Retirement extension the NON O you get in Thailand does not seem to require health insurance/expat insurance to renew extension. However if we leave Thailand on a re-entry and return I assume you would need to have this heath/expat insurance to cover the entire stay on the extension. As I assume you would have to show proof of this insurance at immigration on arrival or may be even before we leave, any views on this?

speculation

You may be confusing 2 different things.

 

Health insurance (general policy, at least 400K in coverage) is required to get an O-A visa or to do an extension of stay based on one. It is checked for when you apply for the visa or the extension and you will not receive unless you have it. For in country extensions, the insurance further has to be from one of 13 specific  Thailand based companies.

 

There is no such requirement for a non-O visa.

 

There is a separate  requirement that anyone, regardless of visa type,  entering Thailand at this time have health insurance specific to (or including) COVID in the amount of $100,000; it does nto have to be from any specific compnay but must clearly cover you in Thailand and cover COVID.  That is a separate thing and specific to the COVID pandemic. It is checked for before an Embassy abroad will issue you a Certificate of Entry (another temporary requirement due to COVID), without which you cannot enter Thailand.

 

Two entirely different things. The second will presumably vanish once things normalize. And it is but one of many, many hoops you would encounter in trying to re-enter should you leave Thailand at this time....if indeed you succeeded at all.

As long as you have a valid visa O or applying for one, there is no health insurance requirement tied to that visa....

 

completely different for O-A visa..... 

you know what they say about assume..