Best company for Health Insurance for OA long stay Visa?

[Bodger22]

Hi

 

Apologies if there is already a thread for this but I couldnt find it!

 

This month I have to do my fourth renewal of my O-A Visa for Retirement, but I have been told I now need Health Insurance.

 

I see there are 14 official companies offering Health Insurance.

 

Can anyone provide any recommendations to help me select which one?

 

It doesnt have to be the cheapest but just overall best value and service for processing claims.

 

Thank You

[Bodger22]

Im just looking for recommendations or experiences with any of the companies that officially offer health insurance for O-A Visa. 

If you have taken out this insurance which company did you use and why?

[DrJack54]

@Peter Denis

This guy can help. He will be along at some point.

Edited September 8, 2020 by DrJack54

[OJAS]

You might like to take a read of this thread on the Health & Medicine forum:-

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1128396-cheat-sheet-for-longstay-insurance-policies

 

@Sheryl is the "ubonjoe" of that particular forum and may have additional comments on your specific queries.

 

I have personally opted for a Pacific Cross policy mainly on the grounds that it offered better value than the standard 400k/40k "rip-off" policies offered by other insurers - and, indeed, by Pacific Cross themselves!

 

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by OJAS

[Sheryl]

I gather you want meaningful cover.

 

How old are you?  As this may significantly reduce your optoons.

 

Do you want/can you afford a deductible? 

 

 

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, Bodger22 said:

Can anyone provide any recommendations to help me select which one?

It doesn't have to be the cheapest but just overall best value and service for processing claims.

Hi, a policy that meets this mandatory thai IO-approved health-insurance requirement is only available from some TGIA-associated insurers. 

Compared with the coverage a foreign/international insurer would provide, these thai IO-approved policies are very expensive for the low coverage they provide.

In case you do not have such a foreign/international insurance (or a travel-insurance policy that includes health-insurance) and do want a policy that does both meet the Non Imm O-A retirement extension requirement, as well as provide you with decent coverage, the only policies worth considering are those offered by Pacific Cross.

But be aware that subscribing to such a policy will cost you at least 5 to 10 times more than subscribing to the cheapest possible policy, and that it will also require a mandatory medical to subscribe to it.

The cheapest possible Non Imm O-A retirement extension compliant policy, is the LMG Insurance Plan 1 (with 200K deductible) which sells at an annual premium of 6.000 to 11.400 THB in the age brackets of 51 to 75 years of age.  And that policy does NOT require a medical to subscribe to it.

Obviously the coverage provided by that policy is as good as worthless, and the ONLY reason to subscribe to it is that it meets the IO health-insurance requirement at the lowest cost.

And the money saved by subscribing to that bogus paper-insurance, can then be used to subscribe to REAL health-insurance which will cover you in case of catastrophic illness/accident.

>> I PM-ed you a comprehensive guideline on how to subscribe to that LMG Insurance policy, including tips & caveats when doing so.

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

Edited September 8, 2020 by Peter Denis

[Sheryl]

Peter from what he says he wants "real" coverage not the cheapest throw away policy.

 

That would suggest something different than the high deductible LMG option.

 

Aetna and April Thailand (the latter is not on the list but underwritten by LMG and LMG will issue the needed letter) are best in terms of real cover but depends on his not being might  past their cut off age for new enrollment.  If he is then one of the higher end Pacific Cross policoes.

[Peter Denis]

3 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Peter from what he says he wants "real" coverage not the cheapest throw away policy.

 

That would suggest something different than the high deductible LMG option.

 

Aetna and April Thailand (the latter is not on the list but underwritten by LMG and LMG will issue the needed letter) are best in terms of real cover but depends on his not being might  past their cut off age for new enrollment.  If he is then one of the higher end Pacific Cross policoes.

Hi Sheryl,

I agree with what you wrote.

But still the cheapest LMG Insurance might be an option for him, as it provides him with the opportunity to not limit his search to IO-approved policies issued by TGIA-associated insurers, and possibly opt for a foreing/international (or thai) insurance policy that fully meets his health-care needs.

Of course if one of the TGIA insurers does offer such a policy which is ALSO accepted by IO for the retirement extension of his Non Imm O-A Visa, that would obviously be his best choice.

