Hospital Bills

[dingdongrb]

9 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

I was referring to private hospitals only.

 

Perhaps you should have stated that then......Hmmmmm........  Besides did I state whether my current stay was at private hospital? Hmmmmmm...

[Sheryl]

19 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

There isn't any multi-tier pricing in the private hospitals. You pay the same as a Thai! ????

 

 

Depends on the hospital. Some do indeed have multi tier pricing, some don't.

 

And remember the doctor fee portion of a bill is set by the doctor as they see fit. So even if the hospital does nto have multi tiers a specific doctor might ask more from a foreign patient.

[Sheryl]

Just now, dingdongrb said:

Perhaps you should have stated that then......Hmmmmm........  Besides did I state whether my current stay was at private hospital? Hmmmmmm...

 

What you describe happening would be very, very unlikely to have occurred in a private hospital.

[dingdongrb]

24 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

So you had the same stent and release next day but additional time/care prior to procedure.

I see what you did there. You were making assumptions. You assumed I got my stent and wasn't released until 3 days after receiving it. But re-read my post, that is not what I said

[dingdongrb]

7 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

What you describe happening would be very, very unlikely to have occurred in a private hospital.

Hmmmmm....didn't I read a post earlier in this tread where a person took their daughter to a private hospital and wasn't required to pay until discharged?

[ThailandRyan]

32 minutes ago, Chris.B said:

An emergency credit card with a USD 65,000 limit, that is some limit!! You must be a wealthy man to have such a card?

 

My experience with credit cards is 1) If you don't use them they close them down 2) If you don't use the credit limit they reduce it. Is it not the same in the USA?

 

Never had a credit limit reduced, only increased.  I use my cards and pay them off monthly. Never carry a balance. I earn miles for the airlines I utilize.  Wealthy is in the eye of the banks and what your accounts held with them say.

[Pmbkk]

With the new 300 baht "entrance" tax, no issues - all paid for as it covers insurance for foreigners who can't afford the medical costs whilst in Thai hospitals  ????

[Boomer6969]

On 4/28/2022 at 9:00 AM, sqwakvfr said:

I know someone who was asked to put a deposit down before he was admitted to a hospital in BKK.  He had a bad case of food poisoning and spent two nights in a very nice room  The total bill was over 20,000 Baht and a 10,000 charge was placed on his credit card before he was treated.  In the end it was an IV, some meds, blood work and some bland hospital food.  

That's peanuts..

[Chris.B]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

 

No, it is not.

 

Never heard of either of these things happening.

 

I have never used my full credit limits and they were never reduced, in fact just got one increased.

Maybe it is different in the USA but in the UK it is as I say.

 

[Lorry]

On 4/30/2022 at 2:34 PM, Sheryl said:

Insist on seeing the exchanges between the hospital and the insurance company showing that the hospital has submitted all required information and that nonetheless the insurer has declined payment

Better call the insurer,  ask what's going on.

If you have been with this insurance for years,  you should by now have the direct numbers of some insiders 

[BangkokHank]

On 4/30/2022 at 8:32 PM, Chris.B said:

There isn't any multi-tier pricing in the private hospitals. You pay the same as a Thai! ????

 

Not true.  I was good friends with a Thai doctor some years ago, and he told me that at the (private) hospital at which he worked, there were three prices:  The lowest for Thais; the mid-range prices for farangs; and the highest prices were paid by Arabs.  He thought this was reasonable.  I didn't.

[Larryst]

Sorry for not responding sooner (my computer crashed and had it fixed). A while back I was in the hospital before.  Had to spend about 10 days in it. After, surgery, nursing, doctors and medicine. The bill came up to 1.3 million baht. When I was checked in the hospital they checked if I had insurance. When I checked out of the hospital. I ended up paying 640,000 out of my own pocket. I used my credit cards to pay the balance (No problem). Now, what would happen if I wasn't able to cover the 640K?

[flexomike]

On 4/28/2022 at 9:00 AM, sqwakvfr said:

I know someone who was asked to put a deposit down before he was admitted to a hospital in BKK.  He had a bad case of food poisoning and spent two nights in a very nice room  The total bill was over 20,000 Baht and a 10,000 charge was placed on his credit card before he was treated.  In the end it was an IV, some meds, blood work and some bland hospital food.  

