On 1/27/2026 at 10:01 AM, JerryM said:

In USofA I was always covered by group policies.

In Thailand across 3 different companies and 20 years, I am in the near break-even range following 3 inpatient claims.

As noted prior, since I have a monthly income, insurance premiums are manageable. I would not, as many claim on here, find it easy coming up with a big lump sum amount other than via credit card.

I never bought into the medical insurance scam. But instead saved over 3 million baht in a bank making interest in case I do get sick. I pay out of pocket for yearly physicals, blood tests, ct scan, MRI, physical therapy, no hospital stays. 74 years old, lived in Thailand for 13 years, moved from the US. Happy to be living here.

45 minutes ago, pchansmorn said:

74 years old, lived in Thailand for 13 years, moved from the US. Happy to be living here.

So if you say you saved 3 million baht over 13 years in Thailand that works out to about 230,00 baht average per year saved in health insurance premiums.

When I was still with BUPA pre-Aetna age 60 I was paying about 75,000 baht per year.

On 1/27/2026 at 12:46 PM, wil iam not said:

The UK has a 'free' NHS, for everyone living there legally or not.

If I went back, I would have to tell lies that I was returning to live out my life, or pay 150% of the costs.

"The UK"? I think you mean England.

On 1/27/2026 at 1:10 PM, Packer said:

get to 70, 75, or 80 years old and the premiums skyrocket to unpayable amount

Whilst mine have decreased a lot since I made it to 75, after many decades of xero claims!

How much is “unpayable” for you? … or for me?

On 1/27/2026 at 4:15 PM, richard_smith237 said:

as we age the premiums increase significantly

Mine have stopped increasing now that I am over 75, with no claims for 20 years.

But they have been very high for about 5 years now.

On 1/27/2026 at 12:48 PM, Hummin said:

Im still interested to know what you life is worth now compared to when you where 55 or 60?

Why?? None of your business, is it?

To some of my friends, mine is worth many, many millions (in any currency!).

3 hours ago, Qarsaan said:

The UK"? I think you mean England.

No he definitely does not!!!

For the 30 years I worked in the US, I had health insurance, mostly paid by the state government I worked for, with a small monthly payment as my contribution. I could have remained covered after I retired, but I would have had to pay most of the cost, and the cost was way too high for my small retirement pension, without yet Social Security, at that time.

I have been retired in Thailand for 15 years, with insurance from April International, since around 2011 or 2012. I started with inpatient and outpatient but that got too costly so I now only have inpatient coverage. This year, it's about 2,500 Euros a quarter, or around $2,900, depending on the exchange rate.

15 years, at 4 quarters each, equals 60 quarters of payments. Averaging, perhaps, $2,000 a quarter over the 15 years here, that comes to $120,000 spent on health insurance, or around 3,800,000 baht. Ouch.

3.8MB. I could have bought another condo! But, I like the peace of mind of having health insurance. If I were single, I might have considered self-insuring here. But, I have a Thai spouse to think of and I don't want us to be wiped out financially if I have a major, expensive health problem, or problems, at some point. I watched as my spouse's Thai mother, in a few short months, quickly rang up 2MB in health care expenses, which could have easily been double that had she lived longer after she got ill.

While very expensive, the insurance is worth it for me. I've thought about looking for something cheaper but, now age 74, I have developed some heart problems, which likely wouldn't be covered if I switched insurance companies.

I am fortunate that my state pension and my SS both have a yearly pension cost of living adjustment (COLA). This year's COLA, which was fairly large, I think slightly more than covered the health insurance's increase from last year. Pedaling in place.

On 1/27/2026 at 10:01 AM, JerryM said:

I am in the near break-even range following 3 inpatient claims.

So in effect, you have paid for the treatments yourself.

1 hour ago, wil iam not said:

So in effect, you have paid for the treatments yourself.

No because if I paid for everything myself, I may not have money for the next claim.

3 hours ago, newnative said:

over the 15 years here, that comes to $120,000 spent on health insurance, or around 3,800,000 baht. Ouch.

Ouch indeed.

3.8 million baht just given away with nothing in return.

5 hours ago, Unamerican said:

no claims for 20 years.

But they have been very high for about 5 years now.

How much did you give insurance companies over the 20 years of no claims?

If you can afford health coverage it would be a good idea to have it. I had a 2 week stay in US hospital a few years back with a bill of 165,000 usd. Having international insurance means I don't have to mess with gov health care in Thailand. My cost is around 10,000 bt/month.

3 hours ago, JerryM said:

No because if I paid for everything myself, I may not have money for the next claim.

Or the next insurance premiums, or is it premia?

On 1/27/2026 at 3:26 AM, Hummin said:

What is your life worth when you need at most?

I couldnt care less if I was seriously sick and passed 77, but that is what Im thinking as a man not even 60 years yet.

My experience with many oldtimers I knew in Thailand was: first, big talk about how they will end it, have their machines shut down when the time comes or even swim out into the bay.

The all, to the last man, fought to the last second of breath, literally whatever the cost. It is a human instinct.

