Mandatory health insurance due for long stay tourists

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

35 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

What's the need for a 5 million baht coverage insurance? 

 

That's the maximum annual coverage provided by the policy.

 

If someone were to have a serious medical condition / involved surgery and recovery time here, a single private hospital stay can reach into the millions.

 

Government hospitals are going to be cheaper than privates, but the quality of care and professional knowledge and expertise at hand can vary considerably from place to place. Not to mention the physical conditions and the ability of the doctors, nurses and support staff to communicate in English.

 

I believe our resident medical person/mod Sheryl generally recommends expats living here get medical insurance coverage of at least 3 to 5 million.

 

[RotMahKid]

17 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

I'm 74 and still covered and accepted by Aetna former Bupa. 

Just go their website and try to signup, thye start asking your birth date, oops older then the year 1954 is NOT possible.

[davehowden]

Would some kind soul explain the key differences between the O and the O-A visas please, thanks. 

[brewsterbudgen]

Would some kind soul explain the key differences between the O and the O-A visas please, thanks. 

OA is a one year long-stay visa for the over 50s. O visas are for 90 days, issued for general reasons including being married to a Thai, having a Thai kid, retirement, and can be changed to an Extension of Stay when in Thailand.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Jeffrey346]

15 hours ago, Lacrimas said:

My wife is a government teacher, I wonder if all of this mess will apply to us as well.

No worries. We are exempt from mandatory 3rd party insurance.

The only issue I see is when immigration asks for proof of insurance.. what will we provide? The Gov does not issue insurance ID cards.

[Jeffrey346]

8 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

That's the maximum annual coverage provided by the policy.

 

If someone were to have a serious medical condition / involved surgery and recovery time here, a single private hospital stay can reach into the millions.

 

Government hospitals are going to be cheaper than privates, but the quality of care and professional knowledge and expertise at hand can vary considerably from place to place. Not to mention the physical conditions and the ability of the doctors, nurses and support staff to communicate in English.

 

I believe our resident medical person/mod Sheryl generally recommends expats living here get medical insurance coverage of at least 3 to 5 million.

 

Sheryl has also recommended Gov hospitals over private hospitals in the past.

[BritManToo]

8 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Government hospitals are going to be cheaper than privates, but the quality of care and professional knowledge and expertise at hand can vary considerably from place to place. Not to mention the physical conditions and the ability of the doctors, nurses and support staff to communicate in English.

The same doctor usually works in both hospitals.

 

Quality of care and expertise,

the care is almost always good and the expertise fairly low in Thailand. I wouldn't want either cutting into me.

 

Ability to communicate in English,

Not a problem I speak Thai, and google can translate the specialised medical words I don't know. No need to chat with the staff, 'take these pills 3x a day', how hard can it be to understand?

 

The only real difference I have encountered is you have to sit around for half a day in the government hospital, not a problem for me as I'm retired and can read a book, or listen to music wherever I am.

 

As for health insurance, waste of my money as anything I'm likely to need is probably already excluded, but I would be happy to pay to join the Thai health care system.

[Max69xl]

5 hours ago, davehowden said:

Would some kind soul explain the key differences between the O and the O-A visas please, thanks. 

The O-A Long Stay Visa must be applied for in your home country. The 90 days Non-Immigrant O Visa can be obtained both in your home country, Thai neighbouring countries and within Thailand when converting a tourist Visa. After 60 days in Thailand, you can apply for a 1 year extension. And again and again as long as you meet the financial requirements.

[Max69xl]

1 hour ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Sheryl has also recommended Gov hospitals over private hospitals in the past.

If you can afford it, a private hospital is normally better. No sane person recommends a government hospital over a private one,unless you know a good one. There are a few,but not out in the sticks.

[superal]

Non payment of hospital bills by tourists has probably spawned this insurance scheme . For me I would propose that for all tourists there should me mandatory insurance . Take them out of the equation and the problem will be much reduced . 

A foreigner married to a Thai and supporting their family should be exempt from commercial insurance and be given the same government  health benefits as per Thai national .