20000 baht for two nights in a hospital is cheap

[Larryst]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:33 PM, ThailandRyan said:

It is why I try and keep my bank accounts flush, and if needed have an emergency CC that has no balance and can be used to pay up to 2 million baht if the need ever arises.  Having insurance is just not enough these days unfortunately.

True, insurance doesn't cover everything. Good thing my credit cards worked. I paid them off the same day. No use paying interest.

[KannikaP]

On 4/28/2022 at 8:33 AM, ThailandRyan said:

It is why I try and keep my bank accounts flush, and if needed have an emergency CC that has no balance and can be used to pay up to 2 million baht if the need ever arises.  Having insurance is just not enough these days unfortunately.

Do you REALLY have a Credit Card with a limit of Bht 2M = $58,000?

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, Larryst said:

Sorry for not responding sooner (my computer crashed and had it fixed). A while back I was in the hospital before.  Had to spend about 10 days in it. After, surgery, nursing, doctors and medicine. The bill came up to 1.3 million baht. When I was checked in the hospital they checked if I had insurance. When I checked out of the hospital. I ended up paying 640,000 out of my own pocket. I used my credit cards to pay the balance (No problem). Now, what would happen if I wasn't able to cover the 640K?

Maybe agree payment terms with the hospital over several months or years.

 

I'm guessing the bill was inflated? you know taking advantage of the sick when vulnerable

[mokwit]

OK, I had this situation at Chulalongkorn Hospital. Went in in the morning to ER and was operated on in the evening. They did ask about payment and I explained I was "self insured" and there was what I could pay with what I had on me that day, and what I actually had the resources to pay if I had time to transfer funds. I told them that I had no doubt that I had the resources to cover it.

 

I was presented with the bill on the last day and payment was required before leaving. It turned out that they didn't accept an Amex card that would easily cover it so I was left with the ability to pay 100k out of 144K with my local debit card. They billed  me 100k and and after an interview allowed me to sign papers for payment of the balance within the following month. I paid early to return their good faith. I don't know what the situation would have been if I had not been able to pay the 100K.

 

Been for OPD treatments since and the requirement is to pay in advance e.g for blood test before they will accept you in the system.

 

144K was for major surgery and 8 days in hospital. I was investigating insurance with aview to getting it ahead of the 60 yr cut off - I just didn't get around to it in time. Be advised a long stay as an inpatient will have the costs racking up. The surgery was cheap in comparison.

[userabcd]

51 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Maybe agree payment terms with the hospital over several months or years.

 

I'm guessing the bill was inflated? you know taking advantage of the sick when vulnerable

Not really taking advantage, it's unbridled capitalism. Debt and profit.

 

Someone has to pay for the loans, building and equipment costs, owner and management staff and running costs, foreign management to guide the hospitals how to extract the max from patients for shareholders and investors, pay the taxes which govt want on everything.

 

Its always amazing when seeking a quotation for a specific medical problem that hospitals and doctors are unable to issue an approximate total estimation of the surgery or medical treatment based on all the medical interventions, computer monitoring and experience that they have at their disposal in todays society.

[mokwit]

On 4/30/2022 at 3:27 PM, userabcd said:

"What happens, if a person doesn't have medical insurance or the funds to pay the hospital. What happens then?? Does the hospital write it off or what happens to the patient???"

 

Was it not the reason why the new 300 baht tax is being charged to all visitors to cover the hospital bills of those who do not pay?

I don't think thy readily write it off. The paperwork I signed basically allowed them to pursue the matter with my estate/heirs. In the interview they seemed to be confirming I was a long term resident, and that might have been why I was allowed to sign paperwork rather than hang around until I came up with something. Note this is not meant critically, I think very highly of Chulalongkorn Hospital after experience there.

[mokwit]

On 4/30/2022 at 10:21 PM, Chris.B said:

Maybe it is different in the USA but in the UK it is as I say.

 

My experience - they cancelled a card I wasn't using - sent me a letter saying contact us if you don't want it cancelled - only a few days so i 'phoned. Got the operator to confirm back to me that they would not cancel. Went to use it and they had cancelled - they claimed they had "no record" of me calling to request not cancel ( I pointed out that I had entered my card number to get through to the operator so they did have a record. They said sorry can't reinstate as it was cancelled. Barclaycard. Outright dishonesty on their part IMO. I asked the operator to confirm back as I picked up something in her voice that suggested she was lying. My guess is they cancelled it before even sending the letter out.

