Non-immigrant OA visa applicants required to have ฿3m health insurance

[tonray]

2 hours ago, Thunglom said:

Cardiovascular diseases and cancers can cost millions of baht of a drawn out period and those with limited savings suddenly find themselves facing bills they can't pay and no way to return home. Ten there is the possibility of accident - roads or whatever lead to  a complicated mix of emergency procedures and payments in different hospitals - patients get moved for financial rather than medical reasons.

the Thai authorities have long been concerned by this and are no doubt worried about any scandals arising from this.

And because 'controlled' high blood pressure is my pre-existing condition...this 3 million baht of insurance that may ease the concerns of the Thai authorities about scandals...will pay for no cardiovascular treatments whatsoever, or kidney disease or stroke. Useless....I have maintained insurance from my early days in Thailand (6 years) but with the recent changes...it becomes clear I have no choice but to buy the minimum required to pass Immigration and prepare to self insure the rest...not optimum but paying for insurance that excludes 75% of likely illness for an aging male (ouch that hurts to say out loud) does not make good sense. Perhaps if I can find a catastrophic cancer care / accident policy then that would be useful...otherwise...doubting it right now.

[cheapcanuck]

That's  $111,000 cdn coverage. 

[MRToMRT]

Theres an interesting (and confusing) article running on the front page of the "news outlet that cannot be named". 

 

Its says the change in insurance is to allow O-A'ers to get their insurance outside of Thailand if they are too old to get it inside Thailand. Which of course makes zero sense with the current Non Imm O being an alternative for retirees.

 

Theres something weird here, I understand Thailand does things that make no sense at times but this whole thing really does not make any sense if you read the article. What the hell is going on?

Edited October 21, 2021 by MRToMRT

[Pib]

13 minutes ago, MRToMRT said:

Theres an interesting (and confusing) article running on the front page of the "news outlet that cannot be named". 

 

And the article is titled, "Health Care Perks For Foreigners.    Wow....I didn't know raising the health coverage coverage requirement by 8 fold could be considered a perk.  Maybe they meant to say it was perk for the insurance companies.  The article also has other reasons why this 8 fold increase is a good thing,  Sounds like the article was sponsored by the insurance companies.

[Ralf001]

18 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

It's a serious stroke at a private hospital. Been there. Paid that.

Agreed. Spent a month in Bangkok Pattaya when I smashed my knee to bits wakeboarding (only thing stopping my lower leg from falling off was the skin that was  still intact).

 

The bill for that was well north of  3 million (when adding the continued visits and surgeries that went on for another 12 months).

Super glad I had decent medical insurance to pay the bills.

[Ralf001]

13 minutes ago, Pib said:

And the article is titled, "Health Care Perks For Foreigners.    Wow....I didn't know raising the health coverage coverage requirement by 8 fold could be considered a perk.  Maybe they meant to say it was perk for the insurance companies.  The article also has other reasons why this 8 fold increase is a good thing,  Sounds like the article was sponsored by the insurance companies.

Hardly a perk for Thailand based insurance companies given policies from abroad are also allowed.

[The Fugitive]

9 hours ago, tonray said:

It's not brain surgery per se but computer directed radiation therapy for tumours. 

Thank you. I understand it a little more now.

[The Fugitive]

24 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Agreed. Spent a month in Bangkok Pattaya when I smashed my knee to bits wakeboarding (only thing stopping my lower leg from falling off was the skin that was  still intact).

 

The bill for that was well north of  3 million (when adding the continued visits and surgeries that went on for another 12 months).

Super glad I had decent medical insurance to pay the bills.

Wow! (and Wow!). Had to look up what wakeboarding is! I understand there is such a thing as hazardous activities. Did you inform your insurers in advance that you participate in such sports or do you have a policy that always covers such?

[stratocaster]

1 hour ago, MRToMRT said:

Theres an interesting (and confusing) article running on the front page of the "news outlet that cannot be named". 

 

Its says the change in insurance is to allow O-A'ers to get their insurance outside of Thailand if they are too old to get it inside Thailand. Which of course makes zero sense with the current Non Imm O being an alternative for retirees.

