Hi Folks

My wife & I are getting ready to move back to Thailand permanent this year. We lived there from 2012 till 2017 no insurance & luckily no problems but I was younger then

Ok so now I am 69...Very healthy but have had a bad CAC score (meaning I do have hardened plaque) & I also have some stenosis >70% in right Carotid artery ...

Other than that very healthy healthy diet exercise good weight for my height 155lb 5' 9"

So now I have medicare etc here...When I move there I will not bother with Thai policies as I have heard they do price you out + my age already 69 etc

So I have checked with Cigna Global & price is $6369 a year or roughly 200,000 baht a year that is for $1,000,000 USD coverage

Or I could also put say 2,000,000 baht aside for my medical emergencies if any

What do most think? I don't mean what is cheapest & I realize I would have to refill the 2 million baht bucket if I used it....But what do most think?

Not cheapest but most logical? I am not thinking about things like cancer as I would likely not accept treatment anyway & would likely return to USA etc.... But thinking emergencies ...maybe a accident or heart attack stroke etc.....Which way would most go?

200k a year baht at 69 years old or 2 million baht set aside?

Thanks for your opinions!

The $6,369 seems cheap to me for a million dollars of coverage. That's way less than 1%, What all is covered?

Where will you be living, and what hospital will you be using?

You are comparing B30M coverage with B2M coverage.

If you put the $64K/B2M in an index fund that paid 10%, that would cover your premium.

Yes I agree I would be living in Nan

Also true 1 million USD is 31million baht ( maybe? too much for emergencies?) compared to 2 million baht cash (maybe more realistic?)

True what you say about an index but that is based on history not future predictions

Tough call since you have a bit of stenosis already. On that, I had 2 stents placed, and cost $6500, for reference, at govt hospital, that does cater to expats in that area (Hua Hin) and cost about one year of your premium, if they'll cover pre existing. Just a twisted artery, (arterial tortuosity) not from stenosis.

I self insure, and keep a 1M THB oops fund for any surprises, and haven't needed to touch in 25 yrs. If they won't cover pre-existing, (stroke / heart attack), then I'd go with self funding. Agree with any cancer diagnosis, if not easily curable/solveable (ex: colon), then I wouldn't waste the money either, or put myself through miserable treatment for a wee bit more time, maybe.

Most policies do not cover existing conditions so there is no point in buying one to cover for future problems caused by things that have already been diagnosed. I do think medical insurance is useful (and have it myself), but you do need to ensure it covers what you need it to.

I've found this site https://checkdi.com/th/health/main?lg=en to be a great way of comparing Insurance products.

I did a search for a 69 year old https://checkdi.com/th/health/plans?gender=Male&age=69&ipd=1&opdf=0&nump=1&q=&lg=en&leadid=709635 and you can get the Pacific Cross Maxima plan with 5Million inpatients coved for approx 76K THB with 100K deductible but again, this won't cover anything that they say has come about because of an existing condition so you wouldn't be covered for anything to do with your heart.

NB at 69 You will be required to do a check-up for this (and other) polices I'm looking to switch my PC policy to another one and at 60 would not need to do a check-up, I would guess 65 is the cut-off point.

If you are balking now at $6k imagine how expensive it will get over the next ten years, self insure if you have the money

15 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

If you are balking now at $6k imagine how expensive it will get over the next ten years, self insure if you have the money

Exactly....It is a sobering thought knowing you will (unless you have unlimited wealth) most will likely be priced out of coverage.

Thanks everyone who responded some very good points made

Much Appreciated 🙏

Mania, We have lived here since 2013 , no health insurance and we are in our late 70’s both mostly healthy, I have some weight issues but am losing weight now. We just bank the money for healthcare and we haven’t used more than about 2,000 dollars a year for both of us. And we mostly use Private Hospitals for our care. Beware that the doctors here like to sell you a lot of medicine you don’t;t need and you can buy most medications from an outside Pharmacy much cheaper. Good Luck to you and enjoy Thailand Retrement.

