Best most Trustworthy insurance companies for medical insurance in Thailand?

[internationalism]

the Pacific cross has increased their premiums already from 1st August.

Many other insurance companies also made changes at the same time.

All lost a lot during covid, paying for quarantines, hospitalisations.

For the next 20 years there would be many cancer and other serious cases, bacause there were no screaning programms and poor medical care, so premiums will be rising faster, than before covid.

 

email from misterprakan from 1st August 2022:

"The ones that were sent to you before are no longer valid as the plans and premiums have already changed. 

We have already removed the visa friendly plan as Pacific cross have removed it as well. 
The new plans that are available now are just the new normal plans. it does have the same coverage as before but the premium has increased. "

Edited February 9, 2023 by internationalism

[xylophone]

On 1/10/2023 at 12:32 PM, Phoenix Rising said:

I've been using Aetna (formerly BUPA) for many years and they're very professional. For instance, they offer me free flu vaccines every year and have a top notch team that are more than willing to answer any health related questions you might have.

Me too Phoenix, and the agent here informed me before I got to the age of 60, that if I took the insurance out then, then they would cover me for life, which was very tempting, so I did it, and of course now it is Aetna and so far I've been delighted with them.

 

I do get a 10% return of my annual premium if I don't claim during the year and that's a "bonus", and just a few days ago I had another nice surprise because I had to go into hospital to have a basal cell carcinoma removed, and they wanted to remove quite a bit of skin and tissue, and the whole operation was going to take nearly 2 hours, but because I had no outpatient cover I was going to have to pay for it myself.

 

However the hospital got in touch with a Aetna and they agreed to pay for the operation, which was hugely surprising, but then again as I've been with them for 16 years or thereabouts, perhaps they thought I was due a bit of "kindness"?? Or some sort of recognition that had been a regular customer.

 

Anyway I can recommend Aetna in light of my experiences with them over the years.

[Phoenix Rising]

20 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Me too Phoenix, and the agent here informed me before I got to the age of 60, that if I took the insurance out then, then they would cover me for life, which was very tempting, so I did it, and of course now it is Aetna and so far I've been delighted with them.

 

I do get a 10% return of my annual premium if I don't claim during the year and that's a "bonus", and just a few days ago I had another nice surprise because I had to go into hospital to have a basal cell carcinoma removed, and they wanted to remove quite a bit of skin and tissue, and the whole operation was going to take nearly 2 hours, but because I had no outpatient cover I was going to have to pay for it myself.

 

However the hospital got in touch with a Aetna and they agreed to pay for the operation, which was hugely surprising, but then again as I've been with them for 16 years or thereabouts, perhaps they thought I was due a bit of "kindness"?? Or some sort of recognition that had been a regular customer.

 

Anyway I can recommend Aetna in light of my experiences with them over the years.

Thanks for the info. I'm a bit curious to know what you mean by "cover for life" as I will in a few years reach the 60 milestone myself?

[xylophone]

10 minutes ago, Phoenix Rising said:

Thanks for the info. I'm a bit curious to know what you mean by "cover for life" as I will in a few years reach the 60 milestone myself?

Good question PR, however I'm not sure if that could have changed since BUPA eventually became Aetna, but for the record, if I took out my health insurance before the age of 60, then there would be no age limit on me as regards cover i.e. it would cover me for life, and I had the agent check that out just recently and according to her, it still applies!

 

You could contact Aetna to see if that applies in your case as well? Good luck.

[internationalism]

10 hours ago, xylophone said:

Me too Phoenix, and the agent here informed me before I got to the age of 60, that if I took the insurance out then, then they would cover me for life, which was very tempting, so I did it, and of course now it is Aetna and so far I've been delighted with them.

 

I do get a 10% return of my annual premium if I don't claim during the year and that's a "bonus", and just a few days ago I had another nice surprise because I had to go into hospital to have a basal cell carcinoma removed, and they wanted to remove quite a bit of skin and tissue, and the whole operation was going to take nearly 2 hours, but because I had no outpatient cover I was going to have to pay for it myself.

 

However the hospital got in touch with a Aetna and they agreed to pay for the operation, which was hugely surprising, but then again as I've been with them for 16 years or thereabouts, perhaps they thought I was due a bit of "kindness"?? Or some sort of recognition that had been a regular customer.

 

Anyway I can recommend Aetna in light of my experiences with them over the years.

if you were to be put into full anastesia you are going to be admitted to hospital, so inpatient covers it - even, if it's short procedure.

hospital well knew it 

[xylophone]

31 minutes ago, internationalism said:

if you were to be put into full anastesia you are going to be admitted to hospital, so inpatient covers it - even, if it's short procedure.

hospital well knew it 

This was an outpatient procedure and only local anasthetic was used.......I was fully conscious throughout and it was over and done with in under two hours, including time needed for a full covid test, so I don't think your suggestion is correct.

[internationalism]

I know only about full anastesia qualifying as hospital admission.

Also any cancer treatments, f.e. chemiotherapy, are classified as inpatient.

Possibly any operation is also treated as inpatient.

