Health insurance needed for O-A Visa and COE

[Wake Up]

Hello I am getting a new O-A visa in USA and need to buy Thailand insurance. Also the COE requires 100,000 USA dollars of Covid insurance. 
 

Please share your experience in obtaining these insurance coverages and who you recommend. I understand that Pacific Cross may be good for the O-A visa but what I am unclear about is the 100,000 USA dollars of Covid insurance also now required.  
 

Thank you for any advice or recommendations. I need to buy this insurance from the USA to get into Thailand. 

[ubonjoe]

Pacific Cross offers insurance that will meet the $100,000covid 19 insurance requirement.

https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/visa-friendly/

[Amicitia]

Ok Pacific Cross includes C19 ,but has all the other stuff I do not want ,and therefore is rather expensive .

What about C19 coverage only ,age 73.

What will hapen after age 75?

[ubonjoe]

15 minutes ago, Amicitia said:

What about C19 coverage only ,age 73.

What will hapen after age 75?

The TGIA insurance has a 99 years old limit. https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/product_detail

When you are 75 there should not be any need for the covid 19 insurance then to enter the country.

[Peter Denis]

9 hours ago, Wake Up said:

Hello I am getting a new O-A visa in USA and need to buy Thailand insurance. Also the COE requires 100,000 USA dollars of Covid insurance. 
 

Please share your experience in obtaining these insurance coverages and who you recommend. I understand that Pacific Cross may be good for the O-A visa but what I am unclear about is the 100,000 USA dollars of Covid insurance also now required.  
 

Thank you for any advice or recommendations. I need to buy this insurance from the USA to get into Thailand. 

I did PM you a comprehensive Guideline document on how to stay long-term in Thailand when over +50 years.  It also includes an attachment addressing How to meet the health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country, which would be of particular interest for you.

[Wake Up]

13 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Pacific Cross offers insurance that will meet the $100,000covid 19 insurance requirement.

https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/visa-friendly/

Thank you Ubonjoe and Peter Denis. 
 

I am going to go the Pacific Cross route.  
 

I have 2,000,000 USA dollars of coverage with Cigna Global with a large 10,000 deductible. Cigna Global has waived deductibles and copays for Covid health treatment but the Washington DC embassy does not want to accept Cigna Global. 
 

Instead of arguing  I am going to just purchase the Pacific Cross 0-A insurance that they combined with the 100,000 USA dollar Covid insurance for the one year O-A visa and COE. I am 60 and the cost is about 25,000 baht for the year. I hope I can drop the 100,000 Covid insurance after the one year as I have already had the Pfizer vaccine in the USA. 

 

I cannot get Washington DC to give me an O visa so I am getting the O-A visa for convenience and it is good for two years. I believe I could come to Bangkok and later get a O visa in Bangkok at CW but weighing all the options the O-A makes me more comfortable with options of living in a hotel and flexibility and not hassling with CW for almost two years. 

Ubonjoe and Peter have helped me for a few years and I appreciate both of you. If you want to add anything to my situation please advise. ????????????

 

[DoktorC]

Curious, did you submit the Embassy form when you asked the Thai Embassy in Washington about coverage provided by Cigna?

 

[Letseng]

15 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Pacific Cross offers insurance that will meet the $100,000covid 19 insurance requirement.

https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/visa-friendly/

From what I see  this insurance is limited to up to 75. Is there a an insurer covering older travellers?

[ubonjoe]

6 hours ago, Letseng said:

From what I see  this insurance is limited to up to 75. Is there a an insurer covering older travellers?

None for the 40/400k baht insurance that I am aware of.

For the $1000.000 covid 19 insurance the TGIA insurance I mentioned is available at the age of 99.

https://www.tipinsure.com/CovidRegional/product_detail

[Peter Denis]

8 hours ago, Wake Up said:

...

