As my Thai partner doesn’t work and doesn’t pay Social Security I believe she would have to pay for any medical treatment. I am looking at buying Accident and Health Insurance, she is 44 years old with no underlying health issues.

can anyone recommend a reputable insurance company, we live in Pattaya ?

Paying the social security payment each month is the best answer and the cheapest.

Not visa or extension related. Moved to the Insurance in Thailand forum.

if spouse is unemployed she may qualify for what is known as gold card.  This is actually universal health coverage for use at government hospitals and clinics. My wife uses it.

8 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Paying the social security payment each month is the best answer and the cheapest.

Just out of curiosity. How much is it?

3 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

if spouse is unemployed she may qualify for what is known as gold card.  This is actually universal health coverage for use at government hospitals and clinics. My wife uses it.

Yes. All Thais are entitled to free health care under the Universal Health Care scheme (sometimes called the 30 Baht scheme).

However, additional insurance can provide more choice of hospitals and faster treatment.

Edited October 31, 20223 yr by chickenslegs

she is entitled to free health care.

She doesn't need private healthcare now.

Maybe closer to 60 or 65, just before closing gap for insurance.

Accident is included in all health policies. 

If you have insurance yourself you can get discount from the same company

Edited October 31, 20223 yr by internationalism

14 minutes ago, internationalism said:

she is entitled to free health care.

She doesn't need private healthcare now.

Maybe closer to 60 or 65, just before closing gap for insurance.

Accident is included in all health policies. 

If you have insurance yourself you can get discount from the same company

Not according to what she tells me, no contributions no free healthcare ?

21 minutes ago, phetphet said:

Just out of curiosity. How much is it?

I have made enquiries about this, from the info I have you can’t pay voluntary contributions ?

25 minutes ago, asiaexpat said:

if spouse is unemployed she may qualify for what is known as gold card.  This is actually universal health coverage for use at government hospitals and clinics. My wife uses it.

You have any info on this ?

27 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

Not according to what she tells me, no contributions no free healthcare ?

she is mistaken or wants free ride.

contribution is 30b per year. 

Just now, internationalism said:

she is mistaken or wants free ride.

contribution is 30b per year. 

Thais are good liars unfortunately, we have discussed it at length, I have told her if she is sick I don’t have the funds to pay any hospital bills, her answer was I die then !
Even if it was free she says because her House Registration is in Isaan, we live in rented accommodation in Pattaya she would have to pay.

40 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

I have made enquiries about this, from the info I have you can’t pay voluntary contributions ?

My wife pays voluntary contributions, so do hundreds of thousands of other people. About 475 baht per month.

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

Just out of curiosity. How much is it?

About 475 baht month, which contrasts quite favorably against the 126,000 per year that I pay!

Edited October 31, 20223 yr by nigelforbes

11 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

About 475 baht month, which contrasts quite favorably against the 126,000 per year that I pay!

What does that entitle her to, free medical and a pension when she retires, how do you go about it ?

2 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

What does that entitle her to, free medical and a pension when she retires, how do you go about it ?

Thai's are entitled to free medical regardless of whether they pay social security or not, the 30 baht scheme sees to that. The social security payment provides a higher standard of coverage although there is often some co-pay involved. 

 

When a Thai person starts a salaried job where the employer pays the social security every month, those payments are credited against her ID number. When that person stops work they can continue to make the payments themselves thus providing continuity. My wife for example has spent the past 20 years of her working life, alternating between employer made SSc payments and self paid payments. All they need to do arrange for the funds to be remitted every month, to the social security office, quoting their ID/account number.

2 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Thai's are entitled to free medical regardless of whether they pay social security or not, the 30 baht scheme sees to that. The social security payment provides a higher standard of coverage although there is often some co-pay involved. 

 

When a Thai person starts a salaried job where the employer pays the social security every month, those payments are credited against her ID number. When that person stops work they can continue to make the payments themselves thus providing continuity. My wife for example has spent the past 20 years of her working life, alternating between employer made SSc payments and self paid payments. All they need to do arrange for the funds to be remitted every month, to the social security office, quoting their ID/account number.

Unfortunately my partner hasn’t worked for 10 years, she has no idea how to continue making monthly contributions, she keeps telling me if she needs medical treatment it’s not free, I have no way of confirming this ?

Just now, Jumbo1968 said:

Unfortunately my partner hasn’t worked for 10 years, she has no idea how to continue making monthly contributions, she keeps telling me if she needs medical treatment it’s not free, I have no way of confirming this ?

It doesn't matter that she hasn't worked, she still has a SSc account.

 

Medical treatment is free to her, she knows this.

To answer the Op directly:

My Wife is covered with VUMI (at US$1486 per year / about 56,000 baht - 44 yrs old).

 

She is also probably covered on the government system.

Her ID is registered to our current address, so I assume she could get free treatment at the local government hospital wherever she would be registered. 

 

 

50 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

It doesn't matter that she hasn't worked, she still has a SSc account.

 

Medical treatment is free to her, she knows this.

All I can say she insists  it isn’t and even if it is certain medical conditions aren’t covered, can some one provide a link to confirm it’s free. 

Edited October 31, 20223 yr by Jumbo1968

6 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

All I can say she insists  it isn’t and even if it is certain medical conditions aren’t covered, can some one provide a link to confirm it’s free. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Thailand#:~:text=Healthcare in Thailand is overseen,nationals through three government schemes.

15 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

All I can say she insists  it isn’t and even if it is certain medical conditions aren’t covered, can some one provide a link to confirm it’s free. 

