Thai Restaurant Owner in Sweden Gets Partial Refund from Hospital After High Medical Bill

[Jonathan Swift]

2 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

Yes. You are a mug.

That was about as brilliant a response as I would expect. 

[paul1804]

Welcome to the land of rip offs, they just cannot help themselves!

[soalbundy]

10 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

I'm one of those mugs. I've read the comments from all you whiners and complainers. I've been here 10 years. I have never paid more than $300 for any hospital care including emergency treatments, albeit they were all outpatient. They were all at Phaya Thai 1 hospital. I've also had satisfactory dental treatments. The only time I've paid more was for dental implants, which were still less than 1/3 of what they cost in the US. But don't let me stop anyone from complaining, I realize that the biggest reason you came here was for fresh new topics to complain about because you got sick of the same old subjects in your home countries, where complaining and arguing is a national contact sport on the level of football. Wahhhh. 

I had an operation for a hernia at a private hospital, 1 night stay, 28K Baht, I thought that was reasonable.

[Lopburikid]

2 hours ago, rbkk said:

So, visiting her country of birth and using that countries health service? I know that's a no-no for the UK's NHS. (Have to wait 3 years for returning residents.)

Not if you enter Illegally in a dingy, you are give a FREE health check up the day after you land. Ha!

[Lopburikid]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Squeezing the cream out of the foreigner. Welcome to Thailand!

6 days in hospital, dengue fever, private room, doctor every day, treatment every day 24-hour attention. After 6 days B38,300 paid for by health insurance, 1 hour after sending bill. My annul Health Insurnace is B58,000. so got most of my money back after one visit.

[rbkk]

41 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

Some years ago, my dual nationaity daughter spent a night in a well know Pattaya hospital following a minor motorbike accident. No surgery, no x rays, just overnight monitoring. When I received the ridiculously high bill  the following morning, i took it up with the hospital management.  Same story  farang price!  When I produced her ID card , the bill was cut down to 30% of the original price

There are 5 different pricing tiers at Thai govt. hospitals. Which tier your billed at depends on your visa status.

[rbkk]

40 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

So she's a Thai woman, Thai nationality, speaking (I assume) fluent Thai (which almost no non-Thais ever manage) ... and they thought she was a foreigner?

 

Doesn't make sense.

She registered with a foreign passport and paid using a foreign credit card.

[DjSilver]

Another proof how racist and discriminating Thailand is. Always trying to scam foreigners.

 

This is ehat is sick and disgusting about Thailand and it's part of Thai culture 🤮

 

If this would have been in any modern standard western country, it wouldn't only be illegal, but those who does this kind of discrimination, had to pay at least 400k baht to the person they discriminate.

 

No wonder that Thailand is around 70 years behind the modern western countries, both in society and mentally. 

[eddie61]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Squeezing the cream out of the foreigner. Welcome to Thailand!

More like roasting the goose that lays the golden eggs… once bitten twice shy

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, rbkk said:

So, visiting her country of birth and using that countries health service? I know that's a no-no for the UK's NHS. (Have to wait 3 years for returning residents.)

How does a UK hospital know you have been living abroad? ID is not compulsory in the UK, all you really need is your national insurance number, plenty of walk in doctors to register if need be.

[itsari]

15 minutes ago, Lopburikid said:

Not if you enter Illegally in a dingy, you are give a FREE health check up the day after you land. Ha!

After having paid a fortune for the dingy I would say it is only fair that you receive a free health check at least before the British Indian PM sends them to Rwanda .

[Bangkok Barry]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The hospital refunded 100,000 Baht, acknowledging errors on both sides—Ms. Nilakorn's failure to provide passport details for treatment and the hospital's failure to inquire.

 

That tells you all you need to know. The cost of treatment is entirely unrelated to what it actually costs, but what passport you carry.

[brianthainess]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Obviously if charged she was not using free health care - anyone can use public hospitals on a paying basis.  She was treated to the officially allowed foreigner charge for hospital service it seems - although there does not seem to be any mention of this being a government hospital in report.

I think it was defiantly a Private Hospital I wonder if she had any insurance and the hospital in Question was ripping the insurance company off as well. Name and shame please.

[rbkk]

"Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare."    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

Edited December 7, 2023 by rbkk

[2baht]

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

So she's a Thai woman, Thai nationality, speaking (I assume) fluent Thai (which almost no non-Thais ever manage) ... and they thought she was a foreigner?

 

Doesn't make sense.

Yes it does.... pure greed!

[Jethro27]

3 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Squeezing the cream out of the foreigner. Welcome to Thailand!

