Cost of 14 days in the hospital if I test positive on arrival?

[NoshowJones]

On 12/23/2021 at 8:50 AM, Moonlover said:

 

Why would they be in a Covid isolation unit if they didn't have Covid?

Another money spinner.

[robblok]

1 minute ago, possum1931 said:

Very few?? You mean none. Insurance companies will not pay out if there is any way around it, fair or not.

That is what people like you believe, most insurance companies are fine. You just need to read the terms what your signing up for and what is included. Fair is a insurance company paying out for what you paid for, so if motorcycle accidents are not covered then don't  moan. 

 

Read your policy, discuss it with your broker ask where things are in the fine print and you will be fine. Don't assume anything research it.

 

I have never had a claim denied that was covered.

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Another money spinner.

No because people don't do home quarantine, just look at the Israeli guy who escaped. If you tell people to isolate at home they will ignore it. Not a money spinner its a fact of life that people just wont follow the rules.

[NoshowJones]

3 minutes ago, robblok said:

That is what people like you believe, most insurance companies are fine. You just need to read the terms what your signing up for and what is included. Fair is a insurance company paying out for what you paid for, so if motorcycle accidents are not covered then don't  moan. 

 

Read your policy, discuss it with your broker ask where things are in the fine print and you will be fine. Don't assume anything research it.

 

I have never had a claim denied that was covered.

According to one poster recently, there is no fine print in insurance policies.

[spidermike007]

On 12/22/2021 at 5:50 PM, Moonlover said:

 

Why would they be in a Covid isolation unit if they didn't have Covid?

Because Thailand is defying all logic, by making people who sat within a certain distance of others who tested positive quarantine. Is it a hotel or a hospital? The rules seem to change daily. But that is what happens when you have tiny, insecure men, with far too much power, making the rules.

 

Pandemonium rules the pandemic! 

[robblok]

18 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

According to one poster recently, there is no fine print in insurance policies.

With fine print i mean the addendum and rules, you know something that you get or better yet look at BEFORE you insure yourself.

Just that something says covid insurance, does not mean it covers everything. Read what the policy terms are (that is what i mean with fine print) most people don't bother. 

[robblok]

15 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Because Thailand is defying all logic, by making people who sat within a certain distance of others who tested positive quarantine. Is it a hotel or a hospital? The rules seem to change daily. But that is what happens when you have tiny, insecure men, with far too much power, making the rules.

 

Pandemonium rules the pandemic! 

Oh, dear another person who think this is only in Thailand, now Dutch people going to Austria are complaining they must quarantine just like in Thailand. So, the logic is not only in Thailand it's in other countries too.

[NoshowJones]

4 minutes ago, robblok said:

With fine print i mean the addendum and rules, you know something that you get or better yet look at BEFORE you insure yourself.

Just that something says covid insurance, does not mean it covers everything. Read what the policy terms are (that is what i mean with fine print) most people don't bother. 

Maybe I'm getting mixed up with fine print and small print Rob. Small print is there because any companies using it are hoping you will not notice it, That is the only reason it is there, I will never change my mind on that.

[UKJASE]

my mate lives here, and tested positive and he paid 90,000

 

his thai wife got it for free

 

he says the hospital wasnt great

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Maybe I'm getting mixed up with fine print and small print Rob. Small print is there because any companies using it are hoping you will not notice it, That is the only reason it is there, I will never change my mind on that.

Maybe, you have never bought insurance because of figment of your imagination enhanced by bar stool talk confirming your opinion. If you get insurance, there will be a document with it that shows what you're covered for you can ask your agent about it. Most people never read that. But that is not the fault of the insurer but of the person taking the insurance. 

 

If you buy a car don't you check what kind of car it is and what fuel it runs on? Same goes for insurance Possum you get a document that states what you cover. Just buying travel insurance and then assuming everything is all right is like buying a car without looking at its specifications and then when it's delivered complaining about it. 

 

Or buying a computer without checking its specs, i don't get it when i buy my health insurance i read what i was covered for. I mean not just the general page that is less than 1 a4 but also the exceptions. 

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, UKJASE said:

my mate lives here, and tested positive and he paid 90,000

 

his thai wife got it for free

 

he says the hospital wasnt great

Was he in a hospital under care ? (was it serious) or just no symptoms and paid 90k and for how long ?