For all long stay retirees who are not married ,  this to me is the most complicated area that needs to be addressed .  There are many 1000"s  of guys over the age of 70 years who reside in Thailand and insurance premiums are beyond reach for most . The Thai government need to take a rain check on their proposals and I would suggest that the current over 65 year old long stay residents be exempt form the new regulations and that the new insurance rules be introduced to all new comers in say a years time . That will mean that those who intend to retire in Thailand will comply with the new rules or bypass Thailand and look at other countries . 

Am I being biased to farangs ? I think not , just being reasonable . I wonder if the Thai government has thought their proposals through . There are enough problems with routine Thai visas but chuck in the new insurance rules and exacerbation of confusion will happen .   KISS    

[Chazar]

2 minutes ago, superal said:

Non payment of hospital bills by tourists has probably spawned this insurance scheme . For me I would propose that for all tourists there should me mandatory insurance . Take them out of the equation and the problem will be much reduced .

too sensible an option for the peanut brains, most seem to be young  kids.

[jimn]

20 hours ago, Russell17au said:

There are a lot of uneducated people on here that prefer to sprook false information instead of stating the facts about this. Go and read the official police order that has been available on TV for the last three days and it clearly states that this insurance is "only" for the "O-A" visa and no other visa. Elite visa = not affected, Non-Imm "O" visa with retirement extension = not affected, Non-Imm "O" visa with marriage extension = not affected.

This is the official police order that was listed here on TV 2 days ago. Read it and you will see that it is only the "O-A" visa that is affected by the insurance and non of the others.

100% right. I get exasperated when I read some of the posts. 

[Almer]

21 hours ago, Angry Dragon said:

why not allow foreigners to opt out of an insurance requirement for preexisting conditions if they can't get coverage?  or go further and allow them to opt out of the insurance requirement altogether? 

 

by opting out, the foreigner would be denied treatment for any preexisting condition or treatment in any hospital unless they had their own funds to pay for it.  sounds inhumane perhaps, but if people can understand the choice they're making, then let them make it. 

Thats how it works today, from experience you have treatment and you pay, simple arrangement.

[soisanuk]

15 hours ago, Exploring Thailand said:

 

 

There is no longer a requirement to use one of the O-A-specific policies. Those policy should be retired. The long stay website should not link to them. You can use any policy that meets the requirements. See the post below from Pacific Cross.

 

First, many are still confused by the terms "Visa" and "Permission to Stay."  A Visa, normally issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate allows one to enter the Thailand.  Upon entry, Immigration will place a permission to stay stamp in the passport usually based on the type of entry (Visa Exempt - 30 days, Tourist Visa - 60 days, Non-Immigrant Visa - "O, B, Ed, etc. - 90 days, & Non-Immigrant "O-A" - one year).  If the Visa is designated "M" for multiple entry, then it can be used several times so long as entry is within its validity period, normally 90 days from issuance, but in case of the O-A Visa, one year from date of issuance.  The days granted as a "permission to stay" will begin on the date of entry, even if it is just before the expiration date of the Visa (enter by date).

 

Once you enter Thailand, it is the "permission to stay" stamp that is important as you must either leave Thailand by that date OR obtain an extension to that date from Thai Immigration - permission to stay based on Visa Exempt and Tourist Visa entry can be extended upon application to Thai Immigration one time for 30 days. Permission to stay based on Non-Immigrant Visas usually can be extended up to a maximum of one year (Ed category has restrictions) provided the purpose is permitted under Immigration rules - these rules show the allowable purposes for the extension along with the requirements to qualify and the documentation to support meeting those requirements.

 

As to the requirement for health insurance.