[Xanthe]

On 1/10/2023 at 12:04 AM, scubascuba3 said:

Claim denied is a risk with any insurer if they can find it's pre-existing, less likely with a farang company, April International, Cigna, but if you don't disclose everything on the application form, expect a denied claim down the line

My ex father-in-law sued an insurance company in the US for claim denial based on pre-existing condition and won a hefty amount. The medical claim they denied was for 300K USD for a stroke. And they had to pay more than a few millions half of which the lawyers received. 

[ukrules]

On 1/11/2023 at 9:24 PM, burner2014 said:

The international ones are the interesting ones you want to get before you get old

Yes, I use BUPA Global, just get in touch with them directly.

 

When I first took out my policy with them before they renamed from 'BUPA International' some 12 or 3 years ago I phoned them in the UK to arrange cover.

They also accept monthly payment by credit/debit card so you don't have to stump up the whole years worth of payment in one go and I don't believe they charge extra for that.

 

[spidermike007]

Pacific Cross seems to be a favorite. I used them for years, never had a claim, yet my premium went up annually, to the point where it became silly. Finally told them to take a hike. 

 

And the terms insurance and trustworthy in the same sentence seems highly oxymoronic. They are a mafia. All insurance companies. 

[xylophone]

11 hours ago, internationalism said:

I know only about full anastesia qualifying as hospital admission.

Also any cancer treatments, f.e. chemiotherapy, are classified as inpatient.

Possibly any operation is also treated as inpatient.

We'll have to agree to disagree, because this was merely a skin cancer excision, and one could hardly call it an "operation" – – and I've had many before due to my skin colour (freckle faced and red hair when younger!) and have always paid on an outpatient basis?

 

Whatever the case, I was pleased that Aetna picked up the bill! ????

[internationalism]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

We'll have to agree to disagree, because this was merely a skin cancer excision, and one could hardly call it an "operation" – – and I've had many before due to my skin colour (freckle faced and red hair when younger!) and have always paid on an outpatient basis?

 

Whatever the case, I was pleased that Aetna picked up the bill! ????

I was mislead by your original post "they agreed to pay for the operation, which was hugely surprising".

But I do avoid personal discussions, even if I quote somebody, I try not to address directly. Just sharing what I have read here on forum. I don't have much personal experience with claims, because I chose the highest possible deductible.  

As Sheryl wrote several times on Health Forum, it's important how well doctors fill up medical history to be submitted to insurer. Many doctors don't have much experience in dealing with insurers or don't care if patients pays the bill or money comes from insurer.

When recently I went for full anastesia with gastroscopy+colonoscopy, doctor went as far as asking me about my insurance details (I have handed her my insurance card, because looks like she didn't understand concept of deductible).

I don't know how it happen, but I was charged 8k less than I was quoted by her before. 

[internationalism]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Pacific Cross seems to be a favorite. I used them for years, never had a claim, yet my premium went up annually, to the point where it became silly. Finally told them to take a hike. 

 

And the terms insurance and trustworthy in the same sentence seems highly oxymoronic. They are a mafia. All insurance companies. 

yes, the PC seems the best value.

They inrease every 5 years, but from 65 those listed premiums are for guidance only. So premiums can go up yearly.

My approach is 300k deductible, which halfs premium. Plus up to 20% discount for not claiming.

After a large claim they will increase premium by 25% for 3 years. And no claim discount is also lost, so jump after a large claim might be 45%. That would be time to exit them and self insure.

At my next 5 year increase I would probably downgrade to a lower policy.

As I remember correctly from age 75 they don't offer no claim discount, so there would be 20% jump.

 

As much as I am very hesitant now to WrLife, I would consided them in the future, if they survive.

 

 

[xylophone]

9 minutes ago, internationalism said:

yes, the PC seems the best value.

They inrease every 5 years, but from 65 those listed premiums are for guidance only. So premiums can go up yearly.

My approach is 300k deductible, which halfs premium. Plus up to 20% discount for not claiming.

After a large claim they will increase premium by 25% for 3 years. And no claim discount is also lost, so jump after a large claim might be 45%. That would be time to exit them and self insure.

At my next 5 year increase I would probably downgrade to a lower policy.

As I remember correctly from age 75 they don't offer no claim discount, so there would be 20% jump.

 

As much as I am very hesitant now to WrLife, I would consided them in the future, if they survive.

 

 

Interesting post, and I am pleased that we had the previous interchange of posts, because it has got me thinking about my insurance costs!

 

My current premium is 140,000 baht per annum and in the main I pay for any outpatient procedure, and as I am 76 this year I'm expecting the premium to increase, so that has got me thinking about cancelling the insurance and covering any medical costs out of my own pocket.

 

I've got to think long and hard about this because in truth, Aetna has been pretty good through the years, however do I want to keep paying 140,000 baht plus increases for the remainder of my years when I could probably cover it myself without too much of a problem – – but therein lies the conundrum, because as one gets older the chances of a major medical event become more likely and I'm wondering how much a "major medical event" would cost?

 

Food for thought.

