Bupa After Retirement

[Mike45]

I have BUPA through my employer that is an expat policy.

I am covered anywhere in the world that the company wants to assign me. My current job is in Korea.

I don't have any medical conditions now. If I develop them while I am in BUPA they will cover them.

My question is:

When I decide to retire and buy my own BUPA policy (continuing with the same insurance company) IN THAILAND will they still insure me for whatever medical conditions that I may have developed before retirement or will they treat me like a new risk and give me exclusions for whatever.

Thanks

Mike

[ThaivisaInsurance]

BUPA Thailand is a member of the international transfer agreement. As part of this agreement members who currently have an individual policy with an insurance company who is a member of the International Federation of Health Funds (including the BUPA group of companies) may transfer to certain BUPA Thailand individual plans. However as all policies are different it is important that you understand the various terms and conditions as this may effect your decision to transfer.

These conditions are as follows:

1. You have to be normal resident in Thailand. Copies of your passport and visa may be requested when you make a claim.

2. Members must be continuously insured with their current company for at least one year.

3. Please note that if you are currently undergoing treatment under your existing plan, BUPA Thailand will not accept you until such treatment has been completed and you provide evidence that such condition will not reoccur.

4. Members may only transfer if they are aged 65 years and 364 days or younger.

5. BUPA Thailand only guarantees renewal after the age of 70 years provided the transferring has been continuously insured with an insurance company who is a member of the IFHF before the age of 60 years.

6. Irrespective of what plan you choose, you must fill out a BUPA Thailand application form. Please also provide us with the policy number and membership number of your existing plan.

7. For members who transfer to our Personal Care plan or Platinum plan, any exclusions for pre-existing conditions under your current policy will also apply to your Personal Care policy. Any pre-existing conditions prior to joining BUPA Thailand which were not an exclusion under your existing policy will be covered under in-patient benefit of Sapphire scheme only.

8. Waiting periods may be waived in all cases provided that the member has been with their originating plan for one year or more and there is no break in cover.

9. If you are moving from a group scheme to a BUPA Thailand individual plan, you will be subject to medical underwriting for pre-existing conditions.

Finally, the conditions governing health insurance plans can vary significantly from country to country. This can be due to regulatory issues and local medical practice. For example, BUPA Thailand does cover outpatient drug prescriptions whereas schemes in the UK do not. However BUPA Thailand does not cover outpatient physical therapy under the Personal Care scheme. It is therefore very important that you full understand the terms and conditions of the policy before committing to the transfer.

Thai Visa Insurance

[Mike45]

So if I develop a medical condition during the next 10 years of work and then retire to thailand they will only cover them in the lowest plan available the Sapphire plan.

What does #9 mean? When I leave the group plan that they will treat anything i have developed as preexisting condtions?

Edited January 9, 2010 by Mike45

[ThaivisaInsurance]

#7 explains that you will be covered for thecondition but at the 'lower' plan level.

#9 explains that if you do have 'pre-existing' conditions then you will have the same Underwriting conditions as everyone else.

As has been explained before, although the group employment plans sound good there can be serious problems when you leave - especially if you are over 60. Far better to ask the employer to give you an allowance for not taking the employers plan and have your own individual medical plan (and start as young as possible !) Even if the employer does not allow an allowance to be paid there is nothing stopping you from have your own plan i.e. have 2 policies running together.