Pattaya retirees feel “trapped” in Thailand because of insurance

[scubascuba3]

14 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

It is. A friend of mine was confirmed yesterday with a travel insurance from ADAC

Yes i think it's just lost in translation they ask for medical insurance but travel insurance is perfect for this often £millions medical covered, more than $50k

[Jumbo1968]

On 11/4/2021 at 12:57 PM, redwood1 said:

Never........But I guess things changed yesterday......I guess everyone else only needs 50,000 dollars in covid insurance...

When I applied for my Non O in April at the London Embassy Health Insurance was mandatory, the Insurance I had for my COE covered it.

[Harveyboy]

6 hours ago, JeezeLooeze said:

I would like an official answer to this as well. Others on this thread have suggested that if you have Thai SS (or Thai govt issued "medical card") then upload proof of this as "proof of insurance" at the Thailand Pass website. Preferably do this and see if you get the pass before you leave Thailand to verify it works before leaving the country to avoid getting stuck overseas. I guess one could download a copy of one's monthly payments into the Thai SS from their website and use this as proof as they do not issue SS cards anymore. 

tks mate

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

When I applied for my Non O in April at the London Embassy Health Insurance was mandatory, the Insurance I had for my COE covered it.

But it's not required for extensions in Thailand.

[it is what it is]

On 11/4/2021 at 7:53 AM, anchadian said:

$50,000 Medical Insurance which includes cover for Covid-19.

 

Timing is important.

 

Travel overseas say two months before your extenson expires.

 

Obtain the required insurance and pay monthly premiums, say one or two monhs before you travel

 

On your return to Thailand, either continue with the policy or cancel and self insure.

 

Having said that, will med insurance be compulsory for visas and extensons?

 

 

 

if you're happy being uninsured sounds like a possible option; take out an annual policy paid monthly, get the policy document showing cover for a year, cancel the policy. you'll still have the original policy document. i doub't anyone would check if the premiums are being paid...

[Chris.B]

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Travel insurance should be sufficient

Thai travel insurance?

[JensenZ]

12 hours ago, Longwood50 said:

The last "normal year was 2019 when through September the government reported a loss of 448 million baht due to foreigners including tourists not paying hospital bills.  There were upwards of 38 million tourists plus 70,000 foreigners living in Thailand.  If it truly was a problem not paying the bill, a 100 baht fee would cover those losses.  That is not insurance that is strictly to cover those who don't pay their bills either directly or through other insurance they have. 
 

They reported a 448 million baht loss, but it meaningless without a figure for total revenue from tourism. if they had 38 million tourists in that year, it's about 11 baht per tourist. They need to stop worrying about pennies and consider the pounds. If they start making it a hassle for tourists to visit, they will lose a lot more than the unpaid hospital bills. They need to understand that tourists have a lot of options... with many other countries hungry for their money.

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Thai travel insurance?

No, travel insurance from your home, in my case UK, I'd buy online

[hereforgood]

On 11/4/2021 at 1:13 PM, Mr Meeseeks said:

Work permit holders are exempted as we have Thai social security. 

As are those of us that had a WP but retired  still continue to pay into the SS system for our medical coverage.

[hereforgood]

21 hours ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Have you been to a Thai hospital?

Yes the government hospital Sri Ratcha where I am registered with Social security here in Thailand. Both hips replaced great job zero cost to me 

[HashBrownHarry]

3 hours ago, hereforgood said:

Yes the government hospital Sri Ratcha where I am registered with Social security here in Thailand. Both hips replaced great job zero cost to me 

Yikes!

[sandyf]

22 hours ago, theoldgit said:

 

If you're referring to the Emirates policy that was included with their flights, they're dropping that offer with tickets sold after the 1 December.

It was certainly good while it lasted.

 

Edit: I note that the removal of the free insurance after November has already been mentioned a few times.

Emirates have announced several times that they would be stopping the insurance on a particular date, for it to be withdrawn at the 11th hour. We will have to wait and see.

If they do follow through this time it will be a sad farewell.

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Presumably you had a return ticket that left in 16 December?

Exactly. People should refrain from definitive statements like 'you must have insurance to the end of your extension', every rule has exceptions.

When I planned to go to the UK I knew insurance to come back would be a problem so I used 2 tickets, one being a return from the UK. I now have 2 outstanding legs still to use.

[sandyf]

22 hours ago, mran66 said:

What you say is that for those on long term visa or extension they actually don't look at the validity period of insurance??

I am not saying that, I came on a return ticket from the UK.

I am on a marriage extension.

