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

[chuang]

Welcome news for all those who have no insurance..

So why buy insurance..555

[jomtienisgood]

21 hours ago, Aforek said:

People will have to show their passport, easy to see who is expat or tourist 

Sounds logical....

[jomtienisgood]

9 hours ago, Nout said:

I'm sure there used to be an exit tax when I first came here

That's probably the reason so many stayed.

[NoshowJones]

19 hours 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.

The Thai "government" lining their own pockets, tch tch tch tch!

[jomtienisgood]

11 hours ago, David T Pike said:

Wait a minute! I thought you could not come into the country w/o health insurance! What am I missing? ????

This is since Covid....

[jomtienisgood]

14 hours ago, SupermarineS6B said:

No wonder Thailand has lost all its shine reading some of the posts here........ Makes me wonder why people travel, basically just exporting the misery from where they came from.......  I'm so glad i saw Thailand and lots of other countries before the righteous took over.......     What a sad vindictive place the world's turning into...... mixed in with rampant greed and fools backing them up........   Doing a runner from hospitals ?  You try it...... Crossing any border in Thailand with as much as suspicion on your sheet and you're banged up, no questions asked......      

Banged up???? Isn't that another term for being pregnant?? ????

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

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.

Politicians?? In Thailand?? 

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, orchis said:

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.

Was there a Soldiers "government" still in then? I know there was a coup in 2006, but not sure how long it lasted.

[Kwasaki]

9 hours ago, mbenson said:

Right. Like they just say "Bill me." and walk out? Bill me where? This just doesn't sound right. 

Like others here I don't believe the figure losses,  a conspiracy theory could be the hospitals trying to scam the Thai govt and using Falangs as a means for the hospital managers to embezzle money for themselves.

There should be an investigation to find a way to make sure they pay up.

It would keep the foreign Embassies busy and responsible for their citizens as well keeping the culprits detained until they paid.

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

One has to assume you have never been to a government hospital. You see a doctor then go and queue up at the cashier to pay the bill,nothing to stop you walking out the door.

Only pre arranged procedures are paid up front.

When I was taken into private hospital in Pattaya they took my passport pending payment but never seen or heard of that in a government hospital and I am registered at 5.

I attend a govt hospital every 4 months if I don't pay I don't get my meds, that said I live here and they have all my details.

I don't see why hospital security can't escort falang tourists after emergency treatment to the payment kiosk.

If hospitals let people just walk out then that should be dealt with.

 

Edited January 16, 2021 by Kwasaki

[Stargeezr]

Yup, with no tourism, this is such a great time to have a. Thanks for coming to Thailand

300 baht please , as we are so happy to see you visit again.  Pathetic.

Geezer

[Kwasaki]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

Good idea, then maybe the UK could do the same with Thais.

What on earth are you on about, when my wife was in UK I paid for any treatment she had.

[NoshowJones]

1 minute ago, Kwasaki said:

What on earth are you on about, when my wife was in UK I paid for any treatment she had.

My friends Thai wife did not have to pay for any hospital treatment in the UK. That was about 2001. Maybe things have changed now, but I doubt it. Who pays for the medical treatment of all these emigrants who keep arriving in the UK?

[tinca tinca]

3 hours ago, brianthainess said:

I read in the BP yesterday that only 34b of the 300b is for the insurance the rest is for some type of tourist spot  improvements /maintenance kind of scheme scam which going by previous money distributions by this Govt. will be open to corruption and fraud.

CORRUPTION IN THAILAND ????????!!!!

[Thomas J]

On 1/15/2021 at 11:03 AM, Antonymous said:

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

I actually think the idea of charging tourists for entry is a good idea.  However it should replace the requirement that tourists have $100,000 USD covid insurance.  That is just a money grab for the insurance companies.  The more obstacles you place in front of tourists to come to Thailand, the fewer will come.  Far easier to have a 300 - 1000 thb fee to enter put in a fund to cover uninsured medical expenses for tourists than it is for tourists to have to obtain very specific insurance coverage with language specific to Thailand.  