I am going to go the Pacific Cross route.  
I have 2,000,000 USA dollars of coverage with Cigna Global with a large 10,000 deductible. Cigna Global has waived deductibles and copays for Covid health treatment but the Washington DC embassy does not want to accept Cigna Global. 
Instead of arguing  I am going to just purchase the Pacific Cross 0-A insurance that they combined with the 100,000 USA dollar Covid insurance for the one year O-A visa and COE. I am 60 and the cost is about 25,000 baht for the year. I hope I can drop the 100,000 Covid insurance after the one year as I have already had the Pfizer vaccine in the USA. 

I cannot get Washington DC to give me an O visa so I am getting the O-A visa for convenience and it is good for two years. I believe I could come to Bangkok and later get a O visa in Bangkok at CW but weighing all the options the O-A makes me more comfortable with options of living in a hotel and flexibility and not hassling with CW for almost two years.

...

If the annual premium for the Pacific Cross insurance is only 25.000 THB, that would for sure be a very good deal if it covers both:

- the Non Imm O-A compliant 400K/40K  in/out-patient health-insurance, AND

- the 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment coverage.

At your age (60) the LMG Plan-1 (with 200K deductible) for the 400K/40K in/out patient coverage would only cost you 6.000 THB annual premium.

But it is the 100.000 US $ covid-19 coverage treatment which would be expensive, as you need it for 1 year (as is has to cover the period of your permission to stay when entering Thailand, which in your case with a Non Imm O-A Visa would be 1 year).  The ridiculous TGIA covid-19 only insurance already costs 43.200 THB for 1 year as US citizen.

>> However, you do need to enquire at Pacific Cross WHEN your coverage would start, because in order to be valid Pacific Cross does stipulate that you are only covered after 15 days, which would mean that you policy needs to start 15 days before your expected arrival in Thailand in order to be eligible for any claims.

The above also has implications for the permission to stay date you would be stamped in on arrival in Thailand, as in that case you will not get the full 1-year your Non Imm O-A Visa entitles you to, but it will be capped till the validity date of the Pacific Cross policy which will mentioned on a note in your passport (meaning you would lose 15 days of your potential full year).   

[spiekerjozef]

Digital nomad health insurance inc. covid-19:

 

https://safetywing.com/

 

 

[ubonjoe]

33 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

However, you do need to enquire at Pacific Cross WHEN your coverage would start, because in order to be valid Pacific Cross does stipulate that you are only covered after 15 days, which would mean that you policy needs to start 15 days before your expected arrival in Thailand in order to be eligible for any claims.

In that case a covid 19 insurance policy from TGIA valid for 30 days would take care of that problem.

[sirineou]

On 2/11/2021 at 6:52 AM, Amicitia said:

Ok Pacific Cross includes C19 ,but has all the other stuff I do not want ,and therefore is rather expensive .

What about C19 coverage only ,age 73.

What will hapen after age 75?

If I understood your question correctly,  I am pretty sure we will not need covid insurance in two years. 

On 2/11/2021 at 11:32 AM, Wake Up said:

Thank you Ubonjoe and Peter Denis. 
 

I am going to go the Pacific Cross route.  
 

I have 2,000,000 USA dollars of coverage with Cigna Global with a large 10,000 deductible. Cigna Global has waived deductibles and copays for Covid health treatment but the Washington DC embassy does not want to accept Cigna Global. 
 

Instead of arguing  I am going to just purchase the Pacific Cross 0-A insurance that they combined with the 100,000 USA dollar Covid insurance for the one year O-A visa and COE. I am 60 and the cost is about 25,000 baht for the year. I hope I can drop the 100,000 Covid insurance after the one year as I have already had the Pfizer vaccine in the USA. 

 

I cannot get Washington DC to give me an O visa so I am getting the O-A visa for convenience and it is good for two years. I believe I could come to Bangkok and later get a O visa in Bangkok at CW but weighing all the options the O-A makes me more comfortable with options of living in a hotel and flexibility and not hassling with CW for almost two years. 

Ubonjoe and Peter have helped me for a few years and I appreciate both of you. If you want to add anything to my situation please advise. ????????????

 

It is unfortunate that they would require Covid insurance from someone that has been vaccinated and has a very small chance of getting infected. The CDC in the US just issued a directive that vaccinated people don't even need to be quarantined if exposed to covid19 . 

