Travel insurance to be arranged for all tourist arrivals over holiday season : Srettha

[Peabody]

22 hours ago, webfact said:

travel insurance to cover accidents and death for all foreign tourists arriving in Thailand during the New Year holiday period.

So that's about 11-12 days, minus the days spent forming committees and debating it?

[Pouatchee]

55 minutes ago, BenStark said:

My comment was tongue in cheek mate,

 

Cool no worries, I got that. Your comment got me thinking as to many of the reasons for the traffic in pattaya. Something that many people who doubt that pattaya is busy can reflect on.

Cheers

[foreverlomsak]

4 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

If you go to a government hospital you wont get gouged, you'll just get treated. But you wont get the 42 inch flat screen, the private room, the en-suite, the Western food, lots of English speaking staff, the marble fountain in the foyer, the choice of doctor, pizza and fried chicken delivered to your room from the shops downstairs.....it's your call.

Of course you will not get gouged at a government hospital, they charge according to their fee schedules, with an appropriate  "government approved" multiplier for foreigners.

[Blumpie]

Oh boy third world medical insurance which I wouldn't trust at all.  Thanks Dr. Thailand!  

[micmichd]

23 hours ago, ezzra said:

There must a huge panel of thinking heads somewhere in the recesses of some government's offices headed by this Srettha Thavisin who's sole tasks is how to bring more and more tourists to Thailand short of PAYING THEM to come...

Why should Thailand pay tourists to come to Thailand?

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Still, if it had to be checked when you arrive by an IO, quite a task!

Yes. Completely impractical.

[SunsetT]

Isnt this what the proposed 300thb entry tax was supposed to cover?

[Sheryl]

40 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Of course you will not get gouged at a government hospital, they charge according to their fee schedules, with an appropriate  "government approved" multiplier for foreigners.

 

You won't get "gouged" but costs can still easily exceed 1 million baht at a government hospital in case of catastrophic accident or illness requiring long ICU stay, specialized surgeries etc. 

 

Even using just government hospitals, still need either a lot of savings or insurance.

 

Travel policies are not at all expensive (they do, of course, only cover emergencies).  Main problem is that many exclude motorcycle accidents (or need a special add-on to cover them, which people may not notice) and pretty much all exclude accidents due to negligence, intoxication, or behavior that violates the law (driving without a valid license, not wearing helmet/seat belt would qualify). 

 

A lot of tourist emergencies come under those headings.

 

 

[kiwikeith]

23 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"...short of PAYING THEM to come..."

What? Did the best part of 25 million who have visited this year need any persuading?

Where will this insurance money end up???? 

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, SunsetT said:

Isnt this what the proposed 300thb entry tax was supposed to cover?

 

It was 500 baht, hasn't been enacted yet and there was conflicting discussion about how the proceeds would be used. Emergency medical costs was one idea floated but AFIK nothing decided.

[ikke1959]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Still, if it had to be checked when you arrive by an IO, quite a task!

It is not the duty of an IO to check if you have insured yourself. They have  to hold you when you did not pay the hospital bill or damages... when you leave the country

Edited December 21, 2023 by ikke1959

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, ikke1959 said:

It is not the duty of an IO to check if you have insured yourself. They have  to hold you when you did not pay the hospital bill or damages... when you leave the country

 

This is pretty much the current system.

 

It isn't working out very well.

[findlay13]

When's the "holiday season"There'll be a catch in there somewhere I think,

Ok I just read Peabody said, about 11-12 days 

Edited December 21, 2023 by findlay13

[Frankie baby]

Why doesn't the Prime Minister get the TAT to look into the extortionate prices charged by the hospitals at the first instance.   

[bullseye66]

Do tourists only end up in hospital with huge bills over Christmas and New year then?

[Jaggg88]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:02 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

"...short of PAYING THEM to come..."

What? Did the best part of 25 million who have visited this year need any persuading?

Nearly 40% down on 2019

[Liverpool Lou]

7 minutes ago, Jaggg88 said:

On 12/20/2023 at 1:02 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

"...short of PAYING THEM to come..."

What? Did the best part of 25 million who have visited this year need any persuading?

Nearly 40% down on 2019

132% up on 2022.  What has 2019 and ignoring Covid got to do with current figures?

[Kalasin Jo]

Ah! Just for the upcoming "family" holiday period...which starts when? Ends when? Will it be repeated for Songkran? Even more dangerous would have thought...not only for Thais with their fabulous road skills and sense. Plenty tourists stay on for that.