[UKJASE]

8 minutes ago, robblok said:

Was he in a hospital under care ? (was it serious) or just no symptoms and paid 90k and for how long ?

i am not sure you would call it "under care" rob,  they had to take their own temps and BP daily and send results to the nurses via Line app.  didnt see docs much i dont think.  i think they were just held so that they were apart from others and couldnt pass the virus on

 

he said he wasnt too rough really, but felt like a bad flu.  he did 11 days he said and complained so much they eventually let him go early.  they even called the cops on him once he was kicking off so much!!  his mrs had to do the full 14 days

 

this was about 2 months ago

[robblok]

Just now, UKJASE said:

i am not sure you would call it "under care" rob,  they had to take their own temps and BP daily and send results to the nurses via Line app.  didnt see docs much i dont think.  i think they were just held so that they were apart from others and couldnt pass the virus on

 

he said he wasnt too rough really, but felt like a bad flu.  he did 11 days he said and complained so much they eventually let him go early.  they even called the cops on him once he was kicking off so much!!  his mrs had to do the full 14 days

 

this was about 2 months ago

What i meant was he in a hospital or in a hotel. For 11 days in a hospital its a lot of money. Depending on if it was a private room. 

 

If it was just one of those quarantine hotels, then its still a lot of money. There is a price difference between the hotels and the hospital. Still quite a huge bill, id imagine it would have been 60K or so at most in a hotel. Though i seen ASQ hotels going for more. 

 

Was there no state quarantine available for him ? And if he was sick and had covid im sure his insurance would have covered it. So i assume he had none. 

[NoshowJones]

44 minutes ago, robblok said:

That is what people like you believe, most insurance companies are fine. You just need to read the terms what your signing up for and what is included. Fair is a insurance company paying out for what you paid for, so if motorcycle accidents are not covered then don't  moan. 

 

Read your policy, discuss it with your broker ask where things are in the fine print and you will be fine. Don't assume anything research it.

 

I have never had a claim denied that was covered.

When I lived in the UK there was a column in The Scottish Sunday Mail by The Judge, (I don't know if that's the case now) who readers wrote to if they had problems with any companies or even individuals.

 

Nearly every week there were claims by readers about insurance companies refusing to pay out on these claims. Shortly after in most cases, the Judge would say that such and such Insurance Companies had now decided to pay out after he had got on to them. This probably would not have happened in the Netherlands, so maybe you can understand why I feel the way I do.

 

I did have a negative experience with an Insurance Company here in Thailand when I paid for health insurance, and had done for two years. I asked the company to transfer my policy into English, and they said they would not. Sheryl advised me not to continue with that company, and I took it.

[Dante99]

21 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

And as I've already pointed out, if you're not sick (meaning testing positive) you wouldn't be in hospital. And if you don't believe me, see a professional's answer from Sheryl just above.

But they can quarantine you in a Hotel and make you pay without a positive test, just because of proximity.  A bit cheaper and easier than a hospital but still locked up.

 

The OP asked about hospitals but should be aware of possible hotel quarantine costs too.

[richard_smith237]

36 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Maybe I'm getting mixed up with fine print and small print Rob. Small print is there because any companies using it are hoping you will not notice it, That is the only reason it is there, I will never change my mind on that.

‘Fine print’ is an accepted colloquialism and now an accepted term used in regular language to indicate ‘Terms and Conditions of a Contract or Policy’....

 

It doest necessary mean smaller or more difficult text sizing... it just means ‘additional details of the contract’....

 

The other thread was moronic enough.... can we just leave the ridiculous argument about ‘small print’ / ‘fine print’ there and accept that in this context everyone is referring to the same thing.... ‘Terms and Conditions’..... Geeeezzzz.... 

Edited December 24, 2021 by richard_smith237

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

When I lived in the UK there was a column in The Scottish Sunday Mail by The Judge, (I don't know if that's the case now) who readers wrote to if they had problems with any companies or even individuals.

 

Nearly every week there were claims by readers about insurance companies refusing to pay out on these claims. Shortly after in most cases, the Judge would say that such and such Insurance Companies had now decided to pay out after he had got on to them. This probably would not have happened in the Netherlands, so maybe you can understand why I feel the way I do.

 

I did have a negative experience with an Insurance Company here in Thailand when I paid for health insurance, and had done for two years. I asked the company to transfer my policy into English, and they said they would not. Sheryl advised me not to continue with that company, and I took it.

Surely you must understand that getting in the Newspaper and the insurance paying out later did not always mean the insurance was wrong but just wanting to prevent bad publicity. I am not saying that it was in all cases.

 

Also, that means that the majority of claims do get paid out because there are countless claims being processed. In the Netherlands we hear about it at times but also read about people defrauding the insurance with false police statements and so on. This often happened in foreign countries and then back in the Netherlands they claimed it. 

 

I once watched an English tv show about insurance claims of disabled people and they were observed by insurance agens who did not trust them. You saw how they came in wheelchairs to the court but then the insurance agent had a video of them walking and all outside the court. So maybe you now understand why insurance are sometimes skeptical and not always pay out. 