 

The last paragraph in the new rules posted by Immigration relate only to the holders of the Non-Immigrant "O-A" (category) Visa. This Visa is granted only by Thai Embassies/Consulates in the applicant's country of residence. Most Embassies/Consulates refer to it as a "long stay" Visa, but is often referred to as a "retirement" Visa because to qualify for it, one must meet the Immigration Law requirements for staying in Thailand as a retiree (age, finances, medical, & criminal record).  As mentioned, the "permission to stay" upon entry using this Visa is one year. They are a bit confusing, but indicate the O-A Visa issued subject to the health insurance requirement will have some sort of annotation on the validity period of the health insurance policy accepted by the Embassy/Consulate as meeting the requirements.  Apparently, the Permission to Stay upon entry will be limited to the validity period of the accepted insurance policy or, if it has already expired at time of entry or re-entry, it will not be accepted for entry (in such cases, Immigration usually gives a permission to stay of 30 days as a Visa Exempt entry - if holder is from one of the 40+ countries that can receive the Visa Exempt entry).

As mentioned, once the holder of the O-A Visa has entered and received their permission to stay stamp, they can apply for an extension to that one-year period (or earlier date if their health insurance policy expires before the one year period normally granted). When applying at Immigration for an extension of stay, the New rules that govern such applications are quite clear that the health insurance requirement applies (but ONLY to those that entered using an O-A Visa) and that they MUST have health insurance - Section 2-22 regarding extending one's stay based on retirement shows in item (2) under the "reason": An alien, who has been granted Non-Immigrant Visa Class 0-A according to the Criterion 6, will be permitted to stay for a period of insurance and coverage. Each permission shall be granted for no more than 1 year. (Emphasis added)  Thus showing it applies to the initial and any subsequent application for an extension if the original and subsequent extensions were based on an O-A category Visa. 

Further, under the Criteria for granting the extension, the added criterion, no. (6) states it is: Only for an alien, who has been granted Non-Immigrant Visa Class 0-A, must buy a Thai health insurance online, which covers the length of stay in the Kingdom with no less than 40,000 baht coverage for outpatient treatment and no less than 400,000 baht for inpatient, via the website longstay.tgia.org. (Emphasis added)  As written, it appears that only a policy purchased via the longstay webpage of the Thailand General Insurance Association (TGIA) will be accepted.  A literal interpretation, which may well be taken by Thai Immigration Officers, is that no other policy, Thai or otherwise will be acceptable.  That said, it is possible, but  not guaranteed, that if you entered on an O-A category Non-Immigrant Visa and have a Thai insurance company policy, especially if one of the companies included on the TGIA webpage applicable to O-A Visa holders (they also have a link to those applicable only to the O-X Visa - the so-called 10 year retirement visa that has been available for a few years now), you may be able to get the "Certificate" regarding having health insurance that meets the requirements. If you can get such a certificate, it most likely IMO will suffice for Immigration to accept you meet the requirements.

 

So far there is nothing that shows the new health insurance requirement applies to other than holders of the Category O-A Non-Immigrant Visa.  Many of us that are on extensions for the purpose of retirement did so as holders of a Non-Immigrant O Visa (which can be issued for several reasons, the most common being for those married/related to a Thai or retirement) - thus it IS NOT subject to the new health insurance requirement even though the basis for continued extensions of stay are for retirement purposes.

It is obvious in these early stages, there is a lot of speculation and misinformation being stated as fact.  My suggestion is to rely only on official announcements from either Immigration Bureau or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including their respective Embassies/Consulates) and NOT on any by officials from the Ministry of Public Health as they IMO obviously don't know or understand Visa and Immigration requirements.  At  present, I have not seen any official announcements from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on new requirements for obtaining the O-A Visa - thus, reports that they will accept a health insurance policy other than those listed by TGIA are not yet IMO officially confirmed.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, Jeffrey346 said:

Sheryl has also recommended Gov hospitals over private hospitals in the past.

 

I believe her general recommendation usually relates to the doctor being the primary consideration, not the place... 

 

But, she also has noted quite a few times that the quality of care and facilities in govt hospitals here can vary widely, from excellent to lousy, depending on the location. 

 

Depending on where the person lives, they may have access to an excellent government facility, or, just the opposite.

 

But my comments above were not in the context of simple outpatient care, but rather, responding to a question about why the need to multi million baht coverage, and that being the prospect of an expensive surgery or complicated injury.