[BritScot]

Reading the nasty, negative omens on here, I just shake my head then realie it's the same old negativers. Good idea if not abused by government officials. Well done.

[Lopburikid]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

You need a degree to understand them all, Back in May my daughter came for a few weeks, with her husband, her daughter 2 years 6 months and she was pregnant, she had bought a package from TUI, I asked her about the insurance she paid extra for that, my first question did you tell them you are pregnant? nope she said, go back in there and make sure it's included and do they pay the hospital here or do you have to pay and claim it back, she didn't know, well you need to clear that, better send me the link to the insurance let me read it, I know what happens here, 

In England they held a forum about the wording of insurance policies and after reading every word of 1 or 2 insurance policies The head of English at Cambridge University said there are so many "HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW" paragraphs that totally contradict what it is you are being insured for and gives them under the law the right to refuse payment. The only people who could/would be able to fight it are the rich and/or famous.

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, radiochaser said:

I cannot recall if there was a TV in the room the FIL was in.  It was not fancy but it was decent.  Clean, no mold in the bathroom.   A real hospital bed that was comparable to one in the U.S. of A. and a couch that his attendant slept on (wife pays the attendant) .    I have had to stay in a worse hotel room in the U.S. of A.  when no other facilities were available in a back woods town.   

It could be that the wife was also kicking in some additional money for the private room, cause now that you mention that, I have a vague memory about her not letting him stay in one of those bay's like I described.  

It depends on entitlement from their social. My wife's BIL was entitled to a 2 bed room but they paid for a single bed which was much as you describe. His wife stayed most of the time but they did pay for a nurse when she needed to leave.

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, foreverlomsak said:

Of course you will not get gouged at a government hospital, they charge according to their fee schedules, with an appropriate  "government approved" multiplier for foreigners.

In my hospital the "appropriate  "government approved" multiplier for foreigners." is one.

[sandyf]

2 hours ago, Jaggg88 said:

Nearly 40% down on 2019

And up about 100% on 2009.

Very few balls that are not curved.

[barrybike]

Wonder will this include a new fee on departure , remember having to do that years ago 

[sambum]

23 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Wonder, what scheme they will come up with now to screw tourists for such an insurance. No way that the government will pay for that for an extended time.

 

It says quite clearly in the post:-

 

".....all foreign tourists arriving in Thailand during the New Year holiday period."

 

Now how long does the "New Year holiday period" last for? And as you point out, the Government will not pay for it for ever - just a scheme to boost figures during the "High Season", so TAT can be justified, and they can use those figures for months to come!

 

And I wonder if the scheme will include pre existing conditions for all the elderly travellers? At 78 years old, I can't even GET insurance covering pre existing conditions - or even without them !!! 

Edited December 21, 2023 by sambum

[sambum]

5 hours ago, micmichd said:

Why should Thailand pay tourists to come to Thailand?

 

Read the post PROPERLY, and think about what it says! (The words "short of" should give you a clue!)

Edited December 21, 2023 by sambum

[Amethyst]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

 He ordered the introduction of automatic insurance cover for all foreign tourists to be provided through the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. How fast will this happen? We do not yet know. ...

 

In a significant move, the Thai government is to finally seek a comprehensive insurance plan for all incoming tourists. The proposal replaces the long-pending tourism levy.

 

 

So if u read the full meandering, tortured article above, what becomes clear is the Cabinet gave a policy direction vs actually approving a real plan.

 

No date for implementation or what if anything tourists will need to do to gain coverage.

 

All of that is now dumped into the lap of the Tourism ministry to work out the details and launch an actual insurance cover program, sometime, who knows when.

 

Right now, there remains NONE!

 

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Is the new entery fee going towards funding this? I doubt you will get  1m baht cover for 300 baht on a 90 day stay.

I have a feeling UK politician Dianne Abbott must be Phu Thai's financial adviser.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

4 hours ago, barrybike said:

Wonder will this include a new fee on departure , remember having to do that years ago 

It is now covered in flight costs for those departing by plane. I expect this will happen to the new arrival tax soon too.

[StayinThailand2much]

15 hours ago, Iron Tongue said:

I wonder if this foreign traveler insurance will cover STDs?

There's still that nasty case of antibiotic-resistant Super Gonorrhea that hasn't been addressed.

 

This proposed insurance is for accidents and death, so only if they were to classify contracting gonorrhea (and a resulting death, perhaps) as an accident... Yes, condoms break, but no chance in hell that they would pay out for such.