Healthcare in Thailand for the over 60s

[snoop1130]

Healthcare in Thailand for the over 60s

by Dr Donna Robinson

 

 

The medical care provided in Thailand has always been of exceptional quality. Thailand has high quality hospitals in every single province, public and private, especially in Bangkok. All of these hospitals and other medical clinics are easily accessible; most of them have 24 hour services, or are open for up to 10 or 12 hours and are in convenient locations all around Thailand. Some even provide special after hours services, home treatment services, and emergency hotlines. Simply calling into the hospital will allow one to book an appointment with ease. When one reaches the age of 60, they worry about health insurance and ensuring that they get the best healthcare possible. In other countries, it may be that healthcare is expensive or inaccessible. However, in Thailand the standard of healthcare and its price as well as accessibility is of great quality and convenience to the patient.

 

Depending on ones income and the standard of treatment required, one can choose their hospital according to their needs. However, the standard of medical care in local and regional government hospitals are of high quality, providing services at a high standard at an affordable price. Government hospitals like Chulalongkorn, Ramathibodi, and Siriraj can provide exceptional care and are some of the best hospitals in the world. For example Chulalongkorn Hospital has an evening clinic that opens at 16:30 hours which generally has significantly less waiting time and Siriraj also has introduced a new private hospital called Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun, which can fulfil every medical need.

 

Thailand is the leading country in SE Asia for JCI accredited hospitals with 66 of them and is fourth leading in the world. JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation is only given to hospitals with performance, structures, and functions with high quality standards. Hence, JCI certified hospitals will provide the best medical care and protocol.

This allows all people: young and old to be able to receive the best quality of healthcare. The concerns that come with being over 60 is that one is at risk for many illnesses, and taking precautionary and preventative steps as well as treating illnesses so that the patient is living a healthy life is essential. The following aspects in the Thai medical system ensure that people over 60 are given the best possible medical care.

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/health-and-beauty/healthcare-in-thailand-for-the-over-60s/

 

-- © Copyright Expat Life in Thailand

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[legend49]

Thailand is the leading country in SE Asia for JCI accredited hospitals with 66 of them and is fourth leading in the world. JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation is only given to hospitals with performance, structures, and functions with high quality standards. Hence, JCI certified hospitals will provide the best medical care and protocol.

 

This is much the same as certification to ISO standards. At the end of the day the company pays a licenced accreditation company lots of money that is ongoing so having 66 accredited hospitals means they pay and you pay more for that certificate.

[xtrnuno41]

You didnt mention the double price standard they have now in Thailand, as i red in TVF.

Farang should pay now at least double. It means insurance will go up in price.

It is discriminating and in fact you pay for the Thai.

Also you have to see if insurance will pay out eventually.

Maybe healthcare in Thailand is good , but it has some creepy thoughts

[tinca tinca]

7 minutes ago, xtrnuno41 said:

You didnt mention the double price standard they have now in Thailand, as i red in TVF.

Farang should pay now at least double. It means insurance will go up in price.

It is discriminating and in fact you pay for the Thai.

Also you have to see if insurance will pay out eventually.

Maybe healthcare in Thailand is good , but it has some creepy thoughts

in 2012 i claimed from Muang Thai insurance they would not pay out.....sum was about 40k baht !!!

My advice would be NEVER USE a THAI insurance company 

Edited February 7, 2020 by tinca tinca
after thought

[rwill]

15 minutes ago, xtrnuno41 said:

You didnt mention the double price standard they have now in Thailand, as i red in TVF.

Farang should pay now at least double. It means insurance will go up in price.

It is discriminating and in fact you pay for the Thai.

Also you have to see if insurance will pay out eventually.

Maybe healthcare in Thailand is good , but it has some creepy thoughts

I live in Ratchaburi.  The government hospitals here charge me 50 baht to see a doctor.  Bangkok hospital here charges about 350 baht for a GP and 500 baht for a specialist.

My Thai wife is charged the same as me.  So the dual pricing is not everywhere.

[steven100]

1 minute ago, rwill said:

The government hospitals here charge me 50 baht to see a doctor

did you complain ... 

[tinca tinca]

2 minutes ago, rwill said:

I live in Ratchaburi.  The government hospitals here charge me 50 baht to see a doctor.  Bangkok hospital here charges about 350 baht for a GP and 500 baht for a specialist.

My Thai wife is charged the same as me.  So the dual pricing is not everywhere.

wow....and can you claim these costs back from any insurance, you might have??

[The Deerhunter]

50 minutes ago, legend49 said:

Thailand is the leading country in SE Asia for JCI accredited hospitals with 66 of them and is fourth leading in the world. JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation is only given to hospitals with performance, structures, and functions with high quality standards. Hence, JCI certified hospitals will provide the best medical care and protocol.

 

This is much the same as certification to ISO standards. At the end of the day the company pays a licenced accreditation company lots of money that is ongoing so having 66 accredited hospitals means they pay and you pay more for that certificate.

And then in our experience it's still depends on luck. Overcharging, misdiagnosing, greed, over-treating and incompetence.

