Yesterday i went to immigration in korat and was told i would need health insurance

when i came to get my extension I have been getting extension for about 7 years

on an original OA so your extensions are still linked to your original visa

Exit Thailand , re enter on visa exempt and start extension process again. You wont need insurance         

A great example of the ignorance of IOs. The rule on insurance was made by people who knew what they were doing the execution is done by people who are not paid to think. 

ubonjoe and many others have been distinguishing between visas and permission to stay for as long as I can remember, Immigration needs to come here for their orders if they want their offices to run smoothly! 

47 minutes ago, madmen said:

Exit Thailand , re enter on visa exempt and start extension process again. You wont need insurance         

That is not a good answer.  The new rules coming into place have been discussed and only new OAs issued from home countries are supposed to require insurance.  Although frankly, that makes little sense and why other extensions such as an O type retirement extension would not require insurance.  But good to hear some reports coming in and more will follow surely from various immigration offices as the Oct 31 deadline passes.  Would hate to see the OP give up on his OA visa and subsequent retirement extensions then find out he really does not have to get insurance, or go through the trouble of getting a new O visa and then next year find out he will have to get insurance anyway.

so just to clarify, existing O-A holders do need insurance for their 1 year extensions?

 

and what about those refused insurance for being too old and/or with pre-existing conditions?

 

 

6 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

so just to clarify, existing O-A holders do need insurance for their 1 year extensions?

 

and what about those refused insurance for being too old and/or with pre-existing conditions?

 

 

1. Not by most readings of the police order but some IOs so interpret it. It remains to be seen if this will get clarified by Immigration HQ.

 

2. The insurance requirement currently contains no provision for people unable to get insurance due to age or pre-exisitng conditions. It also has no provision exempting people with coverage through Thai Social Security.

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

so just to clarify, existing O-A holders do need insurance for their 1 year extensions?

 

and what about those refused insurance for being too old and/or with pre-existing conditions?

 

 

In Korat, not in Jomtien. But watch this space.

2 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

so just to clarify, existing O-A holders do need insurance for their 1 year extensions?

 

and what about those refused insurance for being too old and/or with pre-existing conditions?

 

 

Put the money in the bank and extend for retirement. 

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

...only new OAs issued from home countries are supposed to require insurance.  Although frankly, that makes little sense and why other extensions such as an O type retirement extension would not require insurance.

I agree with your post that we should wait how it works out after October 31 and not already make drastic decisions like changing your Visa category from OA to O.

Re the quoted statement > From a thai perspective it does make sense to require health insurance from people applying for a Non Imm OA Visa in their home-country.  Because that type of Visa allows you to 'dodge' for almost 2 years the money on a thai bank-account requirement, which comes only into effect when you apply for an extension of stay.  So if anything happens to an OA Visa holder during the first 2 years of his stay, there is no 'money in the bank' (unless he put it their voluntarily).  

If health insurance would also be required for extensions of stay of Non Imm OA Visa holders, the above would of course not hold anymore, and then indeed the whole thing does not make sense at all.  

3 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

Although frankly, that makes little sense and why other extensions such as an O type retirement extension would not require insurance.

 

Because this is the proverbial  "foot in the door"

or they really are that thick & it just has not dawned on them yet.

 

I'm leaning more to foot in the door & later they claim,

they see now that new OA insured requirement has not curbed claimed unpaid bills & all long stay visa extensions will now need insurance.

Edited October 29, 20196 yr by meechai

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

1. Not by most readings of the police order but some IOs so interpret it. It remains to be seen if this will get clarified by Immigration HQ.

 

2. The insurance requirement currently contains no provision for people unable to get insurance due to age or pre-exisitng conditions. It also has no provision exempting people with coverage through Thai Social Security.

Page 2 of the english translation 

 

"Criteria for consideration of granting an aliens extension of stay"

 

"6 Only for an alien who has been granted a non immigrant visa class O-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 outpatient and no less than 400,000 baht inpatient coverage via the website"....

I just cant understand how that can be read any other way than it applying for extensions of stay incountry.  Is there some understanding of the Thai version that I am missing ?? Does it read differently there ?? 

