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

[sqwakvfr]

3 Million Baht for Inpatient Coverage.  $100,000 USD for Covid 19 Coverage?  Coincidence?  $100,000 USD now converts to just slightly over 3 Million Baht. 

[Flink]

2 hours ago, userabcd said:

It will if they mandate that the policies for health cover should be with Thai resident insurance companies.

Ssshhhhh!! That's next months announcement. Don't let the cat out of the bag too soon!

[John Drake]

18 minutes ago, rughead said:

i think all retirees, O visa , marriage visa , etc etc , should have adequate medical insurance cover , too long the O-A visa has been propping up retirees who think everyone owes them a living . They expect the thai government system for free.

So you think foreigners get medical treatment for free?  Something tells me you've never been treated in a Thai hospital. They will get their money. Why do you think they wheel you out to cashier's window with two big guys on each handle of the wheelchair? And why do you think that for costly procedures they make sure you pay in advance. It's not like Mexico, where they handcuff you to the hospital bed until you pay. But they do make sure nobody gets anything for "free."

[John Drake]

17 minutes ago, Mango Bob said:

After that the government paid 100% of my bills after I file the claim. 

The key words being "after I file the claim." Does any medical center in Thailand accept Tricare up front? If not, I can see that their thinking might be that after you die on the operating table, there is no one around to file the claim????

[tonray]

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

I'm sure that as soon as O-A people drop 800K into a Thai bank O people will be happy to discuss the insurance issue.

Every OA initial holder who has extended, requires 800 k in the bank.. In addition to insurance... 

[roobaa01]

If this insurance nightmare becomes reality all those arriving on non-OA then alter converted to extension based on retirement Fall in the pit unless Being grandfathering? ?

 

Wbr

Roobaa01

[Pib]

1 hour ago, MRToMRT said:

I was told about this Change Wattana a few weeks ago when doing an extension. I was also told it would not apply to Non-O and I should consider swapping visas in the future. 

 

Reminds me of Oct 2019 when immigration implemented the 400K/40K medical insurance requirement for OA Visa/Extension folks....but some on the ThaiVisa forum felt sure it would not apply to OA "extensions of stay"...there would be grandfathering, only apply to those getting an OA Visa after 31 Oct 2019, etc. 

 

But we all know how that turned out....there was no gandfathering...it did apply to OA extensions and not just OA visas issued after a certain date.  Now I hope the upcoming 3M baht change does not apply to extension; only the initial OA visa....but hey, we have went thru this once already in 2019 and we know how that turned out.

 

Below is a post I made in Oct 2019 after talking to some CW immigration officers regarding will the 400K/40K medical insurance requirement also apply to all OA retirement extensions with old underlying/expired OA Visas or will there be grandfathering.  

 

[Speedhump]

3 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Im a  cut  off  my nose to spite my face  sort of person , so Ill choose  die

I'm glad my daughter didn't do that. Breast cancer and reconstruction and long drug regime. Thank god for good insurance cover. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

2 minutes ago, Speedhump said:

I'm glad my daughter didn't do that. Breast cancer and reconstruction and long drug regime. Thank god for good insurance cover. 

Yesh but  im older....well  I  guess 

[Speedhump]

2 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Yesh but  im older....well  I  guess 

In her 20s, yes I do understand your figurings if you have no-one to leave behind. 

[KhunMorris]

This is good news. Far too many broke sex-pats coming here and living Leo to Leo with no provision or thought for their future. The furthest most can think ahead is their next short-time up Soi Pothole.

 

Time for some quality retirees.

 

Sincerely 

 

MORRIS

Ex Bar Owner, Speaks Thai and Laos

[gearbox]

8 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

Why not get a single entry Non O, come to Thailand and see an agent. Just a thought.

Me thinks the days of the Non-O retirement visas without insurance are numbered. It is only a matter of time.

[NanaSomchai]

21 minutes ago, KhunMorris said:

This is good news. Far too many broke sex-pats coming here and living Leo to Leo with no provision or thought for their future. The furthest most can think ahead is their next short-time up Soi Pothole.

Is that you Thomas Andrew Howe aka Barfines and Powerlines?

