OA Insurance - taking longer than expected

[britishjohn]

2 weeks ago I applied for a policy with Pacific Cross. I was initially told it could be all done in less then a week, however here I am and still waiting. I have chased this twice since making the application but received this reply " Sorry for the delay thus far.  We are obviously seeing a spike in applications.  I will chase underwriters now and hope to have to you within 24hrs." That was 3 days ago. Even if I got it today and paid immediately it still has to be entered onto the database and I don't know how long that takes. So all I can say is don't leave it till the last minute...

 

Anyone else experiencing similar issues ?

[jimn]

My only question to you is why are you going down this route. There are ways to avoid paying very high costs for poor Thai insurance policies. 

[SEtonal]

 

[britishjohn]

20 minutes ago, jimn said:

My only question to you is why are you going down this route. There are ways to avoid paying very high costs for poor Thai insurance policies. 

You mean like getting an O instead ?

 

Also the cost is 15,000 Thb which is high but not quite as bad as I had originally expected.

[jimn]

3 minutes ago, britishjohn said:

You mean like getting an O instead ?

 

Also the cost is 15,000 Thb which is high but not quite as bad as I had originally expected.

Yes thats what I meant. 15k sounds cheap I have heard of prices much higher than that. Maybe the quote was wrong and now they cannot honour the quote. Hence the delay?

[Martyp]

25 minutes ago, jimn said:

My only question to you is why are you going down this route. There are ways to avoid paying very high costs for poor Thai insurance policies. 

Not necessarily. I have a Pacific Cross Maxima Plus policy for a very good price. Less than my US insurance was and with a discount this second year. 

[Martyp]

Yes. I just paid my Pacific Cross premium yesterday. They do seem to be busy right now.

[jimn]

Just now, Martyp said:

Not necessarily. I have a Pacific Cross Maxima Plus policy for a very good price. Less than my US insurance was and with a discount this second year. 

What do you consider a very good price? I am on a retirement extension of stay. I am in Thailand for 7.5 months. I take out a single trip policy in the UK for about £260 (340 dollars)

[wgdanson]

8 minutes ago, jimn said:

What do you consider a very good price? I am on a retirement extension of stay. I am in Thailand for 7.5 months. I take out a single trip policy in the UK for about £260 (340 dollars)

With which company please. Is it a travel insurance or an international health policy. Thanks. PM me if needed.

[Martyp]

Just now, jimn said:

What do you consider a very good price? I am on a retirement extension of stay. I am in Thailand for 7.5 months. I take out a single trip policy in the UK for about £260 (340 dollars)

The comparison between the UK and the US is very different. We do not have a National Health Service. It’s a private insurance market. It’s a “good” price because it it less than my US insurance was and I am happy with the terms of the policy.

 

Everyone’s circumstances are different. I live full time as a retiree in Thailand. I was able to suspend my US insurance. I can return to it in the future if I need it. I still pay for my dental and eye insurance In the US because one is cheap and the other is no charge. I make those doctor visits during my annual visits to the US though I am very happy with dental care in a Thailand. I took out travel insurance during my last trip to the US though I’m not sure I needed to. I have to check my Thai policy about coverage during a short trip to the US.

[moontang]

A farang at Immigration told me he paid 7000 for the required physical, as he is 65+...for PC.  Comparing it to travel medical is an apples to oranges comparison..with travel medical, you are not approved for coverage until you make a claim, however, in many cases you will be better off with travel medical vs. PC, specifically accidents.  

[moontang]

7 minutes ago, Martyp said:

The comparison between the UK and the US is very different. We do not have a National Health Service. It’s a private insurance market. It’s a “good” price because it it less than my US insurance was and I am happy with the terms of the policy.

 

Everyone’s circumstances are different. I live full time as a retiree in Thailand. I was able to suspend my US insurance. I can return to it in the future if I need it. I still pay for my dental and eye insurance In the US because one is cheap and the other is no charge. I make those doctor visits during my annual visits to the US though I am very happy with dental care in a Thailand. I took out travel insurance during my last trip to the US though I’m not sure I needed to. I have to check my Thai policy about coverage during a short trip to the US.

35% copay in the US with PC...I usually do a separate trip policy for the US through www.insubuy.com for about 5 usd per day.  Agreed, it is different for everyone, but it seems like we Americans are more willing to accept the harsh realities of it compared to our farang allies, because we have dealt with this <deleted> for decades.  

