No Insurance

[neil2112xb]

I'm having trouble getting insurance.  66 with heart failure.

If I go to LOS uninsured what is the likely scenario if I trip over a ladyboy and fracture my skull or some thing.  Will I get Treated?

I never carry my bank cards with me when i'm out and about so would they get the police to go to my hotel room and get them or what?

What if my credit card limit is not enough to pay?

[Chris.B]

If you don't pay, you won't get treated.

 

Don't expect the police to pick up your cards for you.

 

[KIngsofisaan]

There is always a chance at your age of some medical condition or just an accident.

 

If you do not have enough money to pay?

 

Scary to think of legally what can happen.

 

Might get lucky and someone will chime in with the real facts and not a bunch of wild guesses

[Sheryl]

There are some travel policies which will cover people with pre-existing conditions. Including sometimes "acute exacerbations" of same.  Which is a more likely scenario than the fractured skull etc.

 

You do have to pay if you need medical care. It will cost much less at a government hospital than a private one but it will still cost.  And, if unconscious or too ill to talk, you may not be able to influence what hospital you are brought to.

 

If you have neither insursnce nor enough   credit to cover costs, donot come here.  Especially given chronic heart failure. 

 

Even with insurance you obviously need to have the card with you. You need to work out a way to have essentials on your person ( passport or at least photocopy of it; credit cards, insurance card). 

Money belt worn under clothing etc. 

[scubascuba3]

You will need to carry insurance, bank card, phone if that helps using apps

[jerrymahoney]

8 hours ago, neil2112xb said:

If I go to LOS uninsured

How long are you planning to go to LOS?

[KIngsofisaan]

5 hours ago, Sheryl said:

There are some travel policies which will cover people with pre-existing conditions. Including sometimes "acute exacerbations" of same.  Which is a more likely scenario than the fractured skull etc.

 

You do have to pay if you need medical care. It will cost much less at a government hospital than a private one but it will still cost.  And, if unconscious or too ill to talk, you may not be able to influence what hospital you are brought to.

 

If you have neither insursnce nor enough   credit to cover costs, donot come here.  Especially given chronic heart failure. 

 

Even with insurance you obviously need to have the card with you. You need to work out a way to have essentials on your person ( passport or at least photocopy of it; credit cards, insurance card). 

Money belt worn under clothing etc. 

What happens exactly, as the op asked, if you require emergency medical care, and are rushed dying to the hospital?

 

Do they treat your emergency, or do you have to somehow prove you can afford the bill first or they let you die on the gurney?

[KhunLA]

5 hours ago, Sheryl said:

If you have neither insursnce nor enough   credit to cover costs, donot come here.  

Best advice 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, KIngsofisaan said:

What happens exactly, as the op asked, if you require emergency medical care, and are rushed dying to the hospital?

 

Do they treat your emergency, or do you have to somehow prove you can afford the bill first or they let you die on the gurney?

A private hospital will usually not treat you without some assurance you can pay. They might transfer you to a government hospital but that whole process will mean significant delay. Government hospital will provide initial emergency care but  often not anything costly (surgery etc) until sure the patient can pay.

 

Further problems at time of discharge if unable to pay balance in full.  Quite common for hospitals to withhold patient's clothing and passport until paid in full and to prevent them from leaving the hospital until the bill is sorted (while charges for the stay continue to increase with each passing day). Legal action is also not unknown especially by private hospitals.

[neil2112xb]

2 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

What happens exactly, as the op asked, if you require emergency medical care, and are rushed dying to the hospital?

 

Do they treat your emergency, or do you have to somehow prove you can afford the bill first or they let you die on the gurney?

Thank you that's what I'm asking

[neil2112xb]

9 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

A private hospital will usually not treat you without some assurance you can pay. They might transfer you to a government hospital but that whole process will mean significant delay. Government hospital will provide initial emergency care but  often not anything costly (surgery etc) until sure the patient can pay.

 

Further problems at time of discharge if unable to pay balance in full.  Quite common for hospitals to withhold patient's clothing and passport until paid in full and to prevent them from leaving the hospital until the bill is sorted (while charges for the stay continue to increase with each passing day). Legal action is also not unknown especially by private hospitals.

wow thank you.

[neil2112xb]

2 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

How long are you planning to go to LOS?

30 days 45 in october November.

[neil2112xb]

2 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

What happens exactly, as the op asked, if you require emergency medical care, and are rushed dying to the hospital?

 

Do they treat your emergency, or do you have to somehow prove you can afford the bill first or they let you die on the gurney?

