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Important Information re COVID coverage for Expats Already in Thailand


Sheryl

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Just now, Tropicalevo said:

Thank you. I am also with April, good to know.

However, I also have the Dhipaya insurance and I have paid into Social Security for the last 20 years. I should be covered somewhere.

 

If you mean the Dhipaya COVID policy then for sure covered in hospital m(for that matter SS would cover in hospital) but you should try to confirm with them whether they will also cover Field Hospital and "hospitel". And if you find out let me know, I have been trying to find out from Dhipaya so far with no luck.

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19 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

If you mean the Dhipaya COVID policy then for sure covered in hospital m(for that matter SS would cover in hospital) but you should try to confirm with them whether they will also cover Field Hospital and "hospitel". And if you find out let me know, I have been trying to find out from Dhipaya so far with no luck.

I have asked this same question to Dhipaya (got it over Roojai a year back and just extended when they offered 680 bht extension for another year)  - got no answer except promise to call back, which didn't happen for over 2 weeks now.

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54 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

that April will not pay for admission to a Field Hospital or "hospitel".

Do you know what costs are for the above two. They just seem  to give you a bed.  I see no medical equipment in them.

Edited by pontious
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25 minutes ago, pontious said:

Do you know what costs are for the above two. They just seem  to give you a bed.  I see no medical equipment in them.

I don't know about the cost, but I'm sure there are nurses in attendance, checking temperatures etc..

 

Got to qualify as medical attention..

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4 minutes ago, bobbin said:

I don't know about the cost, but I'm sure there are nurses in attendance, checking temperatures etc..

 

Got to qualify as medical attention..

And every covid test have to be paid for as well

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8 minutes ago, Tagged said:

And every covid test have to be paid for as well

Not a problem if you have coverage..

 

That was the point of the last sentence.. You are not just lying around on an enforced "vacation"..

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1 hour ago, bobbin said:

I obtained the Dhipaya COVID policy last year in March. 860 Baht/yr..

 

I let it lapse this year because it was so quiet..  Then April rolled around and I got nervous. Called my broker.. Can I buy again? No problem. Can just renew.. Great.. and premium dropped to 680 Baht/yr..

 

As always thanks to Dr. Sheryl for taking the time to seek/get some specific answers on the important 'scenarios she identified.

 

I took the same policy some 6 months ago, so far not needed to make any claim.

 

Before I paid the premium I asked many questions. I got a quick and specific 'YES' answer to every question, all followed by a couple of added lines to be specific. 

Edited by scorecard
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2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Sheryl,  thanks for all that.

I have an important question.

There is a member here who has posted numerous times adamantly that if expats are sent to field hospitals it will be free to them the same as Thais because field hospitals don't have a billing function set up.

I find that very hard to believe!

So my question to you is whether expats sent to field hospitals will be charged or not?

I assume they will be. Perhaps you don’t know but if you do know please answer so we can settle this area of controversy. 

Jingthing, just buy the coverage..

 

Excellent risk/reward.

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I'd just spoke to a rep this morning regarding a well regarded insurance company via work. The name begins and ends with the letter A.

 

Regarding field hospitals he said that if admitted I would need to pay and then submit bills. I'm not all that concerned because I doubt they'd ever let a farang go to the cheap field hospital when so much money to be made keeping them in regular hospital. I'm not at all certain that farang even allowed into field hospitals. Finally, for those in BKK doubt these even exist.

 

I have workplace insurance. SSO government insurance and Diphaya b850.

 

Thanks for that excellent info Sheryl.

Edited by kynikoi
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Just now, kynikoi said:

I'd just spoke to a rep this morning regarding a well regarded insurance company via work. The name begins and ends with the letter A.

 

Regarding field hospitals he said that if admitted I would need to pay and then submit bills. I'm not all that concerned because I doubt they'd ever let a farang go to the cheap field hospital when so much money to be made keeping them in regular hospital. I'm not at all certain that farang even allowed into field hospitals. Finally, for those in BKK doubt these even exist.

 

Thanks for that excellent info Sheryl.

AmandA is a strange name for a guy ????

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5 minutes ago, kynikoi said:

I'd just spoke to a rep this morning regarding a well regarded insurance company via work. The name begins and ends with the letter A.

 

Regarding field hospitals he said that if admitted I would need to pay and then submit bills. I'm not all that concerned because I doubt they'd ever let a farang go to the cheap field hospital when so much money to be made keeping them in regular hospital. I'm not at all certain that farang even allowed into field hospitals. Finally, for those in BKK doubt these even exist.

 

I have workplace insurance. SSO government insurance and Diphaya b850.

 

Thanks for that excellent info Sheryl.

I recall a recent credible report of Americans sent to a field hospital as a transfer because they were asymptomatic and they ran out of space where they were originally sent.

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8 minutes ago, kynikoi said:

I'd just spoke to a rep this morning regarding a well regarded insurance company via work. The name begins and ends with the letter A.

