Health Insurance For 66 year Old Expat

[dsfbrit]

Hi There,

 

I am 66 years old. I am a retired English expat who has been here 17 years.

 

I have self funded my health care since I have been here.

 

There is some mention of the Thai government wanting to get expats to take out medical insurance cover.

 

Yes I know it is not decided yet, but I thought I would have a search around to find out what sort of cover I could get and what it would cost.

 

My initial search on this subject came back with so many companies and options that I almost gave up - too much information.

 

I am hoping that someone in a similar age group to me could possibly point me in the direction of an insurance company in Thailand that is fairly reputable and offers a full service of health care for people of my age group.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

[Mahseer]

I have 2 years on you and presently looking at Pacific Cross. Full medical will be required prior to acceptance and have been informed premium cost will only be revealed once medical has been reviewed.
 

I have all the forms on hand if you require PM me an e mail address.

[dsfbrit]

Thanks Mahseer, much appreciated.

I will pop across to their webstie rather than take up your time sending me stuff.

Thanks again

 

 

[CGW]

53 minutes ago, dsfbrit said:

 

I am hoping that someone in a similar age group to me could possibly point me in the direction of an insurance company in Thailand that is fairly reputable and offers a full service of health care for people of my age group.

65, my insurance is 70k a year, i use a broker, PM if you want details.

[Sheryl]

You do not need a company in Thailand to be covered in Thailand and there are advantages to getting a policy from a company headquartered in a Western country. Among other things they will not be allowed to raise your rates based on a change in health status or claim history, whereas all the Thai companies are (weak regulatory environment).

 

Taking your age into account your choices are not all that large as many companies will nto issue a new policy after age 65.  You should go through a broker with experience in expat insurance in Thailand, they will assemble all the info for you in easy to compare chart form, and also help afterwards with claims if needed. I recommend AA  www.aainsure.net

 

 

[dsfbrit]

Thanks for reply CGW.

After reading Sheryl's reply as well I think I will go via a broker as you suggest.

[dsfbrit]

Sheryl, thanks very much for the reply.

Funnily enough I have my car insurance through AAInsure, so I may as well contact them and see what they have to recommend.

[rak sa_ngop]

I am 66 years old and with a UK company (William Russel). I started with them 15  years ago when the premium was an affordable 900 pounds a year for in-patient cover with 1000 GBP excess.  Fast forward to a year ago when the premium increased from 2954 to 4322 GBP, and this year it has gone up further to 4986 GBP which represents a 69 pc increase over 2 years. So in six years I could be looking at 10,000 GBP a year and by the age of 80 it will be 20,000+.

 

Clearly continuing with this policy is not sustainable if I wish to stay in Thailand for another 20 years (my father lived until 95 and my uncle until 107). At some point I will have to return to the UK for free NHS treatment, or stay in Thailand and self fund my health needs.

 

However I have just had my annual medical and basically have no pre existing conditions so I am 'free' to switch companies. I am currently looking at alternative non-Thai companies that could offer a reasonable level of cover for the SE Asia region. Hopefully I will be able to find one.

[Keyser Soze666]

As said above contact aainsure in Pattaya. They will suggest a French company called April insurance who insure up to the age of 70..about 80k baht a year inpatient only for 500k usd per year cover. No medical required.

Edited September 17, 2020 by Keyser Soze666

[rumak]

On 9/17/2020 at 1:08 PM, rak sa_ngop said:

when the premium was an affordable 900 pounds a year for in-patient cover with 1000 GBP excess.  Fast forward to a year ago when the premium increased from 2954 to 4322 GBP, and this year it has gone up further to 4986 GBP which represents a 69 pc increase over 2 years.

I self insure.   Which for those of you who like to question what that means ( even though it is self explanatory) .....   I pay for my own medical care.  

 

Arguing with people who swear you HAVE to have insurance is useless.   I will not put up with a system that can raise prices whenever they like,   and in many many cases you have to fight to get them to honor the policy.

