O-A Retirement Extension Insurance

[HNLDennis]

I need some help on the Thai Health Insurance requirement to renew Extension of stay for O-A Retirement at Chaengwattana Immigration Bangkok.

My Info.

Age: 71

Health :Heart Disease- Had triple bypass surgery. 1 stent. 

                        High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol under control with medication)

                        Hepatitis C

I don’t think I will mention any of this on application if no medical checkup required as I don’t plan on filing any claims. I just need the insurance letter for the extension. I have insurance coverage from the USA and it covers me world wide.

 

1.      What companys can I get cheap insurance from.

2.      Any recommendations for Brokers in Bangkok.

3.      How to do the date on policy? Start Date and Time? When will I be allowed to go in to do my Extension? Ie. The date my policy starts or up to 30 days befor?

                                                                                                                           Thank You for any help.

[DrJack54]

This guy has looked into insurance and can advise. @Peter Denis

[JTXR]

At your age, you will likely be required to do a check-up by any of the insurers listed as approved by the Thai government.  All the ones I contacted earlier this year (when I was 69) required a check-up.   These are the companies.  You can compare their rates.

https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

Perhaps better to just be honest on the application as the policy will simply exclude coverage for those preexisting conditions anyway.

[UncleMhee]

I'm sure @Peter Denis will be along with a full explanation for you. The company he has found to suit the situation best is LMG using a 200,000 baht deductible. They are on the linked site above, should you wish to do any research prior.

Edited August 26, 2020 by UncleMhee

[KhunBENQ]

5 minutes ago, UncleMhee said:

the situation best is LMG using a 200,000 baht deductible

To cut it short: you will have to spend 11400 Baht for a worthless pro-forma policy (age 71 - 75).

Next year: get rid of Non O-A  (assuming you have no other option like marriage extension).

[Peter Denis]

Hi,

As already mentioned by some earlier posters in this thread, the dead-cheapest option to meet the mandatory IO-approved health-insurance requirement when applying for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement is

> the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) policy for an annual premium of 6.000 to 11.400 THB in the age categories of 51 till 75 years of age.  Additional advantage being that that policy does not require an (expensive) medical to subscribe to it.

Also even if you never would make a claim using that policy (you are already well-covered by your international insurance) you do not need to 'keep silent' about pre-existing conditions, as LMG would simply eliminate them from the coverage the policy would provide you, and it would not be a reason for refusing your application. 

For sure LMG is well aware that the ONLY reason someone would subscribe to that - otherwise totally worthless - policy, would be to meet the thai IO-approved insurance requirement for an O-A retirement extension.  And imo that was LMG's driver to create this policy in the first place, as it has only been launched somewhere in March.

 

>> I did PM you a Guideline document with tips & caveats on how to subcribe to that LMG Insurance policy (including how to address the tricky policy start-date, as welll as contact details of an english-speaking LMG rep to ensure subsribing to the policy would be a smooth process).

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

[JimGant]

Just now, Peter Denis said:

you do not need to 'keep silent' about pre-existing conditions, as LMG would simply eliminate them from the coverage the policy would provide you,

Indeed. I knew I could not check "no" for all the 14 plus conditions they question you on -- I mean, I'm 75 -- so it would look 'deceptive' to claim 100% great health at my age. Thus, yes, I have medium high blood pressure. Document came back from LMG asking if I would exclude all conditions related to high blood pressure, including diabetes, from the issued policy? Of course I said yes, as my Tricare covers all this excluded BS from LMG.

Anyway, policy issued for 11,400 bt -- so at least I just made it in, by not being over 75 (last age to get initial LMG insurance). Now, I get to ponder whether to renew LMG next year at 16,800bt, or, if borders are open, go get a Non Imm O visa. Just afraid if I did that, i.e., cancel the insurance then get a O visa -- long term stayers on O visas would then be required to have Thai med insurance. Will ponder that dillemna down the road.....

