I have seen a few agents advertising like they could skip the insurance requirement for an O-A extension for retirement. Does any clause exists for that like the seasoning requirement for 800K can be waived by division head under special circumstances and agents take advantage of this clause. 

My current plan is to go to HCMC from UTP and enter Thailand with an exemption and then convert it to O and eventually to an extension to avoid health insurance. If an agent can skip the health insurance, I'm thinking why bother going to HCMC and start the process again. I will always use an agent for an extension no matter what. Agents I have contacted want me to go to HCMC and start the process again with an O.

Why wouldn`t you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

no exemption to insurance for an 'O''A' visa other than someone turning a blind eye, there will be agents out there that will be able to do it i am sure, but better to restart with a 'O' visa, always better to be legal

I don't think the seasoning is waived when agents arrange an extension. I think a officer approves the extension with fake proof it was in the bank for 2 months. Easy to make a copy of a legit bank and add a few lines to it showing the money in the bank.

It could be done the same way for insurance I assume.

1 hour ago, Jim P said:

Why wouldn`t you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

The Agent ? (Ha ha ha )

1 hour ago, tonray said:

The Agent ? (Ha ha ha )

Exactly, Get something such as my friend caught, Guillain Barre Syndrome, 5 months in hospital and 3 years of ongoing treatment, see what that does to your bank account if your not insured.

I would have thought agents would rightly be very wary of falsifying documentation from public companies who will chase their behind in court for such practices when the s$£t hits the fan and it`s exposed.

3 hours ago, Jim P said:

Why wouldn`t you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

I already have an UHC catastrophic insurance for unlimited amount with an HSA card that has $12000 tax free savings accumulated over 10-year. My yearly out-of-pocket limit is $6750 (by US law). That means, insunace will pay 100% after I reach my yearly out-of-pocket expenses. HSA card already has more than my yearly expenses. 

I still have US residency. I don't live here permentantly. Every two/three months I go to USA for 2/3 months. So I need US insurance also. In fact I need World Wide insurance as I go to Europe every here for 2/3 months also. I need an US insurance that covers world wide. 

Catastrphic insurance is the best invention since slice bread if one can get it ????. Comes with an tax free HSA account, no limit on expenses after out-of-pocket is met. 

 

HSA cards are accepted World WIde becuase it is a VISA/MC backed by your money in HSA account. I have used them in Bangkok, Pattaya, and Netherlands. But not accepted in most pharamcies outside the hospital in Thailand like boots, mom-and-pop pharamacies. 

 

 

58 minutes ago, Jim P said:

Exactly, Get something such as my friend caught, Guillain Barre Syndrome, 5 months in hospital and 3 years of ongoing treatment, see what that does to your bank account if your not insured.

I will go to the US and use my UHC insurance. There is no limit to the expenes I could incur once I meet my out-pocket expenses which is $6750. Already have an HSA account with double the amount of my out-of-pocket expenses. 

Of course they can. You should offer 200.000 baht, I'm sure they say yes.

59 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

Of course they can. You should offer 200.000 baht, I'm sure they say yes.

I don't think they will ask for 200K. For a new O conversion and then extension is 10K. Going to HCMC and come back is around 3K? So 10+3 = 13K. If some body can do it for 15K, I am OK. Avoid the hassle of going to HCMC.

Not in the case of something like this, you won`t be allowed to fly, pretty much paralysed overnight and bed bound, linked to food poisoning from shellfish. Won`t immigration accept your insurance? I`m sure there are many military retirees that have insurance that will be accepted.

59 minutes ago, Jim P said:

Not in the case of something like this, you won`t be allowed to fly, pretty much paralysed overnight and bed bound, linked to food poisoning from shellfish. Won`t immigration accept your insurance? I`m sure there are many military retirees that have insurance that will be accepted.

If that is the case my insurance will pay 100% after out of pocket expense of $6750. If doctors say cannot go to USA, they will pay 100% after out-of pocket expense. That means I have to spend from my pocket the first $6750 and then they pay 100%. Immigration does not accept my current insurance. I am not worried about immigration. I can fly out and enter visa exempt and then convert to non-O and then extension.

9 hours ago, Jim P said:

Why wouldn`t you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

Who says he hasn't got health insurance ? Maybe he has a decent insurance that Thai immigration wont accept but the hospitals will.

That is the main problem with the Thai immigration and their pointless insurance rules.

7 hours ago, Jim P said:

Exactly, Get something such as my friend caught, Guillain Barre Syndrome, 5 months in hospital and 3 years of ongoing treatment, see what that does to your bank account if your not insured.