 

And in those cases, that's likely to require an extended hospital stay, and surgery, and after care, etc.  And in those cases, the type of medical equipment available, the ability to communicate with the staff, the comfort features of the facility and other similar facility related issues come more into play, IMHO.

 

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, Samuel Smith said:

And after 30 years of paying, you make a claim & they drop you ????

 

No insurance company is allowed to do this.

 

And all insurance policies raise rates as you age. Insurance works through risk pooling, it does not matter if you had no claims. However some policies give an annual "no claims" bonus.

 

SOME (and unfortunately, I think all of those on the approved TI "list") can and do raise premium rates on an individual basis (on top of age related increases) if you have had large claims or develop a chronic disease that changes your "risk profile". This sometimes has the effect of pricing people out i.e. people may hten drop their policy because they cannot afford it. But the company cannot drop you unless you miss premiums or lied on your application - or reach an age specified as cut off in your policy (some have this and some do not).

 

International companies do not raise premiums based on claim history or change in health status, this  is one of their advantages. Unfortunately it appears Thai Imm won't accept such policies.

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, Exploring Thailand said:

 

 

There is no longer a requirement to use one of the O-A-specific policies. Those policy should be retired. The long stay website should not link to them. You can use any policy that meets the requirements. See the post below from Pacific Cross.

 

 

The Police order clearly states that the policy must be obtained from one of the companies listed on the longstay website.   http://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

 

The site does nto specify policy product just company. And some of these company websites do nto appear to offer any plan that meets the 400k/40k requirement. AETNA for example, lists only inpatient policies with no OPD. LMG does nto have a 400/40 policy, though it does have a 600/45 policy.

 

I haven't gone through all of them but those I have looked at do not newly enrol people over age 70 or 75.

 

No provision appears to exist for policies that meet the criteria but are issued by companies other than those listed which would be most international insurers including many with direct payment agreements with Thai hospitals and even some with offices in Thailand.

 

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

First, many are still confused by the terms "Visa" and "Permission to Stay."  A Visa, normally issued by a Thai Embassy or Consulate allows one to enter the Thailand.  Upon entry, Immigration will place a permission to stay stamp in the passport usually based on the type of entry (Visa Exempt - 30 days, Tourist Visa - 60 days, Non-Immigrant Visa - "O, B, Ed, etc. - 90 days, & Non-Immigrant "O-A" - one year).  If the Visa is designated "M" for multiple entry, then it can be used several times so long as entry is within its validity period, normally 90 days from issuance, but in case of the O-A Visa, one year from date of issuance.  The days granted as a "permission to stay" will begin on the date of entry, even if it is just before the expiration date of the Visa (enter by date).
 
Once you enter Thailand, it is the "permission to stay" stamp that is important as you must either leave Thailand by that date OR obtain an extension to that date from Thai Immigration - permission to stay based on Visa Exempt and Tourist Visa entry can be extended upon application to Thai Immigration one time for 30 days. Permission to stay based on Non-Immigrant Visas usually can be extended up to a maximum of one year (Ed category has restrictions) provided the purpose is permitted under Immigration rules - these rules show the allowable purposes for the extension along with the requirements to qualify and the documentation to support meeting those requirements.
 
As to the requirement for health insurance.
 

The last paragraph in the new rules posted by Immigration relate only to the holders of the Non-Immigrant "O-A" (category) Visa. This Visa is granted only by Thai Embassies/Consulates in the applicant's country of residence. Most Embassies/Consulates refer to it as a "long stay" Visa, but is often referred to as a "retirement" Visa because to qualify for it, one must meet the Immigration Law requirements for staying in Thailand as a retiree (age, finances, medical, & criminal record).  As mentioned, the "permission to stay" upon entry using this Visa is one year. They are a bit confusing, but indicate the O-A Visa issued subject to the health insurance requirement will have some sort of annotation on the validity period of the health insurance policy accepted by the Embassy/Consulate as meeting the requirements.  Apparently, the Permission to Stay upon entry will be limited to the validity period of the accepted insurance policy or, if it has already expired at time of entry or re-entry, it will not be accepted for entry (in such cases, Immigration usually gives a permission to stay of 30 days as a Visa Exempt entry - if holder is from one of the 40+ countries that can receive the Visa Exempt entry).

