Mandatory health insurance due for long stay tourists

[Max69xl]

7 minutes ago, ThomasThBKK said:

 

That's just a myth, nothing is free. 

 

The premium in taxes for German public health insurance is up to 50 000 euro each year, yes you read correctly 50 thousand euro each year, that's why every high earning German is privately insured.  This is half paid by you and half by your employer. 

 

No they don't, unlike you I've read the ministerial regulation myself. 

 

I think it was @jackdd who made a whole thread about it: 

 

It doesn't matter what rubbish Thai elite advertises, these are an entire different visa class called privilege entry with their own regulation issued under a section that isn't tourism. 

Thailand elite knows nothing about their visa, don't listen to them. 

 

 

 

My health insurance back home was paid through taxes. One night at any hospital cost a few years back about £7.5. That was the only cost per night when staying in the hospital. For me that's free. And I could get the necessary treatment for free in every country in the EU.

[Neeranam]

35 minutes ago, PEE TEE said:

As i see now lots of adverts for life assurance (death only) policies 

This can be a fatal error, in my experience for older guys who get martied. In 25 years here, ive known husbands rondie mysteriously. 3 in the last 2 years in Khon Kaen. All were rich pensioners who married peasant girls.

[uncleeagle]

3 hours ago, bangkokequity said:

Provide insurance for existing conditions ... or just go away ... seriously ... why not just say ... "there is a new 20,000 THB fee to live in Thailand, because giving money to an insurance company who will not pay the bill ... is pure folly.

the lowest premium ive seen from the listed companies is 30k a year....so i. afraid they would have to be saying a 30k per year visa fee...your 20k is too optimistic...

[zydeco]

1 hour ago, Thaivisa Health Protect said:

Hi Glen, 

 

I presume you have a Pacific Cross policy.  Actually you can keep your existing policy and add a 40k OPD limit into the plan to meet the OPD visa requirements.  This is true for any plan that exceeds the requirement by an approved company  You are not bound to take the particular Long Stay visa plan which was the case back in May.  That was the exact problem the plans represented bad value versus historic products.  Now any plan that meets or exceeds the 400k/40k minumum can obtain the visa.

 

 

Wow. The corpse isn't even cold yet.

[Neeranam]

25 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

I use the Government hospital in Khon Kaen, and it costs me 50 baht for consultation, plus cost price medication, e.g., Tramadol, 100 tablets, 100 baht.

Even my weekly physio sessions, including Ultrasound, electrolysis, heat pack and 30 minutes in exercise room was less than 280 baht !

Im surprised that it is that cheap, do you work? I have govt. Health insurance and pay a similar rate. Be careful with tramadol, very addictive opiate like pain killer not recommended to take for more than 2 weeks.

[edwinchester]

35 minutes ago, fresher said:

"It will be applied to immigrants applying for Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A” , who will stay in the country for no more than one year."

 

I think this should say 90days? The one year multi-entry non-immigrant OA visa for retired people is no longer available in the UK or any other country I believe. I can currently only get a single entry visa of this type which allows up to 90 days.

 

Or are they re-introducing the one year multi-entry non-immigrant OA visa for retired people? That would be good news.

Non o-a is available from London allowing up to 1 year stays.

The Royal Thai Embassy website already lists the new insurance requirements to obtain one.

[Neeranam]

If you have worked here for 18 months, you can continue paying 432 baht a month for life for health insurance.

[WaveHunter]

1 hour ago, Almer said:

Nothing makes any sense, 

...

48 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

Welcome in Thailand  

Understatement of the century LOL.  As Thai's will often tell Farangs, "This is Thailand, we like to do things a little different"

 

[Curmudgeonly59]

3 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Nothing makes any sense

It makes a lot of sense:  for the insurance companies and the Immigration Department! 

They've started with the easiest one to enforce - Non Imm-OA - as that has to be applied for outside the country. Now they'll wait for the dust to settle, see what the resistance/uptake is and then gradually begin to introduce it to every other class of visa...

[madmen]

3 minutes ago, Curmudgeonly59 said:

Now they'll wait for the dust to settle, see what the resistance/uptake is

I doubt they are capable of planning that far ahead

[holy cow cm]

They will follow on all O’s and X’s and ones on education to tourist travel. Too big of a cash cow. And the one BBC article stating all over 50 long term folk tells the tale on that. Family, marriage or whatever is going to be for all over 50.  

[Angry Dragon]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Are you really this stupid?

If you're the model for intelligence, then yes absolutely.  Are you able to reply to a comment without an ad hominem?

[WaveHunter]

40 minutes ago, Curmudgeonly59 said:

It makes a lot of sense:  for the insurance companies and the Immigration Department! 

They've started with the easiest one to enforce - Non Imm-OA - as that has to be applied for outside the country. Now they'll wait for the dust to settle, see what the resistance/uptake is and then gradually begin to introduce it to every other class of visa...

Sadly, I agree.  Like all things bureaucratic here in the Magic Kingdom, when you dig below the surface It's really ALL ABOUT THE MONEY...money out of YOUR pocket and into THEIRS.  Farangs are simply walking ATM machines to the powers that be.   All altruistic notions aside, who does the 800/400 bank account really benefit?  The banks, and nobody else.  Who will the new insurance requirements benefit?  The insurance companies and nobody else  ????  It's just the price you have to pay to live here, and I guess for most of us, it's still worth it.

