Living In Thailand With Disabled Son

[jay-uk]

My wife and I have been considering living in Ubon and moving sometime in future from UK to our holiday home over there in Isaan. We have a baby boy a few months old and another son 4 yo with a disability. We wanted to now if it is possible to get local medical cover for an existing condition and what would be typical associated costs for family medical cover when living in Thailand. Also if anyone has information on schools for special needs in the Ubon and/or Isaan region it would much appreciated so that we can contact them directy to asses costs and care given. Thank you.

Jay

[Sheryl]

Jay,

I don't know of any insurers who will cover a pre-existing condition if you buy private insurance. The only way I know of to get coverage is if you can have it as part of a group plan (e.g. through work) in which case it may not exclude pre-existing conditions.

The cost of medical care if it does not involve hospitalization is quite reasonable, though. Without knowing the nature of the disability I can't comment on how well the hospitals here could meet his needs or what it would cost.

I doubt very much there are schools for children with special needs in the Issan are but to be sure suggest you post on the Issan forum. I think there are only a handful of such schools in the country and morel likely in the main cities.

One other point to consider is that if your son's disability affects his mobility (e.g. if he is wheel-chair bound) Thailand is not a very disabled-friendly place.