Hospital charging more for foreigners

[ChaiyaTH]

5 hours ago, theblether said:

How does the OP know that uninsured Thais get charged less? 

Well pretty sure about it knowing what my girlfriend pays when having had both a outpatient and inpatient treatment + when I had the same, over the years. It is never a crazy bill for her, even I find mine acceptable enough too, I do pay more.

Is just a standard thing all over Thailand anywhere isn't it? When I needed a lawyer I was also quoted 3-5 times more than when she found one for me. Learned the hard way to let them make the deal without knowing you as a foreigner exist. That's a bit hard to avoid when needing medical treatment however lol.

[tomazbodner]

10 hours ago, Triton said:

Lately I found a private hospital charging more for non-Thai uninsured outpatient. I heard this as a common practice for many private hospitals. 
 

Are there any honest hospitals you recommend in and around Bangkok?

Phyathai 1 in Pratunam. Never had such a case, inpatient or outpatient over 20 years of using them.

[Scouse123]

15 hours ago, Triton said:

Lately I found a private hospital charging more for non-Thai uninsured outpatient. I heard this as a common practice for many private hospitals. 
 

Are there any honest hospitals you recommend in and around Bangkok?

 

No, none!

[The Old Bull]

I don't know about large hospitals but the pink card works at village clinics and there is one hospital that does dental work. I get the Thai rate. Stitches and a new sterile dressing everyday for ten days ฿ 4000 , tooth extraction and a bottle of mouthwash to take home $4.

[JoseThailand]

15 hours ago, AhFarangJa said:

Two tier pricing sanctioned by the Xenophobic racist Government.

 

It's called patriotic 

[Kinok Farang]

1 Insured farangs.

2 Non insured farangs.

3 Insured Thais.

4 Non insured Thais.

In order of who pays most.

[MangoKorat]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems to be that most of them want to make money. That is their very first priority.  

For those of us who come from a country where healthcare is free, dealing with a private health system can be a very strange experience.  I found the experience of being sold healthcare and the constant attempts at 'upselling' totally alien.  In other circumstances we might just say that you have to have your wits about you and make sure you are not being sold something you don't need. That's difficult when you may have no idea if you need a particular item or service or not. The hospital's overarching aim is to make money and that can take a little getting used to.

 

Its not only us though - it goes on right down to basic levels - dentistry for example.  Have you noticed just how many Thai females are fitted with braces? Each time my ex wife visited her dentist she was told that she needed to keep the braces for another 3 months and predictably, another appointment was made - paid for of course. This went on for years.

 

I kept telling her there was nothing wrong with her teeth but of course, the Thai dentist must be right.  When she moved to the UK she visited a dentist who removed the braces immediately - and commented that the design and type had actually done very little. I still don't think she believed it but the braces were removed.

[scubascuba3]

43 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

its not only us though - it goes on right down to basic levels - dentistry for example.  Have you noticed just how many Thai females are fitted with braces? Each time my ex wife visited her dentist she was told that she needed to keep the braces for another 3 months and predictably, another appointment was made - paid for of course. This went on for years.

 

I kept telling her there was nothing wrong with her teeth but of course, the Thai dentist must be right.  When she moved to the UK she visited a dentist who removed the braces immediately - and commented that the design and type had actually done very little. I still don't think she believed it but the braces were removed.

Who knew ..the braces scam

[ColeBOzbourne]

11 hours ago, Gandtee said:

It's more about ethics and morality.

Exactly. Which are quite different from dishonesty. 

[Classic Ray]

A few years ago my small son was treated in a private hospital needing among other things several bags of saline for which we were charged 800-900 each plus cost of IV tubes. Production cost of saline 30 baht per bag. 
 

Always try to get just outpatient prescription from hospital then fill it at outside pharmacy, not hospital one.

 

Luckily now we get Government healthcare with my wife’s job so I only pay 50 baht whatever the drugs cost.

[dallen52]

Farang has.

Thai has not.

Ok to take...

TIT...

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, MangoKorat said:

Have you noticed just how many Thai females are fitted with braces?

Yes, I noticed. And with some of them it looks sexy.

I asked one of those sexy girls for how long she will have to wear the braces. Her answer was that she has them only for cosmetic reason, she doesn't need them. Every couple of weeks she got a different color...

