Is There Any Alternative To Bupa?

[PostmanPat]

Hi All,

Looking for genuine advice please! I m 60, 61 in November and just got my BUPA Medical Insurance renewal notice. Last year (60) it cost 22,700 for the Emerald package, the one most people take, I think, but next year, as I will be 61, the annual fee goes up from 22,700 to 31,400!! The irony is that in 3 years of membership I havent made a single claim, being a normally fit healthy guy but problem is, you dont know whats around the corner, do you?

An increase of this proportion just because I m 60 one day and 61 the next is ridiculous and I m not going to pay it!

Questions. 1. They offer a "Ruby" package, one step down, but quite a bit cheaper, 21,700 for 60+ instead of 31,400 but is it enough to cover,say, a medical emergency?

2. Is there any good competitive alternative to BUPA without leaving myself at risk?

Thanks in advance for any advice/ guidance.

[Rimmer]

There is a Supplementary package for around 5k. The Supplement effectively doubles the level of your cover, agents are not happy to push it because of the small commission. I have the Ruby package and the supplement which gives me a much higher level of cover. Like you I am over 60 and have never ever claimed.

[barryofthailand]

Hi All,

Looking for genuine advice please! I m 60, 61 in November and just got my BUPA Medical Insurance renewal notice. Last year (60) it cost 22,700 for the Emerald package, the one most people take, I think, but next year, as I will be 61, the annual fee goes up from 22,700 to 31,400!! The irony is that in 3 years of membership I havent made a single claim, being a normally fit healthy guy but problem is, you dont know whats around the corner, do you?

An increase of this proportion just because I m 60 one day and 61 the next is ridiculous and I m not going to pay it!

Questions. 1. They offer a "Ruby" package, one step down, but quite a bit cheaper, 21,700 for 60+ instead of 31,400 but is it enough to cover,say, a medical emergency?

2. Is there any good competitive alternative to BUPA without leaving myself at risk?

Thanks in advance for any advice/ guidance.

I also have Bupa, and also have the Emerald package which covers up to 500,000 Baht per ilness. I will be 65 in december, and have been with them for six yrs. Yes their are other alternatives, LMG, but at your age, Bupa is the only company that will insure you for life. If you have had no claims, you should be getting a check for 10% refund every yr for no claims. Last yr I paid 35,000 Baht and I got 10% back for no claims. Not really that expensive. Check health insurance prices around the world.

Barry

[MJo]

Plenty of other companies around, you could contact Thai Visa Insurance thru these pages and ask for quotes from different companies. Doesn't cost a thing to check them out.

[Zodiac]

Thanks for this post OP as I am with BUPA and recently got my Platinum renewal and premiums across the board have got up by about 50% which is a bit of a shock.

If you do find a genuine alternative please post the details here, though I have a feeling there is nothing compable for anyone getting to or over 60.

[astral]

I am with GoodHealth in London, but previously I was with Royal Alliance in Bangkok.

When you are talking to the new company be sure to explain your current insurance,

then they will probably take you on "as is" meaning you will not have to start

again with exemptions etc.

[canopus1969]

I am with GoodHealth in London, but previously I was with Royal Alliance in Bangkok.

When you are talking to the new company be sure to explain your current insurance,

then they will probably take you on "as is" meaning you will not have to start

again with exemptions etc.

If one has pre-existing conditions/problems then I can't see any Underwriter taking them on - for why, just to pay out on claims?

[rak sa_ngop]

I also have Bupa, and also have the Emerald package which covers up to 500,000 Baht per ilness.

Barry

This will only cover you for about 12 days at BNH or Bumregrad where it can typically cost 40,000 baht a day for bed and surgical procedures. If you want more cover you need to go with an international policy which can go up to 1 million USD/GBP/euro or more.

Of course the premiums are higher, but do you trust the drivers in Thailand to avoid you when crossing the road on a zebra crossing?

[ADSW]

Hi All,

Looking for genuine advice please! I m 60, 61 in November and just got my BUPA Medical Insurance renewal notice. Last year (60) it cost 22,700 for the Emerald package, the one most people take, I think, but next year, as I will be 61, the annual fee goes up from 22,700 to 31,400!! The irony is that in 3 years of membership I havent made a single claim, being a normally fit healthy guy but problem is, you dont know whats around the corner, do you?

