Unpleasant reading. Best not to read it.

[LoeiI]

35 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

They do not cover the pre-conditions, the only one of consequence I have is pre-diabetes type II.

Pre diabetes Is that just diet controlled then ? Could you tell me what conditions they dont cover as i suppose it could be anything or everything 

[Chris.B]

4 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

The issue about whether to purchase insurance here in Thailand is further complicated by the fact that many policies have restrictions, sub-limits and caps on hospital stays, any one illness/accident, so that even with an insurance policy in hand, you can end up incurring substantial out-of-pocket expenses. Having a solid understanding of what your medical insurance covers is a critical part of the decision making process.

 

Hope this helps.

Some have no choice as either refused cover or quoted unreasonably high premiums because of age or prior medical conditions. Then the decision they have to make is, stay in their cold wet, home country twiddling their thumbs until its time to die or go somewhere in the sun and have a few pleasant years in the evening of their lives.  ????

[gim12]

i

"The life span of humans – opposed to life expectancy, which is a statistical construct – hasn’t really changed much at all"

Walter Scheidel

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181002-how-long-did-ancient-people-live-life-span-versus-longevity

 

i understnd the difference between life expectancy and life span, below states that people are living longer-(2nd paragraph,) regardless my point remains-pension checks and social security are not provided by the "nanny state" but are earned by the recipient

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/articles/howhaslifeexpectancychangedovertime/2015-09-09

 

often argued that life expectancy across the world has only increased because child mortality has fallen. If this were true, this would mean that we’ve become much better at preventing young children from dying, but have achieved nothing to improve the survival of older children, adolescents and adults. Once past childhood, people would be expected to enjoy the same length of life as they did centuries ago.

This, as we will see in the data below, is untrue. Life expectancy has increased at all ages. The average person can expect to live a longer life than in the past, irrespective of what age they are

 

[KarenBravo]

1 hour ago, LoeiI said:

Pre diabetes Is that just diet controlled then ? Could you tell me what conditions they dont cover as i suppose it could be anything or everything 

Not just diet, I also take Janumet and the condition is well under control.

I would imagine that they don't cover any pre-conditions.

 

 

Edited November 9, 2021 by KarenBravo

[Fat is a type of crazy]

5 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Read my other thread on this point.  If someone returns home for medical treatment they will have to resume residency in Australia to get access to medicare.  They will then have to go through a 2 year wait time before their pension is again portable and they can move back to Thailand.

The observation was made that if you are doing it tough for many it would be easier in Thailand than their home countries. I was just noting that for Australians there are other factors to take into account such as free healthcare and other assistance that offset the fact that it is cheap to live in Thailand. 

It was not about the opportunity to live in Thailand, get healthcare back in Australia, and then return to Thailand. I note too I think your example is based on the particular situation of you being away from Australia for more than 5 years and not keeping a current Medicare card. 

 

[no deal]

i aggred!

 

[Salerno]

7 hours ago, Adumbration said:

They will then have to go through a 2 year wait time before their pension is again portable and they can move back to Thailand.

Where did you read that? 

[Olmate]

7 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Read my other thread on this point.  If someone returns home for medical treatment they will have to resume residency in Australia to get access to medicare.  They will then have to go through a 2 year wait time before their pension is again portable and they can move back to Thailand.

Ehh! Wrong

[balo]

Don't worry too much, just live your life in rural Thailand, visit the local hospital like any Thai, pay cheap bills in hospital rooms with no air con. If you die you die.  We only live once. Thinking too mut can kill you.  

 

[bristolgeoff]

If all fails they is go fund me and they hope someone will donate to their cause

[bunnydrops]

2 hours ago, balo said:

Don't worry too much, just live your life in rural Thailand, visit the local hospital like any Thai, pay cheap bills in hospital rooms with no air con. If you die you die.  We only live once. Thinking too mut can kill you.  

 

When I read things like the original poster, I remember one of the old Kung <deleted> TV show where the hero is trapped in a hay barn with some others and the "bad guys" maybe planning to burn the barn down with the people in it. When asked if he was worried he said "No, If they burn the place down, all the worrying won't stop it, and if they don't I will have worried for nothing."

I do worry about it sometimes. I guess all of us that have pasted the 3/4 century mark can't help if because death is no longer a hypothetical concept.

