Warning to expats: Surgery of any kind in Thailand can come with a hefty price tag

[KarenBravo]

15 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

This is not true. A UK citizen returning to take up permanent residence is entitled to NI treatment from the moment they arrive in the country.

 

Using the NHS when you return to live in the UK

 

Yes, you are correct as long as you plan to live in the UK permanently.

Otherwise:-

 

Anyone who lives outside this country for more than six months is no
longer automatically entitled to free NHS hospital treatment.  If the
person is away on, for example, a one-off extended holiday, then they will
continue to be fully entitled to free hospital treatment as soon as they
return to live permanently in the UK. 

 

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/right_to_nhs_care_if_you_have_be

[HashBrownHarry]

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

No he didn’t

yes he did

[GarryP]

On 3/20/2021 at 9:44 AM, Pique Dard said:

yet the patient who paid  360,000.00 baht was a thai citizen not an expat. how comes?

It is weird. If he was an employee in a company he would very likely have Thai social security which provides coverage, in the case of accidents, at any hospital (not sure if that is government hospital only). Alternatively, if it is not too far away, he could have been treated for free at the hospital where he is registered under the Thai SS scheme. On the other hand, if he is is not covered by the social security scheme, as a Thai he would be covered by the 30Baht/gold card/universal scheme, which again covers you at any government hospital in the case of accidents, though the case could later be transferred to the hospital covering the registered address area of the injured person.

 

I had an accident when in Kalasin and was treated for free at the local government hospital (there wasn't a private one) based on the Thai SS scheme. 

 

In this case, if the injured party elected to be treated at a particular hospital, rather than use the SS or Universal scheme as the case may be, then he really has nothing to complain about.   

[Moonlover]

25 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

42 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

This is not true. A UK citizen returning to take up permanent residence is entitled to NI treatment from the moment they arrive in the country.

 

26 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

Yes, you are correct as long as you plan to live in the UK permanently.

Which is exactly what Richard Coleman intended to do. I quote:

 

''I - and my wife - both plan to live in Thailand for as long as we can but move back to the UK when serious ill health and the need for any old age operation are required''.

 

So no ifs, no buts, you made a misleading statement!

[KarenBravo]

4 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Which is exactly what Richard Coleman intended to do. I quote:

 

''I - and my wife - both plan to live in Thailand for as long as we can but move back to the UK when serious ill health and the need for any old age operation are required''.

 

So no ifs, no buts, you made a misleading statement!

 

Oh........did I? Maybe it could be valid for other posters? Whaddaya think?

[KarenBravo]

Run out of words Moonlover?

[gunderhill]

13 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Yes, you are correct as long as you plan to live in the UK permanently.

Otherwise:-

 

Anyone who lives outside this country for more than six months is no
longer automatically entitled to free NHS hospital treatment.  If the
person is away on, for example, a one-off extended holiday, then they will
continue to be fully entitled to free hospital treatment as soon as they
return to live permanently in the UK. 

 

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/right_to_nhs_care_if_you_have_be

Which is why I  keep a UK address  bank  accounts etc etc it's  just a long  holiday your  honour.

[gunderhill]

16 hours ago, rumak said:

before i even get to page 3 i can see that many of you CHOOSE to go to the most expensive private hospitals.    

I have managed to live more than half my life in Thailand on much less income than many of you.   My choice,  and definitely no regrets.     I have learned many things .  One is that a fancy room and hardly any other patients ( but the same surgeon )  in one of those "well known hospitals"  will cost twice as much as the private hospital i was in. 

some of the quotes for "heart conditions" and such people are making here are absurd.  I have one friend who had major heart surgery...... another who recently had a pace maker put in ............... and i KNOW what they paid.      I advise anyone on this forum to learn thai, learn to be self sufficient,  and learn how to ascertain the different options available.

the rest of you........  well,  there is always the internet .   good luck

 

On the other hand to help us  out you  could always inform   us right  now. Iv'e already asked one member  which hospital he mentioned in Bangkok, am still awaiting a response, maybe they haven't read it yet.

