Advertorial How to protect yourself against the most expensive hospitalizations in Thailand.

[ASEAN NOW Sales]

 

How to protect yourself against the most expensive hospitalizations in Thailand.

 

 

Too many residents in Thailand are “underinsured”. Being underinsured means that the medical coverage purchased is not sufficient to cover the highest hospital bills. But this is precisely the purpose of health insurance: to protect against the worst.

 

Examples of recent actual Thailand private hospital bills:

 

-45-year-old man, accident in Koh Tao, hospitalization, surgery, sepsis, emergency transport to Bangkok (cost of transport 1.5M THB), intensive care for one month.

Total bill = THB 10,000,000

 

-15-year-old teenager, lung cancer (congenital disease), one year of treatment.

Total bill = THB 10,000,000

 

-45-year-old woman: breast cancer, surgery and chemotherapy.

Total bill to date = THB 1,500,000

 

-66-year-old woman, throat cancer, surgery and chemotherapy.

Total bill to date = THB 2,000,000

 

-55-year-old man, heart problem, heart operation, complications.

Total invoice to date THB 7,000,000

 

Generally, a cancer, including chemotherapy treatment, costs between 5 and 10 million THB. Rarely beyond 10M. Most cancers are diagnosed in people over 55.

 

Accordingly, for a person living in Thailand, here is what good health insurance should provide:

 

-Medical coverage at least greater than THB 10,000,000 per year, especially for those over 55 years old.

 

-Surgery, anesthesia, ICU covered at 100%. Be careful, most low-cost insurance policies have a strong cap on these items.

 

-Cancer covered at 100%, hospitalization and outpatient.

 

-Efficient direct-billing service and medical network: preference should be given to an insurer capable of quickly confirming that it will pay the hospital directly.

 

-Emergency medical transportation. Evacuation is essential because if you are not within ambulance distance of a hospital, the cost of emergency transport is very high, especially if the transport is "medicalized", i.e. say with a medical team and the first aid available on board the vehicle.

 

-Covered private room (because there is sometimes no choice…). A private room in the best hospitals costs THB 10,000 per night…

 

These are just the most important here. There are many other factors that go into the choice of insurance.

For additional information, a personalized study, a diagnosis of your current insurance, please contact me here: [email protected]

 

Romain CAMILLO

Broker expert in Health insurance – Tenzing Pacific Group.

 

 

 

[inThailand]

Can you publish policy costs for a typical expat here? 

[Jonnapat]

Sounds like American pricing

[inThailand]

Don't you just love guys trying to sell you something but won't tell you their prices?

Scammers pretending to be professionals? 

[spidermike007]

Not even close to the most expensive. The US holds that honor. 

 

A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1.4 million baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote.

 

In the interim, my friend called an old friend in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend is a retired chiropractor, who knew all the terminology, he explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! The local surgeon got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures. So, 1.4 million at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at the other private hospital in Bangkok (I think it was Vejthani Hospital), and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 32,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

[rwill]

On 5/30/2022 at 7:49 AM, spidermike007 said:

He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1.4 million baht.

Not all of the Bangkok hospitals charge the same rate either.  When my family was visiting my dad got ill.  We were in Samui at the time and took him to Bangkok Hospital there.  They charged him 5,000 baht just to see an internal medicine specialist.  Later when we went to our house in Ratchaburi we took him to Bangkok hospital again.  It was only 500 baht to see an internal medicine doctor there.

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

Not all of the Bangkok hospitals charge the same rate either.  When my family was visiting my dad got ill.  We were in Samui at the time and took him to Bangkok Hospital there.  They charged him 5,000 baht just to see an internal medicine specialist.  Later when we went to our house in Ratchaburi we took him to Bangkok hospital again.  It was only 500 baht to see an internal medicine doctor there.

One of the primary reasons I finally left Samui, was that I got sick of paying more for something there, than anywhere else in Thailand. 

[4MyEgo]

To me, this is an over the top add with way over the top prices quoted with no actual hospital invoices to back them up, they can get away with "examples", no different to words.