An increase of this proportion just because I m 60 one day and 61 the next is ridiculous and I m not going to pay it!

Questions. 1. They offer a "Ruby" package, one step down, but quite a bit cheaper, 21,700 for 60+ instead of 31,400 but is it enough to cover,say, a medical emergency?

2. Is there any good competitive alternative to BUPA without leaving myself at risk?

Thanks in advance for any advice/ guidance.

Bupa dont pay anyway so save your money , sadly Thailand has a very bad medical system if you are sick and can go home ..DO SO

[exvol]

Hi All,

Looking for genuine advice please! I m 60, 61 in November and just got my BUPA Medical Insurance renewal notice. Last year (60) it cost 22,700 for the Emerald package, the one most people take, I think, but next year, as I will be 61, the annual fee goes up from 22,700 to 31,400!! The irony is that in 3 years of membership I havent made a single claim, being a normally fit healthy guy but problem is, you dont know whats around the corner, do you?

An increase of this proportion just because I m 60 one day and 61 the next is ridiculous and I m not going to pay it!

Questions. 1. They offer a "Ruby" package, one step down, but quite a bit cheaper, 21,700 for 60+ instead of 31,400 but is it enough to cover,say, a medical emergency?

2. Is there any good competitive alternative to BUPA without leaving myself at risk?

Thanks in advance for any advice/ guidance.

Bupa dont pay anyway so save your money , sadly Thailand has a very bad medical system if you are sick and can go home ..DO SO

I'd be interested to know what you mean by "Bupa don't pay anyway". If you had a bad experience with them, could you please explain further.

[monkfish]

Think Bupa is probably the best bet as most other insurances won't cover after 65 anyway.

[alyx]

I am at SFS and I deem it is the best of the best

PM me if you need their contact

[Jingthing]

I am at SFS and I deem it is the best of the best

PM me if you need their contact

What is SFS? Never heard of it.

[tig28]

Bupa dont pay anyway so save your money , sadly Thailand has a very bad medical system if you are sick and can go home ..DO SO

"Bupa dont pay anyway so save your money"

With this kind of comment it is difficult to know exactly where to start but here goes:

Bupa was founded in 1947 and currently provides health insurance and care services for about 10 million people in almost 200 countries.

They have certainly tricked a lot of people! .......... and for a long time.

"Thailand has a very bad medical system"

For an expat with adequate medical insurance ??? ------ surely you jest! Some of the best equipped and staffed hospitals in the world.

[Maizefarmer]

Then again, you could just save the money and make use of Thai State/Gov hospitals. The main regional hospitals like Chula in Bangkok, Surat Thani (in Surat Thani), Korat, Loei, Chang Mai ect ect .... are good hospitals and although you may not have a flash room and European menu in English, the quality of the medical service is as good as it gets in the private hospitals - at a fraction of the price: a week (well 6,5 days to be exact) for me in IC at the Army hospital (Loei) a few years back - the total bill (and this was an IC bed - not a standard room/bed) was just under Baht 30 000 - doctors, emergency surgery, dressings, nurse (maybe I should rewrite that as "nursing care"), meals .... everything.

The IC ward was kitted out as good as it gets - all the equipment/gear was modern big brandname US and European gear. The doc's were great and nurses were awful nice. You will find as well that many of the specialist doc's and surgeons that work in private hospitals in Thailand are also contracted to work in government hospitals.

Nothign wrong with the Thai state hospitals - they are good.

[alyx]

I am at SFS and I deem it is the best of the best

PM me if you need their contact

What is SFS? Never heard of it.

Hey JT

SFS is representing a group of insurance and investment companies offering quite competitive rates and, which is most appreciated, give you a choice

I am not over 60 so I would not be able to answer , but one of my friends is going there this Friday to have a quotation. We'll see then

[Sheryl]

There is a Supplementary package for around 5k. The Supplement effectively doubles the level of your cover, agents are not happy to push it because of the small commission. I have the Ruby package and the supplement which gives me a much higher level of cover. Like you I am over 60 and have never ever claimed.

Rimmer, could you explai nmore what this is? I have never heard of it and just got my BUPA renewal papers, do not see any mention of it. What is it called exaclt?