[HNLDennis]

Thank You All for your great help. Thank you Peter Denis for that very informative PM you sent. I am working on getting all the info. together to fill out the application for LMG insurance. After that I will contact them and go by their office neer BTS Asoke to see about getting a policy. I have some time yet as my extension is good to 5 November 19. If any one does their's and can verify about start dates and when they are able to go in for extension Please post here and let us know.  Again Thank You All. I will post to up date when I get a policy and again when I go in for my extension and how that goes.  

[lom]

6 hours ago, HNLDennis said:

Hepatitis C

Is curable (96-97% success rate) with Sofosvel which you can by from Bangladesh for a fraction of the price you'd have to pay in U.S.

 

[OJAS]

2 hours ago, HNLDennis said:

Thank You All for your great help. Thank you Peter Denis for that very informative PM you sent. I am working on getting all the info. together to fill out the application for LMG insurance. After that I will contact them and go by their office neer BTS Asoke to see about getting a policy. I have some time yet as my extension is good to 5 November 19. If any one does their's and can verify about start dates and when they are able to go in for extension Please post here and let us know.  Again Thank You All. I will post to up date when I get a policy and again when I go in for my extension and how that goes.  

I strongly suggest that you take a read of this thread originated by someone with an original OA visa who has just been through the retirement extension process at Chaengwattana:-

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1179388-o-a-extension-with-health-insurance-at-chaengwattana-today

 

Basically you will, unfortunately, be dealing with an office which IMHO definitely falls within the "rogue" category as far as the processing of retirement extensions based on original OA visas and the mandatory health insurance requirement is concerned. While most other offices seem prepared to grant extensions based on policies with postdated implementation dates so as to ensure that both insurance and extension periods remain synchronised with existing extension cycles, Chaengwattana are insistent on policies being actually in force at the time when a retirement extension is applied for in advance of the current permission to stay expiring, which means that you then get short-changed on the length of your new extension. For example, the OP of the thread which I have linked above was only granted an extension up until 25 August 2021 rather than September as in previous years, thanks to Chaengwattana's ridiculous pedantry!

 

Edited August 26, 2020 by OJAS

[JimGant]

5 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

For sure LMG is well aware that the ONLY reason someone would subscribe to that - otherwise totally worthless - policy, would be to meet the thai IO-approved insurance requirement for an O-A retirement extension.  And imo that was LMG's driver to create this policy in the first place, as it has only been launched somewhere in March.

At American MBA schools, the ingenuity of business plans, such as that of Fred Smith's FedEx, are taught. At Thai business schools, how to fleece the round eyes is taught.

[Lewis711]

7 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi,

As already mentioned by some earlier posters in this thread, the dead-cheapest option to meet the mandatory IO-approved health-insurance requirement when applying for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement is

> the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) policy for an annual premium of 6.000 to 11.400 THB in the age categories of 51 till 75 years of age.  Additional advantage being that that policy does not require an (expensive) medical to subscribe to it.

Also even if you never would make a claim using that policy (you are already well-covered by your international insurance) you do not need to 'keep silent' about pre-existing conditions, as LMG would simply eliminate them from the coverage the policy would provide you, and it would not be a reason for refusing your application. 

For sure LMG is well aware that the ONLY reason someone would subscribe to that - otherwise totally worthless - policy, would be to meet the thai IO-approved insurance requirement for an O-A retirement extension.  And imo that was LMG's driver to create this policy in the first place, as it has only been launched somewhere in March.

 

>> I did PM you a Guideline document with tips & caveats on how to subcribe to that LMG Insurance policy (including how to address the tricky policy start-date, as welll as contact details of an english-speaking LMG rep to ensure subsribing to the policy would be a smooth process).

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

Hi Peter, For the 200K deductible, is it for inpatient only?

[Peter Denis]

10 hours ago, Lewis711 said:

Hi Peter, For the 200K deductible, is it for inpatient only?

I think the 200K deductible is both for in-patient and out-patient coverage.  I could look it up on the LMG Insurance application form, but frankly it isn't worth the effort because - to put it bluntly - that LMG policy is NOT meant for meeting your health-care needs.

If you make a claim it will be only honored for the amount above +200K and will be capped at 400K.  And there are many exclusions and restricting conditions.