364114635_InsuranceO-AVisaNewPoliceOrder.pdf

58 minutes ago, tgeezer said:

Put the money in the bank and extend for retirement. 

 

not for me i am married, i am trying to help my elderly neighbour who currently doesn't qualify for insurance and is rightly in a panic, poor guy

 

 

6 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Page 2 of the english translation 

 

"Criteria for consideration of granting an aliens extension of stay"

 

"6 Only for an alien who has been granted a non immigrant visa class O-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 outpatient and no less than 400,000 baht inpatient coverage via the website"....

I just cant understand how that can be read any other way than it applying for extensions of stay incountry.  Is there some understanding of the Thai version that I am missing ?? Does it read differently there ?? 

364114635_InsuranceO-AVisaNewPoliceOrder.pdf 1.87 MB · 0 downloads

 

yeah reads the same to me, also saw this earlier on FB. not looking good ????

 

56 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

yeah reads the same to me, also saw this earlier on FB. not looking good ????

 

Why would someone who live here need to purchase insurance online?  They live here and maybe for years.  It not hard to get it.  You would not have to go online.  But someone  who is in the US would need to get it online.  It is not that hard to understand.

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

yeah reads the same to me, also saw this earlier on FB. not looking good

Chiang Mai immigration denies issuing that hand out. The pic of it was taken at a agents office.

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

yeah reads the same to me, also saw this earlier on FB. not looking good ????

 

This letter states that the wife and children must also have this insurance.  You know that is not correct.  Immigrations can not tell a Thai wife she must be included on the policy.  Anyway if they are on a O visa fr marriage they wouldn't be required to have insurance.  This just show how fake this letter is.

That's right Gosmk10. Extensions of stay are just that extensions of a VISA. When one applies for "retirement" extensions of stay within the Kingdom, they do so based upon a Non-Immigrant "O" VISA. Now... because the new health insurance requirement only applies to O-A and O-X Visas, only those who are seeking an extension of the original O-A and O-X Visas will be required to have health insurance. To summarize. Only O-A and O-X Visa applicants and extensions of those VISAs are required to have health insurance. 

boys, remember where you are.

 

doesn't matter what "most readings" or your reading or your agent's reading of the police order be.

 

you'll get a different reading depending on which office, which sub-branch, which officer, on which day, how far removed from lunch, and whether or not he or she needs to pee at that particular moment.....and whether or not he or she has a cousin in the agency business.

 

until regulations are clearly worded, and uniformly enforced, these "readings" are about as valid as the answers from your magic 8-ball.

 

 

Edited October 29, 20196 yr by ChouDoufu

That is like saying the law before 31 Oct 19 stated anyone watching porn would get a 20 years jail term.  But after 31 Oct 19 anyone who is watch porn will get the death sentence and this includes those prior to 31 Oct 19.  

Ex Pat Den have just published this ... https://www.expatden.com/thailand/mandatory-health-insurance-rules-for-retirees/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A+Guide+to+Thailand+s+Mandatory+Health+Insurance+Rules+for+Retirees&utm_campaign=Published%3A+A+Guide+to+Thailand+s+Mandatory+Health+Insurance+Rules+for+Retirees

 

might be of interest to someone

5 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

That is like saying the law before 31 Oct 19 stated anyone watching porn would get a 20 years jail term.  But after 31 Oct 19 anyone who is watch porn will get the death sentence and this includes those prior to 31 Oct 19.  

Great, I am not watching porn, only occasionally bonking bargirls.

2 hours ago, JAS21 said:

Ex Pat Den have just published this ... https://www.expatden.com/thailand/mandatory-health-insurance-rules-for-retirees/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A+Guide+to+Thailand+s+Mandatory+Health+Insurance+Rules+for+Retirees&utm_campaign=Published%3A+A+Guide+to+Thailand+s+Mandatory+Health+Insurance+Rules+for+Retirees

 

might be of interest to someone

 

from the linked article:

 

Quote

What if I Can’t Buy Health Insurance? 

The Thai government is changing the financial requirements and will soon update retirement visa holders. 

