New 300 THB entry fee to help cover uninsured foreign tourists who fail to pay medical bills

[Crusader]

The question is, why charge everyone for the sake of those who are just too stupid not to get insurance?
The solution is simple...no insurance, no entry - solved.

[condo62]

So I got travel insurance the 19 times I have visited Thailand....and now I have to pay for the people that don't or are too cheap to get it as well.....er no thanks.....I think Thailand is overpriced anyway and will be going elsewhere....!!!

[djayz]

31 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

 

That happens with many taxes you pay.  

True, but at least I can use / enjoy some of the things those taxes fund e.g. infrastructure, medical care, schools, etc. I have a problem with the concept that all tourists now have to chip in, even if it is only THB 300, to pay for what? Supposedly those who don't have medical coverage/insurance and/or abscond without settling their hospital bill. 

[sanuk711]

3 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

300 baht times times 0 tourist arrivals = oh, never mind

 

You don't really think that they are going to stay away for a one off payment of $10 do you George?

 

Where in this area is a cheaper entry price?

 

Laos ,  $50 to enter.

Cambodia  $30 for 30 days, additional 30 days between $30-$50

Vietnam $25...

Malaysia. Your pay each night -from 2017 bed tax (tourist only) between 6-10%

 

 

Edited January 15, 2021 by sanuk711

[UncleE]

4 hours ago, pattjock said:

Good idea but should also then scrap all requirements for a compulsory insurance. If they lost around 400milj bat and have 40milj visitors (2019) all they need is a 10baht tax.

 

They estimate 10milj visitors in 2021 so 40baht should cover it and losses will be lower with less tourists.

Good Math, sometimes there are some smart replies in the forum !!!

[mlkik]

3 hours ago, internationalism said:

there is already 600b tax to thai government included in air fare (till 2016 it was payed on departure, at the airport).

 

This tax was paid at the airport until February 2007.After then it was included in the ticket price.

[British Bulldog]

2 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

How do they not pay is what I don't understand. 

What do these scum foreigners do just walk out when no ones looking. 

Can't pay at hospital, OK phone calls for help, while waiting put in a police cell. 

Yes, that's what I was thinking ... I used to go to Khon Kaen Hospital for all sorts of operations and treatment, I never pushed it, but I'm sure they wouldn;t have let me leave my VIP room on the 14th floor if I just tried to walk out, they would have called security for sure

[fxe1200]

58 minutes ago, Banana7 said:

The fee should be no higher 10 baht since 40,000,000+ tourists are expected in the coming years. That equates to 400,000,000 baht which is about 4 times the amount of skipped hospital bills by tourists. If the charge anymore than 10 baht, they are just lining their own pockets, giving themselves exorbitant increases in benefits.

Everybody knows, that there is limited time only for the senior officials to line their pockets, as one day - sooner or later - they will have to give up their power. Until then every chance to replenish their local and /or foreign accounts is being welcomed, either with direct scams or kickbacks from big projects.

[British Bulldog]

30 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

 

You don't really think that they are going to stay away for a one off payment of $10 do you George?

 

Where in this area is a cheaper entry price?

 

Laos ,  $50 to enter.

Cambodia  $30 for 30 days, additional 30 days between $30-$50

Vietnam $25...

Malaysia. Your pay each night -from 2017 bed tax (tourist only) between 6-10%

 

 

$50 in Laos ? When did that change, its still $30 + $3 extra for overtime on weekend and if you arrive after 5.00pm

[British Bulldog]

Its quite ironic, as I mentioned in another post, after 2 freebies, I have to 1000 baht to enter Thailand with my main reason being, to go to Hospital where I pay cash for my treatment every time ! I also have letters stating my appointment, but that doesn't make any difference ... still have to Pay

[British Bulldog]

Hmmmm ... add to flight tickets eh ? So what about those of us who cross at borders, and what about Backpackers (whom I would guess are the majority of non payment runners), who land at Sing, train to KL, and train again to Thailand, bus around Thailand to Laos, maybe bus to Hanoi and head off back home ?

[sanuk711]

10 minutes ago, British Bulldog said:

$50 in Laos ? When did that change, its still $30 + $3 extra for overtime on weekend and if you arrive after 5.00pm

Been a while since you have been there BB..?  sometimes over $60

 

How much does a Laos visa cost?

