Piggybacking on my stepdaughter's government health benefits

[fittobethaied]

I am a retired American legally married to a Thai whose daughter is a certified government English teacher. My wife piggybacks off of her daughter's government health insurance benefits and gets free care at a number of hospitals where she is registered. My stepdaughter's real father is a retired teacher and has his own benefits; otherwise, he too would be entitled to piggyback off his daughter's benefits. I am very curious to know if I would be eligible to piggyback off my stepdaughter's health benefits given that I am married to her mother. No one seems to know the answer to that question, and no one can show me a government rule book that even addresses the issue. My stepdaughter inquired on my behalf at the teacher's admin office in Nong Khai and was given a "no" with nothing to back up their response. I have observed over the years that "no" is the default answer in Thailand when someone doesn't really know the answer to the question, so I would like to nail this down once and for all rather than accept the answer from one office clerk who probably doesn't even have a clue. Since most Thais won't question authority, that one "no" completely shut down the search for the truth.

Therefore, is there anyone on the forum who is receiving such benefits or has knowledge of where to go for the exact answer? This is of major importance to me, and all comments will be very much appreciated. 

[hughrection]

NO.

 

You must be her 'real' father to qualify. Otherwise it would be a free for all with foreigners marrying Thai ladies with sons and daughters with equal perks.

 

Sorry.

If you are still allowed to work here, take a teaching position for 15 months in a public school. You will enter the system after 3 months and then when you have completed a year, you can quit and keep paying into the SS fund.

[lopburi3]

Would point out all Thai have free healthcare - no need to piggyback on family member except for more choice of treatment locations.

 

You can also use government facilities on a pay for use basis - which is much cheaper that using private facilities and in some cases free (or almost so).  

[fittobethaied]

1 minute ago, hughrection said:

NO.

 

You must be her 'real' father to qualify. Otherwise it would be a free for all with foreigners marrying Thai ladies with sons and daughters with equal perks.

 

Sorry.

If you are still allowed to work here, take a teaching position for 15 months in a public school. You will enter the system after 3 months and then when you have completed a year, you can quit and keep paying into the SS fund.

I genuinely appreciate your reply, but do you know this for a fact, or is this just a "guess"? Plenty of foreigners marry Thai women who are government employees and piggyback off of their wife's health benefits, and this doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If a daughter can sponsor her mother and father, and the real father is not taking advantage of that benefit, then I don't see that it is too far-fetched to think that the stepfather could step in and take that benefit. If I were a Thai and not a foreigner, would that stepfather qualify to be sponsored?

[Celsius]

5 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

I genuinely appreciate your reply, but do you know this for a fact, or is this just a "guess"? Plenty of foreigners marry Thai women who are government employees and piggyback off of their wife's health benefits, and this doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If a daughter can sponsor her mother and father, and the real father is not taking advantage of that benefit, then I don't see that it is too far-fetched to think that the stepfather could step in and take that benefit. If I were a Thai and not a foreigner, would that stepfather qualify to be sponsored?

 

I used my Thai wife's private insurance when she worked for Siemens. You could piggyback off your wife, but not HER daughter.

[fittobethaied]

8 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Would point out all Thai have free healthcare - no need to piggyback on family member except for more choice of treatment locations.

 

You can also use government facilities on a pay for use basis - which is much cheaper that using private facilities and in some cases free (or almost so).  

Thanks for your comment! I do use the government hospitals, and I am thankful that the prices are so low for us foreigners, but I am thinking ahead to the inevitable "big" event that could even bankrupt me, and I would like something to fall back on if I am legally entitled to it. I'm not asking for a handout, but only to be able to apply for that which is available to me by law or rule. I am 75 years old, and about 8 years ago I applied for private health insurance and was denied by two companies simply for having high blood pressure at the time. I have since lost 15 kilos and my pressure is normal, but now I am in the system as having been denied insurance. It's high unlikely that I would be approved at this time for a new policy. 

[lopburi3]

13 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

I am thinking ahead to the inevitable "big" event that could even bankrupt me,

I had a big event at about your age and cost at government hospital would have been about 60,000 baht - at the private hospital I used it was a bit over a million, almost 20 times as much.  Cancer specialized treatment seems to be the most common bankrupt route - but you have the choice not to take such treatments.  You might still be able to obtain insurance but would advise using from outside Thailand firm but need to do soon.

[JeffersLos]

My sons are Thai born with a Thai mother.

 

They should be covered by the UHC system. Universal healthcare, also known as the 30 baht scheme. 

 

Is it still in existence or has it been changed?

 

They don't work yet.

 

If they work in Thailand and are in the UHC system, I as a non-Thai father living here can also be covered by the UHC 30 baht scheme through them?

Edited October 21, 2023 by JeffersLos

[fittobethaied]

1 minute ago, JeffersLos said:

My sons are Thai born with a Thai mother.

 

They should be covered by the UHC system. Universal healthcare, also known as the 30 baht scheme. 

 

Is it still in existence or has it been changed?

 

They don't work yet.

 

If they work in Thailand and are in the UHC system, I as a non-Thai father living here can also be covered by the UHC 30 baht scheme through them?

