Tourists coming to Thailand - they must have enough funds to support themselves, says business leader

[BritManToo]

7 minutes ago, Poet said:

We show our insurance cert to the IO on arrival and get permission to stay until the date our insurance expires. For pensioners, as their insurance will be more expensive, get rid of the 800K requirement.

I don't want (or need) insurance.

No need for a hospital to spend any money on me, I'm OK with death.

I won't buy insurance, and if I can't stay here I'll default on my mortgage and move somewhere else.

 

Too many Thai bum kissers posting IMHO.

If Thai Airways isn't paying the 200 Billion bht it owes to foreigners, why are you so eager to suggest so many ways for the Thai authorities to extort foreigners visiting the country? If the Thai government won't pay it's debts, why should we?

Edited September 14, 2020 by BritManToo

[FritsSikkink]

25 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Doesn’t matter.  So few people here have even needed treatment that expensive insurance policies are obviously a cash grab from foreigners.

Back to the home country then.

[Timwin]

3 hours ago, Reigntax said:

With the number of buffalos i have fixed and cared for they should be opening their arms and be welcoming me. Im sure others are the same.

I have raised from the dead many times the same old buffalo! Just a bit of cash to them and wow! ????

[miamiman123]

I think quite a few foreigners especially tourists have been a financial burden to Thailand. No doubt is true. 

[Poet]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

I don't want (or need) insurance.

No need for a hospital to spend any money on me, I'm OK with death.

I watched my mother die this year. It was a horrifying experience for her. She was not overly attached to life but would have enjoyed another year or two.

I probably have roughly the same outlook as you on insurance, I don't feel I need it. I do recognize, though, that the state in which I choose to live may need me to have it.

We may regard death stoicly but who knows what state our minds will be in towards the end, how diminished we might be. The problem is that, as soon as someone changes his mind and pleads to live, society is more-or-less obliged to help us.

I accept that is unfair for the country to get stuck with that cost, so, on the whole I would rather buy insurance every year that covers any and all needs, than have to keep 800K in a bank, notionally to be dipped into once I become terminally ill, and which may not even cover all my costs.

 

[Enzian]

9 minutes ago, VBF said:

Hang on a minute......

The guy's dead, cremate him with a "basic" funeral!

Why keep a body lying around if nobody claims it?  I know that when I die I shan't give a stuff what happens to my body. It's like throwing away a used tissue (best burnt for hygiene) 

 

No one can take the body to a temple and cremate it without the right Thai paperwork filed with the right Thai authorities. At some point, soon I hope, the relative or the embassy will put in motion the means to resolve this, but it's not going to be simple. I don't think this will end up being left to the hospital, but we'll see. And of course the hospital will want their money before letting it go, it's like they're holding it for ransom, but I'm not saying anything to disparage them.

[Bassosa]

1 minute ago, miamiman123 said:

I think quite a few foreigners especially tourists have been a financial burden to Thailand. No doubt is true. 

Question: Is it just Thailand that suffers from this, or do other countries also have the odd "problem visitor"?

[Sheryl]

28 minutes ago, zyphodb said:

So, Sheryl, how much money do you think that these "many" foreigners becoming a burden, has cost Thailand, compared to the untold billions that foreigners have brought to the country in the last 30 years or so? also how is this any different to all the other tourist countries who don't seem to have the same xenophobic reactions to the tourists that enrich their economies as Thailand does? 

 

Again, I am not saying that the net result is s loss. But there are individuals who cause a loss and there is no reason why Thailand should not put in place measures to reduce that from happening especially when thinking of issuing long stay tourist visas.

 

Thailand is not the only country where this is an issue/concern. There are other countries which require proof of insurance to get a tourist visa and some also  look at your overall financial resources before issuing one.

[Straight8]

2 hours ago, ThomasThBKK said:

  

 

Disagree, all economic data points in the exact opposite direction.

You cannot judge the situation on a single failed broke begpacker or a broke retiree that can't pay his hospital bills - you HAVE to look at the net off all tourists coming here and on AVERAGE spend way more money then they cost thailand.

 

Tourism is 20% of the GDP for a reason, and that's the only thing that matters here. One guy not paying his hospital bill is so absolutely irrelevant for the economy as he will ALWAYS be outnumbers by 10 guys paying their hospital bills. 

There's always bad apples, no matter where people come from and they will always be outnumbered by paying guests.

The damage to the economy is so absolutely minimal that a bunch of non-paying guests can cause and absolutely outnumbered by the benefits the rest of tourists are bringing.

 

This is just the usual thai blame game...  

 

 

 

Now that would require some logic and common sense, none of which the Thais in power possess.

 

[Poet]

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Too many Thai bum kissers posting IMHO.

