Shopping For Health Insurance

[dukkha]

Am sure this topic has been discussed so apologise for going

over old ground.

Had a policy with AIA in Chiengmai for 4 years.

Now wish to find another company here in Bangkok.

On a fixed income so not looking for top range but something

in the middle. Have pre-existing hypertension condition.

Wonder if it is worth it as any cardio problems would be deemed

not covered I guess. Any wisdom greatly appreciated.

Dukkha

[rgs2001uk]

dukkha,

its funny you should mention this company.

about 3 weeks ago i inquired about health and house insurance with them by telephone.

they insisted on coming to the house, no problem, 4 people appeared, you dont need to be a rocket scientist to know who is paying the salary ( you the policy holder).

there was a supposed supervisor who didnt have much to contribute, i think he was just along for the ride, a thai woman who spent most of the time sleeping outside in the car, then came to the house and plucked her eyebrows.

on the plus side the young thai boy who could speak english tried his best, helped by another younger thai girl.

the trouble with this company is they are either unwilling or unable to give you what you want, i almost had to do the job for them.

i want accident cover, i dont want a life insurance policy paying out 1 million baht if i die, i can get better cover elsewhere anyway, i also dont want an endowment policy paying out in 20 years, again i can get a better return elsewhere.

the quoted cost of the house insurance is double what i am paying at the moment, i couldnt see any extra benefit.

after phoning me for almost 3 weeks, they are still unable to give me what i asked for, some of the quotes i have been given are 2,3 and 4 times higher than i am paying at the moment.

when you look at how they jack up the prices with products that you will be very unlikely to use or even need, its soon easy to see why their products are so expensive.

i also got the impression, these people assume because you are a farang that you dont pay for the services, but your employer is paying, so everyone gets their snout in the trough.

my advice is shop around, there are better and cheaper options available.

i can advise you try comapnies like , thai prakan chewit, muang thai, even some of the banks such as bankok bang and siam commercial offer various products.

you will need to find one that suits yor needs.

i am in no way connected or affiliated with the companies i mentioned, they are the ones that seemed to suit my needs, at a fraction of the price, however the proof of the pudding is in the eating. i hope i dont have to find out, i have insurance for my own piece of mind.

good luck.

[Sulaphat]

If you only want medical insurance, cross off all life insurance companies from your list of prospective insurers. The only way they can give you medical cover is by adding it as a rider to a life policy. This means you have to buy some life insurance to get the medical. This makes it more expensive than just medical cover by itself.

There are a number of non-life insurance companies that offer medical cover only. BUPA Thailand offers a number of plans at differing cost and coverage levels. There are others, too. Shop around.

[Lite Beer]

Am sure this topic has been discussed so apologise for going

over old ground.

Had a policy with AIA in Chiengmai for 4 years.

Now wish to find another company here in Bangkok.

On a fixed income so not looking for top range but something

in the middle. Have pre-existing hypertension condition.

Wonder if it is worth it as any cardio problems would be deemed

not covered I guess. Any wisdom greatly appreciated.

Dukkha

www.e-insurethailand.com

Have a look at this site..

Send them an Email asking for a quote and they will send you a spread sheet of all the companies they deal with. Mant different levels of cover and premiums.

[Gary A]

I made the mistake of talking to AIA. All I wanted was a health insurance policy. NEVER have I seen such a high pressure pitch and they refused to give up. My wife is more polite that I am and she found it difficult to be rude to them. They did quit calling me but they were still pestering her. One day she got a call from them and I immediately knew who it was from the look on her face. I took the phone from her and told them that there is NO way I would buy anything from AIA because of their tactics. I told them to quit wasting their time and our time because I already had insurance from another company.

I have my health insurance from Liberty Mutual Group, also called LMG Pacific. I have had it now for almost four years. I am 62 years old and my yearly premium is about 22,000 baht. It pays 1,250,000 baht per occurrence. As long as I keep the premiums paid, they promise to not cancel my policy because of my age. I have had one claim. I had acute appendicitis and my hospital bill was about 49,000 baht. They paid all but 15 baht. I didn't complain. Like all the other companies, they won't cover preexisting conditions. I take medication for hypertension so anything related to high blood pressure will not be covered even though my blood pressure is well under control. That's just the way it is, take it of leave it.

[dukkha]

I made the mistake of talking to AIA. All I wanted was a health insurance policy. NEVER have I seen such a high pressure pitch and they refused to give up. My wife is more polite that I am and she found it difficult to be rude to them. They did quit calling me but they were still pestering her. One day she got a call from them and I immediately knew who it was from the look on her face. I took the phone from her and told them that there is NO way I would buy anything from AIA because of their tactics. I told them to quit wasting their time and our time because I already had insurance from another company.

I have my health insurance from Liberty Mutual Group, also called LMG Pacific. I have had it now for almost four years. I am 62 years old and my yearly premium is about 22,000 baht. It pays 1,250,000 baht per occurrence. As long as I keep the premiums paid, they promise to not cancel my policy because of my age. I have had one claim. I had acute appendicitis and my hospital bill was about 49,000 baht. They paid all but 15 baht. I didn't complain. Like all the other companies, they won't cover preexisting conditions. I take medication for hypertension so anything related to high blood pressure will not be covered even though my blood pressure is well under control. That's just the way it is, take it of leave it.

Gary that sounds a most reasonable premium and I will be the same age in September. Do you have any contact for this company in Thailand, would appreciate if you PM on this matter. So in reading what you wrote things such as stroke/heart attack would not be covered if hospitalised. I am indeed interested in this company, I thinik BUPA would be looking between 60 000/70 000 baht per year. Is an HIV test mandatory for taking out a policy our of interest..many thanks to you and others who have been a great help Dukkha