Hospital Charges And Medical Insurance Plans

[BKKstan]

I am in the midst of investigating Medical Insurance plans for my wife and daughter(I'm to old,except for an accident insurance package),I have several plans to compare prices and coverage from and I am trying to decide which coverage gives me the best value for my premium costs!

I am not as concerned about the premium costs now,but the wif and daughter would have to continue paying the premiums when I die,that means from savings,not monthly income that dies with me!

One might think that the most expensive plan with the highest payout coverage would be the best,BUT,is it?

I have no idea what an average Major Medical cost would be,so I am looking for others experience with the hospitals,with or w/o a medical insured plan!

I also plan on calling 3-4 different hospitals to query them about the insurance companies and how they handle the plans ,possibly get some specifics about costs,but I'm not holding my breath about getting good info or reliable info ,from them!

Although there are various total payout for major medical,within that total ,there are several maximum payouts for particular services,meds,procedures and tests & labs!

Surgical fees,anesthesia fees,daily doctor visit fees,room and board fees for both regular room and ICU room,OP follow up fees,etc. etc.

Do you have to pay upfront and be reimburshed,do different doctors charge different fees for the same procedures and is there a different charge for cash versus insurance(in otherwords ,would it be cheaper to check in for cash and present the insurance policy afterward?),how does one find an approx average total cost for different illnesses and surgical procedures?

Does anyone have any specifics about their experieces to share?

Any pertinent info will be appreciated to help me make my decisions,thanks!

[12DrinkMore]

That's a whole bunch of questions, I hope that there will be a few decent answers.

I'm with BUPA Blue Cross, Thailand. They guarantee renewal for life if you take out a policy before the age of (60 or 65, can't remember). Only have inpatient care, as IME, a quick visit to the quack or a bit of self-diagnosis and a bunch of bills from the pharmacy is not worth the extra expense of the premiums.

On the single occasion I have had to use the insurance I handed in the card, which was quickly verified and then I did not have to pay cash, only had to sign for the treatment that they gave me. I was also in a more expensive room than the rate the card should have paid for, so possibly paying cash I would have paid more, or BUPA has better rates, or the hospital was prepared to reduce the room rate to fit the card. Never found out, as I had other things on my mind....

BUPA also return 10% of the premium if no claim is made over a year, which is a little bonus.

To find the average cost for operations maybe the insurance policies are a good place to start? They give a long listing of all the various issues that our feeble frames might undergo, with a table of how high the coverage is.

A lot of the doctors/specialists seem to work in several hospitals and also run a private clinic. I suspect, but don't know, that their rates are dependent on whether they are providing the service in a government hospital or a private hospital. Hopefully they do not adjust the level of their professionalism accordingly....

[pookiki]

I would say that BUPA is your best bet with is the same as Blue Cross/Blue Shield in the USA. BUPA offers about five different levels of coverage as I can recall. Check the internet for some of the hospital websites to get an idea of room charges, etc. and go from there.

[12DrinkMore]

By chance I came across this company

http://www.thaivivat.co.th/products_phealth_star.php?mn_subpeople=6

Here is a list of "benefits" versus charges.

http://www.thaivivat.co.th/en/popup_phealth.php

[jfchandler]

For expats, I think higher level BUPA plans and the Mega series plans from LMG offer good coverage and good value...

You can apply directly to BUPA, but I believe you need an agent to access LMG.... And, in truth, having a good Thai insurance broker to watch out for your needs, and to help smooth any issues that may arise with your insurer, is a good thing.

I looked at probably a half dozen or more expat oriented insurance policies in great detail, ended up focusing closely on BUPA and LMG, and then in the end choose LMG because I thought they offered a somewhat better range of coverage... And I've stayed with them pretty much satisfied for the past three years. But, each plan has different features and different coverage levels, so it depends on your needs and priorities. A broker also can assist in obtaining all the information you'll need to compare different policies and their coverage levels.

Both of those policies, I believe, pretty much will be direct pay with most farang oriented hospitals in and around BKK, as well as others up country. Each insurer is going to have a list of the hospitals that accept direct pay by that insurer.

Doctors here do indeed often work at several different hospitals, and seeing the same doc at one hospital can be considerably more or less expensive than the others, depending on the hospital. Many of the farang oriented hospitals have directories of their doctors on their web sites, so it's possible to see what doctor is working in what different hospitals, if you do a bit of research. Of course, you can find the same thing by asking a doctor you may find and like....

Generally speaking, for inpatient care, BNH and Bumrungrad probably are going to be the most expensive, with Samitivej and Bangkok General following on. More moderate priced hospitals are places like St. Louis and Bangkok Christian. Each will have a range of room prices, depending on private or semi private status, and various levels of other amenities...which can get pretty extravagant and expensive at the upper reaches.

Lastly, I'd say, just because someplace is the most expensive doesn't automatically translate into it being the place where you or your family will get the best care. There are many accounts of bad care and practices at the "best" hospitals here, as well as the others, I'm sure. In the end, it probably has more to do with the individual doctor taking care of you than it does the particular hospital...

[Bill Miller]

Just a few notes on hospital experiences.I am officially a "senior" and have a few chronic conditions, and have also had some "accidents" such as an ischemic stroke.

I went one time to a Bangkok Hospital Clinic for celulitis. I told the doc I could not afford to continue treatment and he kindly referred me to a small provincial hospital at a nearby temple. Longer waits, but about 1/5 the cost..

Later referred to Queen Sirikit Naval hospital for more advanced treatment, including when I had my stroke. Ambulance folks didn't even ask because time is critical and they were closest.

Been admitted a few times to provincials and quite satisfied with the treatment.