[Bodger22]

Thanks very much to everyone for the replies so far, especially to Peter. 

 

Im 55.

 

I can afford the deductible if it makes sense financially i.e. depending on the amout of coverage.

 

It seems that I can go for just the very basic cheapest which as stated is pretty much worthless but will get the visa approved.

 

Or I can go with a "proper" policy with some real coverage. If the latter then Pacific Cross seems to be the one.

 

But any additional information is much appreciated.

[Peter Denis]

2 minutes ago, Bodger22 said:

Thanks very much to everyone for the replies so far, especially to Peter. 

 

Im 55.

 

I can afford the deductible if it makes sense financially i.e. depending on the amout of coverage.

 

It seems that I can go for just the very basic cheapest which as stated is pretty much worthless but will get the visa approved.

 

Or I can go with a "proper" policy with some real coverage. If the latter then Pacific Cross seems to be the one.

 

But any additional information is much appreciated.

In case you go for a combi-policy that both meets the IO-requirement AND does provide some decent coverage, then - as Sheryl wrote - Aetna and April Thailand (the latter is not on the list but underwritten by LMG and LMG will issue the needed letter) are best in terms of real coverage for your age-category.

But obviously these latter policies will be much more expensive than the 'throw-away' LMG Insurance policy, and there might be foreign/international policies available which provide a better deal than those IO-approved policies to cover your REAL health-insurance needs in case of catastrophic incident/illness. 

 

[Sheryl]

At 55 and not already insured I don't think getting two sepatate pilucies makes sense.

 

I think April Thailand would best meet your needs. I suggest to go through a broker suggest as AA (ww.aainsure.net)

I use Jenny there who is great  <[email protected]>

Make sure to tell them you need to meet O-A insurance requirement  Ask specifically if you can get the needed certificate from LMG if you get April Thailand policy; I had heard yes but that is a while back. If not then ask about Aetna. Of the two April is much preferred. But Aetna is not too bad.

[Peter Denis]

9 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

At 55 and not already insured I don't think getting two separate policies makes sense.

...

Of course I agree with you.

But the main reason Non Imm O-A Visa holders are now subscribing to the LMG Insurance policy, is that with borders closed they are not able to do a quick border-run, and on return Visa Exenpt then apply for the 90-day Non Imm O Visa and subsequent 1-year extension of stay.

Doing so they will not be confronted anymore with this IO-imposed health-insurance requirement.  So subscribing to that LMG Insurance policy is only a temporary thing, and once the borders are open again, they can simply get rid of this IO-required health-insurance by switching to a Non Imm O Visa and subsequent 1-year extension of stay.

I don't think it makes sense to limit your health-insurance policy choices with this IO requirement.

 

[Bodger22]

Thanks very much Sheryl and Dennis.

 

Ive got some homework to do ????

 

Your help is much appreciated.

[Bodger22]

One more question!

 

My actual visa renewal is 22 October 2020.

 

Is there an issue if the health insurance doesnt coincide with this date?

 

i.e. if I take out the insurance this month it will expire before the visa ends next year.

 

Can I make the health insurance start on the 22 October to make it coincide?

 

Any suggestions?

[Peter Denis]

2 minutes ago, Bodger22 said:

One more question!

 

My actual visa renewal is 22 October 2020.

 

Is there an issue if the health insurance doesnt coincide with this date?

 

i.e. if I take out the insurance this month it will expire before the visa ends next year.

 

Can I make the health insurance start on the 22 October to make it coincide?

 

Any suggestions?

Hi Bodger,

That question has been answered in extenso in the Guideline Document I sent you earlier.

But basically it depends on what your local IO requires (and as usual there is no consistency in how different IOs handle this(.

>> I PM-ed you a comprehensive guideline on how to subscribe to that LMG Insurance policy, including tips & caveats when doing so.

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

[mfd101]

Here's my current experience, setup still mid-stream:

 

My OA-derived renewal of stay (retirement) comes up on 10 Oct. I plan to do the renewal on 8 Oct at Kap Choeng (Surin) in case of any problems (not expected).