[Jeffr2]

3 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Exactly. People should refrain from definitive statements like 'you must have insurance to the end of your extension', every rule has exceptions.

When I planned to go to the UK I knew insurance to come back would be a problem so I used 2 tickets, one being a return from the UK. I now have 2 outstanding legs still to use.

I did the same thing, but it's not an exception to the rule.  It's a dodgy way around it.  Doubt we'll get caught out though.

[phetphet]

On 11/4/2021 at 12:57 PM, Berkshire said:

I wonder if this insurance requirement is COVID-driven.  That is, will it be a temporary scheme.  Hopefully it is as it's rather draconian and pointless. 

Trouble is with things like this is they tend to start off as a temporary measure, then become permanent.

[sandyf]

1 minute ago, Jeffr2 said:

I did the same thing, but it's not an exception to the rule.  It's a dodgy way around it.  Doubt we'll get caught out though.

When I said "exception to the rule" I meant the rule that is being promoted on this forum that you must have insurance to the end of your extension, the embassy uses the words "period of stay in Thailand".

 

Wouldn't 'period of stay' equate to the time between arrival and departure?

How many actually depart when renewing an extension?

If anything is "dodgy" it is the interpretation and as the whole thing is tourist orientated I can see some other requirement arising for those without a return ticket.

 

 

[Jeffr2]

3 minutes ago, sandyf said:

When I said "exception to the rule" I meant the rule that is being promoted on this forum that you must have insurance to the end of your extension, the embassy uses the words "period of stay in Thailand".

 

Wouldn't 'period of stay' equate to the time between arrival and departure?

How many actually depart when renewing an extension?

If anything is "dodgy" it is the interpretation and as the whole thing is tourist orientated I can see some other requirement arising for those without a return ticket.

 

 

LOL.  I didn't depart.  Just gave up the return ticket. LOL.  My renewal is in March.  I'll probably leave in January and come back just before the renewal.  Legit this time!

[mran66]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

I am not saying that, I came on a return ticket from the UK.

I am on a marriage extension.

 

Anyway they did not use insurance end date as the stamp date, rather extension end date? Any idea what might have been the logic/reason, if any? Or just random? 

[Chris.B]

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

No, travel insurance from your home, in my case UK, I'd buy online

One travel insurance I checked stated applicants must be a UK resident, be registered at a GP and have a UK address.

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

When I said "exception to the rule" I meant the rule that is being promoted on this forum that you must have insurance to the end of your extension, the embassy uses the words "period of stay in Thailand".

 

Wouldn't 'period of stay' equate to the time between arrival and departure?

How many actually depart when renewing an extension?

If anything is "dodgy" it is the interpretation and as the whole thing is tourist orientated I can see some other requirement arising for those without a return ticket.

 

 

No , It means for the period of your visa.As far as they are concerned your period of stay is the length of your visa. 

They look at your type of visa when you apply for a CoE , or a Thai Pass and whatever the visa type, that' how long insurance they require, What you do once you get here is a totally different issue.  

  If you come visa exempt , you need 30 days insurance, as far as they are concerned , you are leaving in 30 days.

If you come on a Non Im -O based on marriage  you need three month insurance,.etc. 

 

 

[Eff1n2ret]

18 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

One travel insurance I checked stated applicants must be a UK resident, be registered at a GP and have a UK address.

That seems to be on the small print of every travel insurance issued in UK. I was once told that there are travel policies available which did not exclude pre-existing conditions. I shopped around several websites, but they were all for UK residents. 

[Longwood50]

8 hours ago, JensenZ said:

They reported a 448 million baht loss, but it meaningless without a figure for total revenue from tourism.

You are correct it is peanuts however they are using it as a pretext for making every tourist have a minimum $50,000 health insurance policy covering care in Thailand.  IF and I repeat IF they were really that concerned over the hospitals losing money they would charge each arriving tourist 100 baht and that would be far for money to be awarded to the hospitals for non paying foreigners than is currently being incurred.  

Of course the figure also doesn't include the millions of baht the hospitals made on tourists who went to them for care and paid their bills either.  

The ludicrous part is that having insurance does not guarantee that the hospital will get paid.  Perhaps the hospital performed some service not covered or more likely the bureaucratic nightmare of trying to collect from a foreign insurance company just isn't worth the expense and hassle to the hospital. 

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

No , It means for the period of your visa.

The lifetime of the Visa is not exactly it........ it usually means the duration of the Permission of Stay you will get, or until the extension of it. 

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

LOL.  I didn't depart.  Just gave up the return ticket. LOL.  My renewal is in March.  I'll probably leave in January and come back just before the renewal.  Legit this time!

