Frozen in time: British expats losing out on pensions in Thailand

[chiang mai]

4 minutes ago, spermwhale said:

They won't treat an expat who can't pay. That's been shown time and time again. And as people age their need for expensive medical care increases dramatically. If one of these blokes has a stroke or another major condition, they are toast. NHS doesn't make anyone wait for 3 years if they've suffered a stroke. They are admitted to emergency immediately. 

The cost of treatment here is not always as radically high as some people make out. I've had two hospital stays in 15 years, a cardiac stent cost 160k and last year, thyroid removal that cost 170k, that's slightly more than I would pay for health insurance if I could get it! I have sufficient funds available to deal with any medical emergency and if things ever got tight I could downgrade to a government hospital. 

[Middle Aged Grouch]

Britain seems to need and scrape all the money it can as the UK is giving billions of dollars to Ukraine, to the American led coalition wars in the Middle East and so on. Like many western nations, England prefers to spend money all over but not for it's own.

[bkk6060]

Typical British complaints for what?

I assume they have a life there and they make the decision to come here knowing the consequences.   Now they complain? Seems really stupid.

[SAFETY FIRST]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Three British expats reveal their nightmare experiences of having their UK pension frozen

Brits have it easy. 

 

I'm not eligible but check out the hurdles the Aussies have to deal with to get the Aussie aged pension living in Thailand. 

 

I still don't fully understand how a pensioner can live abroad on the government aged pension. 

My parents always said, study hard, get yourself a good job and save for the future, DO NOT RELY ON THE PENSION. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[theblether]

7 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

It may depend where you live I suppose. A friend in Lancaster had a ten month wait to have his heart effectively rebuilt and then two years later, a one year wait to fix an aorta aneurysm, hardly trivial problems.....this was at Blackpool regional hospital. 

 

Also, I'm not saying lengthy waits don't exist. The one thing that has already kicked in for the UK, and Thailand will be worse, is that there just aren't enough youngsters available. 

 

The birth rate has more than halved in Thailand. Crisis stages soon worldwide. 

[SiSePuede419]

4 minutes ago, theblether said:

How do we stop these specialists from being headhunted? 

Prevent the better qualified specialists who were probably immigrants from Pakistan or wherever from leaving the country? 😔

[kwilco]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Three British expats reveal their nightmare experiences of having their UK pension frozen, thanks to a government policy that leaves them with unadjusted savings, sparking widespread outrage.

 

David McConkey believed he was heading for paradise when he retired to Bangkok in May this year. After 40 gruelling years as an electronics buyer, the 72 year old Scot was ready to bask in the sun, sandy beaches, and exotic cuisine of his favourite city. But his dream retirement turned into a financial nightmare when he discovered his UK state pension had been frozen.

 

Despite decades of hard work and contributions, McConkey has been blindsided by a policy affecting 500,000 British expats. Unlike their counterparts in the UK, who enjoy annual increases through the triple lock system, expats like McConkey are left stranded with pensions stuck at their current rate.

 

“I fully paid my contributions to the last penny, but now I am being penalised. People who emigrate to countries like the US get the annual uplift, but Thailand isn’t included. Why?”

The triple lock guarantees UK pensioners an increase linked to inflation, wage growth, or 2.5%. Next April, this will mean an extra £460 (nearly 20,000 baht) a year for most. But expats like McConkey will miss out unless they live in a country with a reciprocal agreement with the UK.

 

It’s not just McConkey who is struggling. George Lewis, a 76 year old British citizen, moved to Thailand in 2004 but now lives hand to mouth.

 

“We don’t have heating bills but air conditioning is expensive, and fans just don’t cut it in 40-degree heat.”

 

Another retiree, 76 year old Guy Lindsay-Watson, echoes the sentiment.

 

“We are hardly coping.”

 

The End Frozen Pensions campaign warns that many pensioners, including ex-nurses, firefighters, and police officers, now live in poverty. Some are even forced to return to the UK, putting extra strain on the NHS and social care system, reported iNews UK.