[mokwit]

Got more bills coming up. I was paying into the Thai social security system when working 1995-2002, but not since - still have the card but assume as I have not kept up with payments into the system I have no ability to use it?

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, userabcd said:

Its always amazing when seeking a quotation for a specific medical problem that hospitals and doctors are unable to issue an approximate total estimation of the surgery or medical treatment based on all the medical interventions, computer monitoring and experience that they have at their disposal in todays society.

I always receive a quotation for procedures - and sign that paperwork to proceed.  It is often a higher amount than actual bill but they seem to be very capable of providing an estimated cost.

[Chris.B]

46 minutes ago, mokwit said:

My experience - they cancelled a card I wasn't using - sent me a letter saying contact us if you don't want it cancelled - only a few days so i 'phoned. Got the operator to confirm back to me that they would not cancel. Went to use it and they had cancelled - they claimed they had "no record" of me calling to request not cancel ( I pointed out that I had entered my card number to get through to the operator so they did have a record. They said sorry can't reinstate as it was cancelled. Barclaycard. Outright dishonesty on their part IMO. I asked the operator to confirm back as I picked up something in her voice that suggested she was lying. My guess is they cancelled it before even sending the letter out.

Best to buy something on the card straight away then they can't cancel it.

 

[userabcd]

40 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

I always receive a quotation for procedures - and sign that paperwork to proceed.  It is often a higher amount than actual bill but they seem to be very capable of providing an estimated cost.

Not in my experience for a spinal procedure at two hospitals.

 

"It is often a higher amount than actual bill"

 

So based on all their experience they were unable to give a reasonably accurate approximate estimate of the total cost.

[mokwit]

18 minutes ago, userabcd said:

Not in my experience for a spinal procedure at two hospitals.

 

"It is often a higher amount than actual bill"

 

So based on all their experience they were unable to give a reasonably accurate approximate estimate of the total cost.

I just had this with Chula who are not profit motivated in the same way others are. The surgeon just didn't want to go there - didn't want to give any estimate. He gave an estimate for the tests needed of 10-20k but said there were too many variables to give an estimate for the whole thing. I was in for 8 days - he had estimated 10-14 days and that of it's own would be a big variable.

[lopburi3]

35 minutes ago, userabcd said:

Not in my experience for a spinal procedure at two hospitals.

 

"It is often a higher amount than actual bill"

 

So based on all their experience they were unable to give a reasonably accurate approximate estimate of the total cost.

It was a reasonably accurate estimate of the total cost in my experience at major private Bangkok hospitals. That it was a bit higher than actual bill I suspect reflects allowance for worst case.  It is an estimate - not a set price.

[JoePai]

8 hours ago, Larryst said:

True, insurance doesn't cover everything. 

It can do - depends on the policy

[SpaceKadet]

Last year I had an MRI in Samitivej Sukhumvit. The total price including doctor consultations was 28900 baht. It was a special price at the time as normally they charged close to 40000 just for the MRI. When all was finished, the clinic reception just gave me a slip of paper to be presented at the cashier, and let me go.

When I spent 4 days in the ICU and later in the VIP room in my local government hospital, they wanted payment every 3 days.

Again, some years back my wife needed to consult a doctor, and we went to Bumrungrad. They wanted payment for lab and consultation before we even met the doctor.

 

So it certainly will vary between the hospitals.

 

[Yellowtail]

On 4/30/2022 at 6:18 PM, Lemsta69 said:

I'm gonna go out on a limb there and posit that the amounts they write off are far exceeds by the amounts they overcharge farang in the great government-sanctioned multi-tier pricing system. som nam naa and all that. ????

Cheaters always think everyone cheats....

[Yellowtail]

On 5/15/2022 at 1:51 PM, mokwit said:

I just had this with Chula who are not profit motivated in the same way others are. The surgeon just didn't want to go there - didn't want to give any estimate. He gave an estimate for the tests needed of 10-20k but said there were too many variables to give an estimate for the whole thing. I was in for 8 days - he had estimated 10-14 days and that of it's own would be a big variable.

Why would anyone expect surgeon to provide a quotation. I've had procedures at a number of Thai hospitals and have always gotten reasonably accurate  quotes, but the quotes were never provided by the doctors. 

 

I've used Chula a pretty good bit and they seem to have flat-rates for the stuff I have done there. 

 

The last quote I got from Bumrungrad (colonoscopy) the estimate was a range, and the actual cost was close to the minimum.