As mentioned, once the holder of the O-A Visa has entered and received their permission to stay stamp, they can apply for an extension to that one-year period (or earlier date if their health insurance policy expires before the one year period normally granted). When applying at Immigration for an extension of stay, the New rules that govern such applications are quite clear that the health insurance requirement applies (but ONLY to those that entered using an O-A Visa) and that they MUST have health insurance - Section 2-22 regarding extending one's stay based on retirement shows in item (2) under the "reason": An alien, who has been granted Non-Immigrant Visa Class 0-A according to the Criterion 6, will be permitted to stay for a period of insurance and coverage. Each permission shall be granted for no more than 1 year. (Emphasis added)  Thus showing it applies to the initial and any subsequent application for an extension if the original and subsequent extensions were based on an O-A category Visa. 

Further, under the Criteria for granting the extension, the added criterion, no. (6) states it is: Only for an alien, who has been granted Non-Immigrant Visa Class 0-A, must buy a Thai health insurance online, which covers the length of stay in the Kingdom with no less than 40,000 baht coverage for outpatient treatment and no less than 400,000 baht for inpatient, via the website longstay.tgia.org. (Emphasis added)  As written, it appears that only a policy purchased via the longstay webpage of the Thailand General Insurance Association (TGIA) will be accepted.  A literal interpretation, which may well be taken by Thai Immigration Officers, is that no other policy, Thai or otherwise will be acceptable.  That said, it is possible, but  not guaranteed, that if you entered on an O-A category Non-Immigrant Visa and have a Thai insurance company policy, especially if one of the companies included on the TGIA webpage applicable to O-A Visa holders (they also have a link to those applicable only to the O-X Visa - the so-called 10 year retirement visa that has been available for a few years now), you may be able to get the "Certificate" regarding having health insurance that meets the requirements. If you can get such a certificate, it most likely IMO will suffice for Immigration to accept you meet the requirements.

 

So far there is nothing that shows the new health insurance requirement applies to other than holders of the Category O-A Non-Immigrant Visa.  Many of us that are on extensions for the purpose of retirement did so as holders of a Non-Immigrant O Visa (which can be issued for several reasons, the most common being for those married/related to a Thai or retirement) - thus it IS NOT subject to the new health insurance requirement even though the basis for continued extensions of stay are for retirement purposes.

It is obvious in these early stages, there is a lot of speculation and misinformation being stated as fact.  My suggestion is to rely only on official announcements from either Immigration Bureau or Ministry of Foreign Affairs (including their respective Embassies/Consulates) and NOT on any by officials from the Ministry of Public Health as they IMO obviously don't know or understand Visa and Immigration requirements.  At  present, I have not seen any official announcements from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on new requirements for obtaining the O-A Visa - thus, reports that they will accept a health insurance policy other than those listed by TGIA are not yet IMO officially confirmed.

 

 

I entered on an OA visa in late 2016, squeezed 23 months out of it and am now on extension based on retirement ( 2nd extension done about 3 weeks ago ).
I currently have no health insurance and self insure.

My burning questions are :

As I am on extension based on retirement, but originating from an OA visa, will I fall under this new ruling and be required to obtain mandatory health insurance. ??

If so , as I have extended recently would I “ be okay “ till next years extension or would I have to show proof of insurance when entering the country after 31st October for example. ??

If so , would I be advised to look at going the non imm O visa route or is it likely that non imm O’s ( and extensions ) will more than likely follow the path of the non imm OA ??

[Exploring Thailand]

11 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

The Police order clearly states that the policy must be obtained from one of the companies listed on the longstay website.   http://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

 

The site does nto specify policy product just company.

 

No provision appears to exist for policies that meet the criteria but are issued by companies other than those listed which would be most international insurers including many with direct payment agreements with Thai hospitals and even some with offices in Thailand.