[YorkshireTyke]

18 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

With which company please. Is it a travel insurance or an international health policy. Thanks. PM me if needed.

 

28 minutes ago, jimn said:

What do you consider a very good price? I am on a retirement extension of stay. I am in Thailand for 7.5 months. I take out a single trip policy in the UK for about £260 (340 dollars)

I would also like to know which company as a 79 y.o. friend of mine also visits for 8 months a year and has difficulty in getting travel insurance.

[Martyp]

15 minutes ago, moontang said:

35% copay in the US with PC...I usually do a separate trip policy for the US through www.insubuy.com for about 5 usd per day.  Agreed, it is different for everyone, but it seems like we Americans are more willing to accept the harsh realities of it compared to our farang allies, because we have dealt with this <deleted> for decades.  

If I had remained on my US policy and made claims for out of network hospitals in Thailand the copay would have been similar. 

[moontang]

19 minutes ago, YorkshireTyke said:

 

I would also like to know which company as a 79 y.o. friend of mine also visits for 8 months a year and has difficulty in getting travel insurance.

For a 79 year old american, 8 months would be 1600 USD with a 1000 dollar deductible..500k max, but only 2500 for existing conditions...and you have to already be covered by Medicare.  Get an instant quote on www.insubuy.com

They are based in Texas, but are global, and address all the different circumstances of residency, citizenship, and whether or not you have already departed.

[YorkshireTyke]

2 minutes ago, moontang said:

For a 79 year old american, 8 months would be 1600 USD with a 1000 dollar deductible..500k max, but only 2500 for existing conditions...and you have to already be covered by Medicare.  Get an instant quote on www.insubuy.com

They are based in Texas, but are global, and address all the different circumstances of residency, citizenship, and whether or not you have already departed.

He's a Brit. Jimn took out his policy in the UK for 260 GBP.

[moontang]

8 minutes ago, YorkshireTyke said:

He's a Brit. Jimn took out his policy in the UK for 260 GBP.

Jimn did not state his age or the deductible.

[GroveHillWanderer]

1 hour ago, jimn said:

What do you consider a very good price? I am on a retirement extension of stay. I am in Thailand for 7.5 months. I take out a single trip policy in the UK for about £260 (340 dollars)

Will that fulfil the Immigration Department's requirements for a medical insurance policy when you go to get your next extension, though? It doesn't sound like it would.

[Peter Denis]

22 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Will that fulfil the Immigration Department's requirements for a medical insurance policy when you go to get your next extension, though? It doesn't sound like it would.

Of course not.

You need to make a clear distinction between

- the thai-approved health-insurance scam required for an extension of your original OA Visa for reason of retirement, and 

- your actual health- insurance needs to have you covered in case of serious accident/illness.

Note: The ideal would of course be when those two could be combined, so that you are decently covered with a policy that is also accepted by IO for your OA extension for reason of retirement.

That seems to be almost impossible at the moment, as the choice for IO-approved insurance is limited to thai insurance-companies and only a handful of them are providing policies worthy of consideration.  

[fishtank]

I have recently taken out a regular health policy with Pacific Cross.

Yes they been very slow at every stage of the process.

Still waiting for the policy pack even though it was promised to arrive a week and a half ago.

God knows how long the medical fee refund will take.????

 

Hope their claims dept is quicker. 

[Peter Denis]

2 hours ago, britishjohn said:

You mean like getting an O instead ?

Also the cost is 15,000 Thb which is high but not quite as bad as I had originally expected.

15.000 THB annual premium for a thai-approved health-insurance that will meet the OA - retirement extension requirement for health-insurance, looks relatively cheap, at first sight that is.  

I guess you must be in your early 50s and took a high deductible (probably 300.000K) on the 400.000 K in-patient coverage of the thai-approved health-insurance policy.

Full-coverage prices (no deductible) for someone in his 60s are more in the area of 50.000 THB.

 

Still in my opinion 15.000 THB is far too much for basically worthless coverage. 

Yes, you have the convenience that your Non Imm OA extension for reason of retirement, will be approved but is that worth 15.000 THB?

Switching to a Non Imm O retirement Visa, will cost you far less.

The costs are:

- the trip to a near-by border, and return Visa exempt > max 5000 THB for that, and possibly way less

- application for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local IO > 2000 THB fee

- application for extension of that Non Imm O Visa at your local IO > same cost as you have now for the OA extension.