I haven't decided yet, I had thought about going back to the UK for Christmas but not looking very good over there.

I have flexible tickets and plan to go again May and August, will only be a few weeks from coming back in June to going again end of July. I will be out of the country when extension comes up for renewal next August so back on new Non O.

Hopefully entry will be a bit easier by then but who knows.

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, mran66 said:

 

Anyway they did not use insurance end date as the stamp date, rather extension end date? Any idea what might have been the logic/reason, if any? Or just random? 

Why would there be any reason?

Returning to Thailand every Tom, Dick & Harry wants to see your documents, apart from the man with the stamp, passport and boarding card is all he wants.

[sandyf]

3 hours ago, sirineou said:

As far as they are concerned your period of stay is the length of your visa. 

I didn't have a visa.

I had a re-entry permit and a return ticket from UK to Thailand and back. They took the length of stay as the date on the return leg of the ticket.

Feel perfectly free to say they were wrong, along with everyone else that checked the documents.

Reality is what it is, not what you would prefer it to be.

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, sandyf said:

I didn't have a visa.

I had a re-entry permit and a return ticket from UK to Thailand and back. They took the length of stay as the date on the return leg of the ticket.

Feel perfectly free to say they were wrong, along with everyone else that checked the documents.

Reality is what it is, not what you would prefer it to be.

You did have a visa  a Non IM-O , which you had extended by a year. Either   based on marriage or retirement. 

So I would assume your length of stay in Thailand would be the time remaining in your extension. and you would need to get insurance for that time. 

Am I correct?  I am not saying that I am , I don't know,   Thailand is so screwed up. 

   I am actually doing the same as you and leaving on a multiple entry , going to Greece with the wife , and while there , I will look into moving our base of operations there  and only coming to Thailand for vacation in the winter. (I qualify for a Greek passport)  

My extension to stay expires in April, and by the time I come back there will only be two or three months left in it, so That's all I should need insurance for. 

we will come back , and then go again it April when my extension expires, stay the summer, and , next time I come back it will be on a Non Im-O based on marriage which will give me 3 months with a two month extension for a total of 5 months, 

If we decide to stay longer we will see what the requirements are by then,

But the way this craziness in Thailand is heading, I don't see myself staying here long term. 

What you think about all of this? I like to know your opinion as you have actual experience in leaving and coming back on an extension to stay.

 

 

  

[Leaver]

44 minutes ago, sirineou said:

You did have a visa  a Non IM-O , which you had extended by a year. Either   based on marriage or retirement. 

So I would assume your length of stay in Thailand would be the time remaining in your extension. and you would need to get insurance for that time. 

Am I correct?  I am not saying that I am , I don't know,   Thailand is so screwed up. 

   I am actually doing the same as you and leaving on a multiple entry , going to Greece with the wife , and while there , I will look into moving our base of operations there  and only coming to Thailand for vacation in the winter. (I qualify for a Greek passport)  

My extension to stay expires in April, and by the time I come back there will only be two or three months left in it, so That's all I should need insurance for. 

we will come back , and then go again it April when my extension expires, stay the summer, and , next time I come back it will be on a Non Im-O based on marriage which will give me 3 months with a two month extension for a total of 5 months, 

If we decide to stay longer we will see what the requirements are by then,

But the way this craziness in Thailand is heading, I don't see myself staying here long term. 

What you think about all of this? I like to know your opinion as you have actual experience in leaving and coming back on an extension to stay.

 

 

  

 

 

In years gone by, a post such as yours would have been met with a flurry of replies such as "don't let the door hit you on the way out" etc etc.  Not so now. 

 

I doubt you are the first to revert to your Plan B, nor will you be the last. 

 

Good luck to you, and you can always come back on tourist visas, which will be more on your terms, rather than Thai immigration's.   

[Leaver]

On 11/5/2021 at 2:12 PM, HashBrownHarry said:

Let me tell you a story....

 

I had a bad injury to my hand 2 years ago, almost lost my thumb. When the incident happened i went to a government hospital coz it's 10 minutes from my house. They removed the bloody towel my hand was wrapped in, took one look at the wound and said there was nothing they could do. Then they gave me one paracetemol and told me to be on my way.

 

I had to be driven 3 hours to a good private hospital where i went straight into surgery ( 23:00 ) and had 26 stitches put in my hand. Two years later scar has healed well, no loss of movement only some numbness.

 

So, the Thai SS hospitals are better than nothing, i would tend to disagree!

 

So, I guess you are giving private hospitals in Thailand the thumbs up.   ????