And we have had quite a lot of bad luck, even with the "best" hospitals.

However, on our best occasions which have been in the minority, the treatment has been excellent.

[tinca tinca]

2 minutes ago, The Deerhunter said:

And then in our experience it's still depends on luck. Overcharging, misdiagnosing, greed, over-treating and incompetence.

And we have had quite a lot of bad luck, even with the "best" hospitals.

However, on our best occasions which have been in the minority, the treatment has been excellent.

i was being "overtreated" from 2012 to 2015 at Siriraj Hospital, eventually STOPPED going to see the quack.....was costing me an arm and a leg..in charges and tablets !!

Never been back since !!

[rwill]

12 minutes ago, rwill said:

I live in Ratchaburi.  The government hospitals here charge me 50 baht to see a doctor.  Bangkok hospital here charges about 350 baht for a GP and 500 baht for a specialist.

My Thai wife is charged the same as me.  So the dual pricing is not everywhere.

 

9 minutes ago, tinca tinca said:

wow....and can you claim these costs back from any insurance, you might have??

I have Pacific Cross now because of the O-A requirements.  They have a list of hospitals that have agreements with them, the 3 in Ratchaburi are all private hospitals.  If you go to those hospitals Pacific Cross pays them directly.  Other hospitals you have to pay first and send the bill in for reimbursement.

[Suradit69]

1 hour ago, xtrnuno41 said:

 

Farang should pay now at least double. It means insurance will go up in price.

If you use a Thai government hospital such as Queen Sirikit, which exists to serve Thai citizens including Thai military personnel, of course you should pay more than Thais would, but the amount charged will still be far lower than you'd pay in a for-profit private hospital.

 

At a private hospital such as Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, the prices charged are the same for Thais and foreigners. I know that from experience, not from reading Thai bashing nonsense on TV.

 

My American insurance has never questioned charges I've submitted for reimbursement in 13 years. I am certain that charges in Thailand for doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, dental work, etc, all of which my insurance has reimbursed me, are much lower than they would be in the US.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Suradit69

[Max69xl]

2 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

You didnt mention the double price standard they have now in Thailand, as i red in TVF.

Farang should pay now at least double. It means insurance will go up in price.

It is discriminating and in fact you pay for the Thai.

Also you have to see if insurance will pay out eventually.

Maybe healthcare in Thailand is good , but it has some creepy thoughts.

Dual pricing is nothing compared to what a tourist from outside Europe or EU without an insurance has to pay when visiting a hospital and for example needs surgery. We're talking about 50-100 times the cost, not double. If you can't afford dual pricing in Thailand, than you can't afford anything. 

[Thingamabob]

You refer to the over 60s. There is no health insurance available for the over 80s that I am aware of.

[xeniv23]

I'm shopping health insurance coverage right now for a move to Thailand on an O-A visa this coming May.  I'm looking at six or so companies and there are several that cover the over 80 crowd if you started much younger.  I'm 70 and in good health.  I have found several companies willing to insure me.  Not real cheap though but affordable.  

Edited February 7, 2020 by xeniv23

[sammieuk1]

All this is irrelevant of course if you have a pre existing condition you cant get insurance end of story????

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, tinca tinca said:

in 2012 i claimed from Muang Thai insurance they would not pay out.....sum was about 40k baht !!!

My advice would be NEVER USE a THAI insurance company 

I would think that Thai insurance companies would not be worse than any others, the first thoughts any would have when they are presented with a claim is "how do we get out of this?"

[twix38]

Thailand has good health care but it's often found wanting.

 

I have numerous experiences of mis diagnosis or over pricing.

 

I had barratts oesophagus diagnosed in UK after Bumrungrad hospital told me all was fine and gave me anxiety pills!

 

I had a doctor prescribe antibiotics for prostatitis and 3 weeks later tell me psa test normal so I don't have it. Then I googled and found I should not take them anyway as I had tendon damage and contra indicated. Told doctor and he blamed me for not telling him I had tendon problem. Surely the doctor should check.

 

Had leg infection after motor bike accident and given antibiotics. Total guesswork and told finally if these 2 high dose don't work I should go back my country. I took a total of 12 different courses!

 

Had jaw problem and given tests and medicines including steroids. Turned out my problem was nothing to do with what was diagnosed.

 

Rip off at hospital pharmacies.

 

My experience of Thai hospitals has been universally poor with a rare exception of average/good.

 

I always try to avoid Thai hospitals. Competency and accountability are hit and miss and in my experience more often differing levels of guess, try and re-try sometimes with very poor results or making things worse/more resistant.

Edited February 7, 2020 by twix38

[elgenon]

38 minutes ago, xeniv23 said:

I'm shopping health insurance coverage right now for a move to Thailand on an O-A visa this coming May.  I'm looking at six or so companies and there are several that cover the over 80 crowd if you started much younger.  I'm 70 and in good health.  I have found several companies willing to insure me.  Not real cheap though but affordable.  

I would appreciate if you list or pm the 6 or so companies. Thanks

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

17 minutes ago, twix38 said:

I have numerous experiences of mis diagnosis or over pricing.

