Hi,

 

I am having a shocking time trying to find out what's possible here. My mother is desperate to visit me after 3 years being unable to. When the test and go scheme came about she booked a trip to Phuket.

 

But now I am reading horror stories and warning articles about 100,000 baht hotel isolation bills, for people who test positive, not being covered by insurance. 

 

Even after all this time has there still been no information about how to resolve this? I can't find any information on whether any insurer will cover this. Is a trio to Thailand really such a big game of Russian Roulette now?

Get good travel insurance that covers this, can't get the cheap insurance people get just to qualify for entry into Thailand.

It's very messy, yes, difficult to get an answer, I'm also trying to figure it out.

It looks like a good non thai issued policy may cover it, but not easy it gets accepted during application for thai pass. You may be covered for 1,000,000£ but get rejected because the system don't understand that's bigger than 50,000$, and so on.

As for thai policy, axa, luma etc I dare you to get a non questionable answer to your questions, rules have changed in the last few days, nobody knows for sure and many people have different opinions.

Russian roulette? Yes!

10 of thousands of tourists are coming to thailand now with no issues, why are you having troubles bringing one person?...

4 minutes ago, ezzra said:

10 of thousands of tourists are coming to thailand now with no issues, why are you having troubles bringing one person?...

Have you read all the reports? This isn't about getting someone here. The insurance fully satisfied the Thailand pass. She is fully booked to arrive. However every tourist who has tested positive after arrival lately has been forced into a 100,000 baht quarantine, and reports have shown that their insurance has not been willing to pay for it. Where have you been? 

2 hours ago, alex88 said:

Have you read all the reports?

Day 1 positivity rates are ~ 2%. (Maybe 3%.) Day 5 are higher.

 

Not all of those get shunted to hospit*ls. But some do have to quarantine in place.

 

I'm not sure all your concerns can be mitigated, even with supplemental insurance.

 

It remains a risk, but perhaps a manageable one? It's an individual choice, obviously.

 

If not, wait.

 

I have a neighbor who landed 13 Feb. tested positive on arrival, he's managed to get additional tests, 5,000 baht per, for Day 2, 3 and 4, while staying in his original hotel in quarantine. He's hoping for a positive test, with the primary physician's tacit support. He's asymptomatic. I think he's paying the much higher daily rate too.

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

Day 1 positivity rates are ~ 2%. (Maybe 3%.) Day 5 are higher.

 

Not all of those get shunted to hospit*ls. But some do have to quarantine in place.

 

I'm not sure all your concerns can be mitigated, even with supplemental insurance.

 

It remains a risk, but perhaps a manageable one? It's an individual choice, obviously.

 

If not, wait.

 

I have a neighbor who landed 13 Feb. tested positive on arrival, he's managed to get additional tests, 5,000 baht per, for Day 2, 3 and 4, while staying in his original hotel in quarantine. He's hoping for a positive test, with the primary physician's tacit support. He's asymptomatic. I think he's paying the much higher daily rate too.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah it's been flexible up until now. But this is a new policy under the test and go scheme. We fant wait any longer it's been three years and this is our only opportunity where we both have time off work to see each other. Really hope there is some flexibility if she does test positive. Like you say it's statistically unlikely to happen but it's very expensive if we are the unlucky ones. Also what happens to me if she gets covid? Do I have to quarantine too?

6 hours ago, ezzra said:

10 of thousands of tourists are coming to thailand now with no issues, why are you having troubles bringing one person?...

"10 of thousands of tourists are coming to thailand now with no issues".

Really! So they are all finding it easy with no issues??

3 hours ago, alex88 said:

Yeah it's been flexible up until now. But this is a new policy under the test and go scheme. We fant wait any longer it's been three years and this is our only opportunity where we both have time off work to see each other. Really hope there is some flexibility if she does test positive. Like you say it's statistically unlikely to happen but it's very expensive if we are the unlucky ones. Also what happens to me if she gets covid? Do I have to quarantine too?

