Mandatory health insurance due for long stay tourists

[weegee]

1 hour ago, tjinks said:

What about Non-imm O based on marriage?

Considering a lot have to support the Family as well. It should not be required for Non O base on Marriage.

Finally had enough of all the <deleted> unfolding...Lets see if the wife and families of Marriage Visas, stand up to the government and put a stop to all this rot...Who do you think pays for all the medical requirements already for oneself AND Family?

 

 

[essox essox]

1 hour ago, Knocker33 said:

Thailand insurance companies had joined the project. Now there's a surprise 

and charge astronomical prices.....

[Captain Monday]

22 minutes ago, Fore Man said:

There are a great number of US military retirees who chose Thailand as their home, most of whom are supporting Thai families. These retired members and their enrolled family members are all fully eligible to receive medical benefits under the Defense Tricare Program.  Family members are required to be registered on the US Department of Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), which can conveniently be done with a visit to the nearest DEERS office located at the Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group Thailand in Bangkok.  Tricare provides its beneficiaries with extremely comprehensive coverage for both outpatient and inpatient care.    Beneficiaries pay 25% of all costs until an annual catastrophic cap of $3,000 is reached...per each enrolled family.  Once that $3,000 (roughly THB 91,500 today) family cap is reached each year, there are no further costs incurred. In practical terms, this means that significant surgical procedures, hospital stays and rehabilitative costs are 100% covered for most beneficiary families because they generally run close to the annual spending cap anyway in their routine outpatient care. I sincerely hope that the US Embassy will spell out in explicit terms the excellent benefits of Tricare to their Thai Government counterparts and that our retired servicemen living in the kingdom will not be doubly penalized by being forced to buy totally unneeded additional commercial coverage. 

 US Embassy or counculates won't even verify the guaranteed income received from social security and government pensions. Take the following form to the non-existent Tricare customer service office and get two Director level officials to sign it with your inpatient and outpatient limits, which you don't have because coverage is not limited.  A pipe-dream. Game over the Thais won. Buy limited, expensive, and redundant Thai Insurance company coverage or seek other options for O-A stay in Thailand not to exceed one year. 

 

 

http://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf

 

 

[weedywhaoo]

Will the insurance companies accept the dual pricing at the hospitals? I'm looking forward to see what will happen.

[Fore Man]

1 minute ago, Captain Monday said:

 US Embassy or counculates won't even verify the guaranteed income received from social security and government pensions. Take the following form to the non-existent Tricare customer service office and get two Director level officials to sign it with your inpatient and outpatient limits, which you don't have because coverage is not limited.  A pipe-dream. Game over the Thais won. Buy limited, expensive, and redundant Thai Insurance company coverage or seek other options for O-A stay in Thailand not to exceed one year. 

 

 

http://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf

 

 

 Much appreciated, Captain, but this is an issue far greater than each Tricare-covered member should be expected or required to take on as an individual. I urge every retired American service member to write to the US Ambassador in Bangkok requesting official assistance in preventing what would otherwise easily be a grave injustice to those of us who served. 

[Farang99]

1 hour ago, verticalift said:

For those looking for coverage from insurance providers with offices in T’land, make sure that you read the fine print first. I was looking into this several months ago and found that they will only cover you up to age 70yrs. After 70, they will not cover you. Not very good for those of us in our 60’s. I recently switched from BUPA Global (UK), over to CIGNA in Dubai for my global coverage.

Int’l health care providers with offices outside T’land, unlike their Thai counterparts, will not kick you out at age 70.

Even less good for those in their 80s!

[Momofarang]

7 minutes ago, weedywhaoo said:

Will the insurance companies accept the dual pricing at the hospitals? I'm looking forward to see what will happen.

Of course the will, they'll just max you out.

[Momofarang]

29 minutes ago, weegee said:

Considering a lot have to support the Family as well. It should not be required for Non O base on Marriage.

Finally had enough of all the <deleted> unfolding...Lets see if the wife and families of Marriage Visas, stand up to the government and put a stop to all this rot...Who do you think pays for all the medical requirements already for oneself AND Family?