[OneMoreFarang]

43 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

A few years ago my small son was treated in a private hospital needing among other things several bags of saline for which we were charged 800-900 each plus cost of IV tubes. Production cost of saline 30 baht per bag. 
 

Always try to get just outpatient prescription from hospital then fill it at outside pharmacy, not hospital one.

 

Luckily now we get Government healthcare with my wife’s job so I only pay 50 baht whatever the drugs cost.

Many of those "little items" are hundreds or thousands of percent overcharged in big hospitals. And it seems there are no regulations in place to restrict them.

[PomPolo]

Hugely depends on which hospital you go to on medication prices and treatment, I won't mention any names for obvious reasons but a little bit of research should be easy to find

[OneMoreFarang]

The following is an invoice from a (not so expensive) private hospital which I received recently.

If I would have asked for the cost in advance, I doubt they could have given me an accurate estimate.

Maybe "doctors fee" for 800B?

 

I leave it up to you to figure out what this was about. 😉 

 

[Ralf001]

55 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

A few years ago my small son was treated in a private hospital needing among other things several bags of saline for which we were charged 800-900 each plus cost of IV tubes. Production cost of saline 30 baht per bag. 
 

 

 

Sounds a bit exxy... but the bags did not transport from manufacturer to hospital inventory for free.

[Brn2Trvl]

Whenever you go to exchange money for services, bring your female companion you will get the Thai price or better. At least that’s what’s always work for me.

[suzannegoh]

15 hours ago, Purdey said:

I am interested to know how one finds out what locals pay as opposed to foreigners. Is there a dual language price list?

It varies. Yanhee Hospital, who receives a lot of foreign patients for cosmetic surgery, has such a price list showing the local and foreigner prices.  Others, such as Bangkok Hospital and Bumrungrad, are either equally expensive for everyone or are not transparent about their dual pricing.

[superal]

8 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Well pretty sure about it knowing what my girlfriend pays when having had both a outpatient and inpatient treatment + when I had the same, over the years. It is never a crazy bill for her, even I find mine acceptable enough too, I do pay more.

Is just a standard thing all over Thailand anywhere isn't it? When I needed a lawyer I was also quoted 3-5 times more than when she found one for me. Learned the hard way to let them make the deal without knowing you as a foreigner exist. That's a bit hard to avoid when needing medical treatment however lol.

I just had a minor operation on my toe . Next day back to hospital (government hospital ) to have the dressing changed which took 5 minutes and I was charged 400 baht . Wife said Thai pay only 100 baht . 

          ;kIt's not only hospitals where foreigners are charged more in Thailand ,it also includes national park entry fees , temple entry fees , most service / repair businesses etc etc .As you said , if making any purchase , keep out of the way and let the wife do the ordering .

One exception are supermarkets .

[newbee2022]

19 hours ago, Triton said:

Lately I found a private hospital charging more for non-Thai uninsured outpatient. I heard this as a common practice for many private hospitals. 
 

Are there any honest hospitals you recommend in and around Bangkok?

Yes, mainly government hospitals

[Purdey]

1 hour ago, suzannegoh said:

It varies. Yanhee Hospital, who receives a lot of foreign patients for cosmetic surgery, has such a price list showing the local and foreigner prices.  Others, such as Bangkok Hospital and Bumrungrad, are either equally expensive for everyone or are not transparent about their dual pricing.

Interesting, thanks

[BangkokHank]

Many years ago I had a Thai doctor friend. He told me that his hospital had three different prices: The lowest for Thais; a higher one for farangs; and the highest for Arabs. He was surprised when I told him that I found that unfair.

[actonion]

I had a Prostate ( Rezum)  procedure done in Bangkok Pattaya Hospital 2 year ago at a cost of 200,000 Baht...It was the advertised price so presumably  the  same cost for Thai's and Farangs.

the procedure  took 20 minutes followed by  4 or 5 Hours in the recovery room after which i  was allowed Home ,

Two months later  my Thai Wife had a Histerectomy operation in the same hospital, the operation was  4 to 5 hours long, & then a 4  days stay in the Hospital, total cost  300,000 B, it seems to me   my Wife had a better deal,   cost wise

[MadAtMatrix]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The following is an invoice from a (not so expensive) private hospital which I received recently.

If I would have asked for the cost in advance, I doubt they could have given me an accurate estimate.

Maybe "doctors fee" for 800B?

 

I leave it up to you to figure out what this was about. 😉 

 

Pilonidal cyst. 

