Dream Job Becomes Nightmare In Koh Samui

[southbot]

You do have to be careful, but for many the cost of insurance here is beyond their reach.

Last year I lost my right leg, it was a long story and several months in and out of hospital.

No insurance, the cost for me is too high due to pre-existing conditions.

I ended up 3 different hospitals here (Samui) and in Haad Yai, it cost me and my wife all the money we had and more again.

We were lucky that several excellent people helped us out in many ways.

But it would be so easy living and working here in Thailand to not just get into trouble in hospitals, but to die in them.

I almost did, very close indeed. Only money saved my skinny a*s.

I had paid my Thai income tax for about 15 years now and I found that the hospitals here and in Haad Yai accepted my Thai Tax card as good enough to give me "Thai / Local rates" which they did.

I met a couple of farangs here and there in hospital who did not have this arranged and who were getting charged much, much more than I was.

So, be careful, be healthy as possible, carry what insurance you can afford and try to get Thai friends to make the hospital understand that you work and live here and pay tax and then you should get the lower rates, not the "insured foreigner" rates.

And oh yeah, and don't mess about with them even if they are really wrong.

If they screw up just cop it sweet or your life may well take a nastier turn that what you got already.

All in all, the hospitals could be worse and apart from the odd greedy and over zealous accounts department twit I think on the whole they do the best they can.

[GungaDin]

You do have to be careful, but for many the cost of insurance here is beyond their reach.

Last year I lost my right leg, it was a long story and several months in and out of hospital.

No insurance, the cost for me is too high due to pre-existing conditions.

And oh yeah, and don't mess about with them even if they are really wrong.

Southbot, your experience is a wake-up call, esp for me, I may have to bite the bullet and go back to Oz if premiums go beyond my reach.

I'll come back every 6 months with "normal" travel insurance as a bonafide tourist.

Please elaborate on the line I have highlighted.

cheers

[screamingeagle]

I can't recall the number of times my insurance company has directed me to the small print and told me "NO"

[t.s]

According to D, the bill included items such as water and chemist's supplies for 10 times the going street rate. D queried the most extreme price mark-ups.

.... and I wonder which hospital that was then? I have my ideas.

given a large bangkok hospital has a samui operation as well, you needn't be a rocket scientist to figure it out

[smokie36]

According to D, the bill included items such as water and chemist's supplies for 10 times the going street rate. D queried the most extreme price mark-ups.

.... and I wonder which hospital that was then? I have my ideas.

given a large bangkok hospital has a samui operation as well, you needn't be a rocket scientist to figure it out

If you haven't got it yet they also own the airport and have a small clinic there should anyone become ill after eating the inflight meal.

[vicco]

A very naive (stupid) young man.

Quote : A Thai resident for eight years, D worked on the island of Koh Samui, taking tourists on underwater adventures as a dive master and scuba-diving instructor.

So he lives here and has a work permit but then admits he's trying to use "Travel" insurance – the insurance company had every right to cancel the policy and pay him nothing.

Exactly right. I was a career Insurance Broker for over 30 years. I have posted on several forums in Thailand giving advise and pointers on insurance matters including medical insurance. Just a waste of time. Expats would much rather listen to the guy on the next bar stool than anyone who actually knows what they are talking about.

Insurance is always too expensive: So if you can't afford the insurance how the hel_l are you going to afford the costs if you get really sick or injured.

I had people tell me I was paying far too much for my own insurance.......ex- bus drivers from places like Liverpool telling me about insurance premiums...

And of course the guys who always shop for the absolute lowest premium on the assumption that all policies are the same---only the premiums are different...

The problem is that they will not listen....they do not want to hear facts.... they just want to hear--what they want to hear and disregard the rest (I think that's from a Simon and Garfunkle song)

What in the world would make this character think that travel insurance would going to respond when he was actually living and working here.....I guess the guy on the next bar stool was his insurance consultant..

My own solution: I buy a high limit (30 million Baht) broad coverage policy with a high deductible (40,000 Thb) per claim. If I get sick it will cost me 40,000 bt but the insurance will pay anything over an above that and the 40K is easily affordable. The premiums are going to increase as I get older so I set aside a fund for medical expenses and contribute to it each month. Hopefully I can afford the insurance premiums for enough years until the fund is big enough....because sooner or later (later I hope) the chances are that I will need it. If I were to develop a serious long term illness or an expensive to maintain chronic condition then I would likely be forced to return to Canada and re-connect with the state health care program which does not exclude pre-existing or existing conditions....It just has a 3 month waiting period to re-join. That would be a last resort but at least there is a last resort. Free advise for those who care...for those who don't....keep the credit cards handy and make sure you have a high limit.

[Nirvana]

A very naive (stupid) young man.

Quote : A Thai resident for eight years, D worked on the island of Koh Samui, taking tourists on underwater adventures as a dive master and scuba-diving instructor.

So he lives here and has a work permit but then admits he's trying to use "Travel" insurance – the insurance company had every right to cancel the policy and pay him nothing.

Exactly right. I was a career Insurance Broker for over 30 years. I have posted on several forums in Thailand giving advise and pointers on insurance matters including medical insurance. Just a waste of time. Expats would much rather listen to the guy on the next bar stool than anyone who actually knows what they are talking about.

Insurance is always too expensive: So if you can't afford the insurance how the hel_l are you going to afford the costs if you get really sick or injured.

I had people tell me I was paying far too much for my own insurance.......ex- bus drivers from places like Liverpool telling me about insurance premiums...

And of course the guys who always shop for the absolute lowest premium on the assumption that all policies are the same---only the premiums are different...

The problem is that they will not listen....they do not want to hear facts.... they just want to hear--what they want to hear and disregard the rest (I think that's from a Simon and Garfunkle song)

What in the world would make this character think that travel insurance would going to respond when he was actually living and working here.....I guess the guy on the next bar stool was his insurance consultant..

My own solution: I buy a high limit (30 million Baht) broad coverage policy with a high deductible (40,000 Thb) per claim. If I get sick it will cost me 40,000 bt but the insurance will pay anything over an above that and the 40K is easily affordable. The premiums are going to increase as I get older so I set aside a fund for medical expenses and contribute to it each month. Hopefully I can afford the insurance premiums for enough years until the fund is big enough....because sooner or later (later I hope) the chances are that I will need it. If I were to develop a serious long term illness or an expensive to maintain chronic condition then I would likely be forced to return to Canada and re-connect with the state health care program which does not exclude pre-existing or existing conditions....It just has a 3 month waiting period to re-join. That would be a last resort but at least there is a last resort. Free advise for those who care...for those who don't....keep the credit cards handy and make sure you have a high limit.

A sound and sensible post.

Nirvana