 

I have been stress free and premium free for 40 years.   My insurance is taking care of my health. 

Has worked splendidly for me for all these years.    

Edited September 20, 2020 by rumak

[Sheryl]

12 hours ago, rumak said:

I self insure.   Which for those of you who like to question what that means ( even though it is self explanatory) .....   I pay for my own medical care.  

 

 

 

That is not what it means.  Uninsured people also pay for their own health care (for that matter, most insured people pay for outpatient care).

 

Self-insured means you have sufficient funds set aside to be able to suddenly pay for even a catastrophic illness or accident. 3-4 million is the minimum for that if using private hospitals, at least 1 million if using government facilities.

 

And, you are either able to replenish it or you have a clear plan what you will do after it is spent.

[rumak]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

That is not what it means.  Uninsured people also pay for their own health care (for that matter, most insured people pay for outpatient care).

 

Self-insured means you have sufficient funds set aside to be able to suddenly pay for even a catastrophic illness or accident. 3-4 million is the minimum for that if using private hospitals, at least 1 million if using government facilities.

 

And, you are either able to replenish it or you have a clear plan what you will do after it is spent.

well,  i have deleted my long answer .   I realize that once you have your mind set on something it is no use to offer other opinions.  this is  of course the common theme of people on forums.    Thank you for telling me what my use of self insured means to you.   Now you can see if Wikipedia will agree to change their definition which seems to agree more with my use of it.:

Self-insurance is a situation in which a person or business does not take out any third-party insurance, but rather a business that is liable for some risk, such as health costs, chooses to bear the risk itself rather than take out insurance through an insurance company.

 

"chooses to bear the risk itself rather than take out insurance through an insurance company."      AND, that means they will pay the cost of any medical care by  them self.  

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by rumak

[simon43]

On 9/17/2020 at 1:22 PM, Keyser Soze666 said:

As said above contact aainsure in Pattaya. They will suggest a French company called April insurance who insure up to the age of 70..about 80k baht a year inpatient only for 500k usd per year cover. No medical required.

Just in case the above isn't clear, Keyser means that they will accept insurance applications from people up to age 70 years old.  Having accepted your cover, you remain insured for the rest of your days, so long as you pay the premium!  (IE - the insurer can't 'drop' you at a later date when you're really old and have various health conditions that require you to claim on your insurance).  I am insured with April and so far, have been happy with their customer service, (no claims and I hope never to need to make a claim..... just like fire insurance!).

[rumak]

1 hour ago, simon43 said:

.  Having accepted your cover, you remain insured for the rest of your days, so long as you pay the premium! 

Well,  that seems like such a nice deal.    So, uhhhhh ............... does the customer have any say in what

the premium ( great use of the word) will be ?

 

Maybe that nice company will negotiate something reasonable..... like maximum 2 percent increase every three years ?         One poster has already said his insurance company raised it 69 percent over the last 2 years !!!    

 

I self insure.    Never an increase in premiums !!!    and i am a happy man.   i am dealing with a very compassionate insurer.

[izod10]

Earlier on in another thread  Guy joined at around 57 or so years old, a UK insurer  Prime,caught cancer shortly after,relates to how lucky he was at the time. Had the op 3 million,lung taken out,sure as night follows day it came back another 2 million for further op,by the time he gave insurance up,just a waste of money here in Thailand up,( 5/6 years or so) he must be lighter than 34000 gbp or so  

  did follow as much as I could the costings,as with cancer its selective and elective. the last op 2 million ) he could have had it done in India  2 hours away for 50 000 baht,plus another load of treatment at a fraction of Thailand's,  free in UK  ,that is where he eventually ended up,no doubt dead now

 

His ins company informed him that aftercare was severely limited in scope and costings which decided it for him

Edited September 21, 2020 by izod10

[izod10]

On 9/17/2020 at 1:22 PM, Keyser Soze666 said:

As said above contact aainsure in Pattaya. They will suggest a French company called April insurance who insure up to the age of 70..about 80k baht a year inpatient only for 500k usd per year cover. No medical required.