Insurance companies make very large profits.

On 2/17/2026 at 9:54 AM, mania said:

Hi Folks

My wife & I are getting ready to move back to Thailand permanent this year. We lived there from 2012 till 2017 no insurance & luckily no problems but I was younger then

Ok so now I am 69...Very healthy but have had a bad CAC score (meaning I do have hardened plaque) & I also have some stenosis >70% in right Carotid artery ...

Other than that very healthy healthy diet exercise good weight for my height 155lb 5' 9"

So now I have medicare etc here...When I move there I will not bother with Thai policies as I have heard they do price you out + my age already 69 etc

So I have checked with Cigna Global & price is $6369 a year or roughly 200,000 baht a year that is for $1,000,000 USD coverage

Or I could also put say 2,000,000 baht aside for my medical emergencies if any

What do most think? I don't mean what is cheapest & I realize I would have to refill the 2 million baht bucket if I used it....But what do most think?

Not cheapest but most logical? I am not thinking about things like cancer as I would likely not accept treatment anyway & would likely return to USA etc.... But thinking emergencies ...maybe a accident or heart attack stroke etc.....Which way would most go?

200k a year baht at 69 years old or 2 million baht set aside?

Thanks for your opinions!

I was in the same situation as you a couple of years ago. I had an insurance with Allianz until I hit 61 when they raised the premiums; I then shifted to Cigna because they were cheaper. When I hit 65 Cigna raised the price by substantially, to 210,000 Baht per year, but after nagging I got a discount of 5% and landed at 200,000 Baht per year. That was two years ago, and I decided to skip the insurance and instead save 200,000 Baht per year that I can use for any emergency, not only health related. In the past two years I have spent about 40,000 Baht on hospital visits and presently have 360,000 Baht in my emergency fund and keep on saving the "Cigna premiums". Unless something goes terribly wrong, I will soon have 500,000-600,000 Baht that I can use for any emergency. Did I take the right decision? I think so.

The mentioned premium probably covers inpatient treatment only. If you add outpatient for this amount of coverage it will be at least double the premium.

In your shoes, I would probably self-insure. When I came to Thailand in 2010, I didn't have enough money to self-insure, so I bought insurance. I am now 74, also with the same heart issues as you--high CAC, etc.--and my health insurance, with the same company since 2011, is costing me about $10,000 a year, for hospitalization only.

On a recent health insurance thread, I calculated that I had spent over 3MB on health insurance here in Thailand since 2011. In that time period, I had a couple of colonoscopies, laser eye surgery, SuperSight eye surgery, annual physicals, dental care, and outpatient visits now and then for a bad cold, etc. I could have easily have handled all of these out-of-pocket--and most, like the dental and outpatient visits, were paid out-of-pocket anyway.

Having said all that, in some cases you can run up 2MB in hospital care fairly quickly. My Thai spouse's mother, in 2019, developed colon cancer. Her local public hospital did not want to operate so they went private, with ICU care afterwards. Her kidneys then started to fail and she had to have dialysis, which involved ambulance service--it was one thing after another for several months until she passed away. The medical bills came to 2MB.

On 2/17/2026 at 9:54 AM, mania said:

Hi Folks

My wife & I are getting ready to move back to Thailand permanent this year. We lived there from 2012 till 2017 no insurance & luckily no problems but I was younger then

Ok so now I am 69...Very healthy but have had a bad CAC score (meaning I do have hardened plaque) & I also have some stenosis >70% in right Carotid artery ...

Other than that very healthy healthy diet exercise good weight for my height 155lb 5' 9"

So now I have medicare etc here...When I move there I will not bother with Thai policies as I have heard they do price you out + my age already 69 etc

So I have checked with Cigna Global & price is $6369 a year or roughly 200,000 baht a year that is for $1,000,000 USD coverage

Or I could also put say 2,000,000 baht aside for my medical emergencies if any

What do most think? I don't mean what is cheapest & I realize I would have to refill the 2 million baht bucket if I used it....But what do most think?