If Thai Airways isn't paying the 200 Billion bht it owes to foreigners, why are you so eager to suggest so many ways for the Thai authorities to extort foreigners visiting the country? If the Thai government won't pay it's debts, why should we?

I only just saw your edit of your post.

Definitely the first time I've been described as a Thai bum kisser.

I am not suggesting that we pay any debts that are not ours. I am accepting that requiring us to arrange our own insurance would be a fairly reasonable requirement if we accept that, as we age, we all require more medical assistance of various kinds. I would prefer that to having to buy a policy from a specific Thai company, or the current arrangement of keeping 800k uselessly sitting in a Thai bank.

Thai Airways debts have nothing to do with me and my personal responsibility to cover my own costs.

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Poet

[tomacht8]

Tourists coming to Thailand - they must have enough funds to support themselves, says business leader.

 

The headline is unbelievable.
Reads like tourists robbed Thailand in the past.
Strange.
Now that tourists have not been able to enter the country since months, are the Thais doing better in the tourism sector?
I only wonder then about the millions of unemployed Thais from the tourism sector who now have no income.

[ThomasThBKK]

8 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Again, I am not saying that the net result is s loss. But there are individuals who cause a loss and there is no reason why Thailand should not put in place measures to reduce that from happening especially when thinking of issuing long stay tourist visas.

 

Thailand is not the only country where this is an issue/concern. There are other countries which require proof of insurance to get a tourist visa and some also  look at your overall financial resources before issuing one.

So does thailand??

 

You need health insurance and like 8k euro in a bank account for a METV in germany, bit less for SETV. 

[Destiny1990]

Glad they will finally make an end to all these fake holiday makers just coming here to hold out their hands????.

[Enzian]

To Poet, post #100: But here's this: not hard for me to keep the 800K on ice in a Thai bank, but as an 80 yr old, even with no pre-existing conditions to speak of in my case, what would I have to pay for an insurance policy that would satisfy this government? I have assets, my son is on top of things from the US daily, I can self-insure. That's my preference at this point.

[surfinglife]

4 hours ago, Airalee said:

I’d be curious to know exactly how much the hospital bills have been for the Thais that have been hospitalized here for coronavirus, and if it even comes close to the US$100,000 coverage that they require foreigners to carry.

 

The ฿400,000-800,000 insurance requirement to extend my “retirement visa” now basically jumps to a ฿5,000,000 policy requirement (The ฿3,000,000 pacific prime policy won’t be sufficient according to my insurance agent) if I, as a retiree, ever want to leave and then reenter Thailand for any reason.

My hospital bill for COVID treatment was 600,000 Baht 

[owl sees all]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Unfortunately yes, many cases of foreigners becoming a burden in Thailand, especially (but not only) as regards hospital bills

Far outweighed by those that come to Thailand and spend their dosh.

 

'A burden on Thailand'; just a sick joke.

[uli65]

many nonsense postings about hospital bills, the problem about this are not the bad dirty tourists or expats,

this is about the millions of migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia who never payed their bills.

 

[ThomasThBKK]

2 minutes ago, uli65 said:

many nonsense postings about hospital bills, the problem about this are not the bad dirty tourists or expats,

this is about the millions of migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia who never payed their bills.

 

Who are all insured under the 30 baht sheme, if they never paid their bills then because their THAI employes didn't pay their insurance? 

 

 

Pretty much all Thai problems are Thai made.

[vandeventer]

Why do you hate us so much? The vast majority of Thais like or love us That's Why we Are Here.These rules are for who?Do you really think Tourist are going to put 800,000 in the bank here for the time they are here.The virus is making people lose their jobs and yet you seem to think everybody has plenty of money to come and visit Thailand with these crazy rules.

[Airalee]

9 minutes ago, surfinglife said:

My hospital bill for COVID treatment was 600,000 Baht 

Which hospital?  What exactly was your treatment?  Can you itemize that 600k out for me?

[samsensam]

 

this nanny state, holier than thou, approach may work with the local population but it's not going to wash with tourists. someone in the room needs to call for a reality check.

[surfinglife]

2 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Which hospital?  What exactly was your treatment?  Can you itemize that 600k out for me?

Never saw the final bill, insurance paid it. Bangkok Hospital, 30 pills a day, a few drips, nothing major.

[zyphodb]

29 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Again, I am not saying that the net result is s loss. But there are individuals who cause a loss and there is no reason why Thailand should not put in place measures to reduce that from happening especially when thinking of issuing long stay tourist visas.

 

Thailand is not the only country where this is an issue/concern. There are other countries which require proof of insurance to get a tourist visa and some also  look at your overall financial resources before issuing one.

Agreed Sheryl, but maybe those other countries that require resource checks for tourist visas aren't as dependent on the tourist Dollar as Thailand is...