[Kwasaki]

2 hours ago, possum1931 said:

My friends Thai wife did not have to pay for any hospital treatment in the UK. That was about 2001. Maybe things have changed now, but I doubt it. Who pays for the medical treatment of all these emigrants who keep arriving in the UK?

Yeah there's always "a my friend on here" UK emergency department is free to all and anyone.

If they follow up with having to go into hospital they are informed they have to pay. 

[JomtienRay]

FOREIGNERS WHO DON'T PAY HOSPITAL BILLS..

I don't understand who these foreigners are, and how they avoid paying the hospital bill..

I've lived and worked, and now retired, in Thailand for over 30 years, and brought up a large Thai/Farang family. My children all born here at wonderful Thai hospitals, fully paid by yours truly.. I have also been hospitalized for a serious kidney operation, cancer, and heart attack.. again fully paid for by myself.

Anytime I or my family needed to see a doctor, or have some checkups at the hospital, I was asked for my credit card to update details, before seeing the doctor.. 

If you can't pay, they don't treat you.. this is my experience..  pay up front..

how do foreigners escape from hospital and not paying??

 

 

 

 

[NoshowJones]

10 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Yeah there's always "a my friend on here" UK emergency department is free to all and anyone.

If they follow up with having to go into hospital they are informed they have to pay. 

That may be the case today, but it wasn't in 2001, there were also doctors appointments, and there was no charge for that either. I know that for a fact.

[allyoops]

More weird Thai logic, let's charge people more to come here, that will kick start tourism. How about visitors are required to hane travel insurance for the time they are there. Got to wonder how Thailand gets by in the world with this sort of stupidity.

[1FinickyOne]

On 1/15/2021 at 11:12 AM, mommysboy said:

some people will assume they are insured so won't bother getting real insurance.  

just call it something different - entrance fee - - nobody will think twice... its not really that much money.

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, JomtienRay said:

I don't understand who these foreigners are, and how they avoid paying the hospital bill..

They are often young tourists who have motorcycle accidents and are barely conscious or not... 

 

I also pay and have been asked to pay in advance... and lucky for us we can afford it, but things happen... horrible things. 

 

one friend of mine went in for an operation, 300k baht - was supposed to be out in 3 days... 6 weeks later, 2 more operations and barely coherent in the ICU - - he found himself w/a 2.3MM baht bill - - he had a staph infection go to his brain also.. 

[LukKrueng]

On 1/15/2021 at 11:48 AM, Misterwhisper said:

I don't mind paying an extra 300 THB when it is included in the flight ticket anyway as a "stealth tax". I usually am reimbursed by the company for my air travels.

 

But then again, I am NOT a tourist AND I am fully insured. Will I be treated like every other foreign visitor and have to pay up? How will that scheme distinguish between tourists and expats? It probably won't. Just as always.

I wonder how they'll distinguish between Thai nationals and non Thais if it's in the ticket. Many years ago there was a 1000thb tax only Thai people had to pay when departing Thailand, and that was on top of the normal departure tax everybody had to pay (back then it was paid cash at the airport when checking in for the flight). That 1000 thb had to be paid at the airlines' offices in town. 

[HAPPYNUFF]

I have  had  four occassions  to    be treated at a private hospital here,. Each time for  minor day surgery only.    Each time, after being discharged, I was escorted to the cashiers  desk  and "guarded"   till payment in full was made.

Do  we really expect, in the future, some  tourist  after being treated in a Thai hospital, and  he. or she. stating they cannot pay, being told by the ever friendly hospital staff,  that its no problem, off you go,   the  300 baht  you paid on arrival here,( part of this )will be used to pay your  bill.???? More likely  the hospital will make a claim   to the government  for the amount owing, yet still pursue the patient, double dipping.

[GinBoy2]

3 hours ago, HAPPYNUFF said:

I have  had  four occassions  to    be treated at a private hospital here,. Each time for  minor day surgery only.    Each time, after being discharged, I was escorted to the cashiers  desk  and "guarded"   till payment in full was made.