 

Yes my comment to John was because he was under the impression that you have to choose one of the old OA-specific policies. 

 

Regarding using companies not on the list, I believe that is possible. Please see this document.  Also, officials have commented to the press that any policy is acceptable, as long as the total insured meets the 400/40 requirement.

[jimn]

It never ceases to amaze me the moronic decisions made by Thai authorities. They complain that tourist numbers are down whilst impementing policies that are making it harder to visit. First you have the debarcle over proving income comes from overseas for retirement and marriage extensions. Secondly they leave it up to individual officers to decide if someone entering the country especially at BKK and DMK airports rather than having a clear understandable policy. Thirdly they are now stupidly introducing compulsory insurance when you apply for an OA visa. Rather than making it simple and asking the applicant to prove they have adequate cover from their own country when they apply, they are insisting on expensive Thai company insurance. 

At this point I will drop in some personal experience. For the last 6 years I have been on extensions of stay based on retirement. For various reasons mainly because I only stay 7 months I do not want to transfer 65k per month from the UK into my Thai bank account. I had planned to let my extension of stay expire and instead apply for an OA visa when I go tho the UK next May. This new Thai insurance requirment scuppers that. I always take out insurance from a reputable UK company for my 7 month stay, I certainly will not be changing to a Thai one. My prediction is that the take up of OA visa to visit Thailand in the future will simply get smaller and smaller as people use other visas or go somewhere else. Me I will revert to my extension of stay but use an agent for 13,000 baht in Pattaya something I never wanted to do but now have limited options if I dont want to have to exit the country to get a Non O. Well done Thailand you simply amaze me.

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, Exploring Thailand said:

 

Yes my comment to John was because he was under the impression that you have to choose one of the old OA-specific policies. 

 

Regarding using companies not on the list, I believe that is possible. Please see this document.  Also, officials have commented to the press that any policy is acceptable, as long as the total insured meets the 400/40 requirement.

 

I've seen the document but it is on the TGIA website which is not an official govt site and contains a disclaimer to that effect.

 

The police order seems to state only the companies listed on that site can be used. I hope it is otherwise but this is my readong.

 

For that matter, the tgia site with that document states it can be used for the first year only (see their guidelines section) and that after that must buy from one of the companies they have listed.

[Tanoshi]

2 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

As I am on extension based on retirement, but originating from an OA visa, will I fall under this new ruling and be required to obtain mandatory health insurance. ??

If so , as I have extended recently would I “ be okay “ till next years extension or would I have to show proof of insurance when entering the country after 31st October for example. ??

If so , would I be advised to look at going the non imm O visa route or is it likely that non imm O’s ( and extensions ) will more than likely follow the path of the non imm OA ??

According to order 548/2562.

Quote

2. An alien who has been granted Non Immigrant Visa class O-A (not exceeding 1 year) and has been permitted to stay in the Kingdom before this order is effective, will be able to continually stay in the Kingdom for a granted length of stay.

 

[jimn]

7 minutes ago, Exploring Thailand said:

 

Yes my comment to John was because he was under the impression that you have to choose one of the old OA-specific policies. 

 

Regarding using companies not on the list, I believe that is possible. Please see this document.  Also, officials have commented to the press that any policy is acceptable, as long as the total insured meets the 400/40 requirement.

I have seen that before, however the spaces for 2 signatures by directors, whats that all about?

[Tanoshi]

 

26 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I've seen the document but it is on the TGIA website which is not an official govt site and contains a disclaimer to that effect.

 

The police order seems to state only the companies listed on that site can be used. I hope it is otherwise but this is my readong.

 

For that matter, the tgia site with that document states it can be used for the first year only (see their guidelines section) and that after that must buy from one of the companies they have listed.

My understanding Sheryl, from what I've read so far, is that to obtain the O-A Visa from a Thai Embassy, foreign policies that meet the requirement, are accepted by the Embassy and a notation is placed on the Visa.