Depends how much cover you have bought,not very much Id say. The guy earlier I quoted was paying 100 quid a week latterly, . The private hospitals will empty your insured pot in half an hour if  paying a small amount

[Sheryl]

2 minutes ago, izod10 said:

Depends how much cover you have bought,not very much Id say. The guy earlier I quoted was paying 100 quid a week latterly, . The private hospitals will empty your insured pot in half an hour if  paying a small amount

April insures for 1 million US  the premium prior poster mentioned is age foecific.

 

But as far as I know the cut off age for application to April is 65 not 70.

 

AA brokers can advise better and will provide details of multiple insurers not just one.

[Mahseer]

Cut off is 'before 71st birthday'. That is for the April International package. April My Health Thailand is before 66th. 

Edited September 21, 2020 by Mahseer

[Keyser Soze666]

4 hours ago, izod10 said:

Depends how much cover you have bought,not very much Id say. 

Can you actually read??

[simon43]

11 hours ago, rumak said:

Well,  that seems like such a nice deal.    So, uhhhhh ............... does the customer have any say in what

the premium ( great use of the word) will be ?

 

Maybe that nice company will negotiate something reasonable..... like maximum 2 percent increase every three years ?         One poster has already said his insurance company raised it 69 percent over the last 2 years !!!    

 

I self insure.    Never an increase in premiums !!!    and i am a happy man.   i am dealing with a very compassionate insurer.

Rumak, as you no doubt are aware, premiums typically rise (never fall!) in age bands, based on the increased risk as one gets older.  Prior to taking out this policy, the company provided me with estimates of premium increases for these age bands, based on previous years.  I'm realistic to understand that premium increases will likely be more than their estimates..... 

 

However, based on my $200 premium a month at age 62 for $1 million cover, I'm OK with that.  If it rises to $1,000 a month when I'm really old, then I'm still OK with that.  Unlike you, I have no deep pockets to pay for medical treatment, and paying a lowish premium for medical cover is my only viable solution

[izod10]

21 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

That is not what it means.  Uninsured people also pay for their own health care (for that matter, most insured people pay for outpatient care).

 

Self-insured means you have sufficient funds set aside to be able to suddenly pay for even a catastrophic illness or accident. 3-4 million is the minimum for that if using private hospitals, at least 1 million if using government facilities.

 

And, you are either able to replenish it or you have a clear plan what you will do after it is spent.

Yes ,the in-treatment  from past quotes usually refers to cancer treatment,which yes is a cause of concern to finances (here in Thailand) but other choices are there,go back to UK,or India.   The guy who clocked up close on 5 million through two cancer operations  (in -patient),one whipple was a total disaster (to him) no after care,none  34000 pounds wasted,ended up back in UK

 Max he would have paid I estimate 100.000 baht in India and far better and after care,inc chemo

 

   Even with ins there is no repatriation scheme,the ins pot will run dry quite quickly

[rumak]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

However, based on my $200 premium a month at age 62 for $1 million cover, I'm OK with that.  If it rises to $1,000 a month when I'm really old, then I'm still OK with that.  Unlike you, I have no deep pockets to pay for medical treatment, and paying a lowish premium for medical cover is my only viable solution

Thanks for presenting your position in a rational manner.   No fear mongering, no preaching, just an explanation of your choice.    Your premium now comes to about 75K baht per year.  No doubt there are some restrictions,  some deductibles, and many clauses in the "contract" .   They give you the rules, you agree or forget it.   I never did like those type of contracts  ???? 

But,  hopefully you have a company that will not screw you..... as has happened to many consumers.

 

More important to me, and i think you have previously stated that you take care of your health, is the ability to enjoy life while accepting some semblance of responsibility for maintaining ones body :

the old prevention rather than cure philosophy practiced, from what i observe, by about 5 % of humanity.

