British family's appeal to get Morpeth teacher home from Thailand after she fell 20ft when balcony collapsed

[Chris.B]

4 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

Do you think is she had health insurance cover she would still be here or her family requiring to go begging for help ?

She had health insurance cover!

 

[4MyEgo]

1 minute ago, Chris.B said:

She had health insurance cover!

 

Very very limited, probably through her visa card or bank, not proper health insurance cover, and I'd love to know what kind of cover she had, because proper health insurance doesn't dry up, i.e. ambulance to hospital, ICU then it's over, that is not health insurance.

 

If someone reading this does find out, let me know as what they reported isn't doing the health insurers justice.

[Chris.B]

1 minute ago, 4MyEgo said:

Very very limited, probably through her visa card or bank, not proper health insurance cover, and I'd love to know what kind of cover she had, because proper health insurance doesn't dry up, i.e. ambulance to hospital, ICU then it's over, that is not health insurance.

 

If someone reading this does find out, let me know as what they reported isn't doing the health insurers justice.

You have absolutely no idea at all what cover she had but it doesn't seem to stop you spouting on!  ????

[4MyEgo]

4 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

You have absolutely no idea at all what cover she had but it doesn't seem to stop you spouting on!  ????

If you read the article link in the original post, it will tell you exactly what I quoted in my reply, i.e. ambulance and ICU then that was the end of it as she had to be transferred to a government hospital as her "private cover limit was obviously over".

 

I can't help the fact that you don't like health insurance companies when it comes to health cover, fact of the matter is she had inadequate cover, what part of that don't you get ?

 

Actually, don't bother ????

 

 

Edited December 29, 2021 by 4MyEgo

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, jacko45k said:

A tragic story.

Who was the owner of the balcony and fence that broke?

Who is the owner of the "fence" that she and her friend broke?

[Liverpool Lou]

6 hours ago, mikebell said:

Amazing how you can get sued for stating a negative but true opinion here yet owners of obviously flawed buildings with poor maintenance get a free pass.

"...flawed buildings with poor maintenance..."

Amazing how you can know that.   Perhaps the all-day party had something to do with the incident?

[jacko45k]

5 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Who is the owner of the "fence" that she and her friend broke?

There's an echo in here!

[ukrules]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...flawed buildings with poor maintenance..."

Amazing how you can know that.   Perhaps the all-day party had something to do with the incident?

Indeed, it's quite reasonable to expect a balcony to collapse after slightly more than normal use, I'm sure it happens all the time ????

[Liverpool Lou]

5 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

6 hours ago, mikebell said:

Amazing how you can get sued for stating a negative but true opinion here yet owners of obviously flawed buildings with poor maintenance get a free pass.

Nobody mentioned her weight... 

...or the all-day party she was part of!

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, mikebell said:

Amazing how you can get sued for stating a negative but true opinion here yet owners of obviously flawed buildings with poor maintenance get a free pass.

Welcome to Thailand.

[Liverpool Lou]

3 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Another tragedy where the British authorities fail to help their citizens in stark comparison  to other nations

Nonsense.   Any examples in which other countries have helped their citizens in similar situations to this one?     

[Chris.B]

15 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

If you read the article link in the original post, it will tell you exactly what I quoted in my reply, i.e. ambulance and ICU then that was the end of it as she had to be transferred to a government hospital as her "private cover limit was obviously over".

 

I can't help the fact that you don't like health insurance companies when it comes to health cover, fact of the matter is she had inadequate cover, what part of that don't you get ?

 

Actually, don't bother ????

 

 

????

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Some help of some sort should be offered. It's a disgrace to the highly paid diplomatic  corp that UK citizens, tax payers whose taxes pay their salaries that they  do nothing whilst sick, distressed people have to beg publicly on the world stage.

By the same token, I wonder if the unfortunate lady kept up her NI payments while 'living the dream', teaching in Thailand? It said six years already?