But all that doesn't matter, because that cheap LMG policy should only be used to meet the $%^&* thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement for your Non Imm O-A retirement extension and is absolutely insufficient (worthless being a better term) to meet your health-care needs.

The money you save by subscribing to that cheap policy (instead of the other Non Imm O-A compliant policies on the market), can then be used to subcribe to REAL insurance - be it foreign, international or thai - that will cover your actual needs in case of catastrophic illness/accident.

Note: In case you do want to combine both (a policy that does meet the Non Imm O-A retirement extension requirement as well as provides some decent coverage), you could consider the Pacific Cross standard policy.  Obviously the annual premium of that policy will be 4 to 10/15 times more expensive (and will require a medical to subscribe to it).

[Srikcir]

16 hours ago, HNLDennis said:

Thank You All for your great help. Thank you Peter Denis for that very informative PM you sent. I am working on getting all the info. together to fill out the application for LMG insurance. After that I will contact them and go by their office neer BTS Asoke to see about getting a policy. I have some time yet as my extension is good to 5 November 19. If any one does their's and can verify about start dates and when they are able to go in for extension Please post here and let us know.  Again Thank You All. I will post to up date when I get a policy and again when I go in for my extension and how that goes.  

On a very small side you get with LMG a 100,000 TBH life insurance policy, albeit beneficiary must be a family relationship.

[cnx355]

21 hours ago, UncleMhee said:

I'm sure @Peter Denis will be along with a full explanation for you. The company he has found to suit the situation best is LMG using a 200,000 baht deductible. They are on the linked site above, should you wish to do any research prior.

I am 68 and that is what I used. No check-up , 200,000 deductible. So you never claim normally.

[sscc]

I will go for the LMG insurance policy with 200,000 B deductible too,  that medical check up is not required. 

 

Planning to submit my application and pay the annual premium online, if feasible.  

1/    Can the entire process be done electronically ?

2/   Roughly how much time is required from application to end with all documentation received and digital registration completed on the system ?    Anybody got actually experience on the time line ? 

 

Thanks 

[Andrew Dwyer]

30 minutes ago, sscc said:

I will go for the LMG insurance policy with 200,000 B deductible too,  that medical check up is not required. 

 

Planning to submit my application and pay the annual premium online, if feasible.  

1/    Can the entire process be done electronically ?

2/   Roughly how much time is required from application to end with all documentation received and digital registration completed on the system ?    Anybody got actually experience on the time line ? 

 

Thanks 

@Peter Denis can give you these answers .

If you pm him he will supply you with a document describing the full process.

Indispensible for those of us on an OA visa/extension.

 

I would also like to take the opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to Peter for his tireless work in creating these documents, on many different visa related subjects.

[JusticeGB]

I have yet to see any Thai company that will cover you beyond 75 years. I had Seven Corners, a Lloyds broker, for about 7,000 baht a month, that provided cover of $100k until 80. 

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, sscc said:

I will go for the LMG insurance policy with 200,000 B deductible too,  that medical check up is not required. 

 

Planning to submit my application and pay the annual premium online, if feasible.  

1/    Can the entire process be done electronically ?

2/   Roughly how much time is required from application to end with all documentation received and digital registration completed on the system ?    Anybody got actually experience on the time line ?

Hi @sscc,

I just did PM you a comprehensive guideline document on how to apply for the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) policy, which addresses your questions and also provides some tips & caveats when subscribing to it.

> In order to access your PM-messages just click the letter-icon next to your profile when logged in to the Forum

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

43 minutes ago, JusticeGB said:

I have yet to see any Thai company that will cover you beyond 75 years. I had Seven Corners, a Lloyds broker, for about 7,000 baht a month, that provided cover of $100k until 80. 

LMG will give you coverage up to 100 years old IF you start coverage between 41 and 75 years old .

Edited August 27, 2020 by Andrew Dwyer

[RangerF]

HNLDennis,

I just done my O-A extension recently with the cheapest LMG quote (OPD-40K/IPD-400K with 200K deductible) out of 14 insurance companies recognised and approved by IO.

