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

[Tuvoc]

29 minutes ago, kevinmartyn said:

I don't know about all you other foreigners living in Thailand on a retirement visa but for sure this is the last nail in the "coffin" for me and after 13 years here and jusy last week quoted  12,500++ usd for health care for 12 months.

 

 I shall make arrangements to leave Banglok ASAP.!

 

For those of us with Thai wives, leaving Thailand isn't really an option in most cases !

[Pluto56]

If you've got the 800,000 plus baht in the bank to get the retirement visa then it seems to me that would provide twice the medical coverage oficials say is required. Seems to me that the insurance policy is just piling on to the investment you make to live here.

[malagateddy]

I pay around 16.000 baht. Your age 

What in/out patient coverage financially does that give you?

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[JohnHans]

Thai goverment/immigration should look at this:
https://www.expatbriefing.com/country/brazil/living/retirement-for-expats-in-brazil.html
When you retire in Brazil you get an 8 year visa, free work permit, an id card, FREE health care, 50% discount on all entries into goverment establishments such as museums etc, FREE public transport country wide. it goes on and on.

Come on Thai government stop being nasty to people who worked themselves to almost death and decided to live the rest of thair lives in a plesant environment.
Brazil and Vietnam are now looking really good. 

[sawadee1947]

1 minute ago, malagateddy said:

What in/out patient coverage financially does that give you?

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

250k $

[Jumbo1968]

4 hours 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.

Travel Insurance is only available in the UK if you have been there the previous 6 months. My previous one was Annual valid for 90 Day trips, after 65 it dropped too 60 Days. My brother over 70 struggles to get 30 days now.

[fforest1]

3 minutes ago, JohnHans said:

Thai goverment/immigration should look at this:
https://www.expatbriefing.com/country/brazil/living/retirement-for-expats-in-brazil.html
When you retire in Brazil you get an 8 year visa, free work permit, an id card, FREE health care, 50% discount on all entries into goverment establishments such as museums etc, FREE public transport country wide. it goes on and on.

Come on Thai government stop being nasty to people who worked themselves to almost death and decided to live the rest of thair lives in a plesant environment.
Brazil and Vietnam are now looking really good. 

And what does Thailand give expats?......Well if you catch immigration on a good day they might give you a free glass of water.....

[Jumbo1968]

1 hour ago, sawadee1947 said:

I pay around 16.000 baht. Your age 

A year ?

[balo]

What we need is mandatory health insurance for tourists travelling on tourist visas. They are the ones who get into trouble here in accidents.  And the rest of us on non-imm visa should really not live here without a proper insurance. 

[ThailandGuy]

7 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

A year ?

A Month of course !

[Caine]

7 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.

My god not more forms,  do you honestly think these thieving bastards would pay out on any claims. Best insure with western reputable companies.

[mhortig]

Two weeks ago my immigration officer who I have had for several years, told me that the new requirements would not apply to expats who have lived here over five years.-More rumors-for what its worth.

[sawadee1947]

14 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

A year ?

hahaha, no, per month 

[justin case]

be sure elite made up this crap, bought stock or involved with government & private insurance to get them filthy rich

 

short time tourists come here, rent a bike and end up with high bills

 

and it is another caterogy of people coughing up the damages

 

AS USUAL

 

hope tourism would drop to an all time low

 

pinch those pesky farangs for all the money they have

 

why 40k outpatient ?

 

I had hospital insurance but always paid outpatient out of pocket

 

if you are chronically sick, you better go to your home country for REAL care at a fraction of the cost, if you don't have a family and all ...

 

 

[Caine]

7 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

In at least two hospitals I've been in, unless you are personally conducted to the cashier (which didn't happen to me), you just walk out

That’s what the TM30 is all about they know where you live and even try leaving the country under those circumstances no chance. So keep the bullshit to yourself 

[poohy]

4 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

hahaha, no, per month 

ouch!

 

[Bruce Aussie Chiang Mai]

7 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 !

Definitely many tourist stupid takeout no travel insurance at all. 2 weeks on Aust websites about $300 for couples cover.

Go to Bali or Thailand get a motorcycle with no experience or license for motorbike in own country.

Think Aussie term for them be anchors with a big W

[meand]

Really, why don't they just tack on a departure or arrival tax? I mean if they are "worried about unpaid medical bills". 

 

I think the only way to answer that question is that is not their actual reason for required insurance. Obviously insurance companies are powerful, so when they can influence politicians to force people to buy their product that is a good thing for them. 

[Nyezhov]

49 minutes ago, JohnHans said:

Thai goverment/immigration should look at this:
https://www.expatbriefing.com/country/brazil/living/retirement-for-expats-in-brazil.html
When you retire in Brazil you get an 8 year visa, free work permit, an id card, FREE health care, 50% discount on all entries into goverment establishments such as museums etc, FREE public transport country wide. it goes on and on.