But if you can’t buy health insurance for whatever reason, you should expect to have to show more money in your bank account when you apply for your new retirement visa. 

This is to make that you have enough money to pay for your medical bills if you don’t have health insurance.

This rule is not set in place yet. Soon, we may see changes in retirement visa requirements. Visa requirements may be separated between those who have health insurance and those who don’t.

 

they better hurry up, the new rules kick in in 2 days and retirees may soon be flying home through no fault of their own other than being too old or too sick to qualify for insurance ????

 

 

Edited October 29, 20196 yr by GeorgeCross

1 hour ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

from the linked article:

 

 

they better hurry up, the new rules kick in in 2 days and retirees may soon be flying home through no fault of their own other than being too old or too sick to qualify for insurance ????

 

 

I'm seventy-seven and can't buy Thai health insurance at my age so I've got to vacate the premises in February if they don't come up with something. Personally, I would think if an aging expatriate like myself had the necessary funds in a Thai bank to cover cost of the 40,000 outpatient 400,000 baht inpatient requirement there would be no problem.

6 minutes ago, oslooskar said:

I'm seventy-seven and can't buy Thai health insurance at my age so I've got to vacate the premises in February if they don't come up with something. Personally, I would think if an aging expatriate like myself had the necessary funds in a Thai bank to cover cost of the 40,000 outpatient 400,000 baht inpatient requirement there would be no problem.

Having the funds in no way guarantees that the hospital bill would get paid. Having the funds and actually committing them are 2 entirely different things..i can understand why the authorities would back away from that option

16 minutes ago, madmen said:

Having the funds in no way guarantees that the hospital bill would get paid. Having the funds and actually committing them are 2 entirely different things..i can understand why the authorities would back away from that option

Well, I certainly hope they can come up with something reasonable. However, in the meantime, I will be looking at other options like Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and Vietnam just in case worse comes to worst. The real heart-breaker for me would be leaving all the cats behind that are now dependent on me for food. ????

43 minutes ago, oslooskar said:

Well, I certainly hope they can come up with something reasonable. However, in the meantime, I will be looking at other options like Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and Vietnam just in case worse comes to worst. The real heart-breaker for me would be leaving all the cats behind that are now dependent on me for food. ????

'They' don't have to come up with anything. Are you on an OA visa? If not, at this stage, you have nothing to worry about. Relax. If you are on an OA visa, then look at moving to an O visa and get extensions based on retirement.

11 hours ago, Mango Bob said:

This letter states that the wife and children must also have this insurance.  You know that is not correct.  Immigrations can not tell a Thai wife she must be included on the policy.  Anyway if they are on a O visa fr marriage they wouldn't be required to have insurance.  This just show how fake this letter is.

When the news of the insurance first came out, thats how I read it, that the family had to be insured too. 

7 hours ago, JAS21 said:

Ex Pat Den have just published this ... https://www.expatden.com/thailand/mandatory-health-insurance-rules-for-retirees/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=A+Guide+to+Thailand+s+Mandatory+Health+Insurance+Rules+for+Retirees&utm_campaign=Published%3A+A+Guide+to+Thailand+s+Mandatory+Health+Insurance+Rules+for+Retirees

 

might be of interest to someone

The article states that in 2018 680,000 out of 3,420,000 expats failed to pay their hospital bills with the majority being retirees.  Where did they get that data?

22 minutes ago, griffon2011 said:

The article states that in 2018 680,000 out of 3,420,000 expats failed to pay their hospital bills with the majority being retirees.  Where did they get that data?

I thought that there were only about  500,000-1,000,000 .expats living in Thailand,

https://news.thaivisa.com/article/38177/the-mystery-of-exactly-how-many-expats-live-in-thailand

1 hour ago, griffon2011 said:

The article states that in 2018 680,000 out of 3,420,000 expats failed to pay their hospital bills with the majority being retirees.  Where did they get that data?

"In 2018, 680,000 out of 3,420,000 expats who visited the hospital didn’t pay their bills. The total unpaid amount was estimated at 305 million baht. "

What I love with these figures is that the actual average unpaid bill amounts to 448.53 THB..

Edited October 29, 20196 yr by Momofarang