 

You can indicate your coming new policy start and end date on the application forms, in conjunction with your current O-A extension expiry date in your passport.

Best to hand in completed forms and wait for the application approval. Original insurance certificate and policy takes 5-7 days to receive, 30 days before going to IO for your new extension. 

 

Hope my intel would help. 

[Peter Denis]

40 minutes ago, JusticeGB said:

I have yet to see any Thai company that will cover you beyond 75 years. I had Seven Corners, a Lloyds broker, for about 7,000 baht a month, that provided cover of $100k until 80. 

Hi @JusticeGB,

that UK policy might be useful when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa at the Thai Embassy in London.  But it implies that the insurer is willing to fill in and sign the Foreign Insurance Certificate that the Thai Embassy requires, stating that your (non-thai) policy meets the 400K/40K minimum coverage for in/out-patient care.  Such Foreign Insurance Certificate is required when making use of a non-thai IO-approved insurance policy to be in compliance with the now mandatory insurance when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa.

 

Unfortunately, when applying in-country at your local IO for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement your foreign insurance will NOT be accepted by IO.  They only accept thai IO-approved policies issued by TGIA associated insurers.  Since none of these thai insurers offers policies catering to applicants over 75 years of age, it will not be possible for you to meet that requirement when in that case.  Previously when borders were open, IOs suggested those in that situation to exit Thailand and return VisaExempt and then start the process to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement and subsequently apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on that new Non Imm O Visa.  The requirements/conditions when applying for the 1-year extension of stay based on a Non Imm O Visa or a Non Imm O-A Visa are exactly the same, but with the one difference that the Non Imm O Visa does NOT require that #$%^& health-insurance requirement.

But now with borders closed and over 75 years of age, it is not possible for applicants to meet that thai IO-approved insurance requirement, and therefor several IOs are currently not enforcing the health-insurance requirement during the Amnesty. 

 

[Max69xl]

On 8/26/2020 at 11:15 AM, JTXR said:

At your age, you will likely be required to do a check-up by any of the insurers listed as approved by the Thai government.  All the ones I contacted earlier this year (when I was 69) required a check-up.   These are the companies.  You can compare their rates.

https://longstay.tgia.org/home/companiesoa

Perhaps better to just be honest on the application as the policy will simply exclude coverage for those preexisting conditions anyway.

I think almost every insurance company wants a check-up at a clinic/hospital from the age of 66. That's for a new application. Like you said, it's better being honest when filling in the application. Existing or earlier problems will just be excluded. 

[Jumbo1968]

23 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi,

As already mentioned by some earlier posters in this thread, the dead-cheapest option to meet the mandatory IO-approved health-insurance requirement when applying for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement is

> the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) policy for an annual premium of 6.000 to 11.400 THB in the age categories of 51 till 75 years of age.  Additional advantage being that that policy does not require an (expensive) medical to subscribe to it.

Also even if you never would make a claim using that policy (you are already well-covered by your international insurance) you do not need to 'keep silent' about pre-existing conditions, as LMG would simply eliminate them from the coverage the policy would provide you, and it would not be a reason for refusing your application. 

For sure LMG is well aware that the ONLY reason someone would subscribe to that - otherwise totally worthless - policy, would be to meet the thai IO-approved insurance requirement for an O-A retirement extension.  And imo that was LMG's driver to create this policy in the first place, as it has only been launched somewhere in March.

 

>> I did PM you a Guideline document with tips & caveats on how to subcribe to that LMG Insurance policy (including how to address the tricky policy start-date, as welll as contact details of an english-speaking LMG rep to ensure subsribing to the policy would be a smooth process).

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

Could you message me with the details of the policy, does provide cover Covid ?

[ianezy0]

If cost is an issue with the Thai HI. You can take out a policy and have the maximum excess as immigration do not take excesses into account. For example, with Pacific Cross, you can get a 50% reduction with 350k excess.