It would seem that you would be entitled to be sponsored by your sons, but I have no facts to back that up. What we Westerners consider to be logical and reasonable aren't necessarily interpreted the same here in Thailand. Might be a good idea to begin investigating your options. 

[Bill97]

40 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

I'm not asking for a handout

Yes you are,  just because it might be legal does not change it to something other than a handout

[JeffersLos]

I didn't know about being able to piggyback off family member's social security healthcare.

 

My sons will likely enter the Thai work force in the future.

 

My Thai wife works and is in the SS system, government health and pension, deducted from her salary.

 

Can I, as a foreign husband living here, piggyback off my Thai wife's UHC and also get covered by it?

[lopburi3]

35 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

My sons are Thai born with a Thai mother.

 

They should be covered by the UHC system. Universal healthcare, also known as the 30 baht scheme. 

 

Is it still in existence or has it been changed?

 

They don't work yet.

 

If they work in Thailand and are in the UHC system, I as a non-Thai father living here can also be covered by the UHC 30 baht scheme through them?

No.  The free healthcare is not the same as social security healthcare and is provided to all Thai citizens with coverage based on residence.

[hughrection]

1 hour ago, fittobethaied said:

I genuinely appreciate your reply, but do you know this for a fact, or is this just a "guess"? Plenty of foreigners marry Thai women who are government employees and piggyback off of their wife's health benefits, and this doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If a daughter can sponsor her mother and father, and the real father is not taking advantage of that benefit, then I don't see that it is too far-fetched to think that the stepfather could step in and take that benefit. If I were a Thai and not a foreigner, would that stepfather qualify to be sponsored?

I am 100% sure.

 

Yes, a foreigner married to a Thai lady who works for government can piggyback BUT not the stepfather of a daughter by marriage.

[FritsSikkink]

54 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

My sons are Thai born with a Thai mother.

 

They should be covered by the UHC system. Universal healthcare, also known as the 30 baht scheme. 

 

Is it still in existence or has it been changed?

 

They don't work yet.

 

If they work in Thailand and are in the UHC system, I as a non-Thai father living here can also be covered by the UHC 30 baht scheme through them?

Yes, it still exists.

No, you cannot piggyback.

 

[FritsSikkink]

50 minutes ago, fittobethaied said:

It would seem that you would be entitled to be sponsored by your sons, but I have no facts to back that up. What we Westerners consider to be logical and reasonable aren't necessarily interpreted the same here in Thailand. Might be a good idea to begin investigating your options. 

Not true.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, JeffersLos said:

I didn't know about being able to piggyback off family member's social security healthcare.

 

My sons will likely enter the Thai work force in the future.

 

My Thai wife works and is in the SS system, government health and pension, deducted from her salary.

 

Can I, as a foreign husband living here, piggyback off my Thai wife's UHC and also get covered by it?

Moved to the health forum

 

UHC is not same as SS.

 

And SS has 2 types, regular and Civil Service.

 

If your wife is a career civil servant and thus under the Civil Service SS system you as her husband are also covered.

 

Not the case for the universal (AKA "30 baht") and regular SS system.

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, fittobethaied said:

I genuinely appreciate your reply, but do you know this for a fact, or is this just a "guess"? Plenty of foreigners marry Thai women who are government employees and piggyback off of their wife's health benefits, and this doesn't seem to be an issue at all. If a daughter can sponsor her mother and father, and the real father is not taking advantage of that benefit, then I don't see that it is too far-fetched to think that the stepfather could step in and take that benefit. If I were a Thai and not a foreigner, would that stepfather qualify to be sponsored?

 

Step-parents do not qualify, period. Nationality does not matter. What matters is that you are not the legal parent.

 

If you have legally adopted the child then yes, would qualify as you would then be the legal parent (and the biological father no longer so).

[Sheryl]

As there is a lot of confusion on this thread let me clarify:

 

The Thai system of universal health care access has 3 channels:

 

1. Civil service Social Security system. This is only for civil servants; people working for government on a contractual basis do not qualify.

    Foreigners who are married to a civil servant, or are the legal parent  of a civil servant, are covered through them. This is the only one of the 3 channels of health cover where this is true.  Only biological parents or legal adoptive parents are covered; "step parents" are not.

 

2. Regular Social Security covers most people employed in the private sector, with exception of very small employers and some private schools.  Foreigners are covered if employed but cannot be covered through a spouse or child. Once under this scheme and employed more than a year it is possible to continue it indefinitely through private contributions.

 

3. The "universal" or "30 baht" scheme covers all Thai nationals not covered under one of the 2 schemes listed above. Only Thai nationals are eligible.

 

 

[JeffersLos]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

And SS has 2 types, regular and Civil Service.

 

If your wife is a career civil servant and thus under the Civil Service SS system you as her husband are also covered.

How will we find out which one she is on.

 

She isn't a civil servant, her career is working within one of the largest Thai organizations, not the government.

 

Under the regular SS her legal husband cannot also be covered? 

Edited October 21, 2023 by JeffersLos

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, JeffersLos said:

How will we find out which one she is on.

 

She isn't a civil servant, her career is working within one of the largest Thai organizations, not the government.

 

Under the regular SS her legal husband cannot also be covered? 

If she is employed but not a civil servant then she is under regular SS. 

 

Spouses are not covered, only the employee.