Prexisting Conditions

[darrenr]

Hi i was looking at BUPA's Platinum care comprehensive health coverage and it states in the remarks section that they will not cover you (will not pay) for pre existing conditions. Is this correct?

I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol ( no heart disease or other conditions),so does this mean i cannot get cover ?? or does this mean there is a waiting period ?

I notice BUPA have an office in Australia so i am assuming they could get access to your medical records in another country ?

[ThaivisaInsurance]

Yes this is correct BUPA will not cover for pre existing conditions - after all look at it from their point of view, if they did accept pre existing conditions they are simply taking on possible expensive claims in the future when you do have to go into hospital.

As always everyone, start your medical insurance when you are fit (and young!) not leave it until you have medical problems.

BUPA - as with any other insurance company - can ask for your records anywhere in the world.

[darrenr]

thanks so i guess for me at 40 it is pointless taking out health insurance in thailand if i have high blood pressure as i wont get it and secondly alot of conditions are related to high blood pressure especially stroke, heart disease, kidney disease etc. So this would mean i would pay about $30,000 baht per year to be covered only for things like back, ortho accident etc ??

2. what happens if you have these pre existing conditions now and then through diet, wieght loss exercise you dont have high blood pressure or cholesterol anymore , then will they insure you as you would not have pre existing conditions at the time of application

3. If you have not pre existing conditions , apply and are accepted for insurance, but later on develop any condition are you required to advise the insurance company and if so can they review their offering of insurance

4. I thought i read in forum where some people has pre existing conditions and had to wait for 2 year waiting period ?

6. Is there any company that insures for high blood pressure ( no heart disease etc )?

many thanks

[kamalabob2]

My family has been covered for two years by "Thai Health Insurance Wealthy Healthy" policies and then for the past two and 1/2 years by BUPA Platinum. BUPA was willing to drop the exclusion of some pre-existing conditions my wife had after the first two years and Thai Health Insurance was not in our case. That was one of the reasons we switched Insurance Companies, that and "value to payment" in our specific case. So after two years my wife did have in patient procedures for two conditions that had been dropped from her exclusions and BUPA approved the direct payment to the Private Hospital in Bangkok and there was no "run around". It pays to contact a native English speaking insurance BROKER and see what health plans they can offer you and the independent Broker can answer your specific questions and send you sample policy details in English PRIOR to you spending any money. There are at least three native English speaking insurance brokers who are often praised on this web forum and it would be in your best interest to contact them for quotes.

[darrenr]

thanks Kamalabob2 for your info

[Somrak]

thanks so i guess for me at 40 it is pointless taking out health insurance in thailand if i have high blood pressure as i wont get it and secondly alot of conditions are related to high blood pressure especially stroke, heart disease, kidney disease etc. So this would mean i would pay about $30,000 baht per year to be covered only for things like back, ortho accident etc ??

In my endorsement they writh:

Any treatment of high blood pressure and its complications such as heart vessel disease, cerebrovascular accident (CVA)

include brain damage from CVA, renal failure, and any related condition.

... and then there are a lot of other exclusions.

But if you have to go to a hospital, you show your card and they will take good care of you.

If you may have to pay something back later, that's a other question.

[toptuan]

What company will cover pre-existing conditions? You're on the wrong planet for this type of coverage.

[Jingthing]

What company will cover pre-existing conditions? You're on the wrong planet for this type of coverage.

Upon the passage of the Obama health reform bill, likely with a few months, all US based private insurance policies will be required to cover all pre-existing conditions.

This planet.

These policies will be expensive relative to Thai sourced policies. Also, I reckon the US policies won't be helpful for expats as they are likely limited to US residents.

Edited January 3, 2010 by Jingthing

[darrenr]

Many companies cover for pre existing conditions in Australia ( albeit a higher premium), i have life and disability insurance and they cover these pre existing.

I have international medical/travel insurance with my credit card , and they cover the pre existing conditions i have , but i have to pay a small premium to get a cover certificate while i go over seas which is not to bad considering the travel insurance is free as part of my credit card.

Obviously things are different in different parts of the world !