Is one year covid insurance the minimum required to travel to Thailand? If you could get in by gatting six months, that's what I would do,  There is a good chance that in the next six months they might drop the covid insurance requirement. Many European countries are even considering dropping the quarantine for those vaccinated by this simmer. That of course is assuming that things with the vaccine go well.     

[Wake Up]

On 2/11/2021 at 7:07 PM, Peter Denis said:

If the annual premium for the Pacific Cross insurance is only 25.000 THB, that would for sure be a very good deal if it covers both:

- the Non Imm O-A compliant 400K/40K  in/out-patient health-insurance, AND

- the 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment coverage.

At your age (60) the LMG Plan-1 (with 200K deductible) for the 400K/40K in/out patient coverage would only cost you 6.000 THB annual premium.

But it is the 100.000 US $ covid-19 coverage treatment which would be expensive, as you need it for 1 year (as is has to cover the period of your permission to stay when entering Thailand, which in your case with a Non Imm O-A Visa would be 1 year).  The ridiculous TGIA covid-19 only insurance already costs 43.200 THB for 1 year as US citizen.

>> However, you do need to enquire at Pacific Cross WHEN your coverage would start, because in order to be valid Pacific Cross does stipulate that you are only covered after 15 days, which would mean that you policy needs to start 15 days before your expected arrival in Thailand in order to be eligible for any claims.

The above also has implications for the permission to stay date you would be stamped in on arrival in Thailand, as in that case you will not get the full 1-year your Non Imm O-A Visa entitles you to, but it will be capped till the validity date of the Pacific Cross policy which will mentioned on a note in your passport (meaning you would lose 15 days of your potential full year).   

Thank you. Waiting on the final quote from Pacific Cross with a 300,000 deductible on the O-A insurance. With the O-A insurance and the 100,000 dollar Covid insurance for age 60 the quote was 29,000 baht. I then sent Pacific Cross by email proof of my Pfizer vaccine and the insurance man told me he would submit it for a further reduced quote and told me it would be less than 29,000 for the year and probably 25,000. Once I get the exact quote I am going to pay it and get the papers I need for Washington DC Thailand embassy. 

[Wake Up]

On 2/11/2021 at 11:29 AM, DoktorC said:

Curious, did you submit the Embassy form when you asked the Thai Embassy in Washington about coverage provided by Cigna?

 

 I communicated by email and then by  phone prior to submitting all the required documents. I have not submitted all my documents yet.
 

 My Cigna  insurance policy has a 10,000 USA dollar deductible. Cigna provided a letter waiving the deductible for Covid but that was not good enough for the Thailand DC embassy. 
 

They want me to buy a Thailand 100,000 Covid policy and that is what I will do. The hoops to jump through for a O-A visa and COE are a lot and not worth arguing with them. So if additional insurance costs me 25,000 baht then I will pay it and forget about it. 
 

The one way airfare to Bangkok using miles is cheap now and after the quarantine 15 night stay the Bangkok hotels are cheap.  
 

I have not had much luck arguing with a bureaucrat anywhere in the world and “it is what they say it is.” ???? 

[mlkik]

Pacific Cross only cover you for covid after you have been in Thailand for 15 days. This 15 day wait period means you are not covered if you test positive in ASQ.

Starting the policy early makes no difference for covid cover as the wait period begins when you enter Thailand.

However you would be covered for covid if you left and then came back to Thailand.

If you do test positive for covid and are in the wait period you will have a very expensive hospital bill to pay.

[Peter Denis]

1 hour ago, mlkik said:

Pacific Cross only cover you for covid after you have been in Thailand for 15 days. This 15 day wait period means you are not covered if you test positive in ASQ.

Starting the policy early makes no difference for covid cover as the wait period begins when you enter Thailand.

However you would be covered for covid if you left and then came back to Thailand.

If you do test positive for covid and are in the wait period you will have a very expensive hospital bill to pay.

A report was posted by a TVF member that stated that his Pacific Cross contact-person told him that he would be covered from the moment of entry in Thailand, on the condition that the policy would be already 15 days active.