 

@Sheryl probably has it right WRT employers insurance. Under-insured is worse than being uninsured as money has been paid for something that's almost worthless.

'

[Chris.B]

11 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Indeed, it's quite reasonable to expect a balcony to collapse after slightly more than normal use, I'm sure it happens all the time ????

The balcony didn't collapse, the handrail gave away! Still, the owner's responsibility.

[VocalNeal]

3 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Another tragedy where the British authorities fail to help their citizens in stark comparison  to other nations

It is not the Foreign Office's mandate to act as police force and NHS abroad. They are here to provide a conduit between respective governments. 

 

It doesn't matter how much tax one pays. Once you leave the protection of your home country you are on your own. They can probably supply the name of a good lawyer if you fall foul of the law that is about all. 

[NanLaew]

34 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

She had health insurance cover!

 

The linked article says, "Katie said Jill's health insurance covered a trip in the ambulance and her stay in ICU at a private hospital. But her coverage has now been used up and she has been moved to a government hospital."

 

That's barely insured if at all.

[khunPer]

49 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

We have paid income tax before we come here. Our families  have been paying income tax for generations. Depending on our circumstances  we still pay income tax when living abroad. I pay income tax. People expect  so little from their governments so they get  nothing. Regarding Denmark: in the 70s it was famous for the support it gave its citizens when in distress abroad. Whatever the current protocols are I still  regard it as shamefull that a badly injured young woman is given no assistance  from our overpaid  and underworked diplomatic service. I have met these people often in Iran, Kuwait, Libya,Spain  and Burma and they are consistently  out of touch with the needs of people and consistently  drawn from the same selfish, elite, upper class Eton and Harrow political  elite. Common  decency and mercy  should be applied to this poor girl and other cases but I guess that is too much to expect from the highly paid, tax free  all expenses paid diplomatic  set.

Diplomats - no matter what elite class or not they may originate from - are just employed officials that shall work correctly in accordance with the rules made by the politicians that a democratic majority of a nation's people have elected to represent them.

 

In my home country a majority of the population have no interest in the minority that voluntary decides to move abroad, temporary or permanently; only those working for the community - diplomats and expatriates working in the country's companies foreign branches, or onboard ships and airplanes - are cared for.

 

In most countries it's the present tax payers that pays. It's not like my home country's government has put some of my tax-money aside to cover me "just in case", even I may have paid more in taxes than I got back. Tax works like an insurance, even you have no claims you get nothing back apart from perhaps a little bonus on next premium, and when you stop paying the fess - i.e. contributing to the community via taxes - you insurance is void.

 

The taxes we expats for example still pays of retirement pension, are old debt. Government pensions are often taxed in the country that pays the pension, which is fair enough, it's not our money, it's a pure benefit paid by the other tax payers at home. In my home country you can compare government retirement pension as support to poor people that didn't saved enough money up themselves, in fact that is exactly what theoretically is it. For our private pensions coming from a home country we often got a tax deduction when saving up, so that's just old tax debt we pay back now, when cashing the pension.

 

If we don't like that way, we have the excellent free choice to stay home...????

[MrJ2U]

Oh my.

Poor thing.

 

You have to be always on gaurd at Thai owned hotels.  Usually cutting corners on materials and workmanship.

 

These days it safer to stay at a corporate hotel like Marriott's, Hyatt, Hilton,etc.

 

Better breakfast also.

 

 

[Chris.B]

2 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

The linked article says, "Katie said Jill's health insurance covered a trip in the ambulance and her stay in ICU at a private hospital. But her coverage has now been used up and she has been moved to a government hospital."

 

That's barely insured if at all.

How much then? Give me a figure?

[VocalNeal]

1 minute ago, MrJ2U said:

These days it safer to stay at a corporate hotel like Marriott's, Hyatt, Hilton,etc.

Who don't own or didn't build the building!

[MrJ2U]

1 minute ago, VocalNeal said:

Who don't own or didn't build the building!