[cat5]

I am employed in Thailand and covered by the Thai Social Insurance Scheme (ประกันสังคม) which includes health insurance. When I entered the scheme on the first and second time (between which I had private insurance) I was not asked to detail any pre-existing conditions. Moreover, I had treatment for a pre-existing condition and have never had to sign any paperwork for the said treatment, all of which was done at my nominated private hospital in Bangkok.

Bupa, by contrast, seems to exclude any pre-existing conditions and I can understand why. Bupa is there to make a profit. The Thai social insurance scheme is there to help society.

[Jingthing]

Of course non-profit government programs as well as employer pools provided health insurance are different things entirely from a private insurance policy you buy (or try to buy) yourself.

[toptuan]

OK, I bite my tongue. I was talking about a normal policy. Of course, for the appropriate fee, a company would insure a cancer patient on their deathbed against said cancer.

[jazzbo]

As regards preexisting conditions you are missing the point between an Individual policy from say BUPA and a group policy such as the Thai Government Social Insurance plan which in general is not underwritten i.e. there are no health questions asked of the individual Members... and the larger and more diversified the pool, the better are the rates. BUPA also has Group plans which presumably, if of a minimum size, are non-underwritten

BUPA (Thailand) Small Business Enterprise (SBE)

Small business health insurance for companies with 5-25 employees

BUPA (Thailand) Corporate Care

Business health insurance for company of any size that needs a tailor-made employee insurance

It is simply the insurance industry's reliance on the Law of Large Numbers: The larger the diversified pool of insureds, the more likely that the actual incidents (i.e. cases of cancer) will approach the underlying probability of occurrences within the general population.

[Who, me ?]

I do have a medical plan with Goodhealth

They cover pre-existing condition after 2 years. And they really do, I experienced it!

[Jingthing]

I do have a medical plan with Goodhealth

They cover pre-existing condition after 2 years. And they really do, I experienced it!

That's good to know, but I bet they don't accept all applicants in the first place.

BTW, do you have Goodhealth Thailand based coverage (their website appears to have no English) or do you have Goodhealth Worldwide (which has now become Aetna Global Benefits)?

Edited January 4, 2010 by Jingthing

[Who, me ?]

I do have a medical plan with Goodhealth

They cover pre-existing condition after 2 years. And they really do, I experienced it!

That's good to know, but I bet they don't accept all applicants in the first place.

BTW, do you have Goodhealth Thailand based coverage (their website appears to have no English) or do you have Goodhealth Worldwide (which has now become Aetna Global Benefits)?

Worldwide , and yes it is now Aetna Global Benefits, and I deal with the Hong Kong office (very efficient, by the way)

When I applied, I had several back operations, and of course I mentioned it. They asked a bit more details, such as a medical report, and they approved the coverage, stating that this pre-existing condition would not be cover during 2 years after the enrollment. Guess what? 25 month after I was accepted, I had to go for ... a back surgery! The hospital sent the application, and all documents, and they said OK! 560,000 Baht fully covered, and I did not have to advance any money....

[churchill]

I was told that AIA would cover me providing I passed a stress test - I also take medication for Cholesterol and mild high blood pressure . I was told a 2 month waiting period before cover would take effect .

I have not yet applied but would also be interested if anyone has experience of this or other companies that cover pre-existing conditions

[Jingthing]

I do have a medical plan with Goodhealth

They cover pre-existing condition after 2 years. And they really do, I experienced it!

That's good to know, but I bet they don't accept all applicants in the first place.

BTW, do you have Goodhealth Thailand based coverage (their website appears to have no English) or do you have Goodhealth Worldwide (which has now become Aetna Global Benefits)?

Worldwide , and yes it is now Aetna Global Benefits, and I deal with the Hong Kong office (very efficient, by the way)

When I applied, I had several back operations, and of course I mentioned it. They asked a bit more details, such as a medical report, and they approved the coverage, stating that this pre-existing condition would not be cover during 2 years after the enrollment. Guess what? 25 month after I was accepted, I had to go for ... a back surgery! The hospital sent the application, and all documents, and they said OK! 560,000 Baht fully covered, and I did not have to advance any money....

