Unpaid Hospital Bills

[n00dle]

7 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Oh borrox... Right you are !!.....   Brain fart !!.... 300 Million... (but you knew it was a typo already).

 

I didn't even see the error after it was pointed out... Twice !!! 

 

Anyway - as per the links (and embedded copy of the key info from the link).

 

The numbers are 300 Million & 29 Billion - with the medical cost burden of unpaid tourist bills at 1% of the income to the medical industry from tourism.

it happens, I did laugh when you came back and adjusted your figures by a fraction of a percent tho 

[herfiehandbag]

On 1/25/2024 at 3:55 PM, Lacessit said:

I have never been asked for money up front in either a private or public hospital in Chiang Rai.

Yes - my local hospital ( Wiang Chiang Rung) sent me in an ambulance to the government hospital in Chiang Rung. I had a badly infected wound on my foot which was festering very rapidly. Immediate surgery, followed by a further operation a couple of days later, two weeks in hospital. Nobody even mentioned money until the day I was due for release. I payed 60% of the not unreasonable charge, the balance was sorted out in half an hour with a payment plan to run for the next few months, and I went on my way, if not rejoicing, certainly financially relieved.

 

Surgery was good, treatment and care was fine, food was crap!

Edited January 26 by herfiehandbag

[CartagenaWarlock]

24 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Actually that has only been around for 20 years so there are some of us US citizens that don't know about, or use it, or need it.

You're right. I advised all my nephews and nieces to open a ROTH and an HSA and contribute to the yearly limit if possible. 

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, herfiehandbag said:

Yes - my local hospital ( Wiang Chiang Rung) sent me in an ambulance to the government hospital in Chiang Rung. I had a badly infected wound on my foot which was festering very rapidly. Immediate surgery, followed by a further operation a couple of days later, two weeks in hospital. Nobody even mentioned money until the day I was due for release. I payed 60% of the not unreasonable charge, the balance was sorted out in half an hour with a payment plan to run for the next few months, and I went on my way, if not rejoicing, certainly financially relieved.

 

Surgery was good, treatment and care was fine, food was crap!

Food is Thai food, mostly rice soup, if I wanted decent food I would have had family bring it in.

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

1 hour ago, herfiehandbag said:

food was crap!

Food is Thai food, mostly rice soup, if I wanted decent food I would have had family bring it in.

 

Food is also crap in the private hospitals...  I had 2 nights in Bumrungrad in August last year... Food was rubbish !!!...  As soon as the food arrived and I saw it, I hit up Grab straight away !!! 

 

Food is also rubbish at Samitivej and Bangkok Hosptial... 

... this just leads me to believe its pretty awful at any hospital...  

 

 

[richard_smith237]

5 hours ago, n00dle said:

On 1/25/2024 at 5:06 PM, ukrules said:

But that's 300 Billion Baht

he doesn't seem to care to acknowledge that. he's on a roll. 

 

The brain obviously consumed way too much cabbage...   t'was an exceptionally long brain fart !!!...   

[Bday Prang]

On 1/25/2024 at 2:25 PM, prakhonchai nick said:

• Am currently assisting a widow, whose husband died recently from cancer. Prior to death he received expensive treatment which he paid for by raiding his visa extension fund and he appeared better. However a few weeks later he was again hospitalised and after a few days he died. There was no money left to pay the hospital. The hospital have demanded payment by the widow, but since her husband died penniless, with no estate, I have told her that his debt is not her liablity.  She does not want to argue with the hospital, and will try and repay over the coming months from  her small pension.  Her choice, but I think she is wrong.

She should seek some legal advice, 

[lopburi3]

9 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Food is also crap in the private hospitals...  I had 2 nights in Bumrungrad in August last year... Food was rubbish !!!...  As soon as the food arrived and I saw it, I hit up Grab straight away !!! 

 

Food is also rubbish at Samitivej and Bangkok Hosptial... 

... this just leads me to believe its pretty awful at any hospital...  

 

 

Of course it is - they have to abide to latest medical thinking - so an egg can not have a yolk etc etc etc.  Make you healthy, wealthy and wise with good grazing meals.  

[lopburi3]

46 minutes ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

Sorry... your math skills are not so good... you must subscribe to bidenomics... 300 million baht is $8.4 MILLION

300 million and 300,000 million are not the same.

[Captor]

On 1/26/2024 at 8:38 AM, richard_smith237 said:

 

No longer with the UK though...   (post brexit).... so the Framework to have something similar between Thailand and other countries is likely to be so complicated the probability of that happening is miniscule... 

 

Additionally, the cost of treatment throughout the EU is fairly similar...  but there is an extreme difference in comparison cost of treatment in the US and Thailand (for example) - thus any attempts to push through reciprocal agreements are unlikely to ever materialise.

 

 

The only viable routes are:

- Systems in place to ensure all have insraunce cover (that covers everything - even pished up incidents)... 

OR...

- Write the burden cost off (as 'cost of doing business' as Lopburi3 put it)

 

 

Right, or hope that EU will soon have an agreement about free healthcare in Thai government hospitals which I have hear they are working at. Don´t know if that is correct though. But that would be a game changer.

[richard_smith237]

43 minutes ago, Captor said:

Right, or hope that EU will soon have an agreement about free healthcare in Thai government hospitals which I have hear they are working at. Don´t know if that is correct though. But that would be a game changer.

 

Wouldn't it just...       though added confusion would exist for those expatriated from the EU (i.e. no longer tax resident in the UK - thus would a reciprocal agreement work for us then ?).

 

Obviously, reciprocal agreements would only work in government hospitals, but, that would be great - I'm in my 40's but already concerned about what happens in my 70's...  when I can't afford the extremely high insurance premiums or worse still, can't get insurance at all.

[Captor]

19 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Wouldn't it just...       though added confusion would exist for those expatriated from the EU (i.e. no longer tax resident in the UK - thus would a reciprocal agreement work for us then ?).

 

Obviously, reciprocal agreements would only work in government hospitals, but, that would be great - I'm in my 40's but already concerned about what happens in my 70's...  when I can't afford the extremely high insurance premiums or worse still, can't get insurance at all.

I don't know how that will work out with previous UK citizens. And I am not holding my breath regarding the agreement too as this has been ongoing for some time already. I am 67 so I am there soon facing the difficulty of healthcare protection. That is a horror story for many expats that still pays tax to the home country for nothing. An agreement would be just fair. We will see what will happen.

[rickudon]

300 million baht in unpaid hospital bills .... 20 million tourists ...... 15 baht a person! A 20 baht note donated as you leave the airport would cover it.

 

For those of us who are older with some health issues, hard to find Health insurance and too often the exclusions are so broad you never know if they will pay. Thai insurance is expensive for the cover offered.