What is the cost to obtain a Laos Tourist eVisa? The cost ranges from USD 46.58 to USD 65.21 depending on your nationality. Please use our visa checker to find out the cost of your nationality. Additionally, there is a service fee of USD 30.00 for standard processing..https://www.tripsavvy.com/laos-visa-on-arrival-more-info-1629462

[Dogmatix]

The bills unpaid by foreigners is a trivial amount compared to the health budget or the income normally earned from foreign tourism. It is a pathetic excuse for setting up an unnecessary tax on tourists that will be mainly wasted and stolen by thieving politicians.

[crickets]

There should be two lines at the airport when coming into Thailand. Those with medical insurance and those without. Those without will need to buy insurance before being allowed in. 

[PGSan]

3 hours ago, ourdon said:

Canadian Foothills

What are they?

[SomchaiCNX]

As just told in the other topic.

 

At the moment the inbound tour operator needs to buy insurance for each tourist.

But if they do a trip with another (sub agent) operator for example, cooking, climbing, hilltribe, trekking, cycling, snorkeling, sightseeing etc etc all these sub operators need to buy an insurance as well for the same client to cover their themselves in case of an accident as they risk the inbound operator will pull his parachute and put the blame on the sub operator.  So it quite possible that a customer will be insured x times during his visit. So yes, a decent insurance on entrance would make sense but I guess that is not the goal and at the end would generate less kick-backs.

 

Somebody high up must be in the insurance business.

[smudger1951]

4 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

ok.. lets do some maths..

 

450,000,000 / 40,000,000 tourists = 11.25 baht

 

so where does the other 289 baht go?!

 

on the other hand..

 

300 baht times times 0 tourist arrivals = oh, never mind ????

 

I could'nt say it better myself,  where are all the tourists ?

[Katipo]

300 Baht charged to tourists. Deduct 290 baht 'administration fee', and then the remainder will cover all those pesky uninsured tourists who are bankrupting the country.

[Jimbo2014]

So those tourists who do conform with the laws are paying for those tourists who dont.  Wouldnt it be easier just to enforce the law and ensure all tourists have medical insurance?  Doesnt this mean many people will be double paying?

[Granshan]

Does this mean that Thailand will continue to allow people to enter the country without being able to show that they have valid sick and accident insurance

[TheFishman1]

I don’t think there’s anything to do with insurance and hospitals and all that I think you wanna take 10% off the top the ministries will get that and who knows what’s gonna do with the rest of it they always figure out away agreed to get more money for themselves they don’t care about Thailand or the people who are struggling right now because of the virus the virus TIT

[GinBoy2]

3 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

How do they not pay is what I don't understand. 

What do these scum foreigners do just walk out when no ones looking. 

Can't pay at hospital, OK phone calls for help, while waiting put in a police cell. 

This is also where I have always been curious.

 

Every time me or my wife have been to get medical treatment, be it surgery or just an office visit, we get escorted straight to the cashier upon discharge.

 

Now it's always been private hospitals for us, so maybe it's the Govt hospitals where people do a runner in the dead of night wearing nothing but a surgical gown!

 

So that being said, I'm always somewhat skeptical when they quote figures for unpaid medical bills

[orchis]

I don't believe the "unpaid bill" story. In 2009 a friend had acute appendicitis and was operated at Bangkok Christian. He couldn't pay and an agent of the hospital accompanied him home to confiscate his passport which was returned only after payment.

[chrissables]

They were charging 500 baht at the airport years ago for this, then that was built into the ticket price, so now it will be 800 baht they take, very honest of them. ???? 

[Jonathan Swift]

I grant them the logic of this, but why not instead design this as an insurance pool to cover all foreigners? Then incoming travelers could forgo the more expensive and opportunistic private insurers. If they raised it to $100 US or 3000 baht I wouldn't complain. It cost me $500 US for a mandatory 6 month policy. I know some of you will scoff at the idea of sensible thinking on the part of Thai government, but over my 8 years here I have more often seen many sensible and practical handling of public issues, and I don't complain about any of the silliness. I am quite happy in my Thai home. Could be a lot worse elsewhere. Ummmmm, like the US maybe? The Capitol there overrun by violent domestic terrorists and insurrectionists who want to overturn the election and install Trump for a second term?   The worst covid numbers in the world, over 360,000 dead? Nope, nice and safe here, thank you very much. Good luck and good fortune to all of you, chok dii krap. Count your blessings if you're safe and healthy here.