 

So, your only problem was that an insurance company did not want to put time and money into translating your insurance. This is Thailand after all, you could have asked ahead of time to see if the policy was in English. Because a lot of them are not. So avoid them. I can't blame them for not having everything in English especially if their client base is small. Its quite expensive for them to translate and translate updates ect.

 

So i don't think they were wrong, and you did what a good consumer would do go to another company that did have it in English.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, possum1931 said:

According to one poster recently, there is no fine print in insurance policies.

 

Indeed there is not - at least I have never seen it,  and I have read dozens of policies.

 

When people say "fine print" what they actually mean is perfectly normal sized print of the policy document which way too many people never bother to read.

Often even accompanied by more simply worded  user guides as, believe it or not, insurers want their clients to understand their policies, it saves a lot of work and trouble for them.

 

It really is not that hard to read and understand these policies. All terms are defined, there is a glossary included for that purpose. It does require setting aside an hour or two and giving it some real concentration, but anyone of average intelligence should be able to understand it if they bother to try.

 

In addition to those who do not bother to read and understand their policies, some take out local policies the documents for which are only in Thai. Nobody, ever, should take out an insurance policy written only in a language they cannot read -- the only exception being if the purpose is solely to meet a legal requirement and one is prepared for the policy itself to be worthless.

 

A further mistake people make is to buy directly rather than through a broker, or to use a sub-standard broker. Brokers are invaluable in dealing with claims issues, they have direct back-channel access to insurers and much more clout than an individual policy holder.

 

It is unfortunately  true that some  Thai insurers try to avoid paying claims and to in general behave less professionally than is international standard. (Some are better than others in this regard). Which is why I tend to recommend people take out international expat policies.

 

Over the past 20+ years I have had 3 separate insurance policies (one Thai and 2 internationally issued) and 6 claims that I recall offhand (possible I have forgotten 1 or 2 small ones), all paid in full with no issue at all. But I take time to carefully read and understand policy terms, chose policy with care, and use a broker.

 

 

[NoshowJones]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Indeed there is not - at least I have never seen it,  and I have read dozens of policies.

 

When people say "fine print" what they actually mean is perfectly normal sized print of the policy document which way too many people never bother to read.

Often even accompanied by more simply worded  user guides as, believe it or not, insurers want their clients to understand their policies, it saves a lot of work and trouble for them.

 

It really is not that hard to read and understand these policies. All terms are defined, there is a glossary included for that purpose. It does require setting aside an hour or two and giving it some real concentration, but anyone of average intelligence should be able to understand it if they bother to try.

 

In addition to those who do not bother to read and understand their policies, some take out local policies the documents for which are only in Thai. Nobody, ever, should take out an insurance policy written only in a language they cannot read -- the only exception being if the purpose is solely to meet a legal requirement and one is prepared for the policy itself to be worthless.

 

A further mistake people make is to buy directly rather than through a broker, or to use a sub-standard broker. Brokers are invaluable in dealing with claims issues, they have direct back-channel access to insurers and much more clout than an individual policy holder.

 

It is unfortunately  true that some  Thai insurers try to avoid paying claims and to in general behave less professionally than is international standard. (Some are better than others in this regard). Which is why I tend to recommend people take out international expat policies.

 

Over the past 20+ years I have had 3 separate insurance policies (one Thai and 2 internationally issued) and 6 claims that I recall offhand (possible I have forgotten 1 or 2 small ones), all paid in full with no issue at all. But I take time to carefully read and understand policy terms, chose policy with care, and use a broker.

 

 

Excellent post Sheryl, I will always keep that in mind. Thanks.

[Sheryl]

22 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

‘Fine print’ is an accepted colloquialism and now an accepted term used in regular language to indicate ‘Terms and Conditions of a Contract or Policy’....

 

It doest necessary mean smaller or more difficult text sizing... it just means ‘additional details of the contract’....

 

The other thread was moronic enough.... can we just leave the ridiculous argument about ‘small print’ / ‘fine print’ there and accept that in this context everyone is referring to the same thing.... ‘Terms and Conditions’..... Geeeezzzz.... 

 

"Fine print" has a specific implication that the contents are not readily accessible/understandable. It does not mean just T&C, it implies a level of obscurity such that a  reasonably prudent person would not easily understand or have seen it.

 

This is NOT usually the case with insurance policies.

 

Rather that case is that many people are completely unfamiliar with health insurance and how it works, assume that anything called "insurance" can/should automatically cover everything and no special steps needed, do not bother to read their policies, take out their policies directly without using a broker (or do not take the time to research that they get a good broker -some are really just sales agents nto proper brokers)..etc etc.

