Insurance Doesn't Expect Me To Live Until 99 ...

[rainman]

I wanted to apply for a health insurance for me and my wife today. So I called an agent from BUPA to come see us. I know BUPA isn't the best insurance company but I've previously used one of their overseas branches and they were quite okay. So the agent comes by and the first thing is she starts talking to me about AIA insurance. Hello?!!! I called BUPA and they send me someone to talk about AIA? I guess she gets more commission from AIA. So I spend the next 30 minutes listening to their life insurance plan, which I keep saying I don't need. I don't want to get killed by a woman over a fat life insurance policy, that's all.

Their insurance policy stated that I would have to pay for 40 years (until I'm barely 65), then I would be insured for "free" until I was 99. On top, I get a "cash back" of 200,000 Baht when I'm 60 ...wow! What a deal. But wait ...I asked her, why am I only insured until I'm 99? You guessed the response. I got a weird open-mouth stare from the insurance agent. When she was able to close her mouth again, she told me "why would you need insurance after 99? you won't be alive!". Oh, thank you very much. That makes me feel so much better.

Lets see ...maybe because humans simply live longer today than they did a hundred years ago? And I assume that trend will keep going. Especially with better medicine, healthcare, etc. being available. According to recent studies, humans could live to be 140-150 years old in just 50 years time. Whether that's true or not, we'll see. But what if it is, I'll be living the last 50 years of my life without healthcare. On top of that, my dad's side grandmother is 107 years old and her sister is 106. My mom's side grandmother just had her 86th birthday and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. My mom's grandmother died on her 100th birthday. So unless I get hit by a tuk-tuk, I probably still have a few years to live.

But just the fact that a health insurance company tells you that you won't live until 99 years anyways ...do I really want to be insured with them? I mean, they're literally telling me they won't be able to keep me alive until 99.

Needless to say, I didn't sign for any of their insurance policies and I'll be of course keeping my overseas insurance I've had since over 10 years. And maybe I'll even try to get my Thai wife into the same policy.

[crewcut]

"According to recent studies, humans could live to be 140-150 years old in just 50 years time."

I don't beliiiiiiiiiiiiive it!!!!!!!

Most people over 90 are ready to go anytime, (according to my grandfather 95)!

[donna]

i have a dear friend in krabi whose grandfather lived to over 100. people in his village commonly live to around 120yrs old!

amazing thailand.

[rainman]

Most people over 90 are ready to go anytime, (according to my grandfather 95)!

They've been ready to go for the past 10 years but just are not going, right?

[Mid]

no good news in an ageing population ,

too many of us already ............................

[rgs2001uk]

rainman

i have been down the same road as you, the sooner these companies start selling what the customer wants, not what the sales people think you want or stop selling the products they get the best commission from the better.

you and i know no thai thought up these sales techniques, this is hard sales crap some farang has introduced to thailand, a by product of globalization.

if i want life insurance i will go to a life insurance company, i want health insurance and health insurance only.

when my present policy expires i am seriously considering liberty or lmg as it is sometimes called ( google it)

i have said before or other forums there are too many snouts trying to eat at the trough. the attitude of these companies is, your company is paying for it, so why do you bother complaining and take your business elsewhere.

the sooner they realise some of us are paying for this ourselves and they can give us what we ask for, the more business they will do.

failing that go with your overseas insurance, probably less hassle and cheaper anyway.

[pete_r]

Thai people seem to consider reaching 80 a jolly old age already (specially for men). From the reaction of the insurance agent you describe, I suspect living longer than 99 is beyond imagination!

Edited August 27, 2007 by pete_r

[cobra]

In the west, insurance actuary tables have a non-smoking Caucasian male life expectancy at 76.2 years.

This average is the top of the bell curve. But it is creeping up, still IMO most of us will not see 99.

More important is not the age of your projected expiration but of infirment, that's when your going to need money, and lots of it.

[canopus1969]

The problem here is the usual miss-selling of insurance by Thai’s who do not know what they are doing. AIA is a Life insurance company but they send out their pretty little girls to sell medical with a Life element – more commission !

Bottom line, if you need health insurance go to a real Broker and ask.

[samran]

we use montpilier broker here in thailand who set us up with William Russel expat insurance. Solid policy and a good broker.

In the past, we used Thai Health, a local company who had a competitive product. But the insurance pool inThailand is small (for health insurance) so suffers from the problem of rising premiums when compared to benefits.

As a package (ie insuring dad, mum - who wants to get pregnant again, and a little baby), the William Russel package overall offered better value for money than the Thai policy with infintely more coverage, even though slighly more expensive cause of my wife's desire to have maternity care added in.

[Solosiam]

i have a dear friend in krabi whose grandfather lived to over 100. people in his village commonly live to around 120yrs old!

amazing thailand.

No they don't.

That would make them all the oldest living people in the world, there have only ever been 2 documented cases of people living to over 120 years of age. The oldest person in the world currently is around 115 years old.

[rainman]

For all we know they could be 120 years old ..just without a birth certificate!

[Gary A]

A couple of years ago I had acute appendicitis. I had surgery at Loei Ram hospital. After I was released there was a Thai man waiting for me in the lobby. He spoke some English and told me he was from the insurance company. I thought it was quite nice that my insurance company had sent someone to help me with my claim. As it turned out the A$$hole was from AIA. I still wasn't feeling very well and just wanted to get home. My wife talked to him some more and I went out to the car. The next day he turns up at our house. I told him quite politely that I wasn't interested and he finally left. He then started calling my wife on the phone. After about a week of that she finally got a call and I could tell by the look on her face that it was him again. I took the phone from her and told him he should save his money and NOT waste any more calling because my wife is not going to talk to him again and that I would NEVER buy insurance from a company who uses such high pressure tactics. I was actually quite rude and he gave up. They must pay big commissions.

[Solosiam]

For all we know they could be 120 years old ..just without a birth certificate!

or 300 years old, eh?

[Sulaphat]

Someone at BUPA who took your call or was given your inquiry details probably sold your contact info to a friend or relative who was an agent for AIA. Happens all the time.

AIA can only provide medical insurance as a rider to a life policy. If you don't want/need life cover, no reason to talk to AIA. If you do want life insurance, there are cheaper alternatives. Life insurance contracts are usually very poor investment vehicles and contain far too many restrictions on access to your paid-in funds, in my opinion.

[JAS21]

Hi

Don't know where you are from but we arranged health insurance and for a little more travel insurance through PPP in the UK.

It covers us for anywhere except the US

[canopus1969]

Should be simple now :   http://insurance.thaivisa.com/

[ThaivisaInsurance]

Rainman, please look at the Thai Visa Insurance site to see if the Thai Visa scheme is suitable : http://insurance.thaivisa.com/medical-pack...al-program.html

[dr_Pat_Pong]

For all we know they could be 120 years old ..just without a birth certificate!

or 300 years old, eh?

[gordman]

Well this an interesting thing to hear about, kind of funny though. I don't quite enjoy talking to an ensurance broker, they tend to lead the discusion and get me confused. I usually search myself for the informations I need and make my own decissions based on my exact needs. This is how I did with my term life insurance no medical exam and I am satisfied with my decission.