Social Security

[Phil Conners]

What does Thai Social security provide? I believe a farang employee is obliged to pay social security, but for the rates asked, private health insurance at the same price provide a much better service. Is other things provided by Thai social security? Somehow I find it difficult to believe Thailand one day would pay a pension or unemployment benefits to a farang regardless of how much he contributed in social security, so why contribute. Any links to rules clarifying the situation would also be appreciated.

[joskydive]

Haven't got any links but am pretty sure the Social security is for the 4 Thai Employees who have to be employed per Foreigner (per Work Permit), whether he is an Owner or Employee. The Social Security is not for the Foreigner, it is purely for the Thai's.

The Social Security is paid purely for free Hospital Treatment for Thai's, when required. I don't think there are any other benefits available.

[Phil Conners]

As far as I know there are no requirements for Thai employees for a work permit, it is only a requirement to get a yearly B-visa extension.

I have been informed by my accountant that I have to have Thai social security as well - farang employee, no director/shares status in the company.

[2008bangkok]

Here is the website of the benefits Of SS

http://sso.go.th/english/index.php

[2008bangkok]

Haven't got any links but am pretty sure the Social security is for the 4 Thai Employees who have to be employed per Foreigner (per Work Permit), whether he is an Owner or Employee. The Social Security is not for the Foreigner, it is purely for the Thai's.

The Social Security is paid purely for free Hospital Treatment for Thai's, when required. I don't think there are any other benefits available.

Social Security is for everybody who pays tax Thai or foreign

[joskydive]

As far as I know there are no requirements for Thai employees for a work permit, it is only a requirement to get a yearly B-visa extension.

I have been informed by my accountant that I have to have Thai social security as well - farang employee, no director/shares status in the company.

I stand corrected! I've just spoken to my Lawyer, only because he is conveniently here at the moment, but it seems that if you are an Employee of a Company you must pay a compulsory percentage of your income for Social Security too.

What you recieve for this Social Security is the same as for a Thai. You are allowed to go to a certain selected Hospital for free treatment when you are sick. There are no other benefits.

[Phil Conners]

Thanks for the website link. As with most Thai government sites it says absolutely nothing concrete: Background, symbols, bigwigs, vision, blah blah.

Maybe it is for everybody, but what is it, as joskydive stated "purely for free Hospital Treatment" or is there anything else in it? If it is just for hospital treatment, frankly, for 750/month I can get a lot better service than the "free" clinic they provide in Pattaya for the same money elsewhere...

[2008bangkok]

It tells you all the benefits on that site you just have to look oasr the 1st page

[Tywais]

The Social Security is paid purely for free Hospital Treatment for Thai's, when required. I don't think there are any other benefits available.

That's not correct. I work at a major university and pay social security. This includes medical and to a retirement fund. After leaving or reaching the age of 60 you can then take the retirement contributions in a lump sum. The contributions are matched by the employer so you get twice what you have deducted from your salary back when retiring/leaving the job.

[2008bangkok]

Like here

http://sso.go.th/english/faq.php?menu_id=2...;content_id=350

[wca01]

I work at a major university and pay social security. This includes medical and to a retirement fund. After leaving or reaching the age of 60 you can then take the retirement contributions in a lump sum. The contributions are matched by the employer so you get twice what you have deducted from your salary back when retiring/leaving the job.

That's not correct. You don't get twice what you have deducted from you salary, when you are retiring. You only get a fraction of this amount. With your monthly payments you have to cover ALL the benefits from the social security, like doctor fees, hospital fees etc. Don't forget it's an insurance.

WCA

[Tywais]

I work at a major university and pay social security. This includes medical and to a retirement fund. After leaving or reaching the age of 60 you can then take the retirement contributions in a lump sum. The contributions are matched by the employer so you get twice what you have deducted from your salary back when retiring/leaving the job.

That's not correct. You don't get twice what you have deducted from you salary, when you are retiring. You only get a fraction of this amount. With your monthly payments you have to cover ALL the benefits from the social security, like doctor fees, hospital fees etc. Don't forget it's an insurance.

WCA

My comment above is referring to my retirement contributions and not the full deductions which is correct (personal experience with this). The insurance aspect is one part of the SS.

[samran]

I'm not sure if it is in the website, but a co-worker just went to the dentist on it. You get up to 500 baht per year on SS for dentistry services....

[2008bangkok]

I'm not sure if it is in the website, but a co-worker just went to the dentist on it. You get up to 500 baht per year on SS for dentistry services....

I can second that..but only for check ups.. pay first then claim back

[Cuban]

I was given my Social Security Card some time ago, I would question if your SS payments have been correctly paid if you have not been given one. Likewise with your tax card.

[keestha]

Social Security entitles you to free treatment at a government hospital. When I register staff for the SS I have to list 3 government hospitals they can go to. You can also list a hospital in another province, so besides 2 hospitals in the province where I reside, I also list one government hospital in a neighbouring province which is much better staffed and equipped. If you have contributed to the SS fund long enough, you are entitled to a pension which is 15% of your salary. And if you get a child, no matter if you are male or female, you receive 15.000 Baht, also if you are not married.

