BMA advise tourists to take out health insurance "for their peace of mind"

[Reigntax]

3 hours ago, edogthong said:

I find it interesting how people assume that health insurance providers always pay up. I can tell you through experience that they do everything in their power to get out of paying. That's especially true for the basic, cheap alternatives. No wonder so many people self-insure.

Then buy it on a credit card with product protection and claim it through your CC provider. Or let them sort it out

Edited January 11, 2023 by Reigntax

[Mark Nothing]

My peace of mind comes from knowing how to manage and maintain my immune system. 

 

I have boycotted the false theories of science they keep trying to push on us.

[Salerno]

1 hour ago, Reigntax said:

Then buy it on a credit card with product protection and claim it through your CC provider. Or let them sort it out

So how does that work? 

 

Buy insurance for $65 on CC > Accident, $100,000 bill > insurance wriggles out of paying > do a charge back and get $65 back (highly unlikely!) > breath a sigh of relief > get tap on shoulder, turn to hear "About that $100,000 you owe us?

[Skeptic7]

7 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

not much humor isn't??

Dude has NONE. 

 

7 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

There's a big difference between claimed 'humour' (when called out about it) and deliberately, but lamely, trying to take the pi_ss  by misstating what was actually reported (Thai bashing).   

Wrong. It's called making a joke. Simple. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

11 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

huh.. over sixties and pregnant???

Judging from the huge bellies on many of the male farangs I see that could be the reason....????

[Blumpie]

8 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

You don't need anything to get into the country. We are fully re-opened. 

 

Now, you need a covid test and health insurance. 

 

Maybe you don't need a covid test anymore.

 

Ok, you definitely don't need a covid test. But we are not sure about the insurance. 

 

Huh? 344,090 tickets were canceled? Huh? Um, Um, OK, you don't need health insurance. 

 

But, you should have health insurance, anyway. Has Thawida ever spent an hour in the sun? Is he actually a ghost? 

Always appreciate your posts, keeping everything in perspective.  

Don't understand what's going on?  Read above, and keep posted, it could change again in seconds.  It's ok to feel as confused as a horny bisexual at an orgy here.... 

[still kicking]

8 hours ago, damo1967 said:

Why not let those who choose not to take out any travel/CoVid insurance when visiting SE Asia learn the hard way about the 'special' treatment they will receive as soon as the Hospital realises they have no insurance at all.

ps. GoFundMe's should be banned for any international traveller who refused to get some basic cheap travel insurance.  

I have top level travel insurance which includes unlimited health cover 

[damo1967]

2 minutes ago, still kicking said:

I have top level travel insurance which includes unlimited health cover 

Great ????  I wish your travels well

[still kicking]

6 minutes ago, damo1967 said:

Great ????  I wish your travels well

Cost me a few bucks but I always have when I travel

[spidermike007]

8 hours ago, edogthong said:

This is their feeble attempt at saving face. They can't just come out and say: "Sorry, we were wrong and we take it all back". They have to go through this gradual backpedaling in an attempt to make it seem as if they've actually made a difference when in reality everything is back to what it was a week ago. The only thing this accomplished was to further cement Thailand's reputation as an unstable nation, not suitable for investment or even a holiday. Thousands of travellers canceled their holidays with thousands more deciding not to choose Thailand as their future holiday destination.

Anutin and Prayuth. The one step forward, three steps backwards goons. They are the very definition of regressive leadership. They define why Thailand is not moving forward in the world today. They are a toxic force and Thailand needs to get rid of this kind of rot and incapable and corrupt leadership. 

Edited January 11, 2023 by spidermike007

[geisha]

In my opinion, everyone should have a good travel insurance. I’ve always had one , peace of mind. No one is accident proof, health  problems happen everywhere, also when you’re in Thailand,!  At home, in your own country, you most probably are helped , in Thailand , ( anywhere abroad)  you are not helped. If you don’t have the couple of thousand, or maybe a few hundred thousand $£€  to pay, that’s your problem, or maybe your families ? Why take the risk for the price of a good meal out ? 

[geisha]

9 hours ago, Salerno said:

So how does that work? 

 

Buy insurance for $65 on CC > Accident, $100,000 bill > insurance wriggles out of paying > do a charge back and get $65 back (highly unlikely!) > breath a sigh of relief > get tap on shoulder, turn to hear "About that $100,000 you owe us?

You insure your car don’t you ? And your house ? Your health is the same .

