Thailand’s Medical Insurance Rules Confuse Tourists

[watchcat]

4 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

Thank God my wife works for a Hospital, I'm covered by the hospitals private employee insurance 😉 

 

You're lucky, where did you find her, asking for a friend.

[Puccini]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

...the Thai government does provide coverage under the Health Insurance for Non-Thais (HINT) scheme...

 

Does someone have a link to this?

[Purdey]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Under the impression that the Thai government offered free medical treatment to foreigners

Not sure what gave him this impression as I have not seen it advertised anywhere. The UK and the EU may give free treatment to emergency cases but those are exceptions.

[newbee2022]

1 hour ago, ChrisKC said:

The first reason for wearing a helmet is not because of the law.

 

it is the responsibility of the rider to protect against the possibility of a serious accident involving his head!!

 

Sure, but in this post the insurance was important and the reason why they didn't pay. Ok?

[newbee2022]

2 hours ago, RamblingOn said:

Goed zo!!!

Goede middag

[kuzmabruk]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

300,000bht seems a little expensive for a broken arm and some cuts.

Not really. I just finished paying a Phuket hospital 4,500 for a doctor to look at an ingrown toenail and show me how to apply a tape to pull the skin away from the toenail.  This was a non-emergency dermatologist with me having made an appointment.  I now expect a broken arm treated in Phuket should be around 1m baht, without pain medication.  

[jimn]

Everyone is missing the point of this topic. It's not an insurance company that will not pay out its the

 

 "Thai government does provide coverage under the Health Insurance for Non-Thais (HINT) scheme".

 

I have no idea what this is, anyone?

[ujayujay]

Anyone who suffers head injuries because they don't wear a helmet and thinks the insurance will pay has no idea about insurance. No insurance company in the world would do that!

[SpaceKadet]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Though the Thai government does provide coverage under the Health Insurance for Non-Thais (HINT) scheme, specifics seem to elude many.

What is this HINT. Never heard about it. Can one apply?

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

49 minutes ago, jimn said:

Everyone is missing the point of this topic. It's not an insurance company that will not pay out its the

 

 "Thai government does provide coverage under the Health Insurance for Non-Thais (HINT) scheme".

 

I have no idea what this is, anyone?

 

It is for stateless people and ethnic minorities (think hill tribes) who live in Thailand but aren't considered Thai citizens.

 

https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/content/thailand-extends-health-coverage-to-non-citizens

[Pdavies99]

Let's be clear, this "insurance cover" was implemented by the Thai Government, and most likely forced upon the Insurance Companies, I think it is just a money making scam and truly not designed to assist tourists in need, rather a pocket filler!

[ujayujay]

44 minutes ago, kuzmabruk said:

Not really. I just finished paying a Phuket hospital 4,500 for a doctor to look at an ingrown toenail and show me how to apply a tape to pull the skin away from the toenail.  This was a non-emergency dermatologist with me having made an appointment.  I now expect a broken arm treated in Phuket should be around 1m baht, without pain medication.  

What Currency? Lao Kip, Myanmar Kyat or Bangladeshi Taka. Broken arm treatment 1 million what.....don't tell fairy tales here. I paid 89k Baht for that on Samui last year, joker......

[crazykopite]

No helmet and I bet no license to ride a scooter or motor bike these two items should be the number one priority of the owner of the rental company and if the renter cannot fulfil the requirement then he should not of been allowed to hire the machine !

[SingAPorn]

Just as the Swiss, the French or the Germans are often over insured with multiple coverages....many other nationals do not have any coverage at all for accidents or illness.

 

It's a rule of the thumb that you must have proper coverage from your home country in the first place.

 

At worst, for the broke Sports Pub blokes from Birmingham or Manchester, there are specific insurance coverages for travel that cover illness/accident for a few months. The UK social healthcare system with the American system are one of the worse coverages in the world, where only the rich can affort proper healthcare. It is due to such people that all falangs get a bad image in Thailand and rules worsed from day to day. Wish him a prompt recovery nevertheless and sorry for his mishap.

[digger70]

9 hours ago, quake said:

Shock , Horror, Amazement.

Oh, hold on it's an insurance company.

Calm down, Clam down, situation normal, all round the world. 

 

Just the normal Insurance Scam, Look and Find Any Excuse Not yo pay out a claim.

