Thai Tourism: "Half of foreigners" don't pay their hospital bills; director points finger at three nationalities

[Don Mega]

8 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

A minor correction to the figures: It is 50% of hospital patients who leave without paying so out of the 9,000 mentioned the average bill would be just under 100,000 Baht. Note to myself not to ever use this very expensive hospital. 

A minor correction to your post.

 

The 9,000 is one hospital.

The 448 million baht is the total for Thailand for the period October 2018 to September 2019.

 

[ChrisKC]

44 minutes ago, joskeshake said:

Maybe they could start to make normal bills that patients can pay, and not x10.

My guess is that those who "run away" don't know how much the bill is because they don't care! And one would think those hospitals that seemingly have the common experience of "runaways" don't have already some system in place to prevent such things, E.G. someone (security??) standing at the exits where you have to show your receipt for payment.

[stigar]

i got 3,2 million kroner..now  court say 1.7 million more

[Sonyboy]

1 hour ago, dallen52 said:

I still dont get it?

How is it possible for a tourist or retirement extension person to rack up these costs.

I had 3 days in Pattaya public hospital and I had to put 50,000 baht down payment before admission. 

Even when I went in with a not too serious condition one night, I still had to put 2000 down to cover the basic tests and consultation. 

Any unused was refunded. 

Pattaya public does not process insurance claims. 

You have to re claim yourself. 

Private hospitals want to see method of payment when you are wheeled in. 

If you have it.

True,always been the same for me and everyone I know,and over the years there have been a few collections to help keep the treatment going for someones stay in a hospital,no cash,no stay.

[puck2]

I wait for the typical Thai decree: please Thai insurance

[jingjai9]

I have said this before, when I had surgery I had to pay a deposit. Why can't hospitals require a deposit in proportion to the projected costs of service? 

 

When I had the surgery I was on an work visa and not a tourist.

 

Seems pretty simple to me.

 

 

[kingofthemountain]

22 hours ago, FarangULong said:

Anyone with a half decent credit card already has travel insurance. I do with both of mine (even though the insurance on my main card is more than enough, as it includes everything incl. being flown home in a medical plane, if needed). Problem solved. And if someone doesn't even qualify for a credit card, maybe they shouldn't be travelling and get their life in order instead.

 

On a side note, when I read "3 nationalities", I immediately thought: "Gee, let's see. I'll go with Chinese and probably Russian." French does, admittedly, surprise me though.

It could be because of the french health social security system.

One of my friend has been very sick during his holidays here in Pattaya

he was well treated at the Bangkok hospital, but the bill was huge and he had

to pay from his pocket because the credit card insurance (One of the best gold credit card)

answer to him (After a lot of fights and some days with no answers) get a refund first from

the french health social security system, and after we can pay the difference (Less a franchise)

he was <deleted> off to discover in fact his ''credit card insurance'' was pretty useless

[Deerculler]

1 hour ago, potless said:

The stance of the Thai government in respect of O-A visa applicants is that only insurance issued by "approved" Thai companies is acceptable. So insurance purchased abroad by tourists, by the same reasoning, would be unacceptable ? 

This is where the whole thing of medical insurance has gone past even normal stupidity.

It is all about lies,lies and corruption trying exhort more money from farang whether they long term stayers or tourists.

Thai cannot and never will be able to do anything that is honest and sensible.

 

[randy723]

This is total BULL S*** if they treated 9000 people and half of them, 4,500 did not pay and the hospital lost 448 million that come to an average of 100,000 per person. I have been living in Thailand for 15years and i have been to the hospital 3 time and every time i had to put up from 10,000 baht to to 20,000 baht before they would even admit me into the hospital.

[smileydude]

Thai’s are required to purchase travel insurance (2 million coverage minimum) when applying for Schengen Visa’s.  

 

The US and the UK are exceptional where travel insurance isn’t required.  The UK has an excellent National health system where you will be treated for emergencies regardless of having insurance or not.  

Not so in the US.

 

I think its wise to purchase it.   Even though tourists are contributing to the economies of the countries you visit you shouldn’t dump being responsible for your own health on them.