[rumak]

On 3/19/2021 at 4:18 PM, bkk6060 said:

Most I know have no insurance. And too many actually think they are self insured.  What is that exactly?  Having 100,000 b in the bank? Fools thinking. How much is a major accident or heart issue going to cost? Start at 3 million b then up and you may actually consider it.

 

according to Wikipedia : 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.

 

as one can read,  it is a CHOICE .  Whether a good choice or bad , like choosing friends or a wife................  it does vary from person to person

 

As for the separate matter of who is a FOOL,    well.........  from my experience it is always the other person

[rumak]

15 minutes ago, gunderhill said:

On the other hand to help us  out you  could always inform   us right  now. Iv'e already asked one member  which hospital he mentioned in Bangkok, am still awaiting a response, maybe they haven't read it yet.

 

I am happy to give my details.    I am in Chiangmai ,  and there is a good surgeon ( hip, knee, etc)  named Dr Chanagan .   He does work at both Rajawet and Bangkok Hospital in CM.      I gave the cost of my surgery ,  which i did at Rajawet .  Not a beautiful new building like Bangkok Hospital.     I am sure the cost was much lower (even the Dr will tell you that).

 

As it turned out Dr C  was out of town and I could not wait.   Dr Warun did the surgery , and the result has been great.  

 

Total cost for me     130k baht   and i had a private room (2000 baht/ day)

 

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by rumak

[Moonlover]

15 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

 

Oh........did I? Maybe it could be valid for other posters? Whaddaya think?

There are no circumstances in which a UK citizen will be denied free medical treatment by the NHS providing that person can produce evidence that they are resident in the country. There is no qualifying period.

 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Moonlover

[irishman25]

On 3/19/2021 at 12:37 AM, ukrules said:

This is why I maintain an annual health insurance which covers me for everything.

 

You never know when the unexpected will happen, we hope it never comes but it could be right around the corner.

 

To day it seem;s Stupidity is winning more and more look at EU-vaccine and whats on TV so called Talk shows, and you can see more?

[KarenBravo]

40 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

There are no circumstances in which a UK citizen will be denied free medical treatment by the NHS providing that person can produce evidence that they are resident in the country. There is no qualifying period.

 

 

I already know that no one will be turned away from care (common knowledge), but if you are a foreigner, or a continuing UK non-resident, then you have to pay a charge.

If you are a UK citizen and intend to settle back permanently, then there is no waiting period and the charges are the same as all resident Brits. Sheesh!

 

[bkk_mike]

On 3/19/2021 at 9:04 AM, KarenBravo said:

Even as a UK citizen, you will have to live in the UK for 6 months before you can access the benefits of the NHS at a reasonable price.

If your illness can't wait for 6 months, you're stuffed.

 

Depends, I intend to live in the UK in the summer (i.e. 6 months and 1 day), and vacation in Thailand in the winter (i.e. 5 months and 30 days).

I believe that will mean my pension doesn't get frozen and I would still qualify for NHS treatment, as I'll still be classed as UK resident.

 

Admittedly I'd still look to have insurance that covered catastrophic expenses if nothing else. I broke my arm - literally between insurance policies - in Bangkok in 2006 - so the 150,000 baht for that was "fun".

 

[Rdrokit]

Always had Thai medical insurance since I moved to Thailand in 2007. Pacific Cross Insurance company will issue new policies up to 75 years of age.

[walt1]

On 3/20/2021 at 5:43 AM, KarenBravo said:

If you own your own insurance company and take out insurance, then you are self insured.

You want to argue? Argue with the publishers of the dictionary.

If you consider that you are "self-insured" and your disease / surgeries exceed what you have saved, do you go from self insured to uninsured?

I have insurance which costs me 60k+ (I'm 63) which gives me cover of 50 million Baht per year. I will never be wiped out financially. Peace of mind is priceless.

Would you mind sharing what company it is with and how much per incident is covered? Thanks

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

If you are a UK citizen and intend to settle back permanently, then there is no waiting period and the charges are the same as all resident Brits. Sheesh!

Then why did you say there was a waiting period? You are now contradicting yourself!

 

1 hour ago, bkk_mike said:

On 3/19/2021 at 4:04 PM, KarenBravo said:

Even as a UK citizen, you will have to live in the UK for 6 months before you can access the benefits of the NHS at a reasonable price.