[Kerryd]

Some time ago I needed surgery to remove a plate and screws from my wrist.
Went to a large (private) hospital. Was talking to the "finance" people. Lady made a call to find out what all would be needed.
Cost of operation - check.
3 nights in hospital (day before, day of, day after) - 500 baht/day - check.
This, that and the other thing - check.

Then as I watched, she crossed out the 500/day and wrote in 5,000/day ! The max amount my insurance covers per day of stay.
The 500/day was the "Thai" rate - when paying cash. She then amended some of the other "standard" prices.
Total cost for the operation - 180,000 baht.

I went to another private hospital. Smaller than the first one, but the rooms seemed just as good and the staff seemed just as competent.
And they charged me 90,000 baht for the SAME operation.

Yeah, my insurance covers it - and then guess what happens ? My rates go UP as the insurance company tries to recoup the money they had to shell out - even if I've given them twice that amount in premiums over the previous years. Awesome. You get screwed coming here, get screwed at the hospital and then get screwed again because you used the insurance you paid through the nose for.

Remember the story about what, 6-8 months ago about the Thai woman who went to the media to complain because she thought her hospital bill was too high ?
The hospital ADMITTED they overcharged her - because they thought she was SWISS, not Thai !

And then they agreed to knock 100,000 baht off her bill !!

The gov't claims to want tourists to come here - and then outright discriminates against them, treats them like crap and tries to gouge them at every turn. 

If this was South Africa the world would be shunning them and their racist policies. But because the "West" wants Thailand to stay "friendly" so they turn a blind eye to it.


 

[ThailandGuy]

9 hours ago, Aussie999 said:

He probably mentioned the magic word "insurance."

No probably he is a foreigner with a invisible ATM tag on his body?

[DrMJA]

7 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

Thank God my wife works for a Hospital, I'm covered by the hospitals private employee insurance 😉 

Be sure, my Thai wife is a surgical nurse in hospital. We are legally Thai law  & American law married. On her work Insurance I am only cover on certain items and up to 50% on other medical items/ procedures.
I’m not arguing just giving you a heads up to double check. Better safe knowing than sorry, cheers! 

[geisha]

Does this «  insurance for tourists «  really exist ? I’ve never heard of it ? Is it for all tourists, even Visa exempt , and what does it cover ? Why assume a tourist travel insurance  is only for  motorbike accidents when you can fall down a hole in the pavement,  have appendicitis or a heart attack.or get run over by a drunk Thai .

[geisha]

3 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

 

It is for stateless people and ethnic minorities (think hill tribes) who live in Thailand but aren't considered Thai citizens.

 

https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/content/thailand-extends-health-coverage-to-non-citizens

Ok, answer to my question found. There is no insurance for «  tourists ».

[tomacht8]

11 hours ago, nowhereman said:

I hope you're aware of this. Thailand's public hospitals use a three-tier medical charges system based on a patient's visa status:

• Tier 1: For Thai citizens and citizens of neighboring countries
• Tier 2: For expatriates who are working and paying taxes in Thailand
• Tier 3: For retirees and tourists (the most expensive)
• While private hospitals can charge up to 10 times more than government hospitals.
   

What and how much is on a hospital bill in Thailand is a predominantly unregulated market. If you don't have a Thai health insurance (which usually has a cost/service agreement with certain hospitals) you are at the mercy of these hyenas. Unless you are a seriously injured accident victim, you should obtain price comparisons and written cost estimates before seeking medical help. The cost differences can be up to 1000% for an identical medical service. Thai hospital costs are not anymore about the medical ethos, but just about getting the maximum money out of a patient, especially if you are a supposedly rich foreigner.

[JF Udon]

The big problem with the foreigner driving motorcycle and scooter is the lack of verifications of the driving permit by the renting company. I used to rent in the past scooters in Pattaya and Chiang Mai, I doo have my driver permit from Canada with the motorcycle class valid and also the International driver permit also whit the class of motorcycle. Every time i wanted to show my driving permit to the renting company they refuse to see it. By doing so , they dont want to know if you have the permit for motorcycle. The government must do something to have the rental company to be responsable if they rent a motorcycle to someone not alowed to drive it. Rental company always want to have a copy of your passport ,they should also take a copy of the driving permit. If they fail to do so they should face a big fine. If hey do this you wont see so much foreigner driving motorcycle, and the road will be more secure for all. If you try to rent a scooter or motorcycle in Canada, USA or Europe with no motorcycle driver permit it will be impossible. 