[jacko45k]

13 hours ago, pomchop said:

Where can you buy travel health insurance if you are over 75 years old?

Presumably it will have to come from your home country and hence availability will vary. I certainly see enough adverts for UK insurance companies supplying policies for older travelers. Saga claim no upper age limit.

Edited January 11, 2023 by jacko45k

[Salerno]

2 minutes ago, geisha said:

You insure your car don’t you ? And your house ? Your health is the same .

Please go back and read what I was replying to.

[sambum]

22 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It did not say "over 60s and pregnant", it said the over 60s plus pregnant women.

I think he was trying (unsuccessfully!) to be funny!

 

[sambum]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Anutin and Prayuth. The one step forward, three steps backwards goons. They are the very definition of regressive leadership. They define why Thailand is not moving forward in the world today. They are a toxic force and Thailand needs to get rid of this kind of rot and incapable and corrupt leadership. 

"They define why Thailand is not moving forward in the world today"

 

Apart from the verbal diarrhoea that is spouted, the constant U turns on policy (especially on health issues and travel requirements) can only be detrimental to the recovery of the tourist trade, and associated business.

No one likes uncertainty, and this government is a prime example of how not to instil confidence in prospective future business/trade prospects. The AseanNow article following this one is a prime example:- 

"Thailand set to start collecting 300 THB tourist fee from June;"

I wonder how many times this particular proposal has been put forward and postponed?

 

 

[spidermike007]

13 hours ago, sambum said:

"They define why Thailand is not moving forward in the world today"

 

Apart from the verbal diarrhoea that is spouted, the constant U turns on policy (especially on health issues and travel requirements) can only be detrimental to the recovery of the tourist trade, and associated business.

No one likes uncertainty, and this government is a prime example of how not to instil confidence in prospective future business/trade prospects. The AseanNow article following this one is a prime example:- 

"Thailand set to start collecting 300 THB tourist fee from June;"

I wonder how many times this particular proposal has been put forward and postponed?

 

 

When you have untalented, under qualified ministers and people appointed to decision making positions, who were appointed based on cronyism, with not one second spent on the consideration of worthiness or merit, you end up with a society that flip flops, as the wind blows, continually makes ill informed, politically motivated decisions, and moves backwards from the once great tiger of SE Asia, to a whiny, sickly, anemic alley cat begging for crumbs. 

[sambum]

10 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

When you have untalented, under qualified ministers and people appointed to decision making positions, who were appointed based on cronyism, with not one second spent on the consideration of worthiness or merit, you end up with a society that flip flops, as the wind blows, continually makes ill informed, politically motivated decisions, and moves backwards from the once great tiger of SE Asia, to a whiny, sickly, anemic alley cat begging for crumbs. 

With a PM who gained his position by illegally ousting the previous legally elected Government, secures his position by appointing 250 senators to the Upper House in order to virtually guarantee his every future proposal, a Deputy PM who has more luxury watches than he can count (that he borrowed from a friend - now deceased so he can't give them back, so conveniently forgets about them????) , and another Deputy PM who is Minister of Health whose only educational qualification is in Engineering, and rushes through the legalisation of cannabis because of his personal investment, without a thought for the implications or consequences, then yes, you are going to get a constant  barrage of ill thought out decisions that are going to be withdrawn after the implications, and consequences become obvious!

And as per my previous post,  nobody likes a ditherer - especially in politics, and slightly off topic, but like her or loathe her, "The Iron Lady" stuck to her decisions, and was definitely "not for turning", which accounts for her success as a leader in Government, and even at times, begrudging admiration from her critics.

Edited January 13, 2023 by sambum
Additional text

[Hawaiian]

On 1/11/2023 at 1:36 PM, jacko45k said:

Presumably it will have to come from your home country and hence availability will vary. I certainly see enough adverts for UK insurance companies supplying policies for older travelers. Saga claim no upper age limit.

Whenever I buy my airline tickets they always offer travel/health insurance.  Thankfully I have never had to file a claim.  The couple of times that I haven gotten sick in Thailand from eating raw or under cooked shellfish an over the counter antibiotic has worked.  My girlfriend's brother is a good diagnostic physician who we both rely on for advice.  He has never let us down.