[chrissables]

5 hours ago, mommysboy said:

It's a great idea that should have been done a long time ago.

 

There's one unintended consequence: some people will assume they are insured so won't bother getting real insurance.  

 

It won't mean that you don't have to pay for treatment.  

It was done a lone time ago, there is 500 baht built into every ticket already. So now 800 baht. 

[dlclark97]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

New 300 THB entry fee to help cover uninsured foreign tourists who fail to pay medical bills

 

FILE PHOTO for reference only

 

Last January, Japan introduced the so called "Sayonara Tax" to improve the country's tourism infrastructure for the subsequently cancelled Olympics. 

 

Now Thailand has followed suit with a similar scheme, which will see some of the revenue generated used to insure uninsured tourists.

 

In Japan it was 1,000 yen, just under 10 $USD at the time it was introduced. 

 

Thailand has decided on a 300 baht entry fee that also is about 10 $USD.

 

Travellers will need to pay it on each and every entry according to reports. Payment will likely be in the form of a stealth tax applied when someone purchases a flight to Thailand. 

 

Media has reported that the fee will be used for the management of tourism destinations but will also be used as an insurance benefit for international travellers who fall sick or are injured on their trips to the kingdom are unable to pay for medical treatment. 

 

The tourist entry fee was most recently mooted in 2019 and was seen as a way for Thailand to help recoup some of the money it loses every year due to foreign tourists failing to pay medical bills after receiving treatment in Thai hospitals.

 

Back in 2016, in an article by Scandasia, Dr. Bancha Kakong, Director of the Phuket Provincial Health Office estimated that public hospitals in Phuket lost 10 million baht per year in unpaid medicals from foreign tourists.

 

The Health Service Support Department put the figure in the region of 300 million baht annually in unpaid bills, while an article by Nikkei Asia [paywall]  said it was closer to 450 million baht.

 

Thailand later established claim centres in popular tourist destinations which were tasked with trying to track down foreigners who failed to pay medical bills. 

 

Some media has suggested as little as 34 baht will go towards insurance - the rest would be for tourism sites. 

 

Bangkok Biz News said the tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn had got the green light and that full details would be contained in the Royal Gazette.

 

Discussions are expected between his ministry and the finance ministry and Office of Insurance Commission. 

 

The fee - allowable under the National Tourism Policy Act - was proposed again last year but put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 

Pipat expects TEN million foreign visitors this year.

 

Last year foreign tourism was devastated with virtually no one arriving after the start of the pandemic. 

 

Moves such as the Special Tourist Visa resulted in only a handful of visitors and even these have now ground to a halt due to the second wave of the pandemic that has seen much of the country in a virtual lockdown until at least the end of this month. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-01-15

 

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Pipat expects TEN million foreign visitors this year.  Wish in one hand and p... in the other.  See which one fills first.

[ChouDoufu]

5 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

ok.. lets do some maths..

 

450,000,000 / 40,000,000 tourists = 11.25 baht

 

so where does the other 289 baht go?!

 

on the other hand..

 

300 baht times times 0 tourist arrivals = oh, never mind ????

 

 

you misspelled "wrist".

[phetphet]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Some media has suggested as little as 34 baht will go towards insurance - the rest would be for tourism sites. 

 

But don't they already charge us foreigners double what the Thais pay?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, Antonymous said:

It does not appear to 'insure' uninsured tourists. Not unless on entry to Thailand such tourists are issued an insurance policy 'free' in return for 300 baht. That's not likely.

 

That's the way the original tourist tax proposal was...if memory serves...

 

The government talked about insuring tourists for medical issues... But what they apparently meant was... reimbursing government hospitals for bills left unpaid by tourists -- which is an entirely different thing.

 

Pending hearing more of the details of this latest plan, I'd assume tourists will have to pay the fee and get absolutely no direct benefit at all...  Just another slush fund for the government, and free money to spend who knows where.