As UJ mentioned in an earlier post, in order to avoid the loss of 15 days on your 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa (as it will be capped to the insurance validity expiry date), you could - in order to cover that 15 days quarantaine period - subscribe to a 30-days TGIA covid-19 only insurance.  But having the Pacific Cross policy start 15 days earlier, is an easier and probably even cheaper solution.

[Peter Denis]

6 hours ago, sirineou said:

...

Is one year covid insurance the minimum required to travel to Thailand? If you could get in by gatting six months, that's what I would do,  There is a good chance that in the next six months they might drop the covid insurance requirement. Many European countries are even considering dropping the quarantine for those vaccinated by this simmer. That of course is assuming that things with the vaccine go well.     

The 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment coverage insurance needs to cover the full period of the permission to stay you will be stamped in for when entering Thailand.

So if you enter Thailand VisaExempt or on a 60-day Tourist Visa, you only need it for 2 months.  When you enter on an STV or a Non Imm O Visa, you need it for 3 months.  And when you enter on a still valid Re-Entry Permit based on a 1-year extension of your Non Imm O (or O-A) Visa, you need it for the period remaining on that Re-Entry Permit.

OP will be entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A visa and thus needs it for a full year.

>> Anyway, it is a total scam as it would be only relevant for the 15 day quarantaine period to have such covid-19 treatment insurance.  Because after 15 days, and tested covid-free when leaving quarantaine, your 'risk' is not different than thais or foreigners residing in Thailand.

But selling expensive (mandatory) BS policies for up to 1 year like TGIA is doing, is of course a very lucrative business...

[mlkik]

26 minutes ago, Peter Denis said:

A report was posted by a TVF member that stated that his Pacific Cross contact-person told him that he would be covered from the moment of entry in Thailand, on the condition that the policy would be already 15 days active.

As UJ mentioned in an earlier post, in order to avoid the loss of 15 days on your 1-year Non Imm O-A Visa (as it will be capped to the insurance validity expiry date), you could - in order to cover that 15 days quarantaine period - subscribe to a 30-days TGIA covid-19 only insurance.  But having the Pacific Cross policy start 15 days earlier, is an easier and probably even cheaper solution.

When I was about to apply for my Pacific Cross policy only at the last minute did they confirm in an email that the wait period began on entry to Thailand and starting the policy earlier would not change this.

Indeed I do remember forwarding that email to you in a private message as this was discussed by us last year.

 

[Peter Denis]

11 minutes ago, mlkik said:

When I was about to apply for my Pacific Cross policy only at the last minute did they confirm in an email that the wait period began on entry to Thailand and starting the policy earlier would not change this.

Indeed I do remember forwarding that email to you in a private message as this was discussed by us last year.

Thanks for sharing your personal experience, and I do not doubt what you are saying.

But of course it could be - once again - a matter of an ill-informed staffer, as I clearly remember the post from another TVF member that got confirmation that his Pacific Cross policy would cover the 15-day quarantaine period when it had started 15 days beforehand (before entering Thailand).

Anyway, it would be strange that PacificCross policies would be accepted for the mandatory 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment insurance, if they would NOT cover the crucial 15-day quarantaine period.

[sirineou]

7 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

The 100.000 US $ covid-19 treatment coverage insurance needs to cover the full period of the permission to stay you will be stamped in for when entering Thailand.

So if you enter Thailand VisaExempt or on a 60-day Tourist Visa, you only need it for 2 months.  When you enter on an STV or a Non Imm O Visa, you need it for 3 months.  And when you enter on a still valid Re-Entry Permit based on a 1-year extension of your Non Imm O (or O-A) Visa, you need it for the period remaining on that Re-Entry Permit.

OP will be entering Thailand on a Non Imm O-A visa and thus needs it for a full year.

>> Anyway, it is a total scam as it would be only relevant for the 15 day quarantaine period to have such covid-19 treatment insurance.  Because after 15 days, and tested covid-free when leaving quarantaine, your 'risk' is not different than thais or foreigners residing in Thailand.

But selling expensive (mandatory) BS policies for up to 1 year like TGIA is doing, is of course a very lucrative business...

