OUTPATIENT Retirement Insurance. - New Rule

[Makoshark]

I just found out today, after visiting Immigration, that after spending 140,000 BHT on in-patient insurance for 1 year with LUMA Healthcare, I ALSO need Outpatient insurance.

 

Can anyone recommend an insurance company to provide me with just "OUTPATIENT Insurance"

 

Thanks

[Keyser Soze666]

Why do you 'need' it? Are you  on the O/A visa?

[xxeo]

Well possible that LUMA will offer a solution for their customers in this situation. Ask them!

[Peter Denis]

You mention in your post that you heard from Immigration that also Out-Patient coverage is required, so I can safely assume that you applied for a 1-year extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

Indeed, since October 2019 a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy issued by one of the TGIA associated insurers is mandatory when applying for the 1-year extension based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

 

But the problem you face is not only limited to meeting the 40K out-patient coverage requirement for that insurance, but also that 

- your policy needs to be 'thai IO-approved' and not all thai health-insurance policies are IO-approved (even if they meet the 400K in-patient and 40K out-patient coverage requirements);

AND

- your policy needs to be issued by one of the TGIA associated insurers < https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa > and LUMA Healthcare is not on that list.   

 

So you would need to subscribe to one of those thai IO-approved health-insurance policies in order to have your application for your 1-year O-A retirement extension approved.

And you can do that while keeping your present LUMA Healthcare Insurance, which I would advise if that LUMA insurance does indeed cover all your health-care needs.

 

Since the majority of the thai IO-approved health-care policies are exorbitantly expensive for the ridiculous low coverage they provide, I would recommend subscribing to the dead cheapest one, which is the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) that sells at an annual premium of 6.000 THB to 11.400 THB in the age bracket of 51 to 75 years.

An additional advantage is that that policy does not require an (expensive) medical.  You just need to fill in the comprehensive application form to subscribe to the policy and you will get the Health-Insurance Certificate that IO requires a couple of days later in your mail.  Obviously you should refrain from ticking any serious pre-existing conditions on the application questionnaire, as that might lead to LMG rejecting your application.  Since you only subscribe to the policy as an 'entry ticket' to meet the IO health-insurance requirement for your O-A retirement extension application, and probably will not make any claims under that policy, doing so should not be considered as fraud.

 

[Makoshark]

thanks everyone for your replies. Peter and Joe, you are both correct.  the cheapest way will probably be thru LUMA Healthcare

 

BTW, Joe, i made an appt.  even with all my issues with health there, it took 45 minutes.  What they are also requirine besides credit advice, is a copy of EVERY page of my bank book

 

 

[Peter Denis]

3 minutes ago, Makoshark said:

thanks everyone for your replies. Peter and Joe, you are both correct.  the cheapest way will probably be thru LUMA Healthcare

Hi Mako,

It will not be possible to get the required IO-approved health-insurance policy and Certificate via LUMA Healthcare, as they are not on the list of the TGIA associated insurers.

If the LUMA Healthcare policy which you have, fully meets your health-care needs, that's fine.

But you will need a thai IO-approved health-insurance policy to meet the HI-requirement for your Non Imm O-A retirement extension. 

[Sheryl]

Actually I believe you can get it from LUMA because they are underwritten by Navakij, one of the companies on the list. Similar situation for April Thailand which is underwritten by I think LMG.

 

The best thing to do is (1) find out from LUMA what it would cost to add OPD and whether they can then provide the certificate from their underwriter (I think they can) and (2) consult a broker familiar with expat insurance and the Imm requirements about alternatives i.e a second high deductible policy or a change of policies altogether. For that I recommend AA Brokers www.aainsure.net

 

Then see among these choices which makes most sense.

[Peter Denis]

9 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Actually I believe you can get it from LUMA because they are underwritten by Navakij, one of the companies on the list. Similar situation for April Thailand which is underwritten by I think LMG.

Hi @Makoshark > Please post an update if Sheryl's suggestion works and LUMA will provide you with

- a Health-Insurance Certificate meeting the 400K/40K in/out patient coverage minima

AND

- an upload by your insurer of your policy details in the TGIA database.

Those are the 2 conditions that need to be fulfilled in order for IO to approve your O-A retirement extension application for the health-care requirement.

[Makoshark]

Sheryl,

 

You are correct.  I went directly thru LUMA  Less than 7000bht LMG wanted to sell me an entire new policy

 

thanks for your advice