Just to have the peace of mind now to know that indeed I can decide myself when I am switched off, instead of my wife doing so because I ran out of money -- or even before! 😛 -- is well worth the money spent.

To all those people who are saying, that they are saving their money up: good on you, if you have the discipline. A surprising large number of adults don't have it and rather drink all the money away than keep to their health. For those, especially, health insurance is a must.

2 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

My experience with many oldtimers I knew in Thailand was: first, big talk about how they will end it, have their machines shut down when the time comes or even swim out into the bay.

The all, to the last man, fought to the last second of breath, literally whatever the cost. It is a human instinct.

Just to have the peace of mind now to know that indeed I can decide myself when I am switched off, instead of my wife doing so because I ran out of money -- or even before! 😛 -- is well worth the money spent.

That's exactly why I think that specific question is valid. What I'm thinking now, right now, doesn't mean I know what I will think and feel when I'm there!

That's why I ask the sensible but difficult question!

What is your life worth now, and what do you think your life will be worth in the future?

10 hours ago, JerryM said:

So if you say you saved 3 million baht over 13 years in Thailand that works out to about 230,00 baht average per year saved in health insurance premiums.

When I was still with BUPA pre-Aetna age 60 I was paying about 75,000 baht per year.

3 million is an easy spend if you end up in ICU for a few weeks.

1 hour ago, Packer said:

Ouch indeed.

3.8 million baht just given away with nothing in return.

How much did you give insurance companies over the 20 years of no claims?

It wasn't 'nothing in return'. I've had 15 years of peace of mind, knowing if I got really sick I would have the money to pay for any medical treatment I might need, whatever the cost. And, I've had 15 years of peace of mind, knowing that if I got really sick and ran up huge hospital bills, my spouse and I would not end up penniless. For me, it's a win-win. If I get sick I am covered--a win. If I don't get sick--an even bigger win. As with so many things, it's whatever floats your boat, and one size does not fit all.

27 minutes ago, newnative said:

I've had 15 years of peace of mind, knowing if I got really sick I would have the money to pay for any medical treatment I might need, whatever the cost. And, I've had 15 years of peace of mind, knowing that if I got really sick and ran up huge hospital bills, my spouse and I would not end up penniless.

45 minutes ago, jts-khorat said:

Just to have the peace of mind

You are aware they if needed they may not pay, and will try everything not to?

This is an AI answer about health insurance claims being denied.

Health insurance claim denial rates are high and rising, with insurers, on average, denying approximately 17%–19% of in-network claims. In the ACA marketplace, roughly 49 million in-network claims were denied in 2023. Some insurers report, however, that initial denial rates can exceed 30%. 

30 minutes ago, Packer said:

You are aware they if needed they may not pay, and will try everything not to?

This is an AI answer about health insurance claims being denied.

Health insurance claim denial rates are high and rising, with insurers, on average, denying approximately 17%–19% of in-network claims. In the ACA marketplace, roughly 49 million in-network claims were denied in 2023. Some insurers report, however, that initial denial rates can exceed 30%. 

This is an AI summary of reports on domestic US heslth insurance.

Not really relevant .

Definitely not reflective ofvUK/EU issued internationsl expat policies. Private insurers are better regulated in counties.

1 hour ago, Packer said:

You are aware they if needed they may not pay, and will try everything not to?

This is an AI answer about health insurance claims being denied.

Health insurance claim denial rates are high and rising, with insurers, on average, denying approximately 17%–19% of in-network claims. In the ACA marketplace, roughly 49 million in-network claims were denied in 2023. Some insurers report, however, that initial denial rates can exceed 30%. 

I've had good results with claims I have submitted to April International. Perhaps it helps that I have been with them since 2011 or 2012. And, that longevity is one of the reasons I have stayed with them, at this point.

1 hour ago, newnative said:

I've had good results with claims I have submitted to April International. Perhaps it helps that I have been with them since 2011 or 2012.

Does that help? How many years a customer has been with an insurance company, when it comes to them deciding whether to pay for your treatment or not?

8 hours ago, Packer said:

In the ACA marketplace, roughly 49 million in-network claims were denied in 2023.

And as this is US ACA, claims are not denied for pre-existing conditions as is the case most mentioned on here.

Per KFF on the reasons for ACA denials:

Denials due to lack of prior authorization or referral

xx Denials due to an out-of-network provider

Denials due to an exclusion of a service

Denials based on medical necessity (reported separately for behavioral health and other services)

Denials due to enrollee benefit reached

Denials due to a member not being covered

Denials due to investigational, experimental, or cosmetic procedure

Denials for administrative reasons (which include claims that were duplicate, missing information, untimely, for an unapproved provider, or that met other criteria)

Denials for all other reasons not specified above.

https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/claims-denials-and-appeals-in-aca-marketplace-plans-in-2023/

10 hours ago, wil iam not said:

Or the next insurance premiums, or is it premia?

Premia is a Korean airline

1 hour ago, JerryM said:

Premia is a Korean airline

Stadiums = stadia, Medium = Media, Bacterium = bacterium, Aquarium = Aquaria. So why not Premiums = Premia?