 

“Government help is what we need, and we need it soon.”

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal 
Frozen in time: British expats losing out on pensions in Thailand. Photo courtesy of iNews UK
 

Source: The Thaiger 

-- 2024-10-02

 

 

This has been the case for decades - why didn't they know?

[prakhonchai nick]

17 minutes ago, MCos said:

I sympathize with these people, but at least they get something 

For Kiwis one must be resident in NZ to get anything 

I suspect that will be on the cards for Brits, sooner rather than later. Minimum 180 days in the UK, or no state pension

[kwilco]

one of the factors behind Brexit was that the EU was pressuring the UK - match their pensions to the average levels in the EU - those these people voted themselves out of changing the system that has been in place for years.

[chang1]

19 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

And whilst we can't get health insurance here, at least we can get treated and not put on some 3 year waiting list.

You can go private in the UK as well. The NHS does not have a monopoly.

[chiang mai]

3 minutes ago, theblether said:

 

My sister is a senior NHS HR manager. Here's the problem. Overseas private hospitals are offering funny money. I know a 35 yo cardiac surgeon who has taken a job at USD650,000 basic in California. 

 

One well known former member of this forum has just been hired to an overseas contract paying 450% more than the NHS rate - 

 

How do we stop these specialists from being headhunted? 

You probably can't, not as long as health care remains an industry. Thailand has similar problems, private hospitals here are now opting out of supplying treatment under government plans, because there's no profit in doing so. 

 

There needs to be conditions linked to training that require public service to some degree, for an extended period, otherwise the cost of training must be repaid. That's pretty much what happens here with the best specialists found in the government District and university hospitals. 

[bradiston]

2 hours ago, G_Money said:

That is pretty f——- up. What difference does it make where they live if one is vetted and qualified.

 

Glad America doesn’t have that policy but if Harris wins anything is possible to include complete forfeiture to give to those who refuse to work.  Socialism is what she represents.

I hope she cuts you off for ever

[chang1]

2 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

I suspect that will be on the cards for Brits, sooner rather than later. Minimum 180 days in the UK, or no state pension

What makes you suspect that? I have not heard anything to suggest that.

[chiang mai]

6 minutes ago, theblether said:

 

Also, I'm not saying lengthy waits don't exist. The one thing that has already kicked in for the UK, and Thailand will be worse, is that there just aren't enough youngsters available. 

 

The birth rate has more than halved in Thailand. Crisis stages soon worldwide. 

Yet in Thailand there is a massive oversupply of doctors. Look at the web pages of the private hospitals where you can "Find Your Doctor". In Chiang Mai at least, each private hospital has at least 300 specialists available for consultation, it's almost become a game to see who can offer the highest number. The same names appear on each of the different hospital web sites and are repeated across the city, all trying to earn extra money. Meanwhile, those same people are working their normal jobs at government hospitals.

[bradiston]

42 minutes ago, Gknrd said:

That is been going on for ever, why retire there if you loose?  Best to make it seem like you live in the UK I would think. Surely there are ways around it.

Yes. Live in the Philippines. It's been said before a million times. These fools should have known about the freeze.

[hotchilli]

38 minutes ago, milesinnz said:

UK government petty mindedness... but then, how can they make up for the money it costs to house and feed the illegal immigrants.... ?

The governments got to save money from somewhere so they can hand it out to the immigrants.

[G_Money]

Just now, bradiston said:

I hope she cuts you off for ever

You bad man.  
 

Just because your a vagrant and want my money you ain’t getting it 

[theblether]

2 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

You probably can't, not as long as health care remains an industry. Thailand has similar problems, private hospitals here are now opting out of supplying treatment under government plans, because there's no profit in doing so. 

 

There needs to be conditions linked to training that require public service to some degree, for an extended period, otherwise the cost of training must be repaid. That's pretty much what happens here with the best specialists found in the government District and university hospitals. 

 

You are living the future already. The rich will gather all resources unto themselves. To hell with the poor. 

 

And even then we'll expats on 80,000 baht a month income lining up for treatment at government hospitals - knocking poor Thais even further back. 