 

 

[Torrens54]

They (our “Hosts”) also conveniently forget the MANY THOUSANDS of Baht EVERY MONTH the “evil farang” retirees, husbands etc., POUR into the THAI ECONOMY.

 

If they make it much more unpalatable to stay here and we all leave,

there will be HUNDREDS OF  THOUSANDS, If not MILLIONS of Thai Families  looking to their Government for SUPPORT.

[ChrisKC]

45 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

You wouldn't unless you were an Immigration Officer!

i think I know what you meant but I answered your literal comment with a literal response.

[Kaopad999]

Here we go ladies & gentlemen, just a way to push mandatory health insurance for all visa holders in Thailand  

[Deerculler]

2 hours ago, swifty5x5 said:

It is illegal to take passports away

 

That is correct.

Give them a copy of your passport.

Don’t get them to do the copy though

[joecoolfrog]

Lets get some perspective here , the figures quoted are absolute peanuts compared with the losses suffered by the NHS each year from non EU tourists.

And in many cases the NHS is specifically targetted as it is common knowledge that patients are seldom if ever turned away.

God forbid that Thailand should actually be expected to give anything back in return for all the billions of tourist income it receives , just play the xenophobic card instead.

[randy723]

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

 

Result = almost no tourists.

 

I do wonder how the 9,000 foreigners treated over the last year causes 448 Million in bills to be unpaid.

Even if we're talking 10x the normal billing for foreigners.

 

Why punish all countries just make the 3 countries that you say are doing this have insurance. But i still do not believe 90% of this strory

[Deerculler]

2 hours ago, Don Mega said:

Yeah double pricing..thai pay Bt.200 and foreigner pay Bt.400,000.

 

Bwahahahahahahahahaha, do you actually believe your own dribble ?

It was only recently that the government instructed Govt. Hospitals to charge higher prices for farang patients.

What does that tell us.

 

 

[Muhendis]

29 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

A minor correction to your post.

 

The 9,000 is one hospital.

The 448 million baht is the total for Thailand for the period October 2018 to September 2019.

 

Many thanks but that raises the question in my mind about what the total number of non payers was for the entire country.

[randy723]

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

 

 

 

Result = almost no tourists.

If Thailand and mainly the PM does not want expats here then why isn't he man enough to tell us to just get the F*** out of Thailand.

 

22 hours ago, BritManToo said:

 

I do wonder how the 9,000 foreigners treated over the last year causes 448 Million in bills to be unpaid.

Even if we're talking 10x the normal billing for foreigners.

 

Why punish all countries just make the 3 countries that you say are doing this have insurance. But still do not believe 90% of this

[Don Mega]

2 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Many thanks but that raises the question in my mind about what the total number of non payers was for the entire country.

I'd hazard a guess and say a lot lot more than 4,500 people which brings the average per person amount skipped out on down considerably.

[Chazar]

2 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

I would think that copying the Schengen Visa insurance requirement would work here in Thailand for tourists. Long stay retirees, I do not know about European requirements. I always carry the travel insurance for travel of Up to 2-3 months. Due to excluded pre-existing conditions, age and finances the current requirement for my O-A Visa in untenable.

No it wouldnt, just more paperwork and checking and <deleted> for the tourist. Why dont they just tack on 100  baht for every entry, that would easily  cover the entir e bill,  much  simpler, almost no paperwork

[Chazar]

7 minutes ago, Deerculler said:

It was only recently that the government instructed Govt. Hospitals to charge higher prices for farang patients.

What does that tell us.

 

 

Theyre ....insert expletive of  choice

[randy723]

12 minutes ago, Kaopad999 said:

 

Here we go ladies & gentlemen, just a way to push mandatory health insurance for all visa holders in Thailand  

No, it is the way to make the tourist rate drop from 20 which it is now to down 80 or 90 % Hello Vetiem and cambodia.

[Cuba]

What a crock of sh!t this article is. Hospitals won't let you leave until they know they will get their money from someone. Just another ruse to justify a forthcoming plan they have for skimming more money off foreigners to make up for the shortfall of money spent by the missing tourists.

