicity of the staff. 

[rabas]

1 minute ago, gearbox said:

72k is way too much for what you get. A typical Medibank Private standard hospital cover will set you back around $1600-2000 AUD per year, which is around 42k baht now. These policies have no limit on major items like emergency surgery or onco. And everything is Oz is much more expensive to start with. A comparable insurance in Thailand should be no more than 15-20k baht.

 

Yes, it's all very criminal. Where is that issan_lawyer guy? 

[gearbox]

7 minutes ago, JESSVANPELT said:

This should be interesting. Currently if your over a certain age you cannot get insurance in this country and if your older say 70+ it not affordable for the average pensioner, so unless they are going to devise a special policy for us all this really will bring about a lot of departures.

From what I've read it only covers the O-A visas, seems the majority here stay on a different type of visa. Probably the next step would be to cover these visas too..

[poohy]

I really think you need to look for relatives of "esteemed democratic junta" who own insurance companies or franchises

I am sure healthy commissions will be paid out for such favours to eagerly awaiting pigs at the trough

[gearbox]

1 minute ago, rabas said:

 

Yes, it's all very criminal. Where is that issan_lawyer guy? 

Criminal or not, it is their country, their rules. You can choose to pay or leave.

[alzack]

1 minute ago, gearbox said:

Criminal or not, it is their country, their rules. You can choose to pay or leave.

another turn of the screw guys, time to leave. Soon your pounds, euros and dollar will be worthless

[Spike1938]

3 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Yes, but many expats can't get an insurance because of their age.

When I first arrived in Thailand to retire in 2002 I was 62. I enquired about insurance but found that at my age the insurance was more than I could afford.

I am now 81 so for sure I can't afford insurance even if someone were to accept me.

However, one of my pensions grew enough so that I could cover the self insurance requirement. 

I, not too long ago I had a heart stent inserted for which I paid cash. Shortly afterward my Thai stepdaughter got pregnant and her "husband" could only offer her government hospital care. So, I stepped in and paid for the whole kit and caboodle including housing her and baby (whom I love so all of this is not a complaint).

But now my savings are down below the 800000 required for retirement visa. I now do have enough for marriage visa but immigration is telling me the conversion is not easy. 

Bottom line: I am not able for the reasons I mentioned to get insurance.  

[gearbox]

2 minutes ago, alzack said:

another turn of the screw guys, time to leave. Soon your pounds, euros and dollar will be worthless

There is also another way - you can go to your wife,gf,extended family etc and say "If you value my presence here please pay my health insurance. Your government won't allow me to stay here without it".

 

[fforest1]

5 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Criminal or not, it is their country, their rules. You can choose to pay or leave.

Yea if you dont want to pay mafia PROTECTION money your free to move out of the neighborhood...

[alzack]

7 minutes ago, Spike1938 said:

When I first arrived in Thailand to retire in 2002 I was 62. I enquired about insurance but found that at my age the insurance was more than I could afford.

I am now 81 so for sure I can't afford insurance even if someone were to accept me.

However, one of my pensions grew enough so that I could cover the self insurance requirement. 

I, not too long ago I had a heart stent inserted for which I paid cash. Shortly afterward my Thai stepdaughter got pregnant and her "husband" could only offer her government hospital care. So, I stepped in and paid for the whole kit and caboodle including housing her and baby (whom I love so all of this is not a complaint).

But now my savings are down below the 800000 required for retirement visa. I now do have enough for marriage visa but immigration is telling me the conversion is not easy. 

Bottom line: I am not able for the reasons I mentioned to get insurance.  

All very real hope it works out insurance for over 80 a no go thing In the end you will be very poor and very old, time to leave that place 

Edited August 18, 2019 by alzack

[chilly07]

Due to age and pre-existing conditions like many others I am unable to get cover.

By medical definition all conditions are pre-existing except accidents so why not just ask for accident cover which I am covered for under first class insurance. But wait the insurance scam companies can't get additional multi million income from that source???!!!

 

 

 

 

[domomc]

3 hours ago, 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

 

[no deal]

3 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Yes, but many expats can't get an insurance because of their age.

i am 75 years old i have insurance that cover my wife my two kids and me

[sawadee1947]

3 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Yes, but many expats can't get an insurance because of their age.

No, that is wrong and seems to be only an pathetic excuse. 

Indeed you can get a health insurance at any age. Same with travel insurance. ????????