Some of us worked the 9 t0 5 and got Christmas off and a two week vacation every year an saved up for the "Golden Years". Some of us said  "hell" to the future and made enough money to head to the beach, or Katmandu. "Cold hearted orb that rules the night. Removes the colors from our sight. Red is gray, yellow white, but we decide which is right and which is an illusion" Moody Blues.

Yes. I'm rambling.

I also like the Zen story of the monk that was running from a tiger. He finds a rope hanging from a cliff and begins to climb. Half way us he sees that the rope is about to break and he will fall into the teeth of the waiting tiger. He reaches over and pick a strawberry off the ledge.

[wokkawombat]

On 11/9/2021 at 11:58 AM, Fat is a type of crazy said:

In the case of expat Australians, some of who call Australia a nanny state, if they come home nanny will get them free health care, the age pension or similar, which they may already get, and rent assistance and lots of discounts. If  in a real bad way, they can get emergency housing, and after some time  a permanent government flat or similar. So that can be better than not much in Thailand I suppose. 

I am now aged 78. In 2017 I became worried about my health and insurance was out of the question. I had lived in Thailand, mainly Udon Thani for 20 odd years and returning to Australia maybe twice a year for a few months at a time. I did not burn my bridges as I never intended to live in Thailand forever. The nanny state looked after me as I am a veteran with a few problems. My pensions paid by the Aus Govt. were about Baht 100K a month. I always had credit cards with large limits so I was sure I could cover medical expenses. I returned to Aus full time in 2018 and started to have medical problems. Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer (Prostate Gland removed) and lung cancer right lung. The operations were carried out by top surgeons in a top hospital. As a veteran all my medical expenses are free, discounts on government charges, free travel on trains etc. While I enjoyed most of my time in Thailand and made good friends there I am more than happy to live in the nanny state. I am 99% sure that I will not be cleaned up on a roundabout (Noosa is the roundabout capital of the world) whereas I took my life into my hands every time in Udon Thani.

Edited November 10, 2021 by wokkawombat
add baht

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, LoeiI said:

Pre diabetes Is that just diet controlled then ? Could you tell me what conditions they dont cover as i suppose it could be anything or everything 

Pre diabetes is when a blood test tells one that one is going to become diabetic unless one does some radical changes to lifestyle. I gave up sugar and my tests are heading in the right direction, along with my weight and waist size. Once the tests are below a certain level one is no longer pre diabetic.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, balo said:

Don't worry too much, just live your life in rural Thailand, visit the local hospital like any Thai, pay cheap bills in hospital rooms with no air con. If you die you die.  We only live once. Thinking too mut can kill you.  

 

What is wrong with that plan is that many conditions don't kill you, but make you suffer, like becoming a paraplegic or quadraplegic. Try self funding your way out of that!

[rickthompson]

On 11/8/2021 at 8:06 AM, Pravda said:

Absolutely not true. 

 

Back surgery in a cheap hospital. 500,000 baht.

 

Head excision - over 1 million baht.

 

These are the prices my ex wife's father paid despite being a retired school director meaning he had government insurance.

 

 

Exactly right. While public hospitals are a lot cheaper than private, still expensive. I had a pacemaker installed a year ago at public hospital. Relatively minor operation as those go, but still cost was 140,000 baht. Not cheap, but better than private hospital. Same operation at BNH was quoted at 560,000 baht. And that was being done by the exact same surgeon, who works at both hospitals. Pays to look at public for major operations, but still not smart to forego insurance.

[jwest10]

On 11/8/2021 at 5:46 AM, Albert Zweistein said:

For decades long I do have a year around travel insurance. BUT, it doesn't cover health problems unless caused by an accident.

Travel insurance is just that and though I was covered until the first year of renewal and then told you have to be in the uk for 5/6 months of the year and of course asked queried and no joy.

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, jwest10 said:

............... you have to be in the uk for 5/6 months of the year ............

Genuine question.......how do they know where you are?

[jwest10]

On 11/8/2021 at 6:10 AM, sezze said:

Better choose a different hospital . You do not have to go to Bangkok Hospital , with tenniscourt , swimmingpool and supernice entrances . Take a standard hospital and your bill is very cheap , spending even 100.000 there is something very very serious happening to you .