 

I know two farangs one went to a private Bangkok Private Hospital, he was in there for two weeks twice, Pneumonia and collapsed lung one the first visit and then the other on the 2nd visit, the other collapsed lung, plus a stent, his cost was 2.6 mil, the other had a triple by-pass operation 750k in an army hospital.

 

Both times affordable and nowhere near the examples quoted in this "advertisement".

 

To bad they don't cover pre-existing conditions too....lol

 

Edited June 6, 2022 by 4MyEgo

[digger70]

Why  is it that all insurances are over the top with their premiums .

Hospitals and medical care in Thailand is much cheaper than in the Western countries .

When one want a medical/hospital insurance in Thailand one has to pay western Premium prices .

This doesn't seem right ,but it maybe that Ugly Greed thing again.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Why  is it that all insurances are over the top with their premiums .

Hospitals and medical care in Thailand is much cheaper than in the Western countries .

When one want a medical/hospital insurance in Thailand one has to pay western Premium prices .

This doesn't seem right ,but it maybe that Ugly Greed thing again.

I guess part of the problem is that there are huge price differences between hospitals.

In Bangkok people still have the choice between relative cheap, medium price and expensive (if they are still conscience when then need that service).

But in other places like i.e. Phuket there seem to be only expensive and bloody expensive options.

If insurances don't cover the high prices of some hospitals then people complain. And if insurance premiums are high then other people complain. It is not easy...

[internationalism]

prices of insurance are rising because of covid.

First insurance had to pay for covid hospitalisation.

Now they have to pay for chronic diseases, which where not screened during pandemic and are now more difficult to treat (cancer would be prime example).

Top end policies jumped the highest. April insurance, the first one in my life, which I took at the beginning of pandemic for 56k, now is 68k (for the same age), so some 20% rise.

 

From my research, the cheapest, and I believe the best value:

 

Pacific Cross (premiums can be halved by choosing 300k deductible), worldwide (excl USA and limited in EU and some other countries - but have emergency medical evacuation back to thailand for further treatment). They include accident cover, which can be cheaply upgraded to 1mln. Their quoted maximum claim is per condition per year.

 

Dhipaya Tip Premium covers 5mln, optional deductible 10k. Covers only Thailand. Accident only 200k, not possible to increase. Those 2 clauses are major drawbacks. Their quoted maximum 5mln is for a year - it can be one large one, like cancer or serious accident. That clause is a major advantage over all other plans.

 

Those quoted above prices for treatments are very high, extreme and from the top private hospitals.

Price can he halved by shopping around at smaller private hospitals (some run on non profit basis, religious charities), and that can be halved at the governmental hospitals (with beds in common rooms for around 1-2k, private rooms from 5k).

 

On health sub-forum I read breast cancer operations at the governmental hospitals are only in high tens of thousands. I don't imagine chemo or radiotherapy would run more than a low hundreds per year. 

 

 

Edited June 18, 2022 by internationalism

[Rocking Robert]

Get a good premium healthcare package. Problem solved 

[patongphil]

The blurred lines between an article and an advertisement front and center in the OP.

[internationalism]

12 hours ago, Rocking Robert said:

Get a good premium healthcare package. Problem solved 

between the cheapest health 270k and the most expensive 60mln available from thai insurers (there are more from an international, and probably even more expensive) there are those in the middle.

And those the best value for money - not all insurance are equal. 

Art of insurance is to save money for times, when you need help. 

Paying the highest premiums, when you are young, healthy, is pointless.

 

That email is from an agent about exactly those 2 policies, which I have mentioned:

"Thank you for your email. As a broker we work with many insurers in the field of health insurance but a bit more with Pacific Cross then we do with Dhipaya. I have had a look and made a highlights overview between the two Inpatient plans you have considered (if you are looking for this type of a policy and premium, these two are hard to beat in comparison with other insurers on the market). Please see this overview below. Overall I think we can agree that the Dhipaya policy offers better value for money than the Pacific Cross policy.

The Pacific Cross policy might also provide medical emergency cover overseas but to be honest, I would always recommend to take out an additional travel insurance policy as the medical expenses overseas might be a lot higher than your Thai insurance policy would cover (which would lead to large amounts of co-payment for you).