[JusticeGB]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

Hi @JusticeGB,

that UK policy might be useful when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa at the Thai Embassy in London.  But it implies that the insurer is willing to fill in and sign the Foreign Insurance Certificate that the Thai Embassy requires, stating that your (non-thai) policy meets the 400K/40K minimum coverage for in/out-patient care.  Such Foreign Insurance Certificate is required when making use of a non-thai IO-approved insurance policy to be in compliance with the now mandatory insurance when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa.

 

Unfortunately, when applying in-country at your local IO for the 1-year extension of your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement your foreign insurance will NOT be accepted by IO.  They only accept thai IO-approved policies issued by TGIA associated insurers.  Since none of these thai insurers offers policies catering to applicants over 75 years of age, it will not be possible for you to meet that requirement when in that case.  Previously when borders were open, IOs suggested those in that situation to exit Thailand and return VisaExempt and then start the process to apply for a 90-day Non Imm O Visa for reason of retirement and subsequently apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on that new Non Imm O Visa.  The requirements/conditions when applying for the 1-year extension of stay based on a Non Imm O Visa or a Non Imm O-A Visa are exactly the same, but with the one difference that the Non Imm O Visa does NOT require that #$%^& health-insurance requirement.

But now with borders closed and over 75 years of age, it is not possible for applicants to meet that thai IO-approved insurance requirement, and therefor several IOs are currently not enforcing the health-insurance requirement during the Amnesty. 

 

Fortunately I have an Non O visa so that doesn't matter for me. I was unaware that the mafia Thai insurers had a monopoly on the insurance requirements for Visas. 

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Could you message me with the details of the policy, does provide cover Covid ?

The LMG Insurance policy does not provide the required 100.000 US $ coverage for covid.  That cheap LMG policy is only meant to meet the thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement when applying for the 1-year extension of your Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

There are other insurance policies that do cover covid-19 and meet that 100K US $ requirement.  But you only needs such policy when returning from abroad to Thailand, and it is part of a package of other requirements that need to be met (e.g. 14 days quarantaine on arrival, recent covid-free health-certificate, etc.).

>> I did PM you the LMG Insurance policy information, but you can delete that PM when you mistakenly considered it as an option to meet the covid-19 insurance requirement.

[Peter Denis]

2 hours ago, Max69xl said:

I think almost every insurance company wants a check-up at a clinic/hospital from the age of 66. That's for a new application. Like you said, it's better being honest when filling in the application. Existing or earlier problems will just be excluded. 

The LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) does NOT require a medical, as confirmed by applicants aged 75 years that subscribed to it.

But the Application Form is quite comprehensive and when ticking some of the pre-existing conditions on it, LMG will contact you and inform you that they will accept your application but will exclude the pre-existing conditions you ticked.

[Jumbo1968]

5 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

The LMG Insurance policy does not provide the required 100.000 US $ coverage for covid.  That cheap LMG policy is only meant to meet the thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement when applying for the 1-year extension of your Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.

There are other insurance policies that do cover covid-19 and meet that 100K US $ requirement.  But you only needs such policy when returning from abroad to Thailand, and it is part of a package of other requirements that need to be met (e.g. 14 days quarantaine on arrival, recent covid-free health-certificate, etc.).

>> I did PM you the LMG Insurance policy information, but you can delete that PM when you mistakenly considered it as an option to meet the covid-19 insurance requirement.

Thanks Peter, I might require the policy as and when I can return to Thailand.

[Peter Denis]

1 minute ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Thanks Peter, I might require the policy as and when I can return to Thailand.

Hi Jumbo,

When you are not in Thailand at the moment, you could apply for the Non Imm O-A Visa at the Thai Embassy / Consulate in your home-country. 

As you are probably aware already, since October 2019 applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa also requires meeting the thai health-insurance requirement.  However besides the cheap LMG Insurance policy to cover that requirement, you could also make use of the Foreign Insurance Certificate when you already have insurance that will cover you while in Thailand and meets the (ridiculously low) 400K/40K in/out patient coverage requirement.

>> I have PM-ed you another guideline document outlining how to meet that health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country.  Contrary to the popular narrative on the Forum, it is not difficult to meet that requirement (if you know how).