 

Theres something weird here, I understand Thailand does things that make no sense at times but this whole thing really does not make any sense if you read the article. What the hell is going on?

The two parts of the article that confuse me are "help to reduce the issue of visa extensions" and "help to screen foreigners". Not direct quotes from the paper as per TVF rules.

[Pib]

46 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Hardly a perk for Thailand based insurance companies given policies from abroad are also allowed.

But there have been no details given yet as to when a home country insurance policy will be allowed....that is, the fine print.  There was talk before for "extension" purposes  it would only be allowed if a person was turned down by a Thai insurance company due to age or pre-conditions....then immigration would consider a home country policy.

 

Also, people who have have coverage from a  home country "government" program that provides worldwide coverage that does not specify coverage limits, (like the policy is good for at least 100K USD) simply because there are no limits it will not be surprised me the least those insurance polices will not be accepted "for extensions or maybe even the initial OA visa" unless the person can get a policy statement from the home country govt saying it meets the Thailand requirements---and a person is not going to be able to get such a statement from the home country govt.   Another one of those get three insurance directors signature on a form Catch 22s before immigration will accept it.   

 

Or said another, "Wait for it....the fine print has not been disclosed yet."   Right now the Thai govt and insurance companies are trying to make ugly appear pretty....putting Lipstick on a Pig.

[Boomer6969]

49 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Hardly a perk for Thailand based insurance companies given policies from abroad are also allowed.

Maybe, what I read is that policies from abroad are considered when applying for an OA visa. I din't see any mention of the requirement for extensions of stay. For the 400/40K insurance you could, theoretically, use a non Thai coverage but the required paperwork made this near impossible.

 

 I have an unlimited coverage from Cigna for which I pay about 120k a year, while my former employer pays the remaining 240k, but I wouldn't even dream of trying to use it to get an extension of stay if I had to do so.

[userabcd]

13 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I had to have a house visit, had to have pictures with the wife, had to have witnesses attesting to our marriage being a true marriage, had to wait for the extension of stay to be reviewed and then return 30 days later to pick it up, while with the OA extension, turn in the paperwork and within an our out the door with my passport stamped with the new extension pre-dated to match the ending of the current extension.  Only difference is I have to show insurance and they check it on the database as well as confirming the 800K in the bank by reviewing the bank letter.  Easy peasy my way now versus the headache from before, oh and a new Kor Ror 2 every time as well when I was married and doing the extension of stay for that one.  So tell me again no extra hoops to jump through.

Still no hoops.

 

It is what the immigration office in the location wants to secure your temporary stay in Thailand, those are their rules.

 

Still don't believe what is described are insurmountable hoops and they can easily be accomplished, it is a part of life and dealing with things.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by userabcd

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

Theres an interesting (and confusing) article running on the front page of the "news outlet that cannot be named". 

Confusing is a very kind word. Among other things, it suggests that the increased insurance will help promote traditional Thai massage! As a matter of interest, has anyone claimed back the cost of their foot massage from their insurance company? Was the 3M baht of coverage sufficient?

[John Drake]

14 hours ago, superal said:

So what happens if you are seriously injured in a road accident . Will you get life saving treatment  without a financial / insurance inquest , or are you put to one side ?

I have been in an emergency room in Thailand where they bring in people who were mangled by road accidents. They treat them. Just as they treated me. Afterwards, I paid. I don't know what happened to the Thai who was almost dead. I assume they did everything possible to help. But as for us, for foreigners. I doubt anyone can skip out without paying. They have our passports and immigration/police have our addresses. Hard for me to imagine that someone foreign can abscond with free medical treatment.

[nottin]

Looks like the same insurance requirement, US$100k, is the same now for non-immigration O (marriage) and O-A (retirement) visas. At least if applying for a new visa by looking at the Thai Embassy Singapore site. 

 

 

[wml22]

8 minutes ago, nottin said:

Looks like the same insurance requirement, US$100k, is the same now for non-immigration O (marriage) and O-A (retirement) visas. At least if applying for a new visa by looking at the Thai Embassy Singapore site. 