Not cheapest but most logical? I am not thinking about things like cancer as I would likely not accept treatment anyway & would likely return to USA etc.... But thinking emergencies ...maybe a accident or heart attack stroke etc.....Which way would most go?

200k a year baht at 69 years old or 2 million baht set aside?

Thanks for your opinions!

Out of curiosity, are you planning on keeping Medicare extended care, if you have extended care. Mine jumped to $220.00 this year and debating on just changing to basic Medicare

On 2/17/2026 at 10:36 AM, mania said:

1 million USD is 31million baht

Seems alot. Maybe the question to others is: up to what limit coverage do they recommend for Thailand (you've mentioned your health issues)?

On 2/17/2026 at 3:54 AM, mania said:

Hi Folks

My wife & I are getting ready to move back to Thailand permanent this year. We lived there from 2012 till 2017 no insurance & luckily no problems but I was younger then

Ok so now I am 69...Very healthy but have had a bad CAC score (meaning I do have hardened plaque) & I also have some stenosis >70% in right Carotid artery ...

Other than that very healthy healthy diet exercise good weight for my height 155lb 5' 9"

So now I have medicare etc here...When I move there I will not bother with Thai policies as I have heard they do price you out + my age already 69 etc

So I have checked with Cigna Global & price is $6369 a year or roughly 200,000 baht a year that is for $1,000,000 USD coverage

Or I could also put say 2,000,000 baht aside for my medical emergencies if any

What do most think? I don't mean what is cheapest & I realize I would have to refill the 2 million baht bucket if I used it....But what do most think?

Not cheapest but most logical? I am not thinking about things like cancer as I would likely not accept treatment anyway & would likely return to USA etc.... But thinking emergencies ...maybe a accident or heart attack stroke etc.....Which way would most go?

200k a year baht at 69 years old or 2 million baht set aside?

Thanks for your opinions!

200k baht per year will over 10 years be 2 million baht.

So, if you can keep setting some money aside in a "raidy day" account for health and unforseen – you always need instant access to some extra cash in Thailand – self-insurance might be worth considering. Topping regularly up on the initial 2 million baht, just like paying an insurance fee, can keep you having funds for health and unforseen event.

The elder we get, the more expensive health indurance become – at some point we might n ot even be able to get one – so, when in generally acceptable health and have a lifestyle that supports healthy living, self-insurance might be an acceptable option. I've been using it since I turned 65 – I even reduced the value of the heath insurance when passing 60, where the rate increased and paid the difference into my own "rainy day" account – I pay a bit in every month. So far, I've never used a penny.

The only aber-dabai with health insurance is that somebode else, than one self, can get access to the funds in case of an unexpected situation. It doesn't help with money in the bank, if no one can cash them. I trust my Thai girlfriend enough to have my "rainy day" funds in a shared account together with her; so, consider that your wife can get access to your self-insurance funds, in case you cannot do it yourself.

On 2/17/2026 at 3:36 AM, mania said:

Yes I agree I would be living in Nan

Also true 1 million USD is 31million baht ( maybe? too much for emergencies?) compared to 2 million baht cash (maybe more realistic?)

True what you say about an index but that is based on history not future predictions

There are no Private hospitals in Nan and the Government hospital is notorious for very long wait times for consultations and treatments.

On 2/17/2026 at 10:47 AM, SamSpade said:

Most policies do not cover existing conditions so there is no point in buying one to cover for future problems caused by things that have already been diagnosed. I do think medical insurance is useful (and have it myself), but you do need to ensure it covers what you need it to.

I've found this site https://checkdi.com/th/health/main?lg=en to be a great way of comparing Insurance products.