 

 

To me it is quite clear; the driving authority behind this is the ministry of health and they want ALL long term (i.e OA, extvisitons, etc) stayers over 50 to have a health insurance, therefore I have the strongest doubts about people on marriage extensions being exempted.

Thais are so intelligent that their Minister for health will be unable to see the potential public health issues generated from tearing families apart.

 

[baansgr]

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Hopefully, this will avoid numerous scaremongering, nonsensical posts as in the other threads about the insurance

As most visas/extensions are "no more than one year" this covers just about everybody

[weegee]

6 minutes ago, Momofarang said:

To me it is quite clear; the driving authority behind this is the ministry of health and they want ALL long term (i.e OA, extvisitons, etc) stayers over 50 to have a health insurance, therefore I have the strongest doubts about people on marriage extensions being exempted.

Thais are so intelligent that their Minister for health will be unable to see the potential public health issues generated from tearing families apart.

 

And thats whats going to happen....BOOM...falang gone cant stay....Families back to eating nothing again, so they look like they are keeping up with everyone else around them....

Damn Sad actually to think of how many Families are going to be torn apart over this ...

 

[rwill]

1 hour ago, TeaMonkey said:

So confusing. Apart from the Elite visa the maximum you can apply for is 1 year so this seems to include any type of visa. 

the o-x visa for 5 years but it already had an insurance requirement.

[skorts]

Does anybody know if you can get outpatient cover in isolation without inpatient cover? I very much doubt it. 

I have an AXA Global Policy, with worldwide cover (excluding USA) with inpatient cover of £1m (c.36,500,000 Baht) but it has no outpatient cover. I can add outpatient cover to my policy but the maximum benefit is £750 per year so does not meet the 40,000 Baht requirement. 

A policy from the panel of Thai insurers will cost c.46,000 Baht at my age. 

I am not going to cancel my AXA Policy as the benefits and limits on the Thai policies are so restrictive. 

So in effect I will be paying 46,000 Baht for 40,000 Baht of outpatient cover. I will also be paying for inpatient cover I don’t need. 

Bonkers!

The chance of me being able to get two Directors from AXA Global to sign my certificate for Thai Immigration confirming my medical cover simply won’t happen. 

I came to Thailand on an Mon-Immigrant O-A Visa 5 years ago and my next extension is due beginning of December. I am hoping extensions for others on an original O-A visa are processed during November without the need for mandatory Health Insurance and it does only apply to new Non-Immigration O-A applications. 

My (British) wife is on a non-immigrant O, extended as my dependant. 

Presumably this means regardless of what happens to me she will not need Mandatory Health Insurance. 

The sooner they put in a place a system which allows those that want to, and can afford to self-fund, by depositing 440,000 Baht in an account to cover medical expenses the better. 

I won’t hold my breath though!

 

[MRToMRT]

2 hours ago, moojar said:

I cannot imagine health insurance not being required for extensions of stay, otherwise what is the point?  Requiring insurance for only the first year of a long-term stay is just mind-blowingly illogical, even by the standards we all know and love. 

 

I guess we'll find out as reports start trickling in of extensions from November on though.     

  

????. As is the requirement for 2 company directors to sign and confirm ones overseas insurance.  I somehow can't imagine a intern chasing around the corridors of Gigna/AXA/Allianz/AIA trying to get two directors of a 100 billion dollar company to sign Mr. MRTs form for his Thai visa.

[Derek B]

What we really need to know is what documentation is required to be presented at the point of entry.

 

I carry a CIGNA plastic card which keeps the Thai hospitals happy. However it does not detail the financial cover limits as such.

Probably going to have to travel with a policy printout/certificate too.

[malibukid]

Bali will accept Medicare as proof of insurance unlike Thailand when applying for a retirement visa.

[MRToMRT]

1 minute ago, Derek B said:

Probably going to have to travel with a policy printout/certificate too.

You will need this form completed by your insurer (re two posts above yours)

 

https://longstay.tgia.org/document/overseas_insurance_certificate.pdf

[rwill]

So the non-immigrant O-A visa is now a tourist visa?

[Jeffrey346]

4 minutes ago, rwill said:

So the non-immigrant O-A visa is now a tourist visa?

