Health Insurance Options For My Family

[Mike45]

I am trying to understand what my family’s health insurance options are going to be when we move to Thailand permanently.

I originally thought that I would purchase a family health policy-plan-scheme for all of us.

My wife is telling me that she thinks that she can just pay her, what she calls “social security”, and she will have her medical insurance again like she did before we got married.

We discussed where she would be able to use it and she says that she used it previously at a nice hospital, not government, in Ubon.

It is actually the hospital that I was planning on using for all of us when I purchased the Insurance policy.

She also thinks that for a “little bit” more it will cover the kids. She was adamant that this was not the “30 baht” plan but instead ”social security” like she paid when she had a job.... working at her sisters shop.... before we got married.

If this is true then I would only need to purchase a policy for myself.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone and can you explain it to me.

Thanks

[citizen33]

If your wife will be working, or can top up past contributions, this sounds broadly correct, though I'm not sure about coverage for the children. There have been a few recent threads on the Social Security Scheme which you may be able to find. Also see:

http://www.sso.go.th/english/faq.php?menu_...;content_id=350

SSS members can select from a list that includes both public and private hospitals. At the moment there are three public health insurance programmes: the SSS, the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme and the Universal Coverage ('UC') Scheme (formerly the 30 baht project). The original policy intention was to merge the public schemes within an all encompassing UC scheme. Unsurprisingly there was fierce resistance from members of the SSS and CSMBS, who felt that the quality of care provided to them would diminish. However, there has been a recent move to make the reimbursement mechanism for providers under the SSS more similar to that of the UC scheme (by using DRGs for inpatient activity). Some analysts think that future merging of the schemes is still very much on the policy agenda.

I am trying to understand what my family’s health insurance options are going to be when we move to Thailand permanently.

I originally thought that I would purchase a family health policy-plan-scheme for all of us.

My wife is telling me that she thinks that she can just pay her, what she calls “social security”, and she will have her medical insurance again like she did before we got married.

We discussed where she would be able to use it and she says that she used it previously at a nice hospital, not government, in Ubon.

It is actually the hospital that I was planning on using for all of us when I purchased the Insurance policy.

She also thinks that for a “little bit” more it will cover the kids. She was adamant that this was not the “30 baht” plan but instead ”social security” like she paid when she had a job.... working at her sisters shop.... before we got married.

If this is true then I would only need to purchase a policy for myself.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone and can you explain it to me.

Thanks

Edited March 7, 2008 by citizen33

[tonydabbs]

I am trying to understand what my family's health insurance options are going to be when we move to Thailand permanently.

I originally thought that I would purchase a family health policy-plan-scheme for all of us.

My wife is telling me that she thinks that she can just pay her, what she calls "social security", and she will have her medical insurance again like she did before we got married.

We discussed where she would be able to use it and she says that she used it previously at a nice hospital, not government, in Ubon.

It is actually the hospital that I was planning on using for all of us when I purchased the Insurance policy.

She also thinks that for a "little bit" more it will cover the kids. She was adamant that this was not the "30 baht" plan but instead "social security" like she paid when she had a job.... working at her sisters shop.... before we got married.

If this is true then I would only need to purchase a policy for myself.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone and can you explain it to me.

Thanks

I have checked into this many times. but I am still only 95% certain about my answers below:

1. Your wife will have to work for an employer participating in the SSO program to be covered under it.

2. It is possible that the hospital that you want to use is a participant in the scheme. Many private hospitals are. But many private hospital are also dropping out of the scheme because they don't feel that they are getting paid enough to participate.

3. I have never heard of children or other family members being covered under the scheme. The employer pays half the premium (based on the employees salary) and the employee pays the other half.

[TerryLH]

"Your wife will have to work for an employer participating in the SSO program to be covered under it."

That's true to initially get covered. Once you're in the system you can quit working and get 6 months coverage with no monthly payments.

Once you quit working you can stay covered by making small monthly payments on your own.

The part i'm not sure about is what happens when you quit working, and then go longer than 6 months without paying anything.

Worst case, you'd have to get a job and work for 3 months, making soc sec payments, to get back into the system. Then you could quit, and start making the payments yourself.

Maybe.