Thank you that's what I'm asking

[jumbo]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

A private hospital will usually not treat you without some assurance you can pay. They might transfer you to a government hospital but that whole process will mean significant delay. Government hospital will provide initial emergency care but  often not anything costly (surgery etc) until sure the patient can pay.

 

Further problems at time of discharge if unable to pay balance in full.  Quite common for hospitals to withhold patient's clothing and passport until paid in full and to prevent them from leaving the hospital until the bill is sorted (while charges for the stay continue to increase with each passing day). Legal action is also not unknown especially by private hospitals.

I thought that 'no treatment without payment' was cleared now with the additional 500 thb tourist tax????

[thainet]

17 minutes ago, jumbo said:

I thought that 'no treatment without payment' was cleared now with the additional 500 thb tourist tax????

Haha to the first part, and the 300 baht tax has been delayed indefinitely (and nobody really knows what it is for, or what/or if it will cover health related issues).

[jumbo]

Just now, thainet said:

Haha to the first part, and the 300 baht tax has been delayed indefinitely (and nobody really knows what it is for, or what/or if it will cover health related issues).

Thanks... no idea it was re-delayed again...

[KIngsofisaan]

10 hours ago, Sheryl said:

A private hospital will usually not treat you without some assurance you can pay. They might transfer you to a government hospital but that whole process will mean significant delay. Government hospital will provide initial emergency care but  often not anything costly (surgery etc) until sure the patient can pay.

 

Further problems at time of discharge if unable to pay balance in full.  Quite common for hospitals to withhold patient's clothing and passport until paid in full and to prevent them from leaving the hospital until the bill is sorted (while charges for the stay continue to increase with each passing day). Legal action is also not unknown especially by private hospitals.

Thanks Sheryl.

 

 

[jerrymahoney]

10 hours ago, neil2112xb said:

30 days 45 in october November.

Then you might try this group here with particular note of  "Acute onset of preexisting conditions"

 

https://www.sevencorners.com/plans/travel-medical-insurance

[The Hammer2021]

20 hours ago, Chris.B said:

If you don't pay, you won't get treated.

 

Don't expect the police to pick up your cards for you.

 

You wouldn't want them to!

[The Hammer2021]

The OP has never been to Thailand yet is worrying about about lady boys.

Why no carry a card with you and a copy of you passport.

[Lorry]

On 8/25/2022 at 6:02 AM, KIngsofisaan said:

What happens exactly, as the op asked, if you require emergency medical care, and are rushed dying to the hospital?

 

Do they treat your emergency, or do you have to somehow prove you can afford the bill first or they let you die on the gurney?

It depends, the decision is made by lowly clerical admin staff and nurses. There is little consistency.

 

Several years back, a rich Canadian was brought to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital unconscious.  They didn't know he could pay.

Nevertheless,  they stabilized him and did quite a lot (as far as I remember, even a CT scan). Then they sent him to his death, to the government hospital.

 

Shortly afterwards,  a "Pattaya expat" (you know the type) arrived. He showed his European Social Security Card and insisted that he was entitled to treatment (of course he wasn't). Staff couldn't stomach sending away a 2nd patient and he got actually treated. 

No idea, if and how the hospital later got any money. 

 

Mostly it works the way Sheryl described.

[SammyJ]

On 8/25/2022 at 12:31 AM, Sheryl said:

There are some travel policies which will cover people with pre-existing conditions. Including sometimes "acute exacerbations" of same.  Which is a more likely scenario than the fractured skull etc.

 

You do have to pay if you need medical care. It will cost much less at a government hospital than a private one but it will still cost.  And, if unconscious or too ill to talk, you may not be able to influence what hospital you are brought to.

 

If you have neither insursnce nor enough   credit to cover costs, donot come here.  Especially given chronic heart failure. 

 

Even with insurance you obviously need to have the card with you. You need to work out a way to have essentials on your person ( passport or at least photocopy of it; credit cards, insurance card). 

Money belt worn under clothing etc. 

I see far too many foreigners who wish to travel for extended times or retire here without having done their homework on medical insurance.  They assume that since it may be less expensive to live in Thailand than in their home country, that it must be true that excellent health insurance coverage is also inexpensive and easy to obtain.

[CanNot]

First of good that you actually care that you have proper insurance! Bad things can always happen especially when you don't except them.

As mentioned earlier have a look into travel insurances from your home country. In my experience they don't mind age or pre-existing condition when the duration of travel is reasonable (< 6-12 month).