Thank you for that informative reply.

Definitely a scam, since many of us have insurance that will cover you in Thailand , (I have Blue cross Blue Shield) but from what I read the Thai embassy in the US will not accept it. And on top of that many of us are already vaccinated with a miniscule chance of getting the virus. 

[Sup3rfarang]

If you enter Thailand on a 60 day-day Tourist Visa, and 60 days of Covid Insurance, and then later get a 60-day Covid visa extension, do you then need to again buy 60 more days of Covid Insurance?

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, Sup3rfarang said:

If you enter Thailand on a 60 day-day Tourist Visa, and 60 days of Covid Insurance, and then later get a 60-day Covid visa extension, do you then need to again buy 60 more days of Covid Insurance?

No

Immigration does not require the covid 19 insurance for extensions of stay.

[gt162]

On 2/11/2021 at 8:32 AM, Wake Up said:

Thank you Ubonjoe and Peter Denis. 
 

I am going to go the Pacific Cross route.  
 

I have 2,000,000 USA dollars of coverage with Cigna Global with a large 10,000 deductible. Cigna Global has waived deductibles and copays for Covid health treatment but the Washington DC embassy does not want to accept Cigna Global. 
 

Instead of arguing  I am going to just purchase the Pacific Cross 0-A insurance that they combined with the 100,000 USA dollar Covid insurance for the one year O-A visa and COE. I am 60 and the cost is about 25,000 baht for the year. I hope I can drop the 100,000 Covid insurance after the one year as I have already had the Pfizer vaccine in the USA. 

 

I cannot get Washington DC to give me an O visa so I am getting the O-A visa for convenience and it is good for two years. I believe I could come to Bangkok and later get a O visa in Bangkok at CW but weighing all the options the O-A makes me more comfortable with options of living in a hotel and flexibility and not hassling with CW for almost two years. 

Ubonjoe and Peter have helped me for a few years and I appreciate both of you. If you want to add anything to my situation please advise. ????????????

 

 

I don't understand why DC Thai Embassy doesn't accept Cigna health insurance? Did you get a letter from Cigna that states you are covered for $100,000 Covid19 coverage and 40K/400K THB inpatient/outpatient as well for 1 year? Cigna insurance is far better health insurance than <deleted> Thai health insurance scam.

 

 

[Wake Up]

On 2/14/2021 at 10:48 PM, gt162 said:

 

I don't understand why DC Thai Embassy doesn't accept Cigna health insurance? Did you get a letter from Cigna that states you are covered for $100,000 Covid19 coverage and 40K/400K THB inpatient/outpatient as well for 1 year? Cigna insurance is far better health insurance than <deleted> Thai health insurance scam.

 

 

Cigna Global provides a letter that states the deductible for Covid is waived and so are the copays. So in essence I have 1,000,000 USA dollars of Covid insurance. But Cigna will not change the policy language that states I have a 10,000 USA dollar deductible and 30 percent copay up to the maximum out of pocket amount. 
 

I am guessing but don’t know that is why the Thai DC embassy will not accept my Cigna policy. I do not really know their reasons other than not acceptable. 
 

I think I have finally figured out it is best to come to Bangkok on a visa exempt and switch to an O visa at CW. Because I only need to buy Covid insurance for 45 days instead of one year. 
 

And now the Pacific Cross employee that told me the cost would be about 25k baht is not very communicative. He just replied yesterday that Pacific Cross is delaying their quote to me because in 2011 I had viral meningitis and he told me the underwriters need more information about that. That is weird as viral meningitis is not the same as bacterial meningitis.  

[Wake Up]

FYI the Pacific Cross quote suddenly was 35,000 baht for the 100,000 USA Covid coverage and the 40k/400k baht coverage with a 300k baht deductible for a soon to be 61 year old male. I am not going to purchase this insurance.
 

Thanks to Peter Denis ????for his messages to me and advice and the moderator can close this post. 
 

Thank  you to all that responded and commented and provided advice.????

 

We are lucky to have Ubonjoe and Peter Denis help us with this maze of extension of stay and visa issues. ????????????