Recommendations for expat health insurance?

[PadPrikKhing]

I'm planning on coming over in early October, but I still haven't made a decision on heath insurance. I'm kind of in the dark about the market... I've talked to someone at Cigna and could easily get theirs, but it seems rather expensive at around $258/month with a $750 deductible (my age is 60). Is it possible there's a good alternative insurer I'm not aware of yet, where the coverage is about as good and as trustworthy, for significantly less? Do any of you folks have an idea for a competitive company? I definitely want one who will pay providers directly as Cigna does. I may be hoping for something impossible here... I don't know (hence the rookie asking the seasoned expats here). Thanks.

[Peterw42]

If you are coming to an expat area (Phuket, Pattaya etc), there are brokers, they can give you quotes from all the major companies, with the options you require.

 

https://www.aainsure.net

Edited September 11, 2022 by Peterw42

[LaosLover]

I shopped around and couldn't beat Cigna. I'm 69, my insurance costs $500 a month with a $3K deductible So that's what your future looks like.

 

Comparable insurance in the states (w/o medicare) would be three times that.

[internationalism]

compare from 6 insurers (cigna is not there) on misterprakan website.

Pacific Cross stands out with the highest deductible.

If you want cheap healthcare, do go with the government hospital. They might accept only one or two insurers (rather thai one, not international) for direct payment, and you can chose that insurer. Problem with thai insurers is communication with them in english. Go with broker, don't buy directly

[brewsterbudgen]

WRLife offer competitive policies and are currently very active in marketing their policies for Thai expats.

 

https://www.wrlife.net/

 

There are a few threads running on this company.

 

 

[Celsius]

258 a month at 60 is a normal price in Thailand for a so-so coverage,

 

Healthcare in Thailand is not cheap and is certainly more expensive than a private healthcare in some European countries. 

 

 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

Based on all the threads I've read and Facebook I'd stick with Cigna, the cheaper insurers are a false economy

Edited September 11, 2022 by scubascuba3

[Sheryl]

Are you coming to Thailand to live permanently or just for a visit? If not permanent (or if planning to regularly spend just part of the year here) then a travel policy might suit.

 

For longterm cover you might be able to get a good policy for a little less than Cigna quoted you but it won't be a lot less. Also paying annually instead of monthly may reduce the overall premium. 

 

You can further reduce Cigna premium by either upping the deductible and/or including a copay.

[PadPrikKhing]

18 hours ago, LaosLover said:

I shopped around and couldn't beat Cigna. I'm 69, my insurance costs $500 a month with a $3K deductible So that's what your future looks like.

 

Comparable insurance in the states (w/o medicare) would be three times that.

Unless you're using Affordable Care Act insurance, as I have been for a few years due to being semi-retired/unemployed. If I were staying here, I would likely have just kept using it. In California it's called Medi-Cal and you can get it if you make less than around $35,000 a year. That (~$35k) is apparently seen as the poverty line here.

[PadPrikKhing]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Are you coming to Thailand to live permanently or just for a visit? If not permanent (or if planning to regularly spend just part of the year here) then a travel policy might suit.

 

For longterm cover you might be able to get a good policy for a little less than Cigna quoted you but it won't be a lot less. Also paying annually instead of monthly may reduce the overall premium. 

 

You can further reduce Cigna premium by either upping the deductible and/or including a copay.

I definitely want to stay for a few years, and if things go okay, I meet someone nice, etc., it could be permanent. I have a lot of reserves but no income until I take social security which, like most people, I want to delay doing as long as possible to maximize it. 

[PadPrikKhing]

14 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Based on all the threads I've read and Facebook I'd stick with Cigna, the cheaper insurers are a false economy

Thanks, that is precisely what I was wondering. I just wondered if maybe Cigna was more expensive because of the big name while there were others just as good but not as expensive. Sounds like probably not...

[PadPrikKhing]

18 hours ago, internationalism said:

compare from 6 insurers (cigna is not there) on misterprakan website.

Pacific Cross stands out with the highest deductible.

If you want cheap healthcare, do go with the government hospital. They might accept only one or two insurers (rather thai one, not international) for direct payment, and you can chose that insurer. Problem with thai insurers is communication with them in english. Go with broker, don't buy directly

Thanks, but I guess I will just stick with Cigna. The communication problem you mention is definitely one problem, another would be that I've heard that Thai insurers can deny claims very easily and it would be tough to do anything about it due to Thai jurisdiction.

 

You say buy through a broker instead of direct. Why do you say that?  Can I easily do that from the US before I get there? Do you mean that the broker should be Thai?

Edited September 11, 2022 by PadPrikKhing
Clarifying the question

[jerrymahoney]

22 hours ago, PadPrikKhing said:

I definitely want one who will pay providers directly as Cigna does.

Just make sure with CIGNA Global that they actually do have a direct pay arrangement with a hospital near you. I recently moved to Ubon Ratchathani where CIGNA Global has no direct pay hospital which is the prime reason I sought health insurance elsewhere.

 

Also, be advised that, as this is an open forum, you often times are getting insurance 'advice' from the self-insured crowd.

[scubascuba3]

14 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

 

Also, be advised that, as this is an open forum, you often times are getting insurance 'advice' from the self-insured crowd.