[NightSky]

47 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

If you have worked here for 18 months, you can continue paying 432 baht a month for life for health insurance.

I paid taxes on a salary as a director and I was declined SS due to being director. 

[Angry Dragon]

2 minutes ago, NightSky said:

I paid taxes on a salary as a director and I was declined due to being director. 

by salary do you mean payments made to you by the company from which SS was withheld each month (the alternative is usually one-off annual payments)?  if so, then you are still allowed to participate in SS even though you are a director.  You have the option to drop out of SS, but it cannot be forced on you.  I'd look into it if you are interested in staying here long term.  I've known a few who dropped out of SS upon retirement or when becoming a director and have since regretted it.

[RedPill]

2 hours ago, Almer said:

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 ???????????   

 

 

Que será, será .... ????

 

 

[Mac98]

I imagine these policies won't cover preexisting conditions, so how does that solve their problem of foreigners landing in hospital and no insurance?

[joecoolfrog]

The Thais are making a lot of noise about the cost of providing medical care to foreigners.

To put the figures into perspective the NHS is owed in excess of £150 million just from unpaid bills from foreign visitors !

[zydeco]

2 minutes ago, Mac98 said:

I imagine these policies won't cover preexisting conditions, so how does that solve their problem of foreigners landing in hospital and no insurance?

Not designed to do so. The policies are simply designed to put what used to be your money into the bank accounts of Thai insurance companies. That this will not solve the problem was pointed out when this idea was first floated months and months ago. It's a shakedown. That's all.

[Almer]

44 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Im surprised that it is that cheap, do you work? I have govt. Health insurance and pay a similar rate. Be careful with tramadol, very addictive opiate like pain killer not recommended to take for more than 2 weeks.

I cant praise enough the service and costs at the University hospital in KK, i have needed many visits and surgery inc 1 week inpatient, each time very reasonable and gave me the bill on the way out and trusts one to pay  on exit.

If this all ends up with any over 50 needing insurance, it will clear the country if expats, the cost will be prohibitive for any pre exsiting condition and that linked to the 800.000 baht rule will be a non starter for most.

Why does the government not take control and charge a levy at each extension, they can then direct the needy to state owned hospitals rather than insurers pushing it all to the private sector.  

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Almer said:

the cost will be prohibitive for any pre exsiting condition and that linked to the 800.000 baht rule will be a non starter for most.

Cover should be cheaper for those with pre-existing conditions.

As these are events the insurance policy won't be required to pay for.

[zydeco]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Cover should be cheaper for those with pre-existing conditions.

As these are events the insurance policy won't be required to pay for.

I would like to see at least one company come out with a 399,999 baht deductible and charge 2000 baht for the policy. That sounds fair.

[meechai]

9 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

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

I have no idea but, Would make absolutely no sense at all to

"be applied to immigrants applying for Non-Immigrant Visa “O-A” , who will stay in the country for no more than one year. " These so called medical tourist have the money & are coming for medical procedures. "They" are not the risk

"Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutecha said Wednesday (October 9) that the Thai government's long-implemented medical policy for tourists had led to a rise in foreigners seeking medical treatments in the country. "

 

Yet the longer than a year folks need no proof of insurance?

I would say without scare mongering that the trend

of reducing unfunded liability is obvious.

 

 

 

 

[chilly07]

Insurance Companies do not want to cover those on extensions as they are most likely to claim! They just want the income from tourists who come and go regularly and are active and healthy.

[Almer]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Cover should be cheaper for those with pre-existing conditions.

As these are events the insurance policy won't be required to pay for.

If so what a nonsense, we will all go to get our extensions with our stamped insurance certificate, and a list of exempt items, so what has this gained.

 

7 minutes ago, zydeco said:

I would like to see at least one company come out with a 399,999 baht deductible and charge 2000 baht for the policy. That sounds fair.

555

[Odisan]

5 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.     

  

What's the point of having 800k in the bank that you can't touch? The Thai bank's windfall when you peg it, perhaps?

[meechai]

1 minute ago, chilly07 said:

Insurance Companies do not want to cover those on extensions as they are most likely to claim! They just want the income from tourists who come and go regularly and are active and healthy.

But according to article....

"Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutecha said Wednesday (October 9) that the Thai government's long-implemented medical policy for tourists had led to a rise in foreigners seeking medical treatments in the country. "

 

So as usual TIT & rules/Laws etc make no sense at all ????

[zydeco]

1 minute ago, Odisan said:

What's the point of having 800k in the bank that you can't touch? The Thai bank's windfall when you peg it, perhaps?

Same point as being made to buy insurance you can't use because of pre-existing conditions.  In fact, the insurance requirement makes the supposed unpaid medical bill situation even worse. Instead of money being applied to buy treatment in the hospital, it will be drained off into useless insurance policies.

[Angry Dragon]

16 minutes ago, Mac98 said:

I imagine these policies won't cover preexisting conditions, so how does that solve their problem of foreigners landing in hospital and no insurance?

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. 

[zydeco]

1 minute 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. 

Because . . . They . . . Want . . . Your . . . Money.