[kickstart]

13 hours ago, BritManToo said:

300,000bht seems a little expensive for a broken arm and some cuts.

Like, 700 GBP ,or about 30 000 baht to repair a motorcycle, it does not say what the bike was, if it was a big bike, that could be right, but I would say it was a Honda Wave type bike.

I would say our Somchie would fix the bike for less than 10 000 baht, using new and secondhand parts. 

[lordgrinz]

4 hours ago, DrMJA said:

Be sure, my Thai wife is a surgical nurse in hospital. We are legally Thai law  & American law married. On her work Insurance I am only cover on certain items and up to 50% on other medical items/ procedures.
I’m not arguing just giving you a heads up to double check. Better safe knowing than sorry, cheers! 

 

Like you, we are legally married in both Thailand and the USA. Not sure about the 50% thingy, but I don't use the medical coverage enough to have tested that scenario. My wife is a Professor and one of the board of directors at a public university hospital. From what she tells me, we are both covered for as long as we live, or I should say as long as she lives.

[lyskamm]

How could one "sign up" for this policy and who is eligible ( which countries, visa exempt holders included?) . Just wondering.

[Foexie]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Under the impression that the Thai government offered free medical treatment to foreigners holding tourist visas

you can't make this up 

[Scouse123]

14 hours ago, thesetat2013 said:

Is easy to say... but for the Tourist who arrives and sees he can rent a motorcycle with only his passport. and sees so many thais driving without helmets and never getting stopped. How would they know they are doing something illegal unless someone tells them. i know personally, when i travel, i am not researching laws for the country i am visiting. And if a local thai is telling they can do it. If they see it daily on the streets in front of them. Then reasonable for themt o think it is ok they do it also. My point being, They made the insurance with suck vague wording that it can be applied to really anything they want so they would not need to pay if you got injured. 

 

You make a lot of common sense points in your post.

 

 

14 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

The insurance is not made for law breakers. That's easy to understand, isn't it?

 

He said in his post at the top when fresh faced tourists arrive and see all the above going on around them, it's quite easy when in holiday mode and not paying too close attention, because ' everybody is doing it ' that they just follow the crowd.

 

Unfortunately, it comes home to roost when there is a claim.

 

 

[Scouse123]

5 hours ago, JF Udon said:

The government must do something to have the rental company to be responsable if they rent a motorcycle to someone not alowed to drive it. Rental

 

 

That is all that everybody needs to know.

 

Will the Thai authorities implement a simple fix like this?,...................................... not a chance!

 

 

 

 

[Tomtomtom69]

On 10/31/2024 at 5:09 AM, watchcat said:

 

Stay away from insurance companies!

 

Stay away from supposed "free" insurance offered by the Thai government, which doesn't exist.

 

Buy your own travel insurance in your home country. Don't engage in risky behavior.

[Tomtomtom69]

11 hours ago, JF Udon said:

The big problem with the foreigner driving motorcycle and scooter is the lack of verifications of the driving permit by the renting company. I used to rent in the past scooters in Pattaya and Chiang Mai, I doo have my driver permit from Canada with the motorcycle class valid and also the International driver permit also whit the class of motorcycle. Every time i wanted to show my driving permit to the renting company they refuse to see it. By doing so , they dont want to know if you have the permit for motorcycle. The government must do something to have the rental company to be responsable if they rent a motorcycle to someone not alowed to drive it. Rental company always want to have a copy of your passport ,they should also take a copy of the driving permit. If they fail to do so they should face a big fine. If hey do this you wont see so much foreigner driving motorcycle, and the road will be more secure for all. If you try to rent a scooter or motorcycle in Canada, USA or Europe with no motorcycle driver permit it will be impossible. 

 

That's completely bizarre.

 

While I have my own cars and motorcycle now, whenever I've rented a car in Thailand, they always want to see my license (which would either be my foreign license or Thai one, since I have a Thai one now).

 

I've never been able to rent a car without showing a driver's license.

 

Why would it be different for scooter/motorcycle rental (except for maybe the smallest 50cc bikes)?