Yes, indeed and the local hospital which I stayed in for 4 days was cheap but not a too serious issue.
Put in to contest and yes my Thai family have tried several times to get me on their policy and yes we provide a home and look after the general expenses but of course this is never taken in to account but it should
The financials must be in place.
However , even Thais who have a policy and I knew someone who had gallstones and was serious, the local hospital did not cater for this and had to go to the city and you know what her policy did not cover this and 300k baht see had to pay!!

Indeed those who maybe have to go back to the UK it is not necessary one is covered, despite decades of paying the NI contributions but have to be there a certain length of time.
Crazy eh paying in to the NHS system but not allowed to use it.

 

[seedy]

44 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Genuine question.......how do they know where you are?

Simple as asking for proof before they write that cheque.

Can't prove you are where you say you are - tuff luck

When you sign on the dotted line it will say something like "I declare my statement to be true ..."

Edited November 10, 2021 by seedy

[BritManToo]

54 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Genuine question.......how do they know where you are?

The usual answer is because the overly honest poster volunteered the information to them.

 

"I cannot tell a lie, I don't live in the UK anymore, please cancel my insurance, my right to use the NHS, my UK driving license, and freeze my pension"

Edited November 10, 2021 by BritManToo

[jwest10]

On 11/9/2021 at 8:55 AM, pattaya1234was said:

The policy will not only increase dramatically as you age but also if you make a claim-then watch the premium rise-as I did.

Exactly , and no preconditions and then you have one claim  and then it becomes one and the premiums would rise substantially.

 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, seedy said:

Simple as asking for proof before they write that cheque.

Can't prove you are where you say you are - tuff luck

When you sign on the dotted line it will say something like "I declare my statement to be true ..."

I have a sneaky suspicion some people might lie........so assuming they did, what could the interested party do to find out where you were in the world?

 

You say ask for proof? If I am in Thailand for a year, but say I was in the UK, other than demanding your passport I can't see that what they would do to disprove what you say?

 

As I say, this is of genuine, if only passing, interest.

[Will B Good]

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The usual answer is because the overly honest poster volunteered the information to them.

 

"I cannot tell a lie, I don't live in the UK, please cancel my insurance, my right to use the NHS, my UK driving license, and freeze my pension"

Driving license?????

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

Driving license?????

Yep, you're not entitled to hold a UK driving license if you don't live in the UK.

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Yep, you're not entitled to hold a UK driving license if you don't live in the UK.

Did not know that!

 

Are you then supposed to reapply and retest?

[jwest10]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

Genuine question.......how do they know where you are?

They wanted my address at time of taking out the policy and was already on the way but good point 

[KarenBravo]

1 hour ago, jwest10 said:

Yes, indeed and the local hospital which I stayed in for 4 days was cheap but not a too serious issue.
Put in to contest and yes my Thai family have tried several times to get me on their policy and yes we provide a home and look after the general expenses but of course this is never taken in to account but it should
The financials must be in place.
However , even Thais who have a policy and I knew someone who had gallstones and was serious, the local hospital did not cater for this and had to go to the city and you know what her policy did not cover this and 300k baht see had to pay!!

Indeed those who maybe have to go back to the UK it is not necessary one is covered, despite decades of paying the NI contributions but have to be there a certain length of time.
Crazy eh paying in to the NHS system but not allowed to use it.

 

How do you get back to the UK if your condition doesn't allow you to fly commercially? Don't forget, it's not up to you, it's up to the doctor and they won't take any risks.

Air ambulance would be in the tens of thousands.

[Salerno]

9 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

Air ambulance would be in the tens of thousands.

Yes, definitely not cheap. I know a guy that fell sick on a cruise a fair while back. Cost him AU$75,000 just for the flight back after docking in the Philippines ... not insured (luckily he's worth a few bob!).

[Almer]

17 hours ago, Chris.B said:

Yeah but to be really, really safe 100 million baht would be better......  ????????

not enough if the bill is more 

[Almer]

8 hours ago, balo said:

Don't worry too much, just live your life in rural Thailand, visit the local hospital like any Thai, pay cheap bills in hospital rooms with no air con. If you die you die.  We only live once. Thinking too mut can kill you.  

 

Surely can