 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

All her family and friends advised her to contact the Consumer Protection Bureau, and the authorities agreed that the cost was too high. However, the authorities suggested she speak to the hospital first. If she could not reach an agreement with the hospital, the authorities would take legal steps to investigate the matter.

All a misunderstanding of course.

[Jethro27]

17 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

How does a UK hospital know you have been living abroad? ID is not compulsory in the UK, all you really need is your national insurance number, plenty of walk in doctors to register if need be.

And thais wonder why foreigners treat them with mistrust.

You have to treat foreigners with respect to receive the same back.

greedy you know what!!!!!!

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, rbkk said:

The Thai lady in the article checked in to the private hospital with a foreign passport and paid using an overseas credit card. Why does she feel she has a right to the "Thai Price"?

"Why does she feel she has a right to the "Thai Price"?"

Because she is a Thai!   If she had been admitted using her Thai ID card the circumstances would have been exactly the same and she would have been billed with the Thai price to which she has a right and she would not be interrogated about whether she had paid taxes here, which you seem to think is relevant.

[2baht]

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

So she's a Thai woman, Thai nationality, speaking (I assume) fluent Thai (which almost no non-Thais ever manage) ... and they thought she was a foreigner?

 

Doesn't make sense.

Yes it does.... pure greed!

[brianthainess]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

a staggering medical bill of 249,704 Baht.

 

For a bout of the flu 😱

[2baht]

They are not Buddhists, they are Bahtists, they worship Lord Baht! 🙏

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, Card said:

Not true. You only need to provide proof you are returning to become a resident.

Why tell them you have been overseas?

[Denim]

.......' and would avoid being sick and being admitted to Thai hospitals again. '

 

Yes , good advice. From now on I will plan when I'm going to get sick well in advance so that it happens when I am visiting the UK.

[rbkk]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Why does she feel she has a right to the "Thai Price"?"

Because she is a Thai!   If she had been admitted using her Thai ID card the circumstances would have been exactly the same and she would have been billed with the Thai price to which she has a right and she would not be interrogated about whether she had paid taxes here, which you seem to think is relevant.

Just because I'm British does not give me the right to the UK(Free) price if I use the NHS. It's based on residency. I live in Thailand, same as most of us on here. I think she is not a Thai resident at this time. Her foreign passport and business are now in Sweden and prior to that she was in the US. She was not admitted as a Thai ID card holder. Thai TikTok says she used her foreign passport to register/admit to the hospital as well as paid using a foreign credit card.

[RobU]

28 minutes ago, rbkk said:

"Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare."    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

My friend brought her father back to England. He had been living as an expatriate in the US for 30 years. He registered with a local GP and immediately received full NHS benefits for his complex heart conditions. As long as you say you intend to remain you get all benefits immediately. I think this means you can't get NHS benefits whilst out of the country. i.e. the NHS will not pay your medical bills in a foreign country. The  old NHS is split into 2 parts now ie commissioner and providers. Part one is the NHS called the commissioner. Essentially it is a medical insurance company, it is classed in law as a private company, with all shares wholly owned by the government and has been ready to be floated on the stock exchange for many years under labour and conservative governments (the liberals also keep quiet about it). The providers are the NHS Trusts of which some are run by private companies. What this means is that an NHS trust or GP practice cannot be set up outside the UK. I understand that Norway has similar free healthcare system but because there is no limitation all Norwegians have their medical bills paid by the Norwegian NHS if they need medical/surgical treatment whilst abroad.

Edited December 7, 2023 by RobU
Additional info

[Liverpool Lou]

5 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

1 hour ago, Card said:

Not true. You only need to provide proof you are returning to become a resident.

Why tell them you have been overseas?

They ask for an address and with which GP the patient is registered.  Many expats who are returning solely for medical NHS treatment can't provide that information.  

[Rimmer]

A racist slur has been removed 

Please see our Community Standards

 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, Rimmer said:

A racist slur has been removed 

Please see our Community Standards

Thank you.

[ABCDBKK]

"Ms. Nilakorn, now more understanding, expresses gratitude and vows to stay healthy to avoid future complications upon returning to Thailand."

 

So it was her fault for getting sick in Thailand in the first place. Had she not fallen ill with an airborne pathogen, then none of these problems would have ever happened. Clearly she is to blame. 
 

Note to self: Electively stay healthy by choosing to only contract the flu virus before or after visiting Thailand because the hospitals there are simply too expensive. Even if I were contract the flu in Thailand, be sure to endure the symptoms and only get medical treatment elsewhere after leaving the country to avoid being at fault.