However for a subsequent entry to get the 2 years out of the Visa, or an extension from an O-A entry, only the Policy from one of the tgia approved insurers will be accepted.

[Exploring Thailand]

18 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I've seen the document but it is on the TGIA website which is not an official govt site and contains a disclaimer to that effect.

 

The police order seems to state only the companies listed on that site can be used. I hope it is otherwise but this is my readong.

 

For that matter, the tgia site with that document states it can be used for the first year only (see their guidelines section) and that after that must buy from one of the companies they have listed.

Yes, the status of that website is rather perplexing. The police order does say "via...[the longstay website]". As the longstay website contains the overseas insurers document,  getting insurance by using that form could be deemed as getting insurance "via" the longstay website.

 

This is how the Deputy Minster for health was quoted in the press

Satit said

Quote

 

elderly foreigners can acquire insurance coverage from both domestic and international firms, or via www.longstay.tgia.org.

The insured amount for out-patients is set at a minimum of Bt40,000 each, which would rise to at least Bt400,000 each for in-patients. Should they purchase insurance coverage from international insurance companies, the sum insured must not be less than the minimum amounts required in Thailand

 

 

[Exploring Thailand]

20 minutes ago, jimn said:

I have seen that before, however the spaces for 2 signatures by directors, whats that all about?

Right! You need two directors to sign stating that the insurance they are providing meets the requirements of some unnamed Thai Cabinet resolution. They're not exactly making it easy, are they? It would be much simpler if they just required the insurance company to confirm that the policy meets the 400/40 requirement.

[Exploring Thailand]

1 hour ago, soisanuk said:

As to the requirement for health insurance...

Very comprehensive post, in which you quoted me. I just wanted to point that my post was in reply to TallJohnInBKK  to let him know that it is no longer required to use the old O-A-specific policies which were introduced the last time mandatory insurance was mooted. If you follow, say, the Pacific Cross insurance link on the longstay website, you end up at this page. Those are the old policies which represent terrible value. You are not obliged to use those policies. You can use any policy which meets the 40/400 requirement.

[jimn]

14 minutes ago, Exploring Thailand said:

Right! You need two directors to sign stating that the insurance they are providing meets the requirements of some unnamed Thai Cabinet resolution. They're not exactly making it easy, are they? It would be much simpler if they just required the insurance company to confirm that the policy meets the 400/40 requirement.

Then it makes it impossilble to use insurance from a non Thai company. I have zero touch with my insurance company except online, getting 2 directors to sign is a joke. What planet do they live on?

[Sheryl]

Right! You need two directors to sign stating that the insurance they are providing meets the requirements of some unnamed Thai Cabinet resolution. They're not exactly making it easy, are they? It would be much simpler if they just required the insurance company to confirm that the policy meets the 400/40 requirement.

I think the "Directors" part is just a general term and any authorized official from an insurance company could sign indicating their exact title below. Which still may not be at all easy to arrange.

 

I am more concerned by the statement on the tgia website that this certificate can be used only for the first one year entry. It is under "guidelines" section. That and lack of reference to foreign policies in the police order.

 

It is a holiday weekend now. When the work week resumes I plan to contact my broker to see what they know. International insurance companies aren't going to know or care about TI regulations but brokers in Thailand catering to expats will and could perhaps help run interference in getting proof of insurance acceptable to TI...

if such is possible to do.

 

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

 

 

 

[Exploring Thailand]

 

3 minutes ago, jimn said:

Then it makes it impossilble to use insurance from a non Thai company. I have zero touch with my insurance company except online, getting 2 directors to sign is a joke. What planet do they live on?

 

Right. Although when the guy below approached his insurance company, surprisingly, they didn't reject his request out of hand. They are asking for a translation of the resolution. I guess it's early days and maybe they will amend the wording to make it easier for overseas insurance companies to confirm exactly what cover they are providing. We can but hope!

 

12 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

My insurance provider wants to see an English translation of the Cabinet Resolution, dated 2 April B.E. 2562 (2019) before they even consider to look into the possibility of issuing such certificate.