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by zyphodb

[Scot123]

4 hours ago, twocatsmac said:

The “go fund me” crowd without adequate insurance have received extensive coverage in the Thai press. 

Whether or not they were a burden, who knows but it’s imprinted in their skulls that we’re milking them.

It's very much Thai mentality and greed. Not even seeing the governments open 3 or 4 tier pricing scam. A country with  a government who advertises scamming.  There have been so many exaggerated hospital claims of unpaid Bill's which every single expat knows who has used a hospital knows is rubbish.  First before they look at you they want a credit card. Then there is the fact try leaving the country with a bill. 

[British Bulldog]

Tourists coming to Thailand - they must have enough funds to support themselves, says business leader

With a Title like that, if any tourist saw the title alone, it would be an insult to most ... they'd say, stuff that Jack, lets go elsewhere !

[zyphodb]

3 hours ago, Poet said:

Would you mind me asking, how old was this guy?

I would imagine that most of those who die in hospital would be here on retirement, so, there is notionally 800,000 to be recovered right there, and possibly a house or condo too.

If it is the case that some of these deaths are young folks, possibly here on a work visa, education visa, or perhaps even tourists, well, okay, I'll reluctantly admit that there is some argument for insisting that everyone be insured. Before they put an additional burning tire on the neck of their tourist industry, however, they should be absolutely certain that this genuinely is a problem big enough to be worth crippling that income.

In fact, I would argue that, at the same time as introducing an insurance requirement, they should balance it out by getting rid of all short-term visas (tourism, education, volunteer, medical etc) and simply have an up to one year visa waiver for all countries eligible for the current visa waiver. You present your insurance cert, from any credible insurance company, and the IO stamps you in until the final date of your coverage. In a sense, your insurance becomes your visa.

 

I don't think immigration would be happy with that, what in it for them?

[rott]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

Unfortunately yes, many cases of foreigners becoming a burden in Thailand, especially (but not only) as regards hospital bills

 

No, the details have not been released and probably not yet even worked out.

 

If history is any guide they will be very convoluted, poorly explained, subject to varying interpretations and very hard to implement.  A similar scheme to allow medical tourism to resume that was supposed to be in effect in July is still largely dysfunctional.

 

 

Come on Sheryl please define "many". In the context of the number of foreigner here, what percentage are a financial burden.?In the context of total money spent by foreigners what percentage of that do these burdens (yes that Is what they are) cost.?

And in comparison with other countries does Thailand have a bigger than average problem.? 

[Jimbo2014]

Its a great time to make those hurdles for tourism higher.  Keep raising them!!

 

[Tchooptip]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Private hospitals yes (but even there, bills can mount up and exceed what was originally verified, and be impossible  to recoup - especially if the patient dies. I personally know someone living here who fled the country to avoid arrest for an unpaid bill at a large private hospital - his insurance had paid some but not all and he couldn't come up with the more than 1 million unpaid balance.

 

Government hospitals have no choice but to admit in an emergency  even without any sort of payment guarantee. The govt hosp in Phuket in particular has lost a lot of money over the years on unpaid bills for expats. This is what led to the (very badly designed) mandatory insurance provision for O-A visas.

 

But with the mandatory insurance requirement this should not be a problem as long as the insurance is valid for the whole duration of stay.

 

There has been talk for years of setting up some sort of simple, government run insurance scheme for tourists  and it was starting to look like it might actually come to pass but then COVID crisis intervened.

 

Other than hospital bills, shiort stay tourists are not usually a problem in terms of burden but issues occur regularly with resident expats growing old, being unable to care for themselves anymore/pay their rent etc. Usually end in deportation but often with outstanding bills left behind and having to hit up relatives back home to pay for the return flight.

 

But if they start giving tourist visas that can extend to 270 days, they will start getting people who are not real tourists but rather seeking to live here and from experience not all of them will have planned realistically for costs, and some will plan on working illegally.

 

It's not an unrealistic concern.

 

Now whether measures put in place for such visas will be appropriate and practical, is a whole other question and my bet would be no.

What I would like to see is two columns of figures, on the one hand the money brought in by millions of tourists per year and on the other the sums lost by the examples you gave. And if we had to give an example of those figures, it would not be a half empty glass and a half full glass, but  a full glass and a glass with a few drops in the bottom.

No business in the world is immune to what we call profit and loss.

[Ketyo]

When a country is rich enough that the authorities have some capacity to do stuff.

 

But the people in charge were educated 40 years ago when it was a poor country and schools were no more than day care centres where kids learned next to nothing.

 

You get a situation of incompetent government with the capacity to do incompetent things.

 

This is Thailand.

 

It should be somewhat better when today's Youth take over government eventually..  unless the generals ruin the country first.

Edited September 14, 2020 by Ketyo