[sambum]

7 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

Whenever I buy my airline tickets they always offer travel/health insurance.  Thankfully I have never had to file a claim.  The couple of times that I haven gotten sick in Thailand from eating raw or under cooked shellfish an over the counter antibiotic has worked.  My girlfriend's brother is a good diagnostic physician who we both rely on for advice.  He has never let us down.

The stereotype of the one the insurance companies love - pay the premiums - never make a claim! And I do so love the word "thankfully" - you obviously understand the problems of making a claim, and the chances of getting a payout. Funny there's no such problems when you pay your premiums!

Edited January 15, 2023 by sambum

[daveAustin]

Why would a tourist fork out for health insurance when they're already covered... you know, that spurious, compulsory entry fee which 'covers' for eventualities.

[Foexie]

Why would the tourists, specialy the brittons, do this?

 

We just put on a crowdfunding and let others pay for our bills!

[Mac Mickmanus]

7 minutes ago, Foexie said:

Why would the tourists, specialy the brittons, do this?

 

We just put on a crowdfunding and let others pay for our bills!

British or Britains .

Are you pretending to be British by using the word "we" ?

[Hawaiian]

8 hours ago, sambum said:

The stereotype of the one the insurance companies love - pay the premiums - never make a claim! And I do so love the word "thankfully" - you obviously understand the problems of making a claim, and the chances of getting a payout. Funny there's no such problems when you pay your premiums!

After reading your comments I checked the most recent reviews for Allianz.  Many 5-stars and and quite a few one-stars.  Failure to submit clear and precise  documentation seems to be behind most of the bad reviews. 

I am not one to file frivolous or questionable claims.  In the past, I have always been satisfied when filing homeowners, workmens compensation and auto claims.  As I have , mentioned, I have no experience with travel insurance claims and hope it stays that way.   Be prepared for the worse and hope for the best.

[sambum]

3 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

After reading your comments I checked the most recent reviews for Allianz.  Many 5-stars and and quite a few one-stars.  Failure to submit clear and precise  documentation seems to be behind most of the bad reviews. 

I am not one to file frivolous or questionable claims.  In the past, I have always been satisfied when filing homeowners, workmens compensation and auto claims.  As I have , mentioned, I have no experience with travel insurance claims and hope it stays that way.   Be prepared for the worse and hope for the best.

I am afraid that my experiences differ considerably from yours!

I am originally from the UK, and a few years ago I put in a claim for storm damage to the roof of my house, and the ceilings and carpets of one of the bedrooms. I had been with this particular Insurance Company for MANY years and never made a claim, but occasionally had a loose slate come off during stormy weather,(The house was built pre 1900) and always paid for it myself, as the cost was less than the excess on my policy.  However, this particular storm caused substantial damage countrywide, but the Insurance Company paid me absolutely nothing as I had "had similar incidents happen before". (I had foolishly told them of the times I had arranged for the slates to be replaced at my own expense)

Similarly, a few years ago, on one of my earlier visits to Thailand, I had to have some dental work done on a crown that had come loose which involved some fairly complicated root canal work, so I had to travel to Bangkok from Southern Thailand to have the work done at a specialist hospital. Same excuse from the Insurance Company - I had actually been paid out a few years earlier for some  root canal treatment and a porcelain crown to be fitted, so they refused to pay out for the latest treatment "as a similar claim had been made at an earlier time" So, you only have problems with one tooth in your lifetime?

I have since heard (no link or proof I'm afraid) that insurance companies have specialist departments within their organisations whose job is to find grounds for rejecting claims!

And I now find that I am too old at 77 to get Health Insurance! My last enquiry was when I was 72, and it was going to cost more than 3000 pounds annually, but pre existing conditions were not covered, so taking a pill a day for hypertension, and high cholesterol meant that I would not be covered for heart attacks, strokes etc. (However, I would probably have been covered for something like back or groin strain, unless of course, I had not had a back or groin strain before!)

So, no, I do not have a lot of time for Insurance Companies! 

[Hawaiian]

2 hours ago, sambum said:

I am afraid that my experiences differ considerably from yours!