I did a search for a 69 year old https://checkdi.com/th/health/plans?gender=Male&age=69&ipd=1&opdf=0&nump=1&q=&lg=en&leadid=709635 and you can get the Pacific Cross Maxima plan with 5Million inpatients coved for approx 76K THB with 100K deductible but again, this won't cover anything that they say has come about because of an existing condition so you wouldn't be covered for anything to do with your heart.

NB at 69 You will be required to do a check-up for this (and other) polices I'm looking to switch my PC policy to another one and at 60 would not need to do a check-up, I would guess 65 is the cut-off point.

Good info. I agree with pre-existing. 9 years ago the bank offered me health insurance. Price looked ok, they sent me to Bangkok Hospital for checkup which insurance company was paying. Result rejected at price quoted. Because I had. Sent the price quoted was huge and large excess, the heart not covered. Told them the dark place to stick it.I have spent 20k not counting bi-yearly health check on hospital in 10 years.

Money put aside just in case.

Note! Many hospitals now want payment in advance for operations, even an urgent one.

[quote]

...

The elder we get, the more expensive health indurance become

...

[/quote]

That is not correct - it depends on your insurance policy. With my policy, no claim, no increase in premium....

On 2/17/2026 at 11:25 AM, scubascuba3 said:

If you are balking now at $6k imagine how expensive it will get over the next ten years, self insure if you have the money

Exactly, he will end up paying 3 million over the next ten years then they will kick him out as being to old to cover.

I recommend self insure if you have the funds to cover it.

I consider health insurance companies to be among the most toxic industries of all, reaping huge profits off the backs of the sick and elderly. They will stricly interprete and police their miriad of conditions to avoid payouts when the client most needs it.

On 2/17/2026 at 9:54 AM, mania said:

So I have checked with Cigna Global & price is $6369 a year or roughly 200,000 baht a year that is for $1,000,000 USD coverage

I pay considerably more than that to Cigna BUT: I have unlimited coverage and I am now a lot older.

Note also that I am now paying about 7 times what I initially paid for this cover, at age 65.

On 2/19/2026 at 10:54 PM, Bruce Aussie said:

.I have spent 20k

20K what? thb, euros, ... or what?

3 hours ago, Old Croc said:

They will stricly interprete and police their miriad of conditions to avoid payouts when the client most needs it.

Never seen any such problems using Cigna;

have you heard anything bad about them?

I had Cigna for myself and family for years, and they were fantastic.

On 2/18/2026 at 6:14 PM, Arkie said:

Out of curiosity, are you planning on keeping Medicare extended care, if you have extended care. Mine jumped to $220.00 this year and debating on just changing to basic Medicare

No I am not going to keep anything except the Free Part A medicare

On 2/18/2026 at 9:13 PM, Chomper Higgot said:

There are no Private hospitals in Nan and the Government hospital is notorious for very long wait times for consultations and treatments.

Yes we usually drive to CM where we lived for 5 years if we need a private hospital.

On 2/20/2026 at 1:33 PM, JJ-Thailand said:

Note! Many hospitals now want payment in advance for operations, even an urgent one.

I know right! I had a friend in Chiang Mai had a stroke....carotid clot moved...He went to Lanna & they would not treat or try to retrieve until 15k USD was shown. He went in some paralysis & speaking & by the time his wife & step daughter got his brother in the USA to send the funds he could not talk or walk.

Thankfully this story had a happy ending as they did in fact retrieve the clot & he is fine today

5 minutes ago, mania said:

I know right! I had a friend in Chiang Mai had a stroke....carotid clot moved...He went to Lanna & they would not treat or try to retrieve until 15k USD was shown. He went in some paralysis & speaking & by the time his wife & step daughter got his brother in the USA to send the funds he could not talk or walk.

Thankfully this story had a happy ending as they did in fact retrieve the clot & he is fine today

Why would they only accept USD?

Did he not have a credit card?