6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Only time will tell, fingers crossed 🤞 

You've be saying that for 3+ years now.

 

Meanwhile almost every major hospital in Bangkok has AIS/WrLife on their approved direct pay list.

2 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

It was probably fake news so they had to remove it.

 

1 hour ago, jerrymahoney said:

Yes, and the phrase 'ignorance is bliss', as posted by one of the two guys above who got all excited about the Vietnam website, probably applies to both of them.

 

And it would not surprise me in the slightest if their blissful ignorance extended to considering Thai-underwritten policies to be the very best thing since sliced bread in health insurance! This despite the fact that, under the so-called regulatory regime applying here in LOS, Thai underwriters can gleefully deny legitimate claims at the drop of a hat, without recourse to any effective remedial action in the courts here on the part of aggrieved policy holders.

 

Having got fed up with escalating premiums every year (as supplemented even further every 5 years on age grounds), not to mention a list of exclusions as long as my arm (including one covering a non-existent personal medical condition relating to my prostate), I dumped my latest worthless Thai-underwritten policy in favour of a WRLife one a couple of years ago at the age of 74. For me, WRLife represents the last throw of the dice as regards affordable health insurance at my age.

 

My advice to the OP, therefore, would be to consider a WRLife policy - although I do wonder whether, having hit the magical age of 75, he has now left it too late to do this.

 

On 9/20/2025 at 10:10 AM, Canoodler said:

So I now find my self is a worrying and stressful situation where my private health insurance monthly cost has just increased to a point where its now becoming a financial burden thats making me think about terminating my private health insurance policy .

 

I’m a 75 years old retired expat who has lived permanently in Thailand for 20 years and has a wonderful Thai wife and no children .

 

So this is my current situation .........

 

I receive a British state pension and a small private pension amounting to a total of 30,000.00 Baht a month. The British state pension has been frozen for 20 years. I have no other income .

I have a Thai bank savings account balance of just over 2 Million Baht.

My private health insurance monthly payment has just increased to 18,500 Baht a month.

I have had my private health insurance ( with a company called Cigna / inpatient only ) for over 10 years and I have never made a claim .

Due to my financial situation we live a quite and simple village life in the house I had built 20 years ago.

My Thai wife is disabled so not able to work.

For my visa situation, I use the retirement option extended every year , and need to have 800,00.00 Thai Baht in my Thai bank account.

Personally I am in good health , and have never had a serious illness or had to be admitted to hospital as an inpatient .

The recent private health insurance cost increase to 18,500 Baht a month ( 222,000,00 Baht a year ) is causing a very stressful and worrying situation , to the point where now I’m considering terminating my private health insurance .

 
Monthly total income ( pension payments ) = 30,000.00 Baht , minus – 18,500 Baht private pension payment leaves a monthly balance of 11,500.00 Baht. So as you can see the monthly amount I’m left with after paying the private health monthly payment , is very small .

 

Currently I am having to withdraw money from my Thai bank savings account every month to make up any shortfall and we try to keep our spending to the minimum. 

 

Taking into consideration my poor current financial situation , I can think of no other option but to terminate my private health insurance , and just keep my fingers firmly crossed that should I need hospital medical inpatient treatment , the treatment cost involved would not empty my Thai bank savings account balance.  

 

If I did terminate my current private health insurance policy , that would leave me in the position of having 30,000.00 Baht income every month , which I’m sure we could live on without too many problems, or having to use money from my Thai bank savings account .

 

As a side note, I have though about returning back to the UK or the Philippians to try and get my British state pension un frozen, but at my age ( 75 ) and the cost / effort involved , seemed not worth it.

 

 So any thoughts or constructive advice on my above situation would be very welcome .

 

.
 

 

I have thought about the insurance and don't need to have a policy,

The premium is to high, I opt to keep money overseas and if I ever get very sick I would return home, even if I had a accident I would either pull the plug or still have enough to return home comfortably.

Once over 70 insurance gets out of hand, I keep all driving and public liability insurance up to date.

On 9/26/2025 at 11:11 AM, scubascuba3 said:

We are just trying to help we know how easily the elderly get scammed 

 

More likely that the elderly will be scammed by the lousy apps which Thai banks seem intent on ramming down our throats, I think!

 

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

 

More likely that the elderly will be scammed by the lousy apps which Thai banks seem intent on ramming down our throats, I think!

 

Don't use them if too complicated 

On 9/26/2025 at 11:11 AM, scubascuba3 said:

We are just trying to help we know how easily the elderly get scammed 

From the movie Mr. Roberts (1955) Henry Fonda to James Cagney:

 

Lt. j.g. Douglas A. Roberts:  ... How did you get on our side?

The problem with the idea of returning home if you get really sick is many times they won't let you fly.  Some medical issues can wait like a cancer treatment and you can fly home for treatment.  If you're hurt badly  or have major heart/brain issues, then flying home will not be an option. It's all a roll of the dice. 

 

 

Britain needs to start paying it's citizen expats the pension increases they are being denied.

 

 

21 minutes ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

 

Britain needs to start paying it's citizen expats the pension increases they are being denied.

 

 

Many expats get the triple-lock increase.  Only those expats in countries without a reciprocal agreement, like Thailand, don't.

One  always has mixed thoughts in seeing many western nations spending trillions on military budgets, on social welfare for young and fit, on lavish lifestyle of it's governance bodies etc etc... but yet to totally discard and neglect the well being of their own and mainly their aged. 

8 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

 

Britain needs to start paying it's citizen expats the pension increases they are being denied.

 

 

Sadly won't happen, no have any money, going broke

9 hours ago, In Full Agreement said:

 

 

Britain needs to start paying it's citizen expats the pension increases they are being denied.

Get JB to lobby -- He's good at that stuff.,

Note this Labuan, Malaysia based broker here:

 

https://brokerfish.com/medical-insurance/companies/wr-life

 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/brokerfish.com

 

NB Labuan, an island off the coast of mainland Sabah, was chosen by the federal government for development into an offshore financial centre. Labuan became the second federal territory in 16 April 1984. (Wikipedia)

On 10/16/2025 at 9:28 AM, OJAS said:

 

 

Well, interestingly, if you click on that link now, all you get is the following error message

 

Make of that what you will!!

 

Looks like they were just doing a system upgrade. And at least from my perusal, no mention of complaints or litigation esp. with regards 2 u-no-hoo

 

https://www.insuranceinasia.com/

6 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Looks like they were just doing a system upgrade. And at least from my perusal, no mention of complaints or litigation esp. with regards 2 u-no-hoo

 

https://www.insuranceinasia.com/

Why don't you message them and ask, it impacts your health after all

12 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Why don't you message them and ask, it impacts your health after all

What they say is nonsense -- first a class action lawsuit and then contact Thai Consumer affairs. Save your advice for the STD topics.

 

 

I live in Pattaya and am a self-payer!  74 Years old

I had to have my gallbladder removed and my umbilical hernia operated on at the same time.

My last operation was supposed to cost almost 850,000 THB at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital!

 

And since I am treated as a “self-payer” in every hospital, I went to a private clinic in Korat!

 

Cost of the two operations: 285,000 THB.

 

So a price difference of 565,000 THB.

 

It takes a little luck and doing your research beforehand...;-)

 

Of course, in an emergency, this option is largely unavailable.

 

But you can also be transferred after receiving initial medical care!