[Sheryl]

Government Hospitals: in areas with few foreign patients, usually same price for all..not worth their while to set up separate price schedule for foreigners. (Of course, many Thais don't have to pay at all as they are covered under national scheme. ). In government hospitals with many foreign patients coming in,  most have ways of charging them more. Might be an overall   "surcharge" (e.g. 20% at Siriraj in Bkk)  , might be higher room rate for foreign inpatients (e.g. Sripat in Chiang Mai), or might try to divert foreign patients to after hours clinic, which cost much more than public channel. (Thais also pay more to use those.)

 

Even with the above,  government hospitals remain  less expensive than private.

 

Private hospitals: it varies widely. Many charge everyone the same (high) price  but some -- especially in touristy areas -- have double or even triple tiered pricing. 

 

Worth noting that overpricing in private hospitals is a frequent complaint from Thais and intermittently in the press as an issue (again --  for Thais. ). Periodically government attempts to do something about it, to date with little to no effect.  Mark up on drugs and medical supplies is especially obvious and egregious.  One can largely avoid the former by not getting medications from the hospital,  buying from outside pharmacy instead. 

[ChipButty]

I have to say Im very impressed with the government hospital here in Phuket, I went to see the doctor yesterday evening I recieved a call the day before so I already knew my number in the que (8) It wasn't so busy yesterday, that's the only problem it gets mobbed, I'm told it's the biggest hospital in the south of Thailand, so they come from all over to here.

 

I always have my wife with me, and the charges are reasonable, Yesterday I came away with 3 months medication, the cost is Thai price, we do have a couple of friends who are pharmacist and they said they are good drugs for a good price, Not like them International hospitals 10x the price, obscene prices,

 

My wife insist I have a cup of Encore everyday ok that's fine, but believe it or not the cheapest place on the island we have found to buy it, is the hospital the government one, how good is that? 

Another big ripoff at the hospitals is blood test, Im not saying any names which place is 3500 baht, we found a clinic just a normal blood test was only 250 baht, the one I needed for yesterday was to check cholesterol was 550 baht, just pickup the result and take it to the hospital with you, 

I would recommend Vachira hospital in Phuket to anyone, 

[The Fugitive]

24 minutes ago, actonion said:

I had a Prostate ( Rezum)  procedure done in Bangkok Pattaya Hospital 2 year ago at a cost of 200,000 Baht...It was the advertised price so presumably  the  same cost for Thai's and Farangs.

the procedure  took 20 minutes followed by  4 or 5 Hours in the recovery room after which i  was allowed Home ,

Two months later  my Thai Wife had a Histerectomy operation in the same hospital, the operation was  4 to 5 hours long, & then a 4  days stay in the Hospital, total cost  300,000 B, it seems to me   my Wife had a better deal,   cost wise

Thanks for your info! Bangkok Hospital are good for screening. Many promotions. My Thai Mrs was screened for breast cancer, cost 2,900 baht. It was positive so the next stage was biopsy. That was 26,000 baht. However, the doctor suggested that treatment be carried out in the Government Hospital Cancer Centre. Fair play for that. Do you know what type of hysterectomy your wife had?  My mother had a complete hysterectomy in UK. Unfortunately, at that time, it was the practice to leave one ovary in-situ to avoid the need for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). My mother developed ovarian cancer, albeit 40 years later. A doctor told me that, in their wisdom, the NHS has killed thousands of women by doing that.

[OneMoreFarang]

35 minutes ago, MadAtMatrix said:

Pilonidal cyst. 

No

[thecyclist]

22 hours ago, Hellfire said:

In Thailand, it seems that robbing foreigners has become an officially sanctioned activity. Unfortunately, there’s little any of us can do to change this reality. On the bright side, there’s a certain equality in their approach—foreigners are robbed indiscriminately, regardless of nationality, race, or any other factor.

 

 

" has become", more like "has been for a long time" 

Vietnam is the opposite : "used to be, but not anymore. 

[thecyclist]

20 hours ago, Upnotover said:

I used to go to Queen Sirikit near Rayong and for sure, there was a notice on the wall telling that foreigners paid more (I think 50%).  Absolutely fine by me.

Not fine by me. And I told them so. Said I would have the cataract done in Vietnam, which I did at a private hospital for less than what Queen Sirikit would have charged me. No waiting, premium service. Scr.w LOS.