[Lemonltr]

All businesses which hire out motorbikes, jetskis etc should be registered and forced to have comprehensive insurance policies covering their customers then pass it on in the rental price. 

[PlastikbinLina]

If foreign patients have had the misfortune to attend hospitals that charge over the top charging hospitals like the one that carries the name of the capital I can hardly blame them leaving without settling the account. A late friend of mine was asked to pay 450,000 cash deposit towards a triple bypass heart operation. They refused to accept the cheque he first arranged from a local bank. Cash only please. Sadly he didn't survive and his Thai wife couldn't pay the 250,000 balance. 

To add insult to loss the hospital refused to carry out an autopsy "we don't do that in this hospital" was the curt response to a grieving widow.

[dannyol]

BS. Reading between the lines, I think this is a "scare" article to pave the way to require all expats to have health insurance in the future.

[GinBoy2]

17 hours ago, Traubert said:

The application for a Shengen visa includes mandatory travel insurance that must comply with the terms stated on the application form. No insurance, no visa.

Which may well be true.

 

But as a US citizen I've travelled to multiple EU countries visa exempt and never been asked to show proof of insurance, which I had, upon entry.

 

Even my Thai wife who is a US Permanent Resident when we went to the UK was never asked to show proof of insurance, and I don't recall it being a declaration on her UK visa application either.

 

So you get back to the thorny issue of how do you enforce a travel insurance requirement, when for most Western tourists they are entering visa exempt

[Alex2554]

16 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

It could be because of the french health social security system.

One of my friend has been very sick during his holidays here in Pattaya

he was well treated at the Bangkok hospital, but the bill was huge and he had

to pay from his pocket because the credit card insurance (One of the best gold credit card)

answer to him (After a lot of fights and some days with no answers) get a refund first from

the french health social security system, and after we can pay the difference (Less a franchise)

he was <deleted> off to discover in fact his ''credit card insurance'' was pretty useless

My wife is Thai and she has a Thai health insurance policy.

When she visited Patong Hospital they say we do not accept insurance policy, pay cash and insurance company will cover your expences.

I suppose that's a reason of many unpaid foreigner's bills.

Having no cash enough you can not use your health insurance.

 

BTW Bangkok Phuket Hospital accepted her policy next day and we didn't pay for their treatment. Maybe it's a government hospital issue

[Thaidream]

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And usually seems to come out of some hospital or hospitals in Phuket, for some reason.... You're right about this being a recurring rant from them.

It;s a recurring rant from the same Hospital administrator and at least this time he named the target group and it is not the retired expat population . The majority don't live  in Phuket and those that do are not renting big bikes; parasailing or climbing mountains.

 

That leaves the tourists- who are in the majority of those allegedly skipping out on their bills.

 

It is absurd to even think that sending a request for payment to an Embassy will result in anything but laughter.  Foreign Embassies are not collection agencies. The hospital would do better in actually hiring a real collection agency in the  patient's home country and give them 30% of the take.

 

I have a feeling the good doctor adminstrator from the hospital has realized that the Thai Government targetted the wrong group of people- long stayers- who normally pay their bills.  He knows his bottom line will not increase as the 9,000  people who ran up the bills are not in Thailand.

 

The Hospital is back complaing and going to the media.  If the adminstrator had any gumption- he would go directly to his superior in the Minstry of Health and tell him the truth which he should  have done in the first place but never did.

 

The Minstry of Tourism is against  placing a medical fee on the tourist population as they believe it will hurt the already declining tourist arrivals while at the same time pushing for 40 Million arrivals.

 

The Phuket doctor has  a few chocies- keep quiet; hire a collection agent; or send his unpaid bills to Tourism Minsiter and ask him to  reimburse the hospital from the tourism budget.

 

The real solution is to place a 500 Baht per person on an air ticket into Thailand and not even advertise it- the same as the security fee.  A traveler to Thailand won't even noticve the extra 500 Baht. 

 

 Once you do this- you can leave the longstayers alone and smile all the way to the bank.,  Problem solved and the TOT can  target 50 million tourist for the following year.