It has always been a tourist visa.

[englishoak]

  ????   

[randy723]

how much is the insurance copmanies kicking back to the Pm and Minister of health?

[Mitkof Island]

48 minutes ago, weedywhaoo said:

Will the insurance companies accept the dual pricing at the hospitals? I'm looking forward to see what will happen.

Good question. It might just be better off going to Malaysia for health care.

[randy723]

what about people with retirement visa?

[mrmicbkktxl]

1 hour ago, maxisrael said:

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

And probably pay an arm and a leg

[Jeffrey346]

3 minutes ago, randy723 said:

what about people with retirement visa?

Where have you been.. You don't even deserve an answer.

[Max69xl]

2 hours ago, tjinks said:

What about Non-imm O based on marriage?

That's not a long stay visa, it's an extension. 

[rocketdave]

As I have said on here a few times I'm not against medical insurance but I am 70 with three preconditions (hypertension, diabetes 2, and gout.) The premiums I am being quoted are about 90% of the 400,000 + 40,000 Baht cover required, rising every year of course as I get older. My point is, If I can afford the premiums I can afford to pay at least that much of any medical costs so paying this large sum every year is basically robbery.

If this robbery becomes law and effects us on retirement extensions (which I'm sure it will) I, like many others, will be Cambodia bound.

I also can't understand how some people get hospital treatment without paying, a friend went into hospital in Rayong and had to pay 10,000 Baht on entry before they would even look at him. His bill was less than that and he got a refund of the balance.

 

[Almer]

Nothing makes any sense, 

 

is it when you first apply O-A

is it only over 50 

is it for elite visa only

will it be for O

will it be for O for first year 

will it be for O extension

WHAT WILL IT BE ???????????   

 

 

[Almer]

2 minutes ago, rocketdave said:

As I have said on here a few times I'm not against medical insurance but I am 70 with three preconditions (hypertension, diabetes 2, and gout.) The premiums I am being quoted are about 90% of the 400,000 + 40,000 Baht cover required, rising every year of course as I get older. My point is, If I can afford the premiums I can afford to pay at least that much of any medical costs so paying this large sum every year is basically robbery.

If this robbery becomes law and effects us on retirement extensions (which I'm sure it will) I, like many others, will be Cambodia bound.

I also can't understand how some people get hospital treatment without paying, a friend went into hospital in Rayong and had to pay 10,000 Baht on entry before they would even look at him. His bill was less than that and he got a refund of the balance.

 

 

14 minutes ago, FredGallaher said:

Scaremongering is the standard MO of many disgruntled posters here. It makes for a lot of responses that increase revenue to the ThaiVisa business owners. Although partially factual headlines are tainted to get maximum responses. Whereas misleading readers is not a prime concern. 

100% agreed, and for sure statements made by government officials cannot be so vague it is the reporting that is vague for the purpose the site owner

[Dukeleto]

4 hours ago, moogradod said:

Do they mean by that somebody holding a Thai Elite Visa and being over 50 ? The "but no more than a year" is confusing. Concrete question: Is this supposed to be valid somehow for anybody more than 50 years old holding already a PE Visa 5, 10 or 20 year who stays in the country right now ?

The Thai Elite Visa is a SE Visa and not an O-A Visa so it does not appear to apply at this point unless its all Visa types for people over 50. So as always its as clear as mud and open to general interpretation which means you will never be in the clear and will be on a case by case basis which is exactly how they want it. 

[lupin]

42 minutes ago, rwill said:

the o-x visa for 5 years but it already had an insurance requirement.

Both the elite visa and the non o-x visas are still only 1 year permitted to stay renewable 1 year extensions for the validity of the visa.

So a 5 year elite visa is  5 x 1 year renewable extensions.

a 20 year elite visa is  4 x 5 year visa with each of those visas 5 x 1 year renewable extensions.

Non O-X is 2 x 5 year visas... each of those visas 5 x 1 year renewable extensions.

 

ALL of those visas still only get a 1 year permitted to stay stamp before you either have to leave the country and re-enter before permitted to stay date...or visit immigration to renew the next 1 year extension