I am originally from the UK, and a few years ago I put in a claim for storm damage to the roof of my house, and the ceilings and carpets of one of the bedrooms. I had been with this particular Insurance Company for MANY years and never made a claim, but occasionally had a loose slate come off during stormy weather,(The house was built pre 1900) and always paid for it myself, as the cost was less than the excess on my policy.  However, this particular storm caused substantial damage countrywide, but the Insurance Company paid me absolutely nothing as I had "had similar incidents happen before". (I had foolishly told them of the times I had arranged for the slates to be replaced at my own expense)

Similarly, a few years ago, on one of my earlier visits to Thailand, I had to have some dental work done on a crown that had come loose which involved some fairly complicated root canal work, so I had to travel to Bangkok from Southern Thailand to have the work done at a specialist hospital. Same excuse from the Insurance Company - I had actually been paid out a few years earlier for some  root canal treatment and a porcelain crown to be fitted, so they refused to pay out for the latest treatment "as a similar claim had been made at an earlier time" So, you only have problems with one tooth in your lifetime?

I have since heard (no link or proof I'm afraid) that insurance companies have specialist departments within their organisations whose job is to find grounds for rejecting claims!

And I now find that I am too old at 77 to get Health Insurance! My last enquiry was when I was 72, and it was going to cost more than 3000 pounds annually, but pre existing conditions were not covered, so taking a pill a day for hypertension, and high cholesterol meant that I would not be covered for heart attacks, strokes etc. (However, I would probably have been covered for something like back or groin strain, unless of course, I had not had a back or groin strain before!)

So, no, I do not have a lot of time for Insurance Companies! 

In the U.S. each state regulates the insurance industry.  Hawaii is no exception.  While far from perfect, our regulators do a decent job.  We also have some aggressive lawyers, with some high profile law firms specializing in insurance claims.  The have impressive track records. 

When I injured my back my insurance company (my business was incorporated so I had to carry workmens compensation insurance) tried giving me a hard time.  I told the claims adjuster she could work with me or deal with my lawyer.  No problems after that.

As for medical coverage, I have Medicare and Tricare for life.  What Medicare doesn't cover

Tricare pays the balance.  Medicare costs me $165/month and I pay nothing for Tricare.

The not-profit private hospital I go to has never asked for a co-payment for the few times I used their emergency room services.  I rarely get sick and go to my primary care physician every six months for a checkup.  By the way, I am 83 years young.

Sorry about your bad experiences.  Take care.

Edited January 16, 2023 by Hawaiian
Clarification

[sambum]

53 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

In the U.S. each state regulates the insurance industry.  Hawaii is no exception.  While far from perfect, our regulators do a decent job.  We also have some aggressive lawyers, with some high profile law firms specializing in insurance claims.  The have impressive track records. 

When I injured my back my insurance company (my business was incorporated so I had to carry workmens compensation insurance) tried giving me a hard time.  I told the claims adjuster she could work with me or deal with my lawyer.  No problems after that.

As for medical coverage, I have Medicare and Tricare for life.  What Medicare doesn't cover

Tricare pays the balance.  Medicare costs me $165/month and I pay nothing for Tricare.

The not-profit private hospital I go to has never asked for a co-payment for the few times I used their emergency room services.  I rarely get sick and go to my primary care physician every six months for a checkup.  By the way, I am 83 years young.

Sorry about your bad experiences.  Take care.

Thank you - lucky you!

 

The NHS in the UK sounds similar to your Medicare, but unfortunately they have immense problems with waiting times for appointments. For non-urgent cases (knee surgery, hip replacements etc) it is not unusual to have to wait over a year for an appointment to see a specialist, and then have to wait (I don't know for how long) for your surgery/operation.

 

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, sambum said:

I have since heard (no link or proof I'm afraid) that insurance companies have specialist departments within their organisations whose job is to find grounds for rejecting claims!

If you do make a claim, it is  likely you will primarily told to pay yourself and submit a claim later (if you survive). Also a requirement of that claim, will be to give permission to access your hospital records for as far back as they go, to facilitate a means of rejecting the claim, or certainly to add to your exclusions. Do they believe I will want to break my arm again on purpose?

Edited January 17, 2023 by jacko45k

[sambum]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

If you do make a claim, it is  likely you will primarily told to pay yourself and submit a claim later (if you survive). Also a requirement of that claim, will be to give permission to access your hospital records for as far back as they go, to facilitate a means of rejecting the claim, or certainly to add to your exclusions. Do they believe I will want to break my arm again on purpose?

I didn't get break my tooth again on purpose!

Edited January 17, 2023 by sambum

[SiSePuede419]

On 1/11/2023 at 1:02 PM, ikke1959 said:

over 60s plus pregnant women.

I saw a couple of women yesterday who appear to have little chance of getting pregnant.

 

Will there be a Lesbian exception? ????