Come on Thai government stop being nasty to people who worked themselves to almost death and decided to live the rest of thair lives in a plesant environment.
Brazil and Vietnam are now looking really good. 

In Brazil does the free insurance include gunshot wounds?

[grumpy 4680]

      Have they ever done a proper survey to see who the non payers usually are, and come from ?????

[Jumbo1968]

12 minutes ago, meand said:

Really, why don't they just tack on a departure or arrival tax? I mean if they are "worried about unpaid medical bills". 

 

I think the only way to answer that question is that is not their actual reason for required insurance. Obviously insurance companies are powerful, so when they can influence politicians to force people to buy their product that is a good thing for them. 

ArrivalDeparture Tax would mean people they think on a long term Visas don’t arrive and leave many times so we need too ‘sting’ them another way.

[Jumbo1968]

3 minutes ago, grumpy 4680 said:

      Have they ever done a proper survey to see who the non payers usually are, and come from ?????

Hold on a minute you are talking common sense, does it exist here ?

[Longcut]

6 hours ago, barryofthailand said:

Would not affect foreigners living here as this is only for OA visas.  This is a retirement or marriage visa obtained in your home country. Retirement visas or extension of stays are not affected 

Not yet!

[Tuvoc]

it seems to me that eventually this will apply to anyone who stays in Thailand long term.

[observer90210]

They better accept those who alread have a foreign insurance coverage.

 

If they ignore one's foreign insurance and force a person to also take up a Thai insurane, then it is just a cheating scam and the matter would need to be taken up with the embassies (who perhaps won't give a hoot as usual), but mainly mentioned in the western social media and press.

 

Bad times ahead maybe for foreigners and perhaps time to move or holiday  to friendly Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India or elsewhere. ? ? ? ?

[thequietman]

1 hour ago, Tuvoc said:

 

For those of us with Thai wives, leaving Thailand isn't really an option in most cases !

Yes, but for those looking for a way out, it's perfect!

 

" I really want to stay with you love, but your government won't let me. What am I to do? I need to leave. Sorry. " ????

[Chiang Mai Bill]

8 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..

Yes. Whenever I've been treated in hospitals in Chiang Mai and Bangkok I had to provide a credit card before receiving any treatment.  

 

I would expect that there is more likelihood of the soon-to-be-seen influx of Chinese, Pakistani, and Indian short-term tourists not paying -- especially the Indian and Pakistani who will 'disappear' once past Immigration!

[lclark0751]

4 hours ago, matta said:

What I don't understand is why only the visa O-A and the rest nothing.

 

I think the reason is because the O-A Retirement visa is the only visa (I could be wrong about this, but don't think I am) that has a minimum age requirement:  50 years old or older.  So the new insurance requirement for this visa is there because everyone who has it is old, and thus more prone to needing expensive health care.  Nothing to do with anything else.

 

And yes, you can change from an O-A Retirement visa to a Marriage visa if you're willing to jump through a lot more hoops and make your ability to live/stay in Thailand dependent on staying married to a Thai citizen.  With an O-A Retirement visa your ability to remain in the country is not dependent on anyone else, even though you may also be married to a Thai citizen.

[tracker1]

3 hours ago, Thaifriends said:

Absurd comment on your part. When anyone gets a resident permit in the EU then its mandatory to have health insurance.

 

Oldies got all things easy and free before but not anymore. Numbers are not a few hundred by thousands retiree and not expats. Expats term is actually meant for working class????‍????

Not to sure about ABSURD maybe you should visit an Outpatients Department of some hospitals and just see how many tourists are there having dressings changed or getting bandaged up and more then likely Travel Insurance doesn't cover them due to the cause of the accident and many skip the country without paying !

[sambum]

2 hours ago, eddysmit said:

True, for my experiences for the great first class medical treatment received I would be interested to know how all these non-payers managed to 'escape' without paying, maybe I'm missing something seeing as for all my visits the hospitals have quietly requested some kind of guarantee of payment, two years ago the good hospital I have been using for a long time now asked for a deposit before proceeding with an outpatient small operation,plus copies of my passport,which I believe is the first thing any hospital and clinic ask for,well they always do for me,a few years before I had a bigger operation and a deposit was paid before proceeding,after three days of hospital stay myself in a wheelchair and my good lady were discretely escorted to the payment office to settle up the full bill,I really cannot see this amount of non-payers being true.

Yes, I agree entirely! I and all my friends who have ever required hospital in patient treatment have had to pay up front - or at least prove that we had the necessary funds to cover it.  I think it's just yet another not so subtle way of saying we "Old Timers" (No offence meant!) are not welcome any more.

Edited August 18, 2019 by sambum