 

The complete and most up to date information of the Pacific Cross plans may be downloaded via the following link: https://www.aainsure.net/pacific-cross/

 

I have also attached the benefits table of the Dhipaya policy to this email for your convenience.

 

Should there be any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Warm regards,

 

Jenny

 

 

 

							Premier Plan Pacific Cross		Dhipaya
Maximum Limit per Policy year							1,200,000 per disability / year		5,000,000
DEDUCTIBLE							None		None
Hospital & Surgical Benefits
* Room & Board: include general nursing service up to a per day limit of							5,000		10,000
Maximum limit per day and maximum of days per disability							Max. 45 days / disability		Max. 90 days
* Hospital Services and Supplies :							200,000		150,000
Theatre fees : X-rays : Laboratory Tests : Surgical Appliances
Intensive Care : Medicines and Drugs : Emergency Ambulance Service
* Anaesthetist’s Fees							Incl. in hospital expenses		Incl. in hospital expenses
* Surgeon’s Fees							100,000		200,000
* Organ Transplant and Kidney dialysis							100,000		Not covered
* Inpatient Phychiatric / Mental disorders / disability							Not covered		Not covered
* Physician’s Daily Hospital Visit							2,500		1,500
Maximum limit per day and maximum of days per disability							Max. 45 days / disability		Max. 90 days
* Emergency OPD within 24 hours, maximum per accident							10,000		40,000
* World-Wide Emergency Assistance							Fully idemnified		Not covered
* Emergency Medical Evacuation							Fully idemnified		Not covered
Outpatient							Not covered		Not covered
Personal Accident							150,000		200,000
Vision							Not covered		Not covered
Dental							Not covered		Not covered

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by internationalism

[stapoz]

100,000 B for surgery may be enough for a broken arm. If you need protection for most accidents and illnesses, 1 million B is the minimum. Thus, the costs of surgery and the hospital expenses should be "covered in full" for 1M or higher insurance. Otherwise, the insurance covers only minor health problems that most people can afford without paying (expensive) premiums each year.

Edited June 26, 2022 by stapoz

[OneMoreFarang]

On 6/6/2022 at 4:06 PM, spidermike007 said:

One of the primary reasons I finally left Samui, was that I got sick of paying more for something there, than anywhere else in Thailand. 

Did you try Phuket or one of the smaller islands? It's worse!

[OneMoreFarang]

It seems many (all?) expensive hospitals want to see money (cash, credit card, good insurance cover) before they admit anybody.

Just make sure they see that they won't get any money out of you. Problem solved.

[Chris.B]

On 5/23/2022 at 1:51 PM, inThailand said:

Can you publish policy costs for a typical expat here? 

Yes, for a typical expat in Thailand, 72 years old, previous medical history, drinks heavily, smokes and eat loads of hamburgers..... oops sorry ... cover refused!  

 

[internationalism]

1 hour ago, stapoz said:

100,000 B for surgery may be enough for a broken arm. If you need protection for most accidents and illnesses, 1 million B is the minimum. Thus, the costs of surgery and the hospital expenses should be "covered in full" for 1M or higher insurance. Otherwise, the insurance covers only minor health problems that most people can afford without paying (expensive) premiums each year.

on one of the insurers website (I think it was Luma), I came across cost of internal operations in thailand at the governmental hospitals. Ranged from 130 to 210k. This comparison was done several years ago, so prices are higher now.

They were not orthopedic operations, like broken bones etc.

 

Similar operations at private hospitals start from $10k, but range wildly 

https://blog.lumahealth.com/costs-major-surgery-thailand

 

[Nickelbeer]

Prices of health insurance in Thailand are obscene when you consider that the prices are far less than the USA.  They want similar premiums to those in America and offer no coverage of pre-existing conditions, plus want to jack up the price of cover as you age. There is simply no way for many of us to get insured without negating the low cost of living here. It would make more sense for an American to go back to the USA and use Medicare. Another option not discussed is moving to the Philippines and using PhilHealth in combination with Pacific Cross supplementary policies. It is simply insane that Thailand cannot or will not fund a system similar to PhilHealth that all residents can buy into. If a third-world country like the Philippines can do it, it can be done here in Thailand.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Nickelbeer