 

I decided on Pacific Cross for the health insurance as I'm 71 & healthy but currently with no health cover. I decided it was time to fix that. PC offer real insurance & various options. I'm going for a 3million cover + 60K or so outpatient, with 40,000฿ deductible (which means I pay the 1st 40K in any year). Premium - still to be fixed following my multiple-tests checkup last Friday - will be around 110K฿. It comes with annual deductions (10%, 15% etc) with no claims (which I will certainly be aiming for ... but at 71 there's no certainty to that). The 5760฿ checkup cost at Ruempaet Private H will be refunded by PC [up to 7500฿ max].

 

Currently awaiting PC consideration of my checkup results (multiple pages forwarded to them digitally in BKK). So far so relieved.

 

PS: I have asked for the insurance, assuming approved, to be effective from 10 Oct to 9 Oct.

Edited September 8, 2020 by mfd101

[KeeTua]

33 minutes ago, Bodger22 said:

One more question!

My actual visa renewal is 22 October 2020.

Is there an issue if the health insurance doesnt coincide with this date?

i.e. if I take out the insurance this month it will expire before the visa ends next year.

Can I make the health insurance start on the 22 October to make it coincide?

Any suggestions?

Pacific Cross is very much up to speed on the O-A visa Immigration requirement. I used AA brokers as mentioned by Sheryl and they requested a copy of my O-A visa and the current permission to stay until stamp. Pacific Cross then provided the policy based on that date the new policy began at 00.01 hours the day my previous extension was to expire. They give you a certificate to provide to Immigration and they enter your details into the Immigration database for O-A insurance compliance. All nice and tidy.

[OJAS]

22 hours ago, Bodger22 said:

Thanks very much to everyone for the replies so far, especially to Peter. 

 

Im 55.

 

I can afford the deductible if it makes sense financially i.e. depending on the amout of coverage.

 

It seems that I can go for just the very basic cheapest which as stated is pretty much worthless but will get the visa approved.

 

Or I can go with a "proper" policy with some real coverage. If the latter then Pacific Cross seems to be the one.

 

But any additional information is much appreciated.

Just beware, though, that, if you're minded to subscribe a higher-end Pacific Cross policy, your premium payments will escalate in real terms as you pass through an age band every 5 years (and this escalation will be over and above annual inflation-related increases) - see attached tables. IMHO premium affordability in the long-term is at least an important (if not more so) consideration as policy coverage. There would, I think, be little point in subscribing to a particular policy now if, at some point in the future, you run the risk of being faced with a premium demand which you will not be able to afford - and by which time you may be too old to subscribe to an alternative policy.

 

Maxima & Ultima.pdf Standard & Premier.pdf

[Sheryl]

14 minutes ago, OJAS said:

Just beware, though, that, if you're minded to subscribe a higher-end Pacific Cross policy, your premium payments will escalate in real terms as you pass through an age band every 5 years (and this escalation will be over and above annual inflation-related increases) - see attached tables. IMHO premium affordability in the long-term is at least an important (if not more so) consideration as policy coverage. There would, I think, be little point in subscribing to a particular policy now if, at some point in the future, you run the risk of being faced with a premium demand which you will not be able to afford - and by which time you may be too old to subscribe to an alternative policy.

 

Maxima & Ultima.pdf 88.92 kB · 0 downloads Standard & Premier.pdf 83.17 kB · 0 downloads

 

On the other hand, NOW is the time to get insured, while he still can. If he waits until he is older he may be unable to get a policy due to pre-exisitng conditions.  A lot of TV members make this mistake and come to bitterly regret it.

 

All insurers raise rates with age, and there is a good reason for this. It is because the likelihood of a claim (and the value of claims) rises with age. You pay more but you will also  likely use the insurance more.

 

Certainly one should look at what rates at later ages are like in making a selection of insurer as some go up higher than others. However, someone who is going to be unable to afford premiums at a later age (which we have no reason to assume is true of OP) will also usually not be able to put aside enough money to self insure.

 

A more important consideration IMO is whether the in surer increases premiums on an individual basis (independent of age) based on claims history. Unfortunately Thai insurance regulations allow this. However, April Thailand is "community rated" and historically has never done this, a main reason why I suggest them as first choice assuming they can provide a certificate from LMG that meets O-A requirement.