Also be advised that many people with these cheap insurance policies are in fact self insuring when it comes to a big claim

[jerrymahoney]

22 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Also be advised that many people with these cheap insurance policies are in fact self insuring when it comes to a big claim

Why is that? Because their claim was denied? You keep mentioning denied claims but very little on specific instances or reasons why a claim was denied.

 

i.e.

 

No point having insurance if when it matters and you make a large claim it gets denied. 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1270506-wrlife-health-insurance/?do=findComment&comment=17591393

 

But to stipulate:

 

When you are self-insured, no claim is denied as long as you have enough money to pay for it.

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by jerrymahoney

[scubascuba3]

20 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Why is that? Because their claim was denied? You keep mentioning denied claims but very little on specific instances or reasons why a claim was denied.

 

Here's an example, a friend had a detached retina, eventually the thai insurance company covered it after dragging their feet for way too long considering time is of the essence, the surgery caused a cataract, claim denied for that

[jerrymahoney]

16 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Here's an example, a friend had a detached retina, eventually the thai insurance company covered it after dragging their feet for way too long considering time is of the essence, the surgery caused a cataract, claim denied for that

Revised: A friend. Thai insurer. Retina Claim paid. Cataract claim denied. ?

 

Personally, I have been diagnosed with cataracts -- in 2013.

Edited September 11, 2022 by jerrymahoney

[brewsterbudgen]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Also be advised that many people with these cheap insurance policies are in fact self insuring when it comes to a big claim

I'm suspecting that the cheap insurance policies tend to be Thai?  I'm paying $2,600 per year to insure myself (aged 62), my wife (32) and son (7), $400,000 limit per person per year, with a western company.  Is that cheap?

 

[jerrymahoney]

Sometimes it seems, in reading posts on here, that the "well what if they deny your big claim" decision by an insurer is in the realm of the totally whimsical.

[scubascuba3]

8 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Revised: A friend. Thai insurer. Retina Claim paid. Cataract claim denied. ?

 

Personally, I have been diagnosed with cataracts -- in 2013.

What part of my post don't you understand?

[jerrymahoney]

19 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

What part of my post ?you understand?

That they paid for the retinal surgery but not for the cataract

[freedomnow]

On 9/11/2022 at 7:30 AM, LaosLover said:

I shopped around and couldn't beat Cigna. I'm 69, my insurance costs $500 a month with a $3K deductible So that's what your future looks like.

 

Comparable insurance in the states (w/o medicare) would be three times that.

Do they have a cut-off age on your policy ?

[JimmyJ]

Try aainsure.net for brokers.

I

 suggest [email protected].

 

Ask about April International (from Paris, not from April Thailand).

[LaosLover]

39 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Do they have a cut-off age on your policy ?

A quick google says Cigna offers health insurance in Thailand to people "80 and beyond".

 

My income is too high to get cheap medicaid so with the supplemental insurance I'm saving $60 a month by being here and with a lower deductible. My wife's insurance here (age 59) is $300. In the states, it was $1,500. Yes, $1,500 a. month.

 

When we factor in other medical expenses and skipping state income tax,  those costs alone more than cover our living in Thailand, not even allowing for 20 baht pineapples. We are American health care refugees.

[EricTh]

On 9/11/2022 at 7:30 AM, LaosLover said:

I shopped around and couldn't beat Cigna. I'm 69, my insurance costs $500 a month with a $3K deductible So that's what your future looks like.

 

 

 

Does it cover the cost for both government hospitals and private hospitals?

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by EricTh

[EricTh]

On 9/11/2022 at 7:37 AM, internationalism said:

compare from 6 insurers (cigna is not there) on misterprakan website.

Pacific Cross stands out with the highest deductible.

If you want cheap healthcare, do go with the government hospital. They might accept only one or two insurers (rather thai one, not international) for direct payment, and you can chose that insurer. Problem with thai insurers is communication with them in english. Go with broker, don't buy directly

Which Thai insurers do government hospitals accept?

 

 

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, jerrymahoney said:

That they paid for the retinal surgery but not for the cataract

Exactly, although the op caused the cataract they denied claim for it

[jerrymahoney]

16 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Exactly, although the op caused the cataract they denied claim for it

So what  was the time interval between when he had the retina surgery and when he developed the cataracts?

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by jerrymahoney

[scubascuba3]

27 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

So what  was the time interval between when he had the retina surgery and when he developed the cataracts?

 

soon after, maybe months, wasn't there prior to retina reattachment surgery, apparently known to cause cataract. In his 50s which is a bit early for cataract to form 

Edited September 12, 2022 by scubascuba3

[jerrymahoney]

10 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

soon after, maybe months, wasn't there prior to retina reattachment surgery, apparently known to cause cataract. In his 50s which is a bit early for cataract to form 

Potential Risk of Cataracts Following Retinal Treatment
One of the risks to keep in mind following retina repair is that vitrectomy can increase the risk of cataracts developing over time. 

https://www.byrdeyeclinic.com/blog/2017/09/29/can-retinal-repair-affect-cataract-186429

 

Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) is a well-recognized risk factor for cataract progression. In almost all cases, a visually significant cataract develops months to years after surgery.

https://crstoday.com/articles/april-2021/beware-the-acute-cataract-after-a-vitreous-procedure/