 

 

Can anyone confirm this? Has the non-o based on marriage been now saddled with an insurance requirement?

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, wml22 said:

Can anyone confirm this? Has the non-o based on marriage been now saddled with an insurance requirement?

No

It is only for a a Non-OA visa application.

[BritTim]

15 minutes ago, nottin said:

Looks like the same insurance requirement, US$100k, is the same now for non-immigration O (marriage) and O-A (retirement) visas. At least if applying for a new visa by looking at the Thai Embassy Singapore site. 

 

 

That is not true, though the Non O (spouse) application requirements are much more onerous than almost anywhere else. This is the relevant page:

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa/non-immigrant-visa-o-thai-spouse.

 

It appears that they are insisting on the Covid insurance at the time of application for the visa, not waiting until you apply for a COE. There is no suggestion that general health insurance is necessary.

[ubonjoe]

20 minutes ago, nottin said:

Looks like the same insurance requirement, US$100k, is the same now for non-immigration O (marriage) and O-A (retirement) visas. At least if applying for a new visa by looking at the Thai Embassy Singapore site. 

It is not shown on this page of their website. http://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa/non-immigrant-visa-o-thai-spouse

I think you are mixing up the $100,000 baht covid 19 insurance required for all entries to the country with the insurance needed for a OA visa.

[Pib]

12 minutes ago, wml22 said:

Can anyone confirm this? Has the non-o based on marriage been now saddled with an insurance requirement?

I can see how a person can infer from their site that 100K is required for across the board medical insurance for a marriage visa but they are really only talking COVID coverage. 

 

Take a look at the site's insurance requirements for a O marriage visa and OA retirement visa...you'll see the site requires 400K/40K baht general insurance and the 100K USD COVID insurance for an OA; however, the O marriage only requires the 100K USD COVID Insurance.

 

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa

[nottin]

10 minutes ago, BritTim said:

That is not true, though the Non O (spouse) application requirements are much more onerous than almost anywhere else. This is the relevant page:

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa/non-immigrant-visa-o-thai-spouse.

 

It appears that they are insisting on the Covid insurance at the time of application for the visa, not waiting until you apply for a COE. There is no suggestion that general health insurance is necessary.

On the page from your link this is requirement 6. Which is the same as for the O-A visa. How do you read it as not being a requirement?

 

6. A copy of health insurance covering medical expenses including COVID-19 for the entire period of stay in Thailand at the amount of at least 100,000 USD

[nottin]

2 minutes ago, Pib said:

I can see how a person can infer from their site that 100K is required for across the board medical insurance for a marriage visa but they are really only talking COVID coverage. 

 

Take a look at the site's insurance requirements for a O marriage visa and OA retirement visa...you'll see the site requires 400K/40K baht general insurance and the 100K USD COVID insurance for an OA; however, the O marriage only requires the 100K USD COVID Insurance.

 

https://www.thaiembassy.sg/visa-matters-/-consular/types-of-visa

It seems clear to me for O visa it is required. But for O-A it's a little confusing cause the section is under Visa and COE applicants, however we know it is definitely required for O-A new visas and extensions.

 

[Pib]

15 minutes ago, nottin said:

On the page from your link this is requirement 6. Which is the same as for the O-A visa. How do you read it as not being a requirement?

 

6. A copy of health insurance covering medical expenses including COVID-19 for the entire period of stay in Thailand at the amount of at least 100,000 USD

You'll see that same statement under a B Visa...ED visa....it's really just talking 100K USD COVID coverage.

[ubonjoe]

32 minutes ago, nottin said:

On the page from your link this is requirement 6. Which is the same as for the O-A visa. How do you read it as not being a requirement?

6. A copy of health insurance covering medical expenses including COVID-19 for the entire period of stay in Thailand at the amount of at least 100,000 USD

That is the insurance required to apply for a certificate of entry (COE) for all categories of visas. In the case of a non-o visa it only has to valid for the 90 day entry it allows.

[JimGant]

On 10/20/2021 at 11:36 AM, Mango Bob said:

I know others with an O/A marriage who do not need the insurance.  I wish I could get some good answers.