Pinned topic in the Health forum

 

9 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

All I can say she insists  it isn’t and even if it is certain medical conditions aren’t covered, can some one provide a link to confirm it’s free. 

Being charitable here, she may be saying that the system is not 100% free for her or for others, sometimes there are small incidental charges that hospitals levy, sometimes there are bigger charges they manage to apply on top. My wife had her gall bladder removed at the District Hospital using the social security scheme insurance. There were charges the SSc insurance didn't cover because she had minimally invasive surgery using an endoscope.....I think we ended up paying something like 18k baht as a result but nobody told us or asked us beforehand. Then she had a room upgrade that was sold to her by the hospital at time of admittance, that was 1k per night for a private room. If my wife would have had the OP at a private hospital she would have paid circa 100k but SSc doesn't cover private hospitals, in any event it would have been the same surgeon. Really, the SSc  insurance operates no differently than any other health insurance organization, it's just that private hospital treatment is excluded. 

10 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

All I can say she insists  it isn’t and even if it is certain medical conditions aren’t covered, can some one provide a link to confirm it’s free. 

It is free (or trivial cost). Your wife would know about the '฿30 scheme' - I've never met a Thai that didn't.

I don't think my wife has ever paid Social Security, we split our time 50/50 between UK and TH and she is registered in Udon - but when she needed some medical treatment in Pattaya it was done at the government hospital for a trivial amount (couple thousand THB inc. medication).

On 10/31/2022 at 7:30 PM, nigelforbes said:

It doesn't matter that she hasn't worked, she still has a SSc account.

 

Medical treatment is free to her, she knows this.

 

She does NOT have a SS account unless she is employed and enrolled in SS.

 

However all Thai citizens not covered by SS are covered under the universal (AKA "gold card") scheme

 

OP's wife absolutely does have access to free health care. It will only be at government hospitals, and she will need to use the hospital for the area where she is listed in a tabian ban.

 

Any difficulty with that or with registering, contact the NHSO

https://eng.nhso.go.th/view/1/Contact_NHSO/EN-US

 

The only reason to get private insurance for a Thai national, would be to have the option of using private hospitals.

On 10/31/2022 at 6:48 PM, Jumbo1968 said:

Thais are good liars unfortunately, we have discussed it at length, I have told her if she is sick I don’t have the funds to pay any hospital bills, her answer was I die then !
Even if it was free she says because her House Registration is in Isaan, we live in rented accommodation in Pattaya she would have to pay.

Emergency treatment is free for any Thai at any Thai hospital

non-emergency treatment is free (30 baht…) at their registered hospital. Your wife just has to register at your local hospital, rental contract is sufficient as evidence

I’m relatively certain that nearly all Thais know that it’s free, but they hope that their foreign partner (ATM?) will believe them and they get money from them.

19 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

She does NOT have a SS account unless she is employed and enrolled in SS.

 

However all Thai citizens not covered by SS are covered under the universal (AKA "gold card") scheme

 

OP's wife absolutely does have access to free health care. It will only be at government hospitals, and she will need to use the hospital for the area where she is listed in a tabian ban.

 

Any difficulty with that or with registering, contact the NHSO

https://eng.nhso.go.th/view/1/Contact_NHSO/EN-US

 

The only reason to get private insurance for a Thai national, would be to have the option of using private hospitals.

My wife was employed for only a couple of years, during which time her employer paid SSc contributions for her. After she left that employment she continued to make her own SSc payments and has done so for the past 20 years, during which time she has not been formally employed. Once the account is established at the outset, through some type of formal employment, the option remains for her to continue to make payments, potentially for the rest of her life.

28 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

My wife was employed for only a couple of years, during which time her employer paid SSc contributions for her. After she left that employment she continued to make her own SSc payments and has done so for the past 20 years, during which time she has not been formally employed. Once the account is established at the outset, through some type of formal employment, the option remains for her to continue to make payments, potentially for the rest of her life.

She has worked nearly 20 years so she will have a SS number, I have located the local office but for some reason she doesn’t appear interested, I give up with her now tbh, thanks all for the info.

1 hour ago, nigelforbes said:

My wife was employed for only a couple of years, during which time her employer paid SSc contributions for her. After she left that employment she continued to make her own SSc payments and has done so for the past 20 years, during which time she has not been formally employed. Once the account is established at the outset, through some type of formal employment, the option remains for her to continue to make payments, potentially for the rest of her life.

Yes, but the person involved has to arrange to do that within 6 months of leaving employment. The opportunity is forfeited after that.

 

Many Thais have never been under SS. Those who have it, rarely continue it after leaving employment, since they can get free health care under the "gold card" scheme.

 

It is clear from OP that the person in question in this thread is not under SS.

 

 

1 hour ago, FriendlyFarang said:

Emergency treatment is free for any Thai at any Thai hospital

non-emergency treatment is free (30 baht…) at their registered hospital. Your wife just has to register at your local hospital, rental contract is sufficient as evidence

I’m relatively certain that nearly all Thais know that it’s free, but they hope that their foreign partner (ATM?) will believe them and they get money from them.

 

Rental contract is nto sufficient in many places but I think Pattaya, with its high number of people working there who came from elsewhere, may be an exception. Best thing is for her to go to the government hospital which covers where she lives and inquire. Any problem, then contact the NHSO.

 

Yes, all Thais know about this. All.  OP's partner is not being honest with him about her reasons for wanting private insurance.