My spellchecker does not recognise some of these, as well as recognise, needs a Z

15 hours ago, Packer said:

Does that help? How many years a customer has been with an insurance company, when it comes to them deciding whether to pay for your treatment or not?

It makes a huge difference

Basicslly there are 2 potential issues:

1. Whether moratorium period has been met, in case of a moratorium policy (as opposed to full medicsl underwng) or a full underwriting polucy which, at time of issue, included a moratorium clause. Meeting a moratorium requirement typically means requiring no treatment of any sort for a specific condition for X amount of time, coukd be anywhere from 6 months to several years.

2. Whether you lied or witheld information at time of application. The index of suspicion for this varies depending on the type of condition in the claim and how long you've had the policy. Take out a new policy and claim for a heart condition, cancer, prostate issue, hernia etc (all conditions that typically develop over time) in the first year and any insurer will take a close look at your records. Have a policy for more than say 5 years with either no claims or just completly unrelated claims, and they will ususlly not bother.

In my experience most (not all) of the people who post complaints about denied claims did in fact withold relevant information and then make a claim early in the policy. When told how to go about contesting the denial they don't follow through bc the facts don't support their case. Not everyone, but many.

I get messages all the time along the lines of "I never got insurance becsuse

I was healthy. Now I have x disease, how can I get coverage for it". The answer is simple: you can't.

People with long held policies they haven't needed so far have not "gotten nothing" from their premiums. They have locked into a policy that will now promptly pay out with no issue as their claims record speaks for itself.

On 2/2/2026 at 9:30 PM, Sheryl said:

This is an AI summary of reports on domestic US heslth insurance.

Not really relevant .

Definitely not reflective ofvUK/EU issued internationsl expat policies. Private insurers are better regulated in counties.

I couldn't agree with you more! I've had BlueCross (Fed) since I was 20 years old (now 79) and I've never had a claim denied. I do make co-pay for out-patient, but inpatient is 100% coverage. I recently tested the inpatient coverage (again) 5 months ago when I had the flu and Dr. recommended staying in hospital (Bangkok/Pattaya). A 2-day stay was covered 100%. I currently pay just under $5,000/year for coverage but the peace of mind knowing that a medical emergency will never wipe me out financially is priceless.

The answer to this question is that there is no one answer that fits everyone in every circumstance at all ages.

If you are looking for advice, tell us:

Age

Health

Genetic pre-dispositions

Physical activities (or sedentary life-style?)

Road-accident risks

Family care support

Emotional stresses

Diet and drink

Medical history and any ongoing treatments

&

Financial reserves; and preparedness to gamble with them.

Accidents, especially on the roads, can happen to anyone, irrespective of how careful. Thailand has the second highest per capita road fatality rate in the world. Although once dead, your insurance needs may be limited.

The greater your financial cushion, the less essential may be insurance.

The less you can afford insurance, the more you may need it.

Hospitalisation (as opposed to outpatient treatment) is what can cost a fortune.

Either your insurer must be accredited with the hospital or you must have the money readily available and then claim back from the insurer.

After tripping up and breaking a hip four months ago, four days in the nearest private hospital + operation cost 300,000 baht, of which 100,000 payable before the operation and the remainder before leaving.

A Karen friend had to go to the bank to draw the cash from my 800k THB deposit, >3 months from visa renewal!

A mutual friend absented herself from work and remained with me in the hospital, sleeping on the floor. And being much handicapped on leaving, I have been living in her nousehold where her many family members care for me.

Until not long before, I had possessed another deposit, for emergencies, that would have more than covered the hospital costs, but it had gone to pay for a building plot for my long-time former-student friend.

I hastened to sell a bit of the yellow stuff in order to refurbish my deposit account with paper Ponzi notes.

I was expecting the insurers to reimburse me the full cost under my inpatient-only, accident-only policy. But obviously I had not studied the details in the accompanying small-print, because my reimbursement came to only a little more than half. It was slightly more than the sum of the past three years' premiums. So I am not complaining. The premium had been fixed because of no claims, but will now rise upon renewal.

On 2/2/2026 at 8:13 PM, Ralf001 said:

3 million is an easy spend if you end up in ICU for a few weeks.

This isn't the case for most and is for you and your experiences. I have spent 3 weeks in the ICU and 6 weeks in total in the hospital. Once I got out of the ICU, I had a private room. Bill was about 140k baht. Lots of MRi's and surgeries. Have had other multiple week stays because of other accidents when I was young and dumber. THe bills were all under 100k.

Ask yourself, do you want to stay at a place that cost 30k a night for room and other essentials or are you cool with a bland private room at a public hospital. If it is the latter, the bills will be not even comparable and near impossible to hit 3 million.

I have 4 million of coverage because it is inexpensive with a high deductible that is not a concern (150K).

On 1/26/2026 at 9:38 PM, it is what it is said:

zero. coming from a country with free healthcare. 🙂

Canadian ?

27 minutes ago, blaze master said:

Canadian ?

Canada has great health care, unless you need it for something not life threatening. Queues for hernia repair 1-2 years. Queues for hip replacement over 2 years. Apparently ER wait times are up to 16 hours and people have died waiting.