Can I ask exactly the name of your plan? There are several options on their website. Some offer no cover for chronic conditions explicitly. Also their PDF of Asian network lists only one hospital in Thailand, Bumrungrad. Did you use Bumrungrad?

[Who, me ?]

I do have a medical plan with Goodhealth

They cover pre-existing condition after 2 years. And they really do, I experienced it!

That's good to know, but I bet they don't accept all applicants in the first place.

BTW, do you have Goodhealth Thailand based coverage (their website appears to have no English) or do you have Goodhealth Worldwide (which has now become Aetna Global Benefits)?

Worldwide , and yes it is now Aetna Global Benefits, and I deal with the Hong Kong office (very efficient, by the way)

When I applied, I had several back operations, and of course I mentioned it. They asked a bit more details, such as a medical report, and they approved the coverage, stating that this pre-existing condition would not be cover during 2 years after the enrollment. Guess what? 25 month after I was accepted, I had to go for ... a back surgery! The hospital sent the application, and all documents, and they said OK! 560,000 Baht fully covered, and I did not have to advance any money....

Can I ask exactly the name of your plan? There are several options on their website. Some offer no cover for chronic conditions explicitly. Also their PDF of Asian network lists only one hospital in Thailand, Bumrungrad. Did you use Bumrungrad?

I don't remember, I need to check at home, but I think it is the Major Plan.

I went to the BNH, and I know that a lot of hospitals work with Aetna (Goodhealth)

[junkofdavid2]

As always everyone, start your medical insurance when you are fit (and young!) not leave it until you have medical problems.

Is it really beneficial to get insurance while still "fit and young?"

If you get insurance when you're "fit and young" and eventually get "sickly and old," the insurance company can still opt to either not renew your insurance and/or increase your premium; is it not?

(correct me if I'm wrong...)

[Jingthing]

Younger people typically get insurance through employers. While employed over time most older people develop medical conditions. Employment changes or ends. Then obtaining private insurance that will be useful (or at all) becomes a problem. So the argument buy it when young is incredibly simplistic and does not reflect what happens in the real world.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Jingthing

[jazzbo]

So the argument buy it when young is incredibly simplistic and does not reflect what happens in the real world.

If you are living here in Thailand and you are a Male age 21-35 a basic Simply Healthy Plan Inpatient Only from ThaiHealth (Thai Life) will cost you less than 5000 baht per year... you can purchase one of these plans regardless of whatever coverage might be provided by an employer although obviously you can only collect once for any individual claim... then if something happens with your employer-provided insurance, you will always have health insurance in effect and, as an existing member, you can always increase the coverage levels.

[thaiericsweden]

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is some information on the 2 types of health policies offered by different insurance companies.

Two types of medical underwriting affecting pre-existing conditions:

1. Full medical underwriting policies

a. The majority of health insurers use this method for screening applicants.

b. Medical underwriting requires applicants to honestly disclose all their pre-existing medical conditions.

c. Underwriters will review applications and propose the exclusion wording for the customer to accept.

d. Only in some cases, can exclusion wording be revised at start of policy.

e. Exclusion wording has to be agreed on at the start of the policy, there is very little chance of changing this in the future.

f. Changes to exclusions have to be accompanied by medical reports that are acceptable to the underwriters. There is no guarantee that exclusions will be deleted or changed.

2. Moratorium underwriting policies

a. With moratorium underwriting, after 2 years of continuous cover, some pre-existing medical conditions will become eligible for benefit.

b. Many pre-existing conditions will never be covered by a moratorium policy, such as;

Diabetes.

Hypertension (raised blood pressure).

Hyperlipidemia (raised cholesterol levels).

Ischemic heart disease.

Cancer.

Thyroid disease.

Auto-immune disorders.

Arthritis.

c. For a particular condition to be covered, it is required that in the first 2 continuous years of the policy;

You did not have to consult any doctor for medical treatment,

Or take any medication,

Or suffer any symptoms for that medical condition,

Or suffer symptoms for any related condition.

For those that do have pre-existing conditions, there is hope. A few insurance companies will cover certain pre-existing conditons at a higher premium rate.