[JSixpack]

If it is just for hospital treatment, frankly, for 750/month I can get a lot better service than the "free" clinic they provide in Pattaya for the same money elsewhere...

Lots of hot air in our beloved forum. Well, you need a major op, SS pays for it. You need expensive drugs every month, SS pays for that too. SS-approved hospitals can be quite good enough for well-defined common procedures, for example, hernia surgery. For something really delicate and critical, you can do that at a big name and then the follow-up and medicines through SS. So really it's like all insurance: it's useless until you need it. You can certainly get your B750 back in the right circumstances--or maybe you'll die tomorrow in an accident and get no benefit from it at all.

[sayitaintso]

i have my SS card and tax card and i've been to the government hospital twice in the last two weeks, once due to my gf being 4 months pregnant and the next was a follow up where they requested my (and every father to be) blood.

on the first trip i had to pay over 1,000 baht for the doctor visit and yesterday i had to pay 400 baht just for them to draw my blood (again this was not something i volunteered or wanted to do, it was apparently thai policy to run blood tests for mother/father and i was cajoled into doing it).

i tried to present my SS card as well as my girlfriends on both occassions and the hospital refused to accept them and made me pay cash.

are these reimbursable through SS?

[JSixpack]

i have my SS card and tax card and i've been to the government hospital twice in the last two weeks, once due to my gf being 4 months pregnant and the next was a follow up where they requested my (and every father to be) blood.

on the first trip i had to pay over 1,000 baht for the doctor visit and yesterday i had to pay 400 baht just for them to draw my blood (again this was not something i volunteered or wanted to do, it was apparently thai policy to run blood tests for mother/father and i was cajoled into doing it).

i tried to present my SS card as well as my girlfriends on both occassions and the hospital refused to accept them and made me pay cash.

are these reimbursable through SS?

Did you go to THE hospital, one of a limited selection, that you had previously signed up for with the SS card? You can't just go to ANY gov't hospital. However, if you have an emergency and can't make it to your designated hsp, you can probably get reimbursed what they will usually pay.

Having said that, some designated hospitals, like Pattaya Memorial, are discontinuing service because of lack of payment from the government. Then I suppose you can arrange w/ SS to change your hospital. Normally you can change only once a year--if you have any choice of hospitals. If this was your case, discontinuance, and you didn't know about it, then I think you have a good chance of reimbursement.

Edited June 26, 2008 by JSixpack

[sayitaintso]

thanks for the response. i'm on samui, only one government hospital here, in nathon.

[Phil Conners]

i have my SS card and tax card and i've been to the government hospital twice in the last two weeks, once due to my gf being 4 months pregnant and the next was a follow up where they requested my (and every father to be) blood.

on the first trip i had to pay over 1,000 baht for the doctor visit and yesterday i had to pay 400 baht just for them to draw my blood (again this was not something i volunteered or wanted to do, it was apparently thai policy to run blood tests for mother/father and i was cajoled into doing it).

i tried to present my SS card as well as my girlfriends on both occassions and the hospital refused to accept them and made me pay cash.

are these reimbursable through SS?

Did you go to THE hospital, one of a limited selection, that you had previously signed up for with the SS card? You can't just go to ANY gov't hospital. However, if you have an emergency and can't make it to your designated hsp, you can probably get reimbursed what they will usually pay.

Having said that, some designated hospitals, like Pattaya Memorial, are discontinuing service because of lack of payment from the government. Then I suppose you can arrange w/ SS to change your hospital. Normally you can change only once a year--if you have any choice of hospitals. If this was your case, discontinuance, and you didn't know about it, then I think you have a good chance of reimbursement.

Yes, if you're in Pattaya your only choice of hospital is one in Si Racha. They have a "clinic" available for you in Pattaya. Ripoff!

[JSixpack]

Yes, if you're in Pattaya your only choice of hospital is one in Si Racha. They have a "clinic" available for you in Pattaya. Ripoff!

Hardly. Siricha is only 20 min away, and if you have an emergency, and to go to another hsp, SS will reinburse at gov't rates--Banglamung is gov't, BTW.

You can live in Siricha if you like. Nobody guarantees you a hospital outside your door. Even if you have BUPA, you might well live further than 20 min away from an hsp that accepts BUPA, no matter that you're paying a much higher rate for a private hsp. Where you live is up to you, pal.

Same in the States. My friends' HMO is with Kaiser. They can live next door to a Kaiser hsp if they want. They live about 30 min away. So they have their choice of paying full rates at a closer hospital or clinic, or of using Kaiser at much lower rates.

I'm outta this thread now. Just wasting time here.

[TerryLH]

Here in Khon Kaen they gave me list of about 8 or 9 hospitals to choose from.

Some private and some government hospitals.

Apparently there was a change in the law in January (12th maybe) that now says that private schools do not have to be in SS. The school , I think, has to offer an alternative, such as BUPA or similar.

If a person is, for whatever reason, no longer in the system through employment, they can sign up to pay into it themselves.

You have to apply in person. There's a very short form to fill out. This has to be done within 6 months from when you were enrolled through your work.

430 baht per month. You can pay several months at a time.

[Zen]

What if I quit work in Thailand and return to my home country. Can I take with me all my Social Security?