Obviously.

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

I guess that is too much to expect from the highly paid, tax free  all expenses paid diplomatic  set.

Why do you insist on having digs at an agency that, in the majority of countries (if not every country), does not have the responsibility to pay for the medical treatment and subsequent repatriation of expatriates, to assume that responsibility, nor to extend charitable facilities to selected individuals?  If they did that for this woman they'd have to do it for everyone who injures themselves whilst overseas. 

[NanLaew]

20 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

23 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

The linked article says, "Katie said Jill's health insurance covered a trip in the ambulance and her stay in ICU at a private hospital. But her coverage has now been used up and she has been moved to a government hospital."

 

That's barely insured if at all.

How much then? Give me a figure?

Give you a figure for what?

 

My estimate at how much her Thai insurance was worth? Hard to guess but with an ambulance and 10 days of 'ICU' maxing it out, that's just about what the mandatory por ror bor will cover if one injures a third party in a car accident here in Thailand. That's a 600 baht premium for the year + stamp duty and VAT.

 

Or how much my personal insurance covers? Good for up to a three and half million baht and unlimited ICU. Includes medical evacuation and/or a box to repatriate me in (if required). Cost me 70 k baht plus change for the year but I'm an old duffer who doesn't take party selfies on a balcony (any more).

 

Someone in their late forties would probably get similar coverage for less than half of that.

 

If they wanted to I mean.

Edited December 29, 2021 by NanLaew

[USEpat]

6 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

It's because being accountable and excepting responsibility for something that you personally own and maintain are extremely rare here. 

When accidents happen, it is always someone else's fault.

I think you mean "accepting" responsibility.............................

[Mac Mickmanus]

3 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Some help of some sort should be offered. It's a disgrace to the highly paid diplomatic  corp that UK citizens, tax payers whose taxes pay their salaries that they  do nothing whilst sick, distressed people have to beg publicly on the world stage.

Do you think that U.K tax payers should pay the hospital bill of people abroad and who don't pay taxes in the U.K ?

[Sheryl]

47 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

By the same token, I wonder if the unfortunate lady kept up her NI payments while 'living the dream', teaching in Thailand? It said six years already?

I don't think there are NI payments as such in the UK, the NHS is tax funded.

 

Hopefully she has remained on a GP's register

[Sheryl]

42 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

How much then? Give me a figure?

If you mean how much does it take to be adequately covered here, not less than 3 million baht (in cover, not premium cost of course).

 

If you mean how much did  her policy cover, probably capped at somewhere in the range of 50 - 100k...that is typical of these pro form private school policies.  Doesn't take long to use that up in an ICU; won't even cover a simple appendectomy in most private hospitals.

 

Low value health insurance products are common in Thailand and more for show than anything else. For Thais it is nto a huge problem as they always have the fall back of free care in the government system.

 

It is IMO ridiculous that private schools are allowed to completely opt out of the SS system, ad vastly unfair to their staff, especially foreign staff.

 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, 4MyEgo said:

Very very limited, probably through her visa card or bank, not proper health insurance cover, and I'd love to know what kind of cover she had, because proper health insurance doesn't dry up, i.e. ambulance to hospital, ICU then it's over, that is not health insurance.

 

If someone reading this does find out, let me know as what they reported isn't doing the health insurers justice.

 

Proper health insurance does indeed dry up, all policies have limits. Set either per year or per event. The question is: what is the limit.

 

It was likely what you would call proper health insurance cover - it was obtained through her employer - but capped at a very low rate. These are common in Thailand.

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

55 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

The balcony didn't collapse, the handrail gave away! Still, the owner's responsibility.

"...the owner's responsibility".

Really?  How did the handrail come to give way, is it cut and dried that she and her colleague (there were two involved) did not contribute to the situation at the all-day party that was going on?

[AndyFoxy]

Maybe she was drunk. End of year party and all. No way I’m donating to that.