[taxin]

Could someone clarify again the difference between an “OA” and an “O” non immigrant visa ? I forgot..

[Ty Hareways]

16 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

They only want foreigners who stay a week or two.

...and they want to put them in a hospital for the two weeks!!

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, taxin said:

Could someone clarify again the difference between an “OA” and an “O” non immigrant visa ? I forgot..

A Non-OA visa is only for those 50 or over and and is a multiple entry visa valid for one year from the date of issued and allows unlimited one year entries for that year.

A non-o visa only allows a 90 day entry and can be issued for various reasons. Being 50 or over for retirement is one of them.

[Salerno]

1 hour ago, tonray said:

Every OA initial holder who has extended, requires 800 k in the bank.. In addition to insurance... 

Yes, but it was claimed earlier that this was only for the visa not extensions (similar to the initial 40/400K).

[Thunglom]

Don't know what the actual figures are , but I know of several expats who have fallen ill without proper insurance. They either have no cover or insufficient. At first they can cover stuff out of their savings and then the crunch comes and they end up left to die in a hospital bed unable to pay for the full treatment.

[The Fugitive]

8 minutes ago, Thunglom said:

Don't know what the actual figures are , but I know of several expats who have fallen ill without proper insurance. They either have no cover or insufficient. At first they can cover stuff out of their savings and then the crunch comes and they end up left to die in a hospital bed unable to pay for the full treatment.

Absolutely correct. Treatment is discontinued if unable to pay.  

[moogradod]

21 minutes ago, Thunglom said:

Don't know what the actual figures are , but I know of several expats who have fallen ill without proper insurance. They either have no cover or insufficient.

And there is the other side which gets forgotten all the time: There are plenty of expats who can easily pay any treatment out of their own pocket and be it many millions. Everybody should be able to pay for their treatments - this is never denied. But for this a mandatory insurance which even the rich (the so sought after "quality" expats - or am I wrong in this regard ?) cannot get because of preconditions is not a clever idea and might destruct whole families because of nothing. If you want to conclude an insurance - why not ? But do not make it mandatory. And for the small rest where this does not work a 500 Baht entry fee from every tourist will MORE than compensate for that. Or a fixed deposit of say 3 Million THB instead of an insurance.

Edited October 20, 2021 by moogradod

[AhFarangJa]

3 hours ago, RafPinto said:

Just a question of when that all Non Immigrant O visa holders also will have to have a health insurance.

it will not be long..........

[RoyDav]

My two cents. This article says that we could use insurance from our countries but I will believe that when I see it. Two years ago when I went to renew my retirement visa they told me I needed health insurance. I was ready for that and told the I had my Canadian Health care, some very good extra health insurance I was paying for from Canada, and I was covered by my Thai wife’s health insurance.  They told me it wasn’t good enough and that I had to get insurance through one of the Thai health insurance companies from their list which they provided. I then went through the paperwork a trip to Cambodia to change over to a marriage visa. I have since canceled my Canadian ‘extra’ insurance. I would also like to point out that although we don’t pay directly into the Thai government health scheme, most of us pay a substantial amount of money while living here. Much more than the vast majority of Thais I would think. If you want to purchase anything from outside the country that might be considered luxury (I don’t believe a good coffee machine is luxury…it is a necessity!) we pay even more into the coffers. I also pay for first class car insurance which am assuming covers accidental injuries from a car accident but I could be wrong. In all, I believe most of us pay our fair share and I honestly don’t think we are a drain on the Thai coffers. It would be interesting to see the true burden we cause. 
 

[The Fugitive]

20 minutes ago, moogradod said:

And there is the other side which gets forgotten all the time: There are plenty of expats who can easily pay any treatment out of their own pocket and be it many millions. Everybody should be able to pay for their treatments - this is never denied. But for this a mandatory insurance which even the rich (the so sought after "quality" expats - or am I wrong in this regard ?) cannot get because of preconditions is not a clever idea and might destruct whole families because of nothing. If you want to conclude an insurance - why not ? But do not make it mandatory. And for the small rest where this does not work a 500 Baht entry fee from every tourist will MORE than compensate for that. Or a fixed deposit of say 3 Million THB instead of an insurance.

