8 minutes ago, DavidBak said:

I am Korean (Rep of Korea) passport holder aged over 60 and got Non-imm O-A visa Oct 25th 2019 from Thai Embassy in Korea. Entered Suv airport Nov. 4 and the immigration officer at airport asked me proof of medical insurance. I explained Thai Embassy did not ask for medical insurance to apply visa and they confirmed  visa application after Oct 31 will required this paper. They also confirmed no medical proof docs to enter Thailand with this visa which issued before Oct 31.

I understand the insurance requirement is effected to the visa application after Oct 31. That is insurance certificate will be a necessary paper to apply visa, not to show when enter to Thailand. 
I cannot understand why airport entry immigration ask for this paper.

 

it appears to be required for every application, extension and entry granted after oct 30th. so whilst you 'applied' on the 25th you 'entered' after the 30th hence insurance was required

 

 

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

That ship has sailed. 

Sadly I think you are right! 

some good news for me, turns out my elderly neighbour had a non-o not an o-a after all!

 

i hope he gets a good long reprieve  

 

5 hours ago, madmen said:

"I have a friend,who has a friend "

 

????

You too 

regards Worgeordie

1 hour ago, DavidBak said:

am Korean (Rep of Korea) passport holder aged over 60 and got Non-imm O-A visa Oct 25th 2019 from Thai Embassy in Korea. Entered Suv airport Nov. 4 and the immigration officer at airport asked me proof of medical insurance. I explained Thai Embassy did not ask for medical insurance to apply visa and they confirmed  visa application after Oct 31 will required this paper. They also confirmed no medical proof docs to enter Thailand with this visa which issued before Oct 31.

I understand the insurance requirement is effected to the visa application after Oct 31. That is insurance certificate will be a necessary paper to apply visa, not to show when enter to Thailand. 
I cannot understand why airport entry immigration ask for this paper

And what waas the result- allowed in with what stamp?  Can yrou provide  more details?

1 hour ago, IraqRon said:

yes, thanks to people starting polls like this. Don't you know that authorities read this website?   Are you the person who had the neighbor thai person who was a high official in immigration and you constantly complained to about the embassy/consulate statements on your morning rides???

Again, as someone brought up just now, if you have a medical need to spend the monies required to be in the bank all year, then even if you top up two months prior to the next extension, you will or can be denied.

 

Thanks to all who complained about those affidavits, causing untold problems to even your country men I believe. Yes, some folks gamed the system for various reasons, not something the Thais are unfamiliar with.

No. I am not the person with that neighbor. 

12 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No. I am not the person with that neighbor. 

I apologize to you then, I will try to find out the poster who did those by reviewing some of those older posts if still on TV.   

2 hours ago, IraqRon said:

yes, thanks to people starting polls like this. Don't you know that authorities read this website?  

The only thai reading the forum is Yinn

and she understand less than 10% of what is writing here.

Anyway you have 0 chance to see her on such a ''technic'' topic concerning the visas rules.

Thailand has a pyramidal decision and operation system, the ''head'' (A so called ex general) decide and

all the others execute the orders at their level, if the orders are good or bad doesn't matter at all.

No any chance or risk for a lateral information to disturb the process

and 0 chance an information from ''the base'' can up to the head in a form of feedback.

So 0 risk for an information from the forum to be know by the authorities and inspire their politics.

2 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

it appears to be required for every application, extension and entry granted after oct 30th. so whilst you 'applied' on the 25th you 'entered' after the 30th hence insurance was required

 

 

In that case, please explain how my retirement extension due November 3 was granted without any mention of health insurance by CM Immigration, who have a reputation for being difficult.

I've heard of flogging a dead horse. This thread seems to have escalated to belaboring a deceased elephant.

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

In that case, please explain how my retirement extension due November 3 was granted without any mention of health insurance by CM Immigration, who have a reputation for being difficult.

I've heard of flogging a dead horse. This thread seems to have escalated to belaboring a deceased elephant.

You have a visa base O or O-A?

The application date for your extension was BEFORE 31 October or AFTER?

 

23 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

Nonsense. What is the age of being too old? 70? How many came in an age over 70? And IF the government will demand an insurance, what will the do? 

