Can you recommend Hospital Insurance over 65..?

[mikey88]

Hello,

 

Can anyone with hospital/medical insurance that they are happy with...recommend their company..?

It’s very difficult to compare policies so I thought people’s direct experience would be more helpful.

I’m over 65 (66) which seems to be some sort of cut off point for many policies.

 

I’m just looking for a reasonable, no frills policy that will cover me in case of illness.

I’m ok with paying a deductible.

 

If you have such a policy yourself I’d appreciate any guidance and a rough indication of the price you pay....?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

 

 

 

[HullyGully]

Take alook at the attached file

[fishtank]

These will take you on but you will need a medical. https://www.thaivisaprotect.com/

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, fishtank said:

These will take you on but you will need a medical. https://www.thaivisaprotect.com/

Isn't the medical only after age 60?

[stouricks]

7 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Isn't the medical only after age 60?

The OP states that he is 66.

[rvaviator]

Hi Mikey88 - I have sent you a PM

[holy cow cm]

13 minutes ago, stouricks said:

The OP states that he is 66.

Yes I can read. But my question was about people under 60. Still would like to know if that is relevant. 

[stouricks]

2 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Yes I can read. But my question was about people under 60. Still would like to know if that is relevant. 

Sorry misunderstood you. Some only want medical after 70, like P Cross, but they have too many exclusions, even for someone with a good health report.

[Golden Oldie]

I'm 72 and have in-patient insurance with Pacific Cross. I have had the policy for two years, and was with AXA before that for three years. I get it through an agency in Pattaya who gets much better rates than in the list shown here, around 52,000 baht pa, which I pay in two six-monthly instalments. There are a couple of limitations on cover due to my age. You need to have a health check, but if you are accepted they repay the cost of the check minus about 1,000 baht. I'm covered for Covid-19, plus travel insurance for as many times as I leave the country, with no limit on time spent abroad. I've never made a claim so I can't say how good they are at payment. You can contact the agent, Neng, at [email protected]

[ramrod711]

I'm with Pacific Cross, 67 years old, 66 when I got the policy. I pay 38,000 baht and change with a 40,000 baht deductible. I had the complete medical at Lanna hospital, the doctor said I was in excellent condition. I do however have type 2 diabetes which is well in control and requires no insulin. Pacific Cross will not cover me for cardio problems because of it. The policy is not limited to Thailand, apparently will be recognized and honored in any Country but I don't know. Apparently I will be eligible for a 20% or 25% discount if I don't have a claim for 2 years so I kept my Bangkok Bank accident insurance which cost me 7,000 baht. I can't remember the price to age table but they do offer guaranteed renewal once you are accepted.  Good luck

[Jeert]

@HullyGully
Thank you very much for the table.
I am 76 years old, originally Dutch, live in Ubon Ratchatani. I am looking for a new insurance policy as my old one at AXA Assudis expires in September.
Hope to be able to take out new insurance with the data I find here.

Perhaps a stupid question, but the prices in ThB listed next to the age column are that the monthly or annual costs?

Thanks alot for any reply

[HullyGully]

Annual

[elektrified]

Be sure to contact the broker listed above on the attached file before coming to a conclusion. They are my broker as well and have been for many, many years. I don't know if that is a rough estimate or what, but I have Pacific Cross through them and pay much less than advertised on that file.

 

I've had a number of policies over the years with different companies and can't stress enough to stay clear of Aetna! They really are working against the client, not for them. If you file a claim you will have a very difficult time and they will be very aggressive and do what they can to deny you.

 

Thai Health is also very good and I highly recommend them as well. I can't say about Pacific Cross just yet as I've never filed a claim with them.

[beau thai]

I was with Cigna who have a very easy online quote system showing co-pay and deductible, so you can model cover that suits you best. The maximum deductible and co-pay were both lower than I wanted, as I really just wanted cover for big stuff like transplants etc. So the premiums were higher than  I hope for.

But at a certain age, and regardless of no claims, they tripled the premium! They said I had now entered a higher risk age category. (It seemed lost on them that they were creating a higher risk pool by tripling premiums, as only people who thought they were likely to claim would stay after such a huge increase!! Enabling actuaries to prove themselves right that this age group was high risk!! )

So although many health insurers claim that once in they will never cancel you - effectively they will by pricing you out!

Their interests are the opposite of yours of course- they want you when you are low risk- you want them when you are high risk.