The imposed Thai insurance is cover for 40k outpatient and 400k in patient so pretty useless for serious illness/accident..

 

Better to get your own insurance sorted that covers life threatening diseases.

 

 

It doesn't matter if you have health insurance

 

You have to have Thai approved Health Insurance, therein lies the rub

21 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I don't think the seasoning is waived when agents arrange an extension. I think a officer approves the extension with fake proof it was in the bank for 2 months. Easy to make a copy of a legit bank and add a few lines to it showing the money in the bank.

It could be done the same way for insurance I assume.

i know people that have a 1 year extension ' retirement' with no bank account in Thailand, and no proof of enough monthly income

10 minutes ago, steve187 said:

i know people

That's how it has always worked in Thailand. I depends on who you know.

9 minutes ago, steve187 said:

i know people that have a 1 year extension ' retirement' with no bank account in Thailand, and no proof of enough monthly income

I am sure something was created to attach to the application to be kept in immigrations files. That would be done  to protect the approving officer if an investigation was done.

26 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I am sure something was created to attach to the application to be kept in immigrations files. That would be done  to protect the approving officer if an investigation was done.

i agree something would be required for any future probes into extensions at that office, its something that in my mind is not worth the risks, but i fear is happening a lot in some areas.

11 hours ago, William Osborne said:

The imposed Thai insurance is cover for 40k outpatient and 400k in patient so pretty useless for serious illness/accident..

 

Better to get your own insurance sorted that covers life threatening diseases.

 

 

Pacific Cross has several plans that qualify for the O-A visa/extension.  The Maxima plan for instance pays up to 5,000,000 baht per incidence(not per year).  Some with lower and higher coverage than this.

19 hours ago, Jim P said:

Exactly, Get something such as my friend caught, Guillain Barre Syndrome, 5 months in hospital and 3 years of ongoing treatment, see what that does to your bank account if your not insured.

And you really think these B.S. insurances would cover such a treatment? 

7 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

And you really think these B.S. insurances would cover such a treatment? 

My UHC health insurance will cover (for experimental drugs/treatment not yet approved by FDA, American insurance companies do deny. But FDA approved treatment hey can't deny), if not greedy lawyers are waiting for a "Rain Maker" type lawsuit. 

8 minutes ago, Vascoda said:

My UHC health insurance will cover...

Is this one of the Thai Insuances IOs accept for OA extension? I doubt it or it should be much more expensive than the contracts

I've ve seen on the here provided list.

My german health insurance covers worldwide everyrhing and unlimited, but as I was told, that would not count if I was here on OA and wanted an extension.

22 hours ago, Jim P said:

Why wouldn`t you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

Who is going to pay if it's from a pre-existing condition? or they just say that's the cause. Who is going to pay if bill is 5 million? I can put 400,000 on my credit card. Who is going to sell a policy to someone living in Thailand and is 80? 

22 hours ago, Jim P said:

Why wouldn`t you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

If you know anything about health insurances,you would know that the thai insurances you need to chose from if having an O-A Visa/extension are very expensive and in many cases useless. If you want an insurance you get one yourself from a company of your choice and there are loads of options which is cheaper and better. This is why you go for a Non-immigrant O Visa based on retirement instead of an O-A Visa.

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

I don't think the seasoning is waived when agents arrange an extension. I think a officer approves the extension with fake proof it was in the bank for 2 months. Easy to make a copy of a legit bank and add a few lines to it showing the money in the bank.

It could be done the same way for insurance I assume.

The problem with that is, the participating insurance companies are required to log clients details in the Immigration computer system, whereas banks of course don’t.

19 hours ago, Vascoda said:

Catastrphic insurance is the best invention since slice bread if one can get it ????. Comes with an tax free HSA account, no limit on expenses after out-of-pocket is met. 

 

From what I'm reading re catastrophic health insurance plans in the U.S., you either need to be under age 30 in order to qualify, or have one of a series of hardship situations to qualify for an exemption... with the list being a lot of things that typically would not apply to most people.

 

https://www.healthcare.gov/health-coverage-exemptions/2019-exemptions-catastrophic-coverage/

45 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Is this one of the Thai Insuances IOs accept for OA extension? I doubt it or it should be much more expensive than the contracts

I've ve seen on the here provided list.

My german health insurance covers worldwide everyrhing and unlimited, but as I was told, that would not count if I was here on OA and wanted an extension.

 

The kind of U.S. insurance coverage the OP is talking about would not in any way satisfy's Thai Immigration's health insurance requirements re O-A visas and retirement extensions of stay from them.

 

23 hours ago, Jim P said:

Why wouldn't you want health insurance, who`s going to pay if you need extensive treatment?

Good question ?