Pib, a frequent contributor to this forum, entered on an O-A visa, and subsequent extensions, until the insurance requirement, were retirement extensions. Then, he switched to marriage extensions off of his O-A visa and, voila, no insurance requirement. Maybe he'll step in and amplify.

[Badrabbit]

So does a holder of the retirement extension for many years now have to have 3 million cover in order to renew there next extension?

[Confuscious]

For me, I made my choice last year already.
Getting older and needing increasing health care made me chose for returning to Europe where I am entitled to (almost) free health care and use the money i will be saving to make trips to other countries I would like to visit.
It is obvious that this government wants only wealthy foreigners who spend lots of cash in Thailand.

Living in Europe, I am entitled by my country to have free health care (Europ Assistance), including worldwide repatriation when possible, om my holyday trips.
I have been living in Thailand for 20 years now, but now it's time to look for a change for the better.
I agree with the fact that Thailand wants to protect themselves from health care expenses from foreigners.
But I fail to see how requiring an insurance from an old retired person, with some underlying disease will be a solution.
The insurance, mo matter how expensive, will refuse to pay any bill if it can be connected to an underlying disease.
A few months ago, a good friend of mine got a stroke and was hospitalised at the Bangkok hospital.
He was not a poor guy and he had a good health insurance.
After 2 months in intensive care, the hospital decided to "take the plug out" and he passed away.
The insurance paid only 100,000 baht as he was siuffering from high blood pressure.
The family didn't want to ay for the hospital bills and leaved the hospital with an unpaid bill with 8 digits.

[The Fugitive]

Sorry you are going. Sorry about your friend too. His insurance company would argue that he should have informed them if he developed high blood pressure since taking out his policy. If they could have established that he suffered from raised blood pressure when he originally took out cover they almost certainly wouldn't have paid anything out at all.

[Pib]

On 10/20/2021 at 11:36 AM, Mango Bob said:

I have an O/A visa with a Thai wife.  I got it last year and was told when this first came out a number of months ago by the immigrations department that it doesn't effect me because I am married.  I do hope this is true.  I know others with an O/A marriage who do not need the insurance.  I wish I could get some good answers.

 

No insurance required.  I use to do OA retirement extensions...did 11 of them on my underlying OA visa from 2008.   In 2020 I switched from the OA retirement extension to Thai wife marriage extension with that same underlying OA visa from 2008 Christmas Past.  Switched to avoid the medical insurance....done at CW my serving immigration office...no problem in switching...immigration officer knew I was switching to avoid the insurance....all perfectly allowed under immigration rules.  And in mid Sep 2021 I did my 2nd marriage extension at CW with the old, underlying OA visa....no insurance required since it's a marriage vs retirement extension.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Pib

[JimGant]

On 10/20/2021 at 12:39 PM, John Drake said:

I do wonder if immigration is moving towards making 800/400 the only option for retirement extensions not including OA. No monthly income letters and no mix of income letters and fixed account levels. 

Well, subsequent retirement extensions off an O-A visa entry also require the 800k in the bank......same as the others ---- why make the distinction?

 

But anyway, yes, requiring 800k in an account, by retirees, for annual extensions would streamline matters. Plus, if this account was setup to allow hospitals to tap it for overdue bill payment, great. Kind of a self insurance mandate, whereby hospitals certainly can recover, with the full 800k, all their variable costs (medicine, other expendables) in most situations (no extra profit for doctors, no allocating your stay to the cost of air conditioning -- but all in all, a fair deal for the hospitals, with only variable costs covered.)

 

Malaysia has a setup, whereby your required account balance can be tapped for medical reasons. Why not Thailand? And payback schemes? Make it easy on the retiree, since a depleted 800k account hurts no one (except the retiree) and the hospital is happy as sh.... Jeez, no one driving this mess?

 

Oh, yeah -- the Thai insurance mafia. Can't have anything interrupt their insurance premium flow. This makes the Thai lawyer mafia, insisting on probate in all situations, when the law doesn't require it, look like amateurs against the insurance hustlers. Oh, well -- some elements of 3rd world mentality can never be overcome....

Edited October 21, 2021 by JimGant