Its a bummer, it's crackers, and a real worry even if the %s are very small. I came in and stayed in Bangkok on the 5 day so called test & go. Negative PCR before departure of course. Then 1st test, day 1, just off the plane, negative. So they say you can go out and about but must then test again on day 5. I hardly did, only for essentials. I decided to stay in the same hotel, same quarantine room with all meals throughout. Fortunately the day 5 test was also negative. The next day off home to wife and family. That involved a domestic flight and at check in I was asked for vaccination documents but they accepted my day 5 test result.

 

A compulsory insurance requirement that doesn't cover you for asymptomatic positive to put it politely hasn't been thought through, but frankly from an insurance point of view why should it if a doctor won't certify the admission to hospital as a medical necessity.  If the Thai government wants hospitalisation as a matter of managing public health risk, an utter nonsense now as Omicron and earlier variants are here anyway, it should be prepared to cover it or require insurers to cover it, not the hapless arrived. Sometimes I wonder whether the government do actually want tourists back again.

20 minutes ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Sometimes I wonder whether the government do actually want tourists back

There in not hurry to get tourists back that's quite obvious from their placement of hurdles and flip floping all over the place.

I think they will Continue to follow China's lead to a large degree with an open but closed policy at least untill the elections are over. 

9 hours ago, ezzra said:

10 of thousands of tourists are coming to thailand now with no issues, why are you having troubles bringing one person?...

In january only less than 200k came. And that was in majority thai citizens. 
Most of them came by T&G scheme, which was suspended at the end of december and re- launched in february. 
since then also 5 day test and hotel was introduced. Which would further decrease arrivals. 
Uncertainty over already issued T&G cause many to cancel travel completely. From the beginning of january there were frequent reports they will be withdrawn. Situation was clarified only after 2 weeks. 

so february figures will be lower. 
Yes, there was also phuket sandbox available, but not as convenient, as T&G

Just understand that the insurer can "say" they will cover an asymptomatic Covid PCR positive, but the fact is that Thailand has indemnified all insurers and they can legally refuse to pay under any circumstances except for those listed by the MOPH.
And of course you'll never find out for sure until you file a claim.  ????

I'd say it's a <deleted>-shoot.  You pay your money and you take your chances while realizing that This Is Thailand.  You may believe you made a solid bet and find out later that you're the one paying out.

8 hours ago, pokerface1 said:

...

I think they will Continue to follow China's lead to a large degree with an open but closed policy at least untill the elections are over. 

When will the elections be?

• All the information is out there actually.
• If one tests positive, ASSUMING you are actually sick, send to a hospital all is good and insurance will cover it, everything, probably not!
• now for those who have no symptoms, or a headache/mild cold, etc, then that person goes to a hospitel... a hotel basically where they are isolated in a hotel room for up to 10 days.
• They are not LEGALLY SICK. No private insurance company is going to cover something like this which is a government man-dated quarantine. People can angry on forums and Facebook, rage and complain, but this is NOT what insurance is for. ANY insurance policy will have a list of benefits, and overages. Staying in a hotel, is not part of ANY insurance policy.
• There are places like Aruba, where a 30 day stay costs me around 30 or $35 USD total, early last year. that is private insurance label, but is completely underwritten by Aruba's  government where they do pay for everything., however that is not is available in Thailand. There they actually realize that tourism accounts for 95% of all jobs.
• The latest decree was cleverly worded to say something like. The traveler WILL INSURE that the insurance they purchase will completely cover everything, and if not the TRAVELER is responsible for all costs not covered.. 
• IF they actually wanted insurance companies to cover everything they would have said "insurance companies" and NOT the traveler! And of course they would not be able to regulate any foreign insurance companies. However if they made this policy, then Covid insurance would be 10X or 20X what is currently quoted.
• Traveling ANYWHERE there is test of arrival, is a financial risk. Private insurance companies are "for profit" companies, and paying unlimited hotel bills, many that are 4 and 5 stars, food, etc, would bankrupt many insurance companies at the current level of quarantines, and at the current insurance rates. Again this is why the burden was put on the Traveler, and not the insurance companies.

On 2/17/2022 at 6:33 AM, ezzra said:

10 of thousands of tourists are coming to thailand now with no issues, why are you having troubles bringing one person?...

Answer, Age limits by insurance companies and the constantly changing rules.