Many people relocate to Thailand, because it´s so cheap. But they forget to add an insurance to their yearly costs. 

Concerning over 70's   All i can say to you is "rubbish" where did you get the "forgot to add" statistic from.

23 hours ago, sirineou said:

If I understand this correctly, please correct me if I am not. All those on A-O are required to have are required to have health insurance, all those who got their A-O before this was implemented have a grace period until they get another A-O or get an extension. But with in the next A-O cycle , all will be required.

If the -O  for reasons of retirement is included (as I think it will but who knows) the same will apply , With in one cycle every one on retirement will be required to have insurance regardless of when they came here. 

But again who knows, perhaps they will grandfather in,  the ones here over a certain time.

That's what I would do if you all elected me emperor of the world.

I have just got my O-A visa stamped in for another year, no insurance was required.

23 hours ago, pontious said:

You did not answer the question - what about people who are to old to get any insurance. They may have come here at age 76. Many people have very good insurance but do not have 40000 Baht OPD. They will not qualify.

 

This was directed to CNXET. Expat.

I am in my 80's and came here in my mid 60's. I have no chance of getting insurance. So what will i tell my partner of 10 years and 4 yr old adopted Thai daughter..   Not to worry as the government will support them ?

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

Same here. At my age, insurance in Thailand will only cover me for the Ebola. I have enough funds to self insure for emergencies and visits to the doctor. for everything else I would have to skedaddle back to the US. 

The problem with that is that if it is a emergency situation, you won't be getting on any plane. As we get older, things can change very quickly from one day feeling great...to the next in a emergency situation, one never knows unfortunately.

15 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

I have just got my O-A visa stamped in for another year, no insurance was required.

You did it on the 27th October. We have already been down this route. No insurance was required on that date.

12 minutes ago, Huckenfell said:

I am in my 80's and came here in my mid 60's. I have no chance of getting insurance. So what will i tell my partner of 10 years and 4 yr old adopted Thai daughter..   Not to worry as the government will support them ?

Dude your in your 80s write a will for chrissakes

1 minute ago, madmen said:

Dude your in your 80s write a will for chrissakes

Such compassion. 

8 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Who took care of them before they met their "breadwinners"?

My partner had a decent job.  Satisfied ?

 

12 minutes ago, wisperone said:

The problem with that is that if it is a emergency situation, you won't be getting on any plane. As we get older, things can change very quickly from one day feeling great...to the next in a emergency situation, one never knows unfortunately.

Absolutely right, That's why I have enough funds to self insure , in the event of such situation. 

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Such compassion. 

Because TV is full of compassion. Its just common sense 

8 hours ago, billsmart said:

Jhingthing, No one I know who have come here on a long-stay visa has been asked about health insurance when applying for their one-year extension, and that includes at least 10 people in the last couple months.

I last entered Thailand on an O-A Long-stay in 2003. I have received one-year extensions every year since -- some based on marriage and some retirement. My last extension was based on retirement. My current one-year extension expires in December, and I don't expect to have to show any health insurance to get my extension.

I'm sorry if my remarks about your survey upset you. I just thought some of the questions you asked were trying to compare future outcomes with a false equivalency.

To make myself more clear, I do think the health insurance requirement might be extended to other visa types, but not to the extensions of those who came here on some kind of long-stay visa. I think that's what the monthly pension deposits or money-in-the-bank requirements are for.

 

 

 

Hi bill, i think i have discussed this with you before, but just in case not.  My O-A expires in December but i have just gone for the extension and it was stamped for 12 months no insurance requirements.

Let's face it.

The main (sole?) purpose of the farang is to open his wallet for the benefit of Thailand.

Whilst the 400/800k in the bank gives the banks some advantage, it doesn't actually provide a direct profit.

Therefore, reduce the 400/800k requirement to 200/400k, and then require all non-tourist visa holders to have compulsory rubbish 400/40k insurance as well.

Win / win.

The banks still get to hold some money, AND the insurance companies also clean up, not just once, but rinse and repeat. 40? 60? 100k? each year.

Happy days!

 

Remember where you read it first. ????

 

7 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

it doesn't matter if the money is kept in thailand or not, a hospital can't just request it from a local bank on the event of an expat's death and an unpaid hospital bill and expect it transferred in the morning!

