Health Insurance - Advice Needed

[dagling]

What health insurance would you go for in Thailand? Bupa good? Cost? All advice is dearly welcome;-)

[Tanaka]

This is a rela jungle. Talk to an agent or broker. It won't cost you more. It all depends what you want and how much cover you want and for what. Look at Bupa, LMG, AIA to name a few.

I have LMG myself and AIA for my wife as she is younger than me.

[nam-thip]

Your age will determine whether an insurance company will take you on and the premium you pay.

With BUPA you have to enter before you turn 60.

I'm 62 years young and have medical insurance with BUPA which i've just renewed and it cost me 33.000 baht with no outpatients cover.

I get 2000 baht returned after six months if i don't make a claim.

They won't cover pre-existing conditions so you have to be honest when completing the form as it could affect any future hospitalization claims.

Have a look at the Pattaya expats club web site for information.

Link: http://www.pattayaexpatsclub.info

Once at the web-site click on health insurance.

Edited March 29, 2010 by nam-thip

[thaiericsweden]

Your choice of health insurance is ultimately determined by your needs and budget.

Take your time to compare the offers. The most expensive is not always the best and the cheapest may end up costing you more in the future.

Talk to one of more insurance brokers for a comparison. Brokers don't charge you anything for their services.

Differences between Thai health insurances and overseas health insurances:

International Health Insurances:

1. Higher overall benefit limits, anywhere up to 2 million USD.

2. Most companies have no traveling restrictions except for the USA. You are covered for everything except Pre-Existing Medical Conditions, anywhere in the world including Medical Evacuation costs.

3. All International companies adjust their premiums annually to compensate for continually changing medical costs and worldwide inflation. For well managed health insurance companies, this adjustment can range anywhere from Zero to 10%. For poorly managed companies, the increase can easily reach as high as 25%.

4. The cheapest plan from any International company will pay for a normal private room in any hospital in the world. There are usually no limits for the room rates, just as long as the room rate is comparable to other hospitals in the same area.

5. International Health Insurance plans will pay ALL In-Patient expenses as long as they have been sent an invoice beforehand. It is important that you contact the insurance company before being admitted to the hospital and to make sure the hospital sends invoices to the insurance company to avoid unnecessary delays.

6. As long as you continue to pay the premiums before the due date, you are guaranteed renewal of your annual policy, Certain Insurance companies have limits on the maximum renewal age; others have no limits.

Local Health Insurances:

1. Cheaper overall premiums with corresponding lower coverage limits. Health cover benefits are very generous when compared to premiums charged.

2. Many plans include a range of sub-limits to costs of treatment, such as Surgeons Fees, Hospital General Expenses, Room and Board, Ambulance….etc.

3. Premium rates do not reflect the actual cost of insuring persons at each age group because premium rates are not adjusted annually to compensate for changing medical costs and inflation.

4. Renewal Premium rates are not guaranteed. If you are a healthy person with no claims, you can expect to pay the same premiums as other persons in your age group. If you are sick and have claims that have cost the insurance company money, your renewal premiums will be loaded by a percentage based on the size of the claims incurred by the Insurance Company. These loadings can range anywhere from 10% to 100% and are applied each year as a factor to the basic premium you pay. In later years, these loadings are compounded for each significant claim paid by the Insurance Co.

5. Renewal of your Local Health Insurance is not automatic. The policy is year by year. If the Insurance Company decides not to renew your policy, they have the right to refuse renewal. This is allowed by the Office of Insurance Commission.

6. Local Health Insurance companies include a 30 day waiting period at the start of the policy for illness claims. There is no waiting period for Accident claims. There is also a 6 month waiting period for a few medical conditions, see list below.

i. Benign or malignant tumor, cancer, polyps or cysts.

ii. Hemorrhoid.

iii. Hernias.

iv. Pterygium, pinguecula or cataract.

v. Tonsilectomy or adenoidectomy

vi. Stones

vii. Endormetriosis.

viii. Varicose veins.

ix. Hallux valgus.

x. Ganglion.

Edited July 26, 2010 by thaiericsweden