Do  we really expect, in the future, some  tourist  after being treated in a Thai hospital, and  he. or she. stating they cannot pay, being told by the ever friendly hospital staff,  that its no problem, off you go,   the  300 baht  you paid on arrival here,( part of this )will be used to pay your  bill.???? More likely  the hospital will make a claim   to the government  for the amount owing, yet still pursue the patient, double dipping.

That is exactly the scenario I described in an earlier post, which gets us back to; how is there such an enormous issue if, as most of us are aware you can't get out of hospital without being frogmarched to the cashier?

 

Based on the number of GoFundme posts we see here for; 

'

I can't pay for my hospital treatment' posts we have on here, there must a lot of people going to the hospitals that just don't let you walk out!

[jomtienisgood]

3 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

I wonder how they'll distinguish between Thai nationals and non Thais if it's in the ticket. Many years ago there was a 1000thb tax only Thai people had to pay when departing Thailand, and that was on top of the normal departure tax everybody had to pay (back then it was paid cash at the airport when checking in for the flight). That 1000 thb had to be paid at the airlines' offices in town. 

Yeah I remember that. 

[UKresonant]

On 1/15/2021 at 1:05 PM, Scot123 said:

First I do not believe these figures and any foreigner who has used a thai hospital knows your bill is paid before you leave and if you do a runner police are informed you are stopped when leaving the country. So I call B.S. on this. However, knowing Thai mentality I can see there being a lot of Thais not paying when they are responsible for accidents involving tourists but then again would a tourist be released from hospital without paying is very, very unlikely. 

 

That sounds more like it, I've always paid cash for outpatients, and you had to give them confidence you had loot.

 

Thai liability, couldn't be them at fault, even where it is totally obvious!

 

For the non-tourist, I was thinking that Thai insurance may not pay because you are not Thai, and/ or  you have not been in the country for six months ( is this not the general Thai insurance rule) I wonder if there are people that had that 40k/400k insurance getting pushed by the Embassy as a compulsory requirement of a visa, and get hung out to dry....? Bad person as the insurance you were made to buy, would not pay out. 

 

I'm not sure they are going to be able to resuscitate the golden goose anytime soon. There seems to be an ingrained nasty trend of thinking now, which has risen over a couple of dozen months, that which may  cause a reaction similar to an allergy (once aware). That is mostly offset by the many very nice people you find once in the country, perhaps. 

 

No real problem with the concept, and looking back at 2019 that would be an extra 125 baht a month, or about 400 baht with the existing tax. But how many layers of ineffective premium will be required before it is "all good".

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

10 hours ago, possum1931 said:

Was there a Soldiers "government" still in then? I know there was a coup in 2006, but not sure how long it lasted.

No, it was the Abhisit Democrat Party administration that came to power through the 'judicial coup'.

[bangsaenguy]

22 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

300B for Uninsured foreign tourists who think they're too good to go to Government hospitals, but are really broke, freeloaders who were probably criminals back in their home countries.

 

Fixed it. ????

 

 

Fixed nothing. A few family members work in gov't hospitals. There are some indigent terminal patients that are foreign that the hospital cares for. Fact

[HampiK]

I read many comments that's not possible to enter Thailand without Insurance!!!

The only Insurance you need to have is at this time because of covid. And that's an covid Insurance not a health or accident Insurance.

Then the 500 baht before at the airport, which I think is 700 baht is an airport tax and have nothing to do with health or tourism. And even about the 30 baht which will be used for insurance and the biggest part will be used for tourist spot (this yes I can understand the complains, as this probably will go somewhere else).

 

Last point. if it's a hidden tax in the ticket price, you not have to complain as expat that you have to pay this. then even Thai people who from outside back to Thailand will have to pay. Maybe then not a tourist tax. It will be a general Tax for everybody.. so let's say the new airport tax including some extra fee will be now 1'000 baht!

[SiSePuede419]

1 hour ago, bangsaenguy said:

There are some indigent terminal patients that are foreign that the hospital cares for. Fact

So you're confirming I was right.  This is about broke Farang freeloaders. ✅