 

 

It's a nice article, for a mostly non-serious publication, that tends to only highlight the rosy things about medical care in Thailand, and ignores pretty much all of the negatives/problems that various posters have mentioned above.

 

My belief is that misdiagnosis is rampant here. As is willy/nilly overprescribing of antibiotics and other medicines that aren't actually needed for the underlying problem.

 

Lack of available health insurance for older people (70s/80s+ and those with preexisting conditions) is a serious problem.

 

How about the lack of a professional paramedic service that can treat accident and sudden attack victims in the field, instead of long drives in an ambulance (or back of a pickup truck) to the nearest hospital where you're stuck unmoving in traffic because Thai drivers won't make way.

 

And the list goes on... Is the care here better than  Cambodia or Vietnam or Philippines, I think so. Is it cheaper than in the U.S., most of the time yes if you're paying out of pocket. But is it necessarily equal or better care, I think that depends a lot on the particular doctor who you end up with.  And there's a LOT of variation from best to worst.

 

[tinca tinca]

10 hours ago, rwill said:

 

I have Pacific Cross now because of the O-A requirements.  They have a list of hospitals that have agreements with them, the 3 in Ratchaburi are all private hospitals.  If you go to those hospitals Pacific Cross pays them directly.  Other hospitals you have to pay first and send the bill in for reimbursement.

think you will be lucky to get any money back from pacific cross, have heard they are <deleted> !!

[Kurtf]

8 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

You refer to the over 60s. There is no health insurance available for the over 80s that I am aware of.

Yeah and since I just crossed that threshold, I'm curious whether they will kick me out of the country when I go to renew my retirement visa later this month because there is no way I can get any kind of health insurance at my age.

[Peter Denis]

7 hours ago, xeniv23 said:

I'm shopping health insurance coverage right now for a move to Thailand on an O-A visa this coming May.  I'm looking at six or so companies and there are several that cover the over 80 crowd if you started much younger.  I'm 70 and in good health.  I have found several companies willing to insure me.  Not real cheap though but affordable.  

I would advise you to browse this Forum and you will quickly find out that you should avoid the thai IO approved health-insurance policies like the plague.

If you are already having health-insurance coverage, try to convince your insurer to fill in and sign the Foreign Insurance Certificate stating that your policy meets the thai IO health-insurance requirements.  If that fails (many insurers refuse to sign the document as it refers to thai legislation they are not familiar with), you could opt to apply for a Non Imm O - retirement Visa (if your home-country issues these), or simply enter Thailand VisaExempt or on a Tourist Visa.  Once in country you can apply for a  90-day Non Imm O - retirement Visa, and in the last month of the 90 days it provides, apply for a 1 year extension of stay based on that Non Imm O - retirement Visa.

The requirement/conditions for an extension based on an OA Visa or an O - retirement Visa are exactly the same, with the one exception that the O - retirement extension does NOT require the expensive and basically worthless thai-approved health-insurance scam.

That road will save you a lot of money and aggregavation...

 

[Peter Denis]

7 hours ago, possum1931 said:

I would think that Thai insurance companies would not be worse than any others, the first thoughts any would have when they are presented with a claim is "how do we get out of this?"

Wrong, most foreign health-insurance policies and some thai ones can be considered as decent.

In contrast, the monopoly thai policies offered to meet the OA extension health-insurance requirement are a total scam, and nobody in his right mind would ever subscribe to them were it not for the OA requirement.

Luckily there are several options to dodge this ridiculously expensive and basically worthless thai health-insurance scam.  In which other country do they offer health-insurance policies with a maximum coverage of 400.000 THB for an annual premium of 380.000 THB (yes, you read that right: that's the premium some of these crooked thai insurers charge once you reach the age of 83).

[Peter Denis]

49 minutes ago, Kurtf said:

Yeah and since I just crossed that threshold, I'm curious whether they will kick me out of the country when I go to renew my retirement visa later this month because there is no way I can get any kind of health insurance at my age.

HI Kurtf,

I just PM-ed you a comprehensive Roadmap with full details/options on how to apply for / convert to a Non Imm O - retirement Visa and subsequent 1 year extension.  The requirements/conditions for a Non Imm OA extension and a Non Imm O - retirement extension are EXACTLY the same, with the one difference that the O - retirement Visa and extension does NOT require the bogus thai-approved health-insurance.

To access your PM-messages, just click the letter-icon next to your profile when logged in to the Forum.

[NoshowJones]

2 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Wrong, most foreign health-insurance policies and some thai ones can be considered as decent.

In contrast, the monopoly thai policies offered to meet the OA extension health-insurance requirement are a total scam, and nobody in his right mind would ever subscribe to them were it not for the OA requirement.

Luckily there are several options to dodge this ridiculously expensive and basically worthless thai health-insurance scam.  In which other country do they offer health-insurance policies with a maximum coverage of 400.000 THB for an annual premium of 380.000 THB (yes, you read that right: that's the premium some of these crooked thai insurers charge once you reach the age of 83).

I do agree with your post apart from your first paragraph.