 

Two of my friends in my age bracket, one has had major bypass surgery ( at Ram,  for about 400k baht)..... another more recently a stay in KK hospital and pace maker installed .  Cost 150 k baht.

The only "millions of baht" cost here in Thailand would be for something catastrophic, requiring long term intensive care.   I know lots of guys here, over my 30 years, and not one of them is in that category.  And i certainly am not going to live fearing that COULD be my case any more than I am afraid to drive or walk across the street .  

 

I have savings,  enough to cover me for any imaginable medical need, here in Thailand.  If I lived in US, no way.   Deep pockets , no,   Common sense and saving (knowing i would not have a pension)..YES.

 

Stay well.   Thanks for your input

[izod10]

9 hours ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

Can you actually read??

Its not the reading,its your comprehension

[essox essox]

On 9/16/2020 at 12:41 PM, Mahseer said:

I have 2 years on you and presently looking at Pacific Cross. Full medical will be required prior to acceptance and have been informed premium cost will only be revealed once medical has been reviewed.
 

I have all the forms on hand if you require PM me an e mail address.

my advice.....KEEP AWAY FROM p...cross.....too many deductibles.....so my yank friend told me.....

and keep away from thai insurance companies...... try CIGNA or AETNA or AXA......

[Hamus Yaigh]

On 9/16/2020 at 11:52 AM, dsfbrit said:

There is some mention of the Thai government wanting to get expats to take out medical insurance cover.

 

Sorry, I must have missed this. Any details please? I've been in Thailand many years on a Non Imm O extension and the subject has never arisen afaik as a planned requirement.

 

Edit: I guess this just relates to Non Imm O-A retirees, which is already in place?

Edited September 22, 2020 by Hamus Yaigh

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, izod10 said:

Yes ,the in-treatment  from past quotes usually refers to cancer treatment,which yes is a cause of concern to finances (here in Thailand) but other choices are there,go back to UK,or India.   The guy who clocked up close on 5 million through two cancer operations  (in -patient),one whipple was a total disaster (to him) no after care,none  34000 pounds wasted,ended up back in UK

 

 

I remember that case well and this is not at all what happened.

 

His insurance paid in full. Both for inpatient care and outpatient scans and chemo.

 

The issue which led him to return to the UK was that he reached  a terminal diagnosis and the quality of palliative care in Thailand is poor. Nothing to do with insurance, he was perfectly satisfied with his insurance cover (which was Cigna Global).

 

The 5 million was over 2-3 years and included 3 major surgeries: 1 successful cancer operation (lung) and a successful cardiac operation, which in combo gave him 2 years of quality life, then indeed followed by a new cancer and 1operation which was unfortunately not curative.

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Hamus Yaigh said:

Sorry, I must have missed this. Any details please? I've been in Thailand many years on a Non Imm O extension and the subject has never arisen afaik as a planned requirement.

 

Edit: I guess this just relates to Non Imm O-A retirees, which is already in place?

 

At present the only requirement is for O-A and also for anyone newly enetring the country, the latter is a COVID requirement.

 

There has certainly been a lot of talk about the issue of insurance for expats and tourists and various ideas floated but at present the above are the only requirements in place.

[Dumbastheycome]

I just sent a request for a quote to a broker listed above. Auto reply  came back .....I am on medical leave...will contact you asap .

I hope they are covered by home  policy ! lmao

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, Dumbastheycome said:

I just sent a request for a quote to a broker listed above. Auto reply  came back .....I am on medical leave...will contact you asap .

I hope they are covered by home  policy ! lmao

 

Did you contact a specific person on staff or the office? Most brokers have multiple people on staff so medical leave of one should not be a problem.

 

 

[Dumbastheycome]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

 

Did you contact a specific person on staff or the office? Most brokers have multiple people on staff so medical leave of one should not be a problem.

 

 

I got an initial auto generated reply asking for more specifics and then a further  auto  reply with  "on medical leave" to my reply with details. Both came from same person and email.