 

It also happens - often in my experience - that people delay getting insurance until they need medical care. They then find that their policies will not cover what they need done because it is, indeed, a pre-existing condition. I get PMs all the time saying in essence "I never got health insurance because I didn't need it as I was healthy. Now I have (expensive condition X) so how can I get insurance to pay for this?" and the answer of course is you cannot, that is not how insurance works.

 

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

It does require setting aside an hour or two and giving it some real concentration,

You must read faster than the average bear.   My FEP BS/BC is probably as good as they come for being plain language - but still 164 pages.  

[Moonlover]

42 minutes ago, Dante99 said:

But they can quarantine you in a Hotel and make you pay without a positive test, just because of proximity.  A bit cheaper and easier than a hospital but still locked up.

 

The OP asked about hospitals but should be aware of possible hotel quarantine costs too.

Your comment is irrelevant. All arrivals' under the Sandbox scheme initially go into SHA approved hotels and are obliged to remain there until it's confirmed they are clear of Covid.

 

Travelers book and pay for these hotels before their journey here.

[The Hammer2021]

On 12/23/2021 at 5:28 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Several months ago people posted on Facebook and it was hundreds of thousands even though zero symptoms, it's a money spinner

We're they telling the truth?

[The Hammer2021]

1 hour ago, Dante99 said:

But they can quarantine you in a Hotel and make you pay without a positive test, just because of proximity.  A bit cheaper and easier than a hospital but still locked up.

 

The OP asked about hospitals but should be aware of possible hotel quarantine costs too.

A quite separate issue.

[The Hammer2021]

Where did the figure 14 days come from? It's 10 days.

[scubascuba3]

29 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

We're they telling the truth?

I didn't give them a lie detector test but a few reported on facebook and seemed genuine and hundreds of thousands

[Sheryl]

39 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Where did the figure 14 days come from? It's 10 days.

10 days is the current quarantine requirement on entry (used to be 14 days and was briefly just 24 hrs for the fully vaccinated).

 

But that is not the subject of the thread. The subject is hospitalization in case one tests COVID positive and 14 days is usual planning period for that...though discharge may sometimes be sooner if test negative sooner. A main hassle is that they will often not retest until day 10-14, this has frustrated many especially those who felt they likely had a false positive to begin with.

[Chongalulu]

On 12/23/2021 at 8:05 AM, robblok said:

That is true, but are we not talking about tourists ? How would they get Thai insurance ? I think most people will NOT have Thai insurance. Sure the expats on this forum (especially pensioners) might have Thai insurance. But of the majority of foreigners id guess they have either expat insurance or something from their home country.

 

The Thai insurance companies indeed have not been paying in a timely manner even asking to not have to pay and that is scandalous. If you underwrite an insurance you must pay, keen to reap proffits but when you make an error you want the people to take that hit. That is not how things work if i pay my insurance (and thank god have not needed it) I dont get money back. So why would Thai insurers be let of the hook. So far that is not happening because it would damage the image of Thailand and trust in insurers. 

 

I am more worried about the 14 days locked up then my insurance  not paying. I wanted my parents to come but found it a bit risky for them. The rules change so fast (just look at what is happening now).

 

Anyway with a good insurance there should not be a problem. But i heard that some used false papers.

You should read the small print of Travel insurance. It covers emergency medical treatment. Being positive but not unwell ,or worse still, negative but having been exposed to someone who is is classified as quarantine and is specifically excluded from any travel insurance I’m aware of. 

[The Hammer2021]

32 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

10 days is the current quarantine requirement on entry (used to be 14 days and was briefly just 24 hrs for the fully vaccinated).

 

But that is not the subject of the thread. The subject is hospitalization in case one tests COVID positive and 14 days is usual planning period for that...though discharge may sometimes be sooner if test negative sooner. A main hassle is that they will often not retest until day 10-14, this has frustrated many especially those who felt they likely had a false positive to begin with.

Thank you. Last week my friends quarantined here in Pattaya were required to do 10 days. Their fellow patients who remained at 'green' status left after 10 days also but those who got ill, amber and red status stayed longer..We hope our remaining friends stay 'green' and expect to see them next week. However, the friend who was in for ten days was diagnosed 4 days before entering hospital and was asked to isolate at home..Perhaps those four days were added to the ten days inside.

[robblok]

34 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

You should read the small print of Travel insurance. It covers emergency medical treatment. Being positive but not unwell ,or worse still, negative but having been exposed to someone who is is classified as quarantine and is specifically excluded from any travel insurance I’m aware of. 

Indeed, one should read the insurance one buys. There are those that do include it and they are a bit more expensive. You get what you pay for. Knowing the Thai rules one should then decide if they want to spend more on a better insurance or not.