Good points. Unfortunately, however small the amount, people will complain about being forced to contribute towards bad debts incurred by the irresponsible. A mandatory interest earning security deposit of the 3 million baht mentioned would weed out those who can't scrape together 800,000 baht for their retirement extensions. It is more than likely that this is the sector which makes no provision for their funerals either, their cadavers blocking up hospital mortuaries incurring further expense for the Thai taxpayers.  

[Citzofwrld2]

17 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

They only want foreigners who stay a week or two.

I sensed that over the four years I lived in Thailand. Spend your money, then go home. We don't need more people moving here permanently.  Got enough headaches with our own people.

[Jen65]

3 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

sadly not correct Jens, I was told by one of the CW supervisors to consider changing to a non-o next year as this change was about to be made. I was doing an extension.

 

I do agree with you on the non-o, its does not make sense (if I were a gov official) having two different ext of stay fro retirement processes,

mmmm If I go out I may consider to change to an O-X visa but have to check on the insurance requirements for that - probably same ?

  

[John Drake]

38 minutes ago, Thunglom said:

At first they can cover stuff out of their savings and then the crunch comes and they end up left to die in a hospital bed unable to pay for the full treatment.

Among the most important things those of us living here from other countries should do is investigate the available medical care before getting sick. By that, I mean see what hospital prices are like, what services are available, and what physicians on staff are capable of. Sometimes, you'll save more money paying out of pocket than if you had insurance. For example, in 2012, I developed some inner ear problems. I went to Bumrungrad and they gave me a hearing test, sent me home with a single prescription for medicine. Total cost: 21,000 baht, of which my insurance offered through Mahidol only paid 14,000. Problems persisted. I went back several; times, seeing different physicians, but getting only the same test and treatment. Finally, after I retired and lost my insurance, I went to the Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital near Pinklao. Saw a specialist in Meniere's, got a hearing test, finally received an accurate diagnosis, and went home with prescription medicine. Total cost: 2500 baht. No insurance but I saved 4500 baht and received superior treatment. I still go to the same EENT doctor every couple of months. Hearing in both ears partially restored and no vertigo in four years. Lesson: don't let insurance make you lazy. Seek out the best treatment. It may not be at the "brand name" hospitals. Could say similar things about Thonburi 2 Hospital. Better than quality care, superior care, is out there, but you need to look for it. When you're collapsed on the floor sweating and semi-conscious, it's too late to know the best alternatives.

[Jen65]

2 hours ago, rughead said:

i think all retirees, O visa , marriage visa , etc etc , should have adequate medical insurance cover , too long the O-A visa has been propping up retirees who think everyone owes them a living . They expect the thai government system for free.

Exactly !!  any overhaul of the Immigration system (as it is supposed to be in the process of ) needs to sort it .   They need a system whereby anyone who spends 180 days or more here is considered a resident and ALL in that category have the same medical insurance requirements - sorted !!   The rest are just tourists 

[Confuscious]

"Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said today (Tuesday) that the new rule is intended to ensure that they will receive proper medical treatment if they fall ill during their long stay in the country."

 

Unless DPHM Sathit is a 1st class BS'r, I fail to see how such an insurance will ensure that the person will receive proper medical treatment.

Most  of the retirees in Thailand are older people who have already been treated for a disease and NO insurance company in the world will pay for a medical treatment which can be proved to be caused by a previous illness.

Now, unless the person would fall ill to an unknown alien disease, it is easy to blame the illness on a previous disease and refuse the hospital bills.

 

For me, this seems an easy way to generate $$$ in the state coffin to compensate the losses of Covid.

[PEE TEE]

If this refers to the extended stay retirement visa? Then i can see loads of expats taking out there money a going elsewhere I'm sure the banks would love that. How would any one over 75 get insurance anyway and those with medical history I just renewed min 30th September with the 800.000 baht  in the bank so at least i have a year left . My last quote for health cover was 133.000 baht and that was for only 1 Mil. so how much would it be for 3Mil 

[PEE TEE]

18 minutes ago, Citzofwrld2 said:

I sensed that over the four years I lived in Thailand. Spend your money, then go home. We don't need more people moving here permanently.  Got enough headaches with our own people.

Only if you ate rich and donated over 1 million dollars and buy real estate