Surely then this is a good case for letting the uninsurable among us have a reasonably priced cover within the Thai health insurance scheme

5 hours ago, Thaidream said:

The Health Ministry is run by adminstrative people- some doctors who have not practiced medicine in years. They have no concept of what insurance is for and how it should work.

 

Thailand has a huge funding problem in its hospital system that has nothing to do with foreigners not paying their bills-  the problem is that many Thais are poor and cannot pay their bills and  the Government has to eat the cost.  In fact- years ago the Junta proposed a reduction in the 30 Baht scheme and was met with 'bad press'.  It is common knowledge that the Thai Healthcare system is poorly funded by the Government.

 

Guess who the  bogey man always is- Of course, long stay foreigners, uninsured, causing huge losses and that is why the hospital system is losing money.  I seriously doubt that the impact of a relatively few  long stay foreigners not paying their bills is causing big losses in the health system.

 

  I could believe that out of 30 million tourists- there would be a percentage that have accidents; no travel insurance; and cannot pay the bill. I can also believe that a much larger loss is due to  Thais not being able to pay and not having insurance. The pure numbers of 70 million Thais/40 million tourists versus possibly 80,000 long stayers bears that out. LOng stayers are definitely not the problem.

 

While I can agree that people should have coverage-  there has to be a way to make it available to everyone at an afforable price.  I can even agree that anyone coming in on O-A Visa be required to have coverage but not applied retroactively to people already here and holding O-A Visa/Extensions of any kind.

 

The current requirement  and it's implementation is a farce and essentially a scam to enrich a small number of bureacrats and not solve any issue of uniinsured; losses to hospitals  etc.   It's merely a ploy to place the blame for  incompetence in running the Thai Hospital system on the easiest link- foreigners.   Now the politicians can boast to everyone that the funding problem has been solved/

 

her sad thing is thst they could have really solved the problem by making insurance mandatory  for anyone coming in the future  - long stayers; tourists; Non Ed; elite; Non O by phasing in the process in increments and creating  a variety of options to meet the requirement to include allowing buyins to the Thai Social Security System

 

Instead they have created a chaotic system- pushed all  O-A holders past, present and future into an insurance pool of age 50-80.  One doesn't need to be an actuary to understand the result is poor coverage and sky high premiums.

 

To answer the survey- I  indicated I thought it would  remain only for the O-A as i think the number of complaints will continue to rise  exponentially and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Bureau will grow tired of  the complaints and angry foreigners and also picked up by the International MEdia.

Excellent thinking, so thought out and correct. Congratulations this is the first really sensible post i have read. you cover just about everything.

4 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

it appears to be required for every application, extension and entry granted after oct 30th. so whilst you 'applied' on the 25th you 'entered' after the 30th hence insurance was required

 

 

The date is 31st Oct. I think you are wrong  GC because his visa was issued before this date.

49 minutes ago, madmen said:

Dude your in your 80s write a will for chrissakes

You would be surprised, most take me for 65.  Everybody dont get old at 60. 

10 hours ago, billsmart said:

It's my understanding (and I could be wrong) that the health insurance requirement only applies to the initial issuance of the O-A visa, not the subsequent stay extensions.

Please explain how you come to that conclusion.. Its black and white. 

Everyone saying 'its confusing' 'its badly written' 'these thai rules' etc.. How else can you read this. 

10 hours ago, thailand49 said:

People keep talking and bringing it up surely it will happen since Thais aren't going to come up with it on their own.

 

SILENCE IS GOLDEN! 

Yeah again.. Lets not read the actual announcements of this long term plan then hey ?? 

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

OMG!

The O-A health insurance requirement didn't come into effect until last week!

Your comments previous to that are irrelevant.

 

Unbelievable how 'hard of comprehension' so many of these posters are ?!? 

9 hours ago, Laza 45 said:

I'm no expert but it seems to me that the requirement for OA visa health insurance is because no money is kept in Thailand as with other visas.. the Non O with no money in Thailand could become a problem wait and see.  Visas that have a deposit requirement inside Thailand are probably ok for the foreseeable future.. that is my take anyway.. 

You do understand that to get an annual extensions of stay from an OA based entry, you need 800k in the bank or 65k a month income AND insurance dont you ??