If your illness can't wait for 6 months, you're stuffed.

 

[KarenBravo]

21 minutes ago, walt1 said:

Would you mind sharing what company it is with and how much per incident is covered? Thanks

 

Pacific Cross.

It is not "per incident". There are several levels you can choose and mine isn't the cheapest.

Each year, there is a no claims bonus of between 10% and 15%, but, there are bands. My premium went up when I hit 61 and will go up again when I'm 66. The insurance is good all over the world, including the USA, which surprised me.

I started with this company when I was 57.

[KarenBravo]

18 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Then why did you say there was a waiting period? You are now contradicting yourself!

 

 

 

God! You just go on and on and on. A bit like the energizer bunny, or like a Chihuahua with a huge bone. Do you have an off switch?

I told you you were right which infers that I was wrong.

Maybe you should go back to looking at exposed, bare bottoms and loving them. At least it'll be more productive than your tiresome banging on a drum.

Edited March 22, 2021 by KarenBravo

[gamini]

On 3/19/2021 at 12:19 PM, bdenner said:

At 71 I'm virtually uninsurable now but in saying that I have been self insured (when it comes to health) all my life.

Had a domestic accident 2 months ago, splintered a section of my knee cap and tissue damage to my lower leg and foot. In short 6 days in the BKK Hospital Udon which included surgery.

Thus far 140K Baht (AUD $6000) = absolutely no problem. I'm so far in front of the game just looking at the ridiculous premiums I would have paid over the years.

same with me. 

[DavisH]

On 3/19/2021 at 2:08 PM, Wiggy said:

Looks like skateboarding to me.

They are different:

https://www.surfskate.love/post/surfskating-beginners

[Curt1591]

7 hours ago, DavisH said:

They are different:

https://www.surfskate.love/post/surfskating-beginners

Has anyone inspected the trucks on Thai boards? 

[futsukayoi]

On 3/19/2021 at 12:23 PM, robblok said:

I lost money on insurance.. and I dont mind. Its a peace of mind for me. But im in a different age bracket as you. I wound not care about 160k baht that is not a problem. I am talking about the things that cost around a million and stuff like that. 

 

Exactly.  many years ago I had the misfortune to get a very severe illness.  I was paralysed an in ICU for several months.  After that I still needed several months of hospitalization and many further months of physiotherapy, hydrotherapy etc. The cost of all that would probably have been millions of dollars not baht and that cost would have destroyed my life.

[zeekgarcia]

On 3/19/2021 at 10:27 PM, simon43 said:

It won't help the many on this forum who are too old or too ill to obtain decent private medical insurance.  These kinds of insurance can provide peace of mind for a reasonable cost if:

1 - You take out cover at a younger age BEFORE you get sick with high blood pressure, diabetes etc etc. Your premiums will be reasonable and will only increase in line with others in that same age group.

2 - You choose an expat policy which covers you for life, (ie they can't kick you off the policy when you reach say 70 or 80 years old)

3 - You choose a policy which can't kick you out if you make a claim on that policy, and can't increase your premium payments if you make claims.

There are various such policies which will life-cover of say $1 million per year, for a reasonable premium.  I pay about $205 each month for this level of cover at aged 62 years old, with no exclusions. That's because I took out cover BEFORE I got sick (BTW, I still don't have any age-related illnesses, because I look after my health....).

I look on my medical cover kin to fire insurance on my house.  I have peace of mind and hope I never have to claim on it ????

 

So my advice is - don't wait until you have high BP - you'll find it difficult/expensive to get decent medical insurance.  Oh, if you already have high BP, maybe ask yourself why - it's rarely an inherited condition, more to do with your unhealthy lifestyle!

 

 

What insurance companies have these policies?

[2009]

Doesn't sound too expensive.

 

Aren't these bone surgeons like the highest paid medical professional??

 

I paid 12k for minor surgery at a good private hospital in Bangkok.

 

Where did this guy go?

 

Might aswell go to a good state hospital. Cheaper, equally good doctors. In fact, many state hospitals are better than many private hospitals -- especially out in Isaan.