Now Health International medical insurance: any opinions/experiences?

[Pawpal]

My insurance broker recommends Now Health International. I'm not familiar with this company and don't know anyone who is, and am hoping someone on the forum might be able to share their experiences. 

Thanks!

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

Now Health International carries an S&P rating of AA- and an AM Best rating of A+. indicating good financial strength, so you probably wouldn't have to worry about NHI's financial ability to pay a claim.

 

NHI's head office is domiciled in Hong Kong, which is a well-developed insurance market where regulatory oversight is good. Check with your broker to determine if your policy would be issued by the Hong Kong parent company. If not, ask which subsidiary would issue the policy and what the subsidiary's S&P or AM Best rating is.

 

I don't have any personal or professional experience with this company, so you may wish to ask your broker why they are recommending NHI and what their specific experience is with them. 

[Pawpal]

Thanks for your insight.
It seems that Now Health doesn't have much of a presence in Thailand. A friend at BNH says the hospital has rarely dealt with this company. 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

24 minutes ago, Pawpal said:

Thanks for your insight.
It seems that Now Health doesn't have much of a presence in Thailand. A friend at BNH says the hospital has rarely dealt with this company. 

 

NHI does not have a presence in Thailand. 

 

If you use a particular hospital, you might wish to ask the hospital how they would work with NHI with respect to billing and payment. The hospital may accept a letter of guarantee in lieu of having a direct payment agreement if you were to be admitted or otherwise expect to incur large expenses.

[Pawpal]

Thanks again!
I've had a policy with April International for 5 years now, and the one time I needed to be pre-approved for a surgery, the process was smooth and I didn't have to do a thing, as BNH communicated directly with April's representative.
I asked my broker why he's pushing Now, and he thinks the premium is more economical and the annual increases will be less than April's. But I think I'll stick with what I already have since there's no guarantee about future increases in any case, and it's better to use a company with a presence in Thailand.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

If your policy is with April Thailand, then there is another benefit you have if you stay with April.

 

After five uninterrupted years of renewing the same policy, the insurer is barred by the Thai Civil and Commercial Code from digging into your past medical history looking for undisclosed pre-existing conditions for the purpose of denying a claim and voiding your policy.

 

The five year limit may not apply to cases of fraud, but that's a higher bar for the insurer to clear.

[topt]

7 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

If your policy is with April Thailand, t

 

8 hours ago, Pawpal said:

I've had a policy with April International for 5 years now

I am curious where your broker is based - presumably not in Thailand?

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

49 minutes ago, topt said:

 

I am curious where your broker is based - presumably not in Thailand?

 

 

Actually, April International is an insurance broker and not an insurance company. April does not seem to have an insurance broker's license in Thailand. Instead, it looks like it has an assistance company here for the purpose of coordinating claims with hospitals.

 

April International's website directs inquiries for quotes for Thailand to a page that states that policies are issued by LMG Public Company Ltd. If the OP has had an LMG Thailand policy for the past five years, then he may benefit from the 5-year time bar.

 

The OP may have engaged April International in France, or perhaps somewhere else outside Thailand, and gotten an offshore policy, but he does not state that in his post. Lacking that specificity, I would suspect that April International routed his request to LMG and his policy is actually issued by LMG Thailand.

 

And as an aside, LMG has just this month announced that they are selling their operations in Thailand and Vietnam to Chubb.

[topt]

9 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

The OP may have engaged April International in France, or perhaps somewhere else outside Thailand, and gotten an offshore policy, but he does not state that in his post.

That is why I asked especially as I believe he is referring to a separate "broker" who is likely/possibly based in Thailand.

My interest is I am with April International (3 years) and looking to jump ship.....

[Pawpal]

My policy is with April International and my broker is based in France. I originally had a broker in Huahin, but a few years ago they were no longer allowed to represent non-Thai-based policies and I was advised to not go with a Thai-based April policy; so I switched to a broker in France and continued with April International.