Group Plan For Reducing Costs

[Boatman37210]

Plan on retiring to Thailand in a couple of years and for any treatment I receive in Thailand I will have to pay cash. I cannot qualify for insurance because of preexisting conditions. Is there a group plan I could join that would allow me to at least receive reduced rates for pharmacy and medical services? If so, which one do you recommend?

Thanks.

[aussiebebe]

Retiring in Thailand will always be semi-permanent unless you apply for citizenship. Your 'retirement' status will be an annually-renewed visa, based on specific financial criteria (as you probably already know, and can read more in the visa forum). It's untrue that you'll have to pay for all medical costs - you could buy travel insurance from your home country if you return periodically and view your 'retirement' in Thailand as an indefinite string of consecutive holidays. Just a thought. You can't join a group plan due to pre-existing conditions, but to minimize costs; you can visit clinics instead of hospitals where you'll pay less in doctors fees and could buy generic medicines.