A friend who was Commerciual Director of a large health insurer years ago left to start up his own Health Fund encouraging people to build up a pot, as with a pension, to self insure later. As he said to me, who do you think pay for their 4500 staff? The policyholders.

 

[opalred]

i am 76 and been here 16years  never had insurance as if i needed dr or hospital i go to public  and cost very little  if i had  paid insurance over those years would be in millions  the wife found out if i had to go to hospital would pay a small fee /now if something major happened go back to your own country /or go to india

[dingdongrb]

12 hours ago, opalred said:

i am 76 and been here 16years  never had insurance as if i needed dr or hospital i go to public  and cost very little  if i had  paid insurance over those years would be in millions  the wife found out if i had to go to hospital would pay a small fee /now if something major happened go back to your own country /or go to india

I think it would be rather difficult to go to your home country or anywhere if you're laid up in an ICU ward due to a sudden stroke.

[opalred]

most people here have children to get them home or your govt will provide assistants to get you to your home country /i dont know if trump would get you back to your country

[dingdongrb]

25 minutes ago, opalred said:

most people here have children to get them home or your govt will provide assistants to get you to your home country /i dont know if trump would get you back to your country

I really don't think it has anything to do with Trump.

 

I know I wouldn't want to be removed from ICU if in critical condition for 10+ hour journey.

[elektrified]

On 8/26/2020 at 6:58 PM, opalred said:

i am 76 and been here 16years  never had insurance as if i needed dr or hospital i go to public  and cost very little  if i had  paid insurance over those years would be in millions  the wife found out if i had to go to hospital would pay a small fee /now if something major happened go back to your own country /or go to india

That is a completely flawed plan! My friend who lived in Bangkok for 15 or more years had a similar plan if anything major happened to him since he was uninsurable with many risk factors. His plan was to go to Japan or Korea to the U.S. military base and seek treatment there since he was a veteran and eligible..... That plan fell through when he suffered a massive heart attack on the airplane while waiting for take off and while on the tarmac at Suvarnabhumi Airport and was rushed to the ICU/CCU at the hospital the airport contracts with and needed several emergency cardiac procedures. The first two days set him back close to 400K Baht (that he didn't have) and he had to get someone to charge 175K Baht on their card before he could be admitted.

Edited August 27, 2020 by elektrified

[Sheryl]

I would advise against a Thai company unless yo uneed it for O-A visa purposes.

 

Cigna Global (or Cigna Close Care, which is less expenisve) will enroll at any age.

 

April International, which is what I have (and happy with it) will enroll I think until 70, but double check

 

Both guarantee lifetime renewal and will not raise your premiums based on claim history or change ion risk profile. which is a big drawback with Thai companies, as Thai insurance regs allow this - you can end up priced out if you develop a chronic condition which among older people is far from unlikely to occur.

 

Both Cigna and April offer deductible options.

 

Best to go through a broker, does not cost more and they can help afterwards if any issues with claims. I use AA brokers.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, elektrified said:

On 8/26/2020 at 6:58 PM, opalred said:

i am 76 and been here 16years  never had insurance as if i needed dr or hospital i go to public  and cost very little  if i had  paid insurance over those years would be in millions  the wife found out if i had to go to hospital would pay a small fee /now if something major happened go back to your own country /or go to india

 

1 hour ago, elektrified said:

That is a completely flawed plan! My friend who lived in Bangkok for 15 or more years had a similar plan if anything major happened to him since he was uninsurable with many risk factors. His plan was to go to Japan or Korea to the U.S. military base and seek treatment there since he was a veteran and eligible..... That plan fell through when he suffered a massive heart attack on the airplane while waiting for take off and while on the tarmac at Suvarnabhumi Airport and was rushed to the ICU/CCU at the hospital the airport contracts with and needed several emergency cardiac procedures. The first two days set him back close to 400K Baht (that he didn't have) and he had to get someone to charge 175K Baht on their card before he could be admitted.

Maybe you don't know the answer to this @elektrified but take a guess. What would have become of your friend had he not had a benevolent friend to stump up the 175K Baht on his behalf?

[Moonlover]

The argument put forward in this thread for some form of insurance (often misnamed as health insurance!) overlooks one important aspect. It's called personal preference.

 

Like @opalred in post #15, I have never had and even if were available to me now, (which is most unlikely) never would take it up.

 

I've been fortunate in having a long, healthy and active life (now 74) and I've only spent 8 days in hospital due to an accident. I hated the experience and do not wish to ever go into one again. 