 

Regarding field hospitals he said that if admitted I would need to pay and then submit bills. I'm not all that concerned because I doubt they'd ever let a farang go to the cheap field hospital when so much money to be made keeping them in regular hospital. I'm not at all certain that farang even allowed into field hospitals. Finally, for those in BKK doubt these even exist.

 

I have workplace insurance. SSO government insurance and Diphaya b850.

 

Thanks for that excellent info Sheryl.

That indicates that field hospitals are not free to expats. Only that one member that I alluded to seems to think otherwise. 

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1 hour ago, pontious said:

Do you know what costs are for the above two. They just seem  to give you a bed.  I see no medical equipment in them.

 

There are medical staff (nurses and doctors) and they almost certainly have some equipment on standby at least.  Special ventilation requirements too. Medications are given (Thailand gives antivirals to all COVIC positive cases though efficacy is open to debate). Individual thermometers for each patient etc.

 

Likely costs more than you might expect but I don't know how much.

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2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Are you saying the rep says their policy will reimburse Field Hospital and hospitel?

 

It wasn't AXA.

 

What they rep said in English and the actual policy might be open to debate.

 

It may be related to my policy and not blanket for all insureds.

 

I cannot say with any certainty that the company would pay for any charges. He said I could submit them (of course the inference being at least something should be paid).

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22 minutes ago, bobbin said:

Not a problem if you have coverage..

 

That was the point of the last sentence.. You are not just lying around on an enforced "vacation"..

I do not have covid covered in my insurerance, but called https://www.dhipaya.co.th now, and they will call me back now. I have a social security that cover a surten amount pr day from my home country, but not sure this will be covered at all if no symptoms. 

 

Dhipaya said they normaly only give to those with workpermit, but have to wait and see. They asked my visa status, if married, and as said we have to wait and see. 

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11 minutes ago, kynikoi said:

What they rep said in English and the actual policy might be open to debate.

 

I have found an insurance rep lie to me once and when I looked at the policy and saw that what he said wasn't in the policy, I cancelled it and received a full refund.

 

If it's not in writing in the policy then I will not purchase it, that said, if I need more, I will email the broker or insurer direct to see the wording an then file it. In this instance what Sheryl has pointed out could be costly as I am sure insurers wordings are "hospital", so if any doubts about "field hospitals" or "hospitels" if the symptoms are mild or there are no symptoms, it would be advisable to email your insurer to get a written reply, at least that way you know, otherwise check out the other insurers Sheryl has suggested and once confirmed that they will cover the "field hospitals" or "hospitels" if the symptoms are mild or there are no symptoms, would be money well spent IMO.

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1 hour ago, Tagged said:

I do not have covid covered in my insurerance, but called https://www.dhipaya.co.th now, and they will call me back now. I have a social security that cover a surten amount pr day from my home country, but not sure this will be covered at all if no symptoms. 

 

Dhipaya said they normaly only give to those with workpermit, but have to wait and see. They asked my visa status, if married, and as said we have to wait and see. 

Please post here what you find out. Thanks!

 

Dhipaya COVID policy has been bought by many foreigners without work permit,. I wonder if they thought you meant something else? Or else person on the phone did not know what they were talking about.

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37 minutes ago, kynikoi said:

 

I'm not saying your wrong but why? I have three insurance. Whatever they pay I won't have to. I have no legal recourse. If the policy stated and they didn't pay I'd have little recourse.

 

Between the reps English and vague assurances it is what it is.

 

First, need to catch covid. Second need to get sent to field hospital. Like I said, farang are not going to field hospitals. Could be totally asymptomatic no matter they will lock you down in a proper hospital and bleed your funds out of you. By Sheryl's account 100k a week. Total mafia.

 

I am not saying I am right. All I am saying is that when it is in writing, it is pretty hard for an insurer to get out of it, e.g. last year well before vaccines had reached most countries I emailed my insurer in preparation asking them that if the country I was residing in didn't pay for Xpats to be vaccinated would they cover it, and this is the reply they gave me: 

 

We are happy to inform you that if the full expenses of vaccinations are not covered by your country of residence, we at XYZ Insurance will bare the costsCoverage is subject to the terms and conditions of your policy and the customary rates in your country of residence.

 

I replaced the insurers name in the above. At least I have that in writing, however since the email it is my understanding that Thailand will pay for the Covid 19 vaccination, that said, if I don't want one of the vaccinations on offer and the private hospital has the one I want or I can get one quicker than waiting for the Thai government to give it to me because I have pre-existing conditions which put me in in the high risk, then I will pay for it myself. 

 

Having things in writing is always harder to get out of.

 

I don't think that they would put you in a private hospital to extract $'s from the insurer, however if they did, then it pays to have private cover then doesn't it. Not sure most would like it if you or I got VIP treatment because they don't have private cover, i.e. those who are not insured, however discrimination is ripe in Thailand I see.

 

 

Edited by 4MyEgo
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