[internationalism]

as the PC has 75 year limit for new applicants, your small chance is that WrLife will offer some policy (probably excluding cancer). Probably they are the cheapest, but the least reliable, complete unknown entity.

They do have up to $5k deductible.

For me major event would be cancer. For that regular check ups for blood cancer markers, fecal occult blood. If any symptoms CT, ultrasound, MRI. Colonoscopy every 10 years. All fairly cheap. But non of them is 100% reliable.

If early detected cancer treatment I would think in low hundreds - that is in the governmental hospital, which I would always prefer. In case of cancer all policies do cover even outpatient treatments.

 

Edited February 12, 2023 by internationalism

[whiteman]

I stopped my AXA UK policy last year prems for me last year are 197000 bhat with a 12k excess so I decided to buy 10 bhat gold bar for 294000 bhat price of 10 bhat now is costing any one 307460 = 4.6% return. I will do that from now one every year I expect my cost of health cover this year to have gone up by 6 to 7% I will be 76 in April.

 

I have the money to pay any health problems that I get but the extra saving on gold will not hurt.

 

Just my 2 stangs worth

[spidermike007]

11 hours ago, internationalism said:

yes, the PC seems the best value.

They inrease every 5 years, but from 65 those listed premiums are for guidance only. So premiums can go up yearly.

My approach is 300k deductible, which halfs premium. Plus up to 20% discount for not claiming.

After a large claim they will increase premium by 25% for 3 years. And no claim discount is also lost, so jump after a large claim might be 45%. That would be time to exit them and self insure.

At my next 5 year increase I would probably downgrade to a lower policy.

As I remember correctly from age 75 they don't offer no claim discount, so there would be 20% jump.

 

As much as I am very hesitant now to WrLife, I would consided them in the future, if they survive.

 

 

I was with them for 10 years. They increased my premium annually (despite what they claim), though I never made one claim. I self insure now, like many others. Great decision. 

[peterrabbit]

On 2/12/2023 at 1:25 AM, spidermike007 said:

Pacific Cross seems to be a favorite. I used them for years, never had a claim, yet my premium went up annually, to the point where it became silly. Finally told them to take a hike. 

 

And the terms insurance and trustworthy in the same sentence seems highly oxymoronic. They are a mafia. All insurance companies. 

I knew someone who had PC for all his working life in the oil industry. He got lung cancer so put in a claim. PC went back decades through his medical history and found some minor condition he had twenty years ago and used it as a excuse to deny his claim. So he had to go back the UK for treatment but sadly died in January. His view on PC was that they were a bunch of crooks. After hearing his story I would never consider PC for any insurance.

[howerde]

I would caution against a Thai insurance company, i have a policy to cover my visa health insurance , i have had it 5 years last year had an small injury, so thought might as well claim on the outpatient cover the claim was turned down as i had not reported it within 24 hours, it was a mild burn, anyway after seeing the doctor i mentioned this to him, to be fair he spoke to someone and my claim was accepted max payout 1900 baht per visit max claims 10 a year this for the 40 000/400 000 insurance, so the max claim per year for out patient 19 000 baht so much for 40 000 of cover,   and to top it all this years premium for this measly cover jumped to 80 000 baht up from 32000, they tried to claim this was normal.

[spidermike007]

15 hours ago, peterrabbit said:

I knew someone who had PC for all his working life in the oil industry. He got lung cancer so put in a claim. PC went back decades through his medical history and found some minor condition he had twenty years ago and used it as a excuse to deny his claim. So he had to go back the UK for treatment but sadly died in January. His view on PC was that they were a bunch of crooks. After hearing his story I would never consider PC for any insurance.

The same applies to most insurance companies. If they can find a reason to deny a claim, they will. Total mafia gangsters. 

[jerrymahoney]

I posted this to a query in the ChiangMai forum so maybe others did not see it. This is from the WrLife Facebook page from 5 weeks ago:

 

(Policy holder) How did you assume it was pre-existing that's the question
5 w
Insurance Wrlife
It seems that you did not have insurance before because you ignore my question : what was your previous medical insurance? If you have please send a copy to <ag-service.org> Then you make a cover. Then quite immediately you claim for a medical pre existing condition confirmed by the hospital and a second opinion team.

*************

So it seems this person had no previous insurance, took out a WrLife policy, then quickly tried to arrange surgery that the hospital said was for a pre-existing condition.

[Felt 35]

On 2/5/2023 at 6:23 PM, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

Most insurance policies issued in Thailand are for one year, so at renewal you're looking at a new policy and an insurer can charge whatever they wish for a new policy. The terms and conditions of your existing policy, and its pricing, are only good for the term stated on the policy. Pricing and terms can change at renewal. The OIC does impose some restrictions on premium increases, however.

That's life! Those who burden the system (any system) the least become the scapegoat for everyone else. Below the exact wording from PC about cost increse.

So my 20% no claim bonus is suddenly just 13%????

Please be advised that this year your base premium has increased by 7% to take into account, amongst other external factors, rising healthcare expenses and inflation. This adjustment applies to all policies commencing from 01/09/2022. 

Felt