 

So no insurance means there will be no invasive and expensive life saving treatment for me and I have made clear in an advance directive to enforce that.

 

I actually have a quote from Einstein on this issue. Following an incident in Switzerland in 1928, when it was thought that he'd had a heart attack, he said to a friend that he felt ''close to croaking'' and then added ''which of course one shouldn't put off unduly''.

 

Just before he died in 1955 aged 76, he declined any treatment for his heart condition, saying ''It is tasteless to prolong life artificially; I've done my bit, it's time to go''.

 

Not everyone will agree with that sentiment of course, but it is how I feel. For me the most important aspect of life is to enjoy every day that you have, but do not fear death, it happens to us all.

[opalred]

who are the richest companies in the world /insurance /when you get older and take insurance/then need treatment they will say pre condition /you cannot argue against them  naturally everything you catch is precondition  when you are older  just a con and joke 

[mikey88]

Thanks to everybody for their replies. 
I do appreciate it.

I’ll look into the advice you’ve given.
 

[properjob]

15 hours ago, mikey88 said:

Thanks to everybody for their replies. 
I do appreciate it.

I’ll look into the advice you’ve given.
 

 

Thanks for a useful thread.

 

I would like to hear about recommended brokers in Chiang Mai that people have had good experiences with. I know one or two were mentioned in the thread, but there must be a few good ones, and I'd like to hear how to find them in order to make enquiries of one or two of them. 

 

 

[mikey88]

On 8/25/2020 at 7:52 PM, Golden Oldie said:

I'm 72 and have in-patient insurance with Pacific Cross. I have had the policy for two years, and was with AXA before that for three years. I get it through an agency in Pattaya who gets much better rates than in the list shown here, around 52,000 baht pa, which I pay in two six-monthly instalments. There are a couple of limitations on cover due to my age. You need to have a health check, but if you are accepted they repay the cost of the check minus about 1,000 baht. I'm covered for Covid-19, plus travel insurance for as many times as I leave the country, with no limit on time spent abroad. I've never made a claim so I can't say how good they are at payment. You can contact the agent, Neng, at [email protected]

Thanks for the info on Pacific Cross.....what happens when you turn 80....do you know....Will they continue the policy for life .....?

Do any companies guarantee to keep you on as a client past 80...?

That’s a very important point for me...seeing as I plan to live in Thailand for life..

 

[izod10]

On 8/27/2020 at 2:37 PM, elektrified said:

That is a completely flawed plan! My friend who lived in Bangkok for 15 or more years had a similar plan if anything major happened to him since he was uninsurable with many risk factors. His plan was to go to Japan or Korea to the U.S. military base and seek treatment there since he was a veteran and eligible..... That plan fell through when he suffered a massive heart attack on the airplane while waiting for take off and while on the tarmac at Suvarnabhumi Airport and was rushed to the ICU/CCU at the hospital the airport contracts with and needed several emergency cardiac procedures. The first two days set him back close to 400K Baht (that he didn't have) and he had to get someone to charge 175K Baht on their card before he could be admitted.

Depends on which hospital the ambulance dumped him at,private will cost the earth, govt,and there are good govt hospitals in BKK....yes the airport do have tie ups to Bum....  hospital

[Skylight]

On 8/26/2020 at 4:58 AM, opalred said:

i am 76 and been here 16years  never had insurance as if i needed dr or hospital i go to public  and cost very little  if i had  paid insurance over those years would be in millions  the wife found out if i had to go to hospital would pay a small fee /now if something major happened go back to your own country /or go to india

Like everyone is telling you, you have a terrible plan.

 

It would too late once you get sicked or get dumped in a hospital.  You won't be able to fly to India.  They won't treat you if you don't have insurance or not able to pre-paid.  You should go read about horror stories out there.

 

There was a Youtuber who got cancer and he had to pre-paid every steps along the way and that probably slowed down his treatments.  He ended up going back to his home country to died.  The guy was just turning 60.

 

[opalred]

is it not the money you have in the  bank for visa / a safe guard for emergency 

you have to watch the kick backs around 

i went to dentist they said need to go to special dentist in university hospital when i never went got call from dentist can now do work  when went to public hospital for eyes for years was ok small costs /but when i went to new public hospital /told to go to special dr at university hospital again put to private section at hospital /wanting prices like frangland / take care  as you sit out as suckers to a lot of medical people