So for max 7000 THB you would have 'killed' the ridiculous health-insurance requirement.

And that's a one-time cost, while the worthless thai-approved health-insurance will have to be prolonged every year (and premiums will rise to absurd heights when you are in your 70s or 80s).

 

I really don't understand that people even consider this thai-approved health-insurance scam, especially when there are relatively easy ways of avoiding it.

 

[Kadilo]

2 hours ago, Martyp said:

Yes. I just paid my Pacific Cross premium yesterday. They do seem to be busy right now.

I Enquired many weeks ago and was passed off to another contact who would get in touch. As of yet no contact. 
So far not impressed. 

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

I Enquired many weeks ago and was passed off to another contact who would get in touch. As of yet no contact. 
So far not impressed. 

Perhaps use the numbers or email addresses shown here. https://longstay.tgia.org/document/companies_contact_list.pdf

[Kadilo]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Perhaps use the numbers or email addresses shown here. https://longstay.tgia.org/document/companies_contact_list.pdf

Thanks. 
It was the original email I used and Mr Connell from Pacific Cross who said another contact who would be following with me but as yet to no avail. 
I will re send as I need to get the ball rolling. 
cheers. 

[moontang]

1 hour ago, Kadilo said:

Thanks. 
It was the original email I used and Mr Connell from Pacific Cross who said another contact who would be following with me but as yet to no avail. 
I will re send as I need to get the ball rolling. 
cheers. 

Pm me if you want my PC agents name...communication was excellent.

[jimn]

5 hours ago, YorkshireTyke said:

 

I would also like to know which company as a 79 y.o. friend of mine also visits for 8 months a year and has difficulty in getting travel insurance.

https://www.direct-travel.co.uk/

 

[Kadilo]

5 hours ago, moontang said:

Pm me if you want my PC agents name...communication was excellent.

Thanks for that. 

I will ping another email and if it draws a blank I will be in touch. 
Much appreciated. 
 

[Lim Yuan Hai]

13 hours ago, britishjohn said:

You mean like getting an O instead ?

 

Also the cost is 15,000 Thb which is high but not quite as bad as I had originally expected.

I couldn't renew my non-OA extension because IO at Chaengwattana immigration asked for health insurance which I do not have one.

How can I buy health insurance fast?  

What is O and how can I get O because 15,000 THB is good enough?

Thank you

[britishjohn]

10 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

15.000 THB annual premium for a thai-approved health-insurance that will meet the OA - retirement extension requirement for health-insurance, looks relatively cheap, at first sight that is.  

I guess you must be in your early 50s and took a high deductible (probably 300.000K) on the 400.000 K in-patient coverage of the thai-approved health-insurance policy.

Full-coverage prices (no deductible) for someone in his 60s are more in the area of 50.000 THB.

 

Still in my opinion 15.000 THB is far too much for basically worthless coverage. 

Yes, you have the convenience that your Non Imm OA extension for reason of retirement, will be approved but is that worth 15.000 THB?

Switching to a Non Imm O retirement Visa, will cost you far less.

The costs are:

- the trip to a near-by border, and return Visa exempt > max 5000 THB for that, and possibly way less

- application for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa at your local IO > 2000 THB fee

- application for extension of that Non Imm O Visa at your local IO > same cost as you have now for the OA extension.

So for max 7000 THB you would have 'killed' the ridiculous health-insurance requirement.

And that's a one-time cost, while the worthless thai-approved health-insurance will have to be prolonged every year (and premiums will rise to absurd heights when you are in your 70s or 80s).

 

I really don't understand that people even consider this thai-approved health-insurance scam, especially when there are relatively easy ways of avoiding it.

 

I agree an O would be preferable. My main concern was the doubt that has been cast about the ease of obtaining an O for retirement purposes, and whether I would be able to produce all the necessary paperwork. I believe they require more information than needed for simply extending my OA, although I may be mistaken on that. 

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, britishjohn said:

I agree an O would be preferable. My main concern was the doubt that has been cast about the ease of obtaining an O for retirement purposes, and whether I would be able to produce all the necessary paperwork. I believe they require more information than needed for simply extending my OA, although I may be mistaken on that. 

I will PM you a comprehensive roadmap on how to switch from an extension of an original OA Visa based on retirement, to a Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement.

Contrary to what you might think, It's not difficult at all and does not involve much paperwork.

So if you did not sign up yet for the bogus health-insurance you could still embark on that road.