 

I think in that article a guy says " things are tight on 80,000 baht a month." Dear me - tell that to your average Thai. 

 

Terrible. 

[G_Money]

1 minute ago, bradiston said:

Yes. Live in the Philippines. It's been said before a million times. These fools should have known about the freeze.

P.I. is a dump.  You’ll fit right in.  A match made in heaven.

[chiang mai]

6 minutes ago, chang1 said:

You can go private in the UK as well. The NHS does not have a monopoly.

Again, it comes down to cost. I priced my stenting procedure at Spire Hospitals in the UK and at Bumrungrad. Spires wanted 13k Pounds, plus plus, plus airfare and accomodation. Bumrungrad wanted under 4K Pounds. 

[theblether]

7 minutes ago, prakhonchai nick said:

I suspect that will be on the cards for Brits, sooner rather than later. Minimum 180 days in the UK, or no state pension

 

It's long been my opinion this is the preferable way of life for British pensioners. Summer in the UK, winter in Thailand. Maintain your pension rights, access the NHS, etc 

 

Get the best of all worlds. Why not? 

[jwest10]

15 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Typical British complaints for what?

I assume they have a life there and they make the decision to come here knowing the consequences.   Now they complain? Seems really stupid.

Typical ignorant response grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[chiang mai]

4 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Yes. Live in the Philippines. It's been said before a million times. These fools should have known about the freeze.

Good luck getting good quality health care nearby where you live. And if you live a few hundred miles away, good luck getting to it alive in under one day.

[bradiston]

17 minutes ago, Middle Aged Grouch said:

Britain seems to need and scrape all the money it can as the UK is giving billions of dollars to Ukraine, to the American led coalition wars in the Middle East and so on. Like many western nations, England prefers to spend money all over but not for it's own.

The frozen pension policy has been around for about 70 years. You're just hijacking the conversation with anti US rhetoric.

[SmokeandIce]

2 hours ago, G_Money said:

That is pretty f——- up. What difference does it make where they live if one is vetted and qualified.

 

Glad America doesn’t have that policy but if Harris wins anything is possible to include complete forfeiture to give to those who refuse to work.  Socialism is what she represents.

You complain about socialism but the U.S. system is social security; do you realize the irony.

 

In addition, Harris has never mentioned changing social security.  Now, could you please provide a link to her opponents healthcare plan he mentions often ??

[bradiston]

5 minutes ago, G_Money said:

P.I. is a dump.  You’ll fit right in.  A match made in heaven.

A dump thanks largely to colonialist Spain and the US, right? In any case, these beggars are hardly in a position to be choosers, are they?

[SmokeandIce]

4 minutes ago, theblether said:

 

It's long been my opinion this is the preferable way of life for British pensioners. Summer in the UK, winter in Thailand. Maintain your pension rights, access the NHS, etc 

 

Get the best of all worlds. Why not? 

Plus you avoid the constant Thai attack of taxes.

[bradiston]

4 minutes ago, chiang mai said:

Good luck getting good quality health care nearby where you live. And if you live a few hundred miles away, good luck getting to it alive in under one day.

I know the risks. But if these guys pensions are frozen, or have been for god knows how many years,what choice is there? I do 6 months in and 6 months out of Thailand. 6 plus months in Philippines gives me my pension increases, 6 months minus a week or so gives me tax clearance in Thailand.

[G_Money]

2 minutes ago, SmokeandIce said:

You complain about socialism but the U.S. system is social security; do you realize the irony.

 

In addition, Harris has never mentioned changing social security.  Now, could you please provide a link to her opponents healthcare plan he mentions often ??

You obviously no nothing about Social Security.  7.5 % of my lifetime wages are paid INTO it.  It’s not a handout.

 

Still have to pay for Medicare A &B out of SS.

[baansgr]

76 years old so is on old state pension starting 2013..and he says he gets £164 a week...I think you better take that comment back..you have been claiming the yearly increase until last year but left UK in 2005...how stupid can people be...someone on here will dob you in