Uk Healthcare Benefits For Brits Living In Thailand

[ludditeman]

Me, no insurance of any sort, apart from government compulsory Thai vehicle insurance.

[travelmann]

This whole matter is still very unclear. If for instance I should decide to return to the UK and retire what would be the situation. I am 80 and suffering from a lot of medical problems including cancer and I may not be able to continue the high costs of treatment and medication here. If I turned up at a hospital in the UK, surely they would not refuse treatment. I worked in the UK for 6 years and all the deductions for social security were taken from my salary.. But since I worked less than 7 years there I am not entitled to anything? This is grossly unfair .

Hop in the back of a lorry at Calais and come in as an illegal immigrant................ you'll get everything then. Dont forget to destroy your passport first, this is vital, declare you dont know who you are.

[travelmann]

My friend who is an American was in England on holiday, he got knocked of his bike, he suffered a broken leg and complications,he was treat in hospital in the UK , He told them that he was Insured ,but the Hospital did not claim from his insurers, Thats the other side of the story,Hospitals not claiming from insured people from who ever or which ever County's they come from.

he got knocked off his bike suggest it wasnt his fault???

[Kwasaki]

Why would you want to take advantage of this so called loophole? If you can't afford your medical treatment in Thailand you shouldn't be here. Before the usual band of flamers come on the scene the majority of UK tax payers pay tax via Pay As You Earn, ( PAYE ), what people don't realize is that the welfare system is a Pay As You Go system. In effect, not one coin of your annual tax payment is invested into your personal future. Basically every penny in tax collected is paid out in the same year.

Also before people start jumping about and screaming " I've paid my dues ", very,very few people pay more into the tax system than they take out in benefits over a lifetime. In effect the system is front loaded, by the time you hit 16 years of age you've already ran up a bill of multiple thousands ( sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds ) due to medical and educational costs during that period.

These discussions always end up with some single guy saying that he has paid in more than he has taken out, but they always forget the basic educational and medical costs when factoring in the equation.

If you can't afford your medical insurance in Thailand......bye bye.

There's always one that comes out of the woodwork that implies he's loaded so the rest get stuffed, really makes me feel sick.

Me too +1 he probabbly worked for the government.

And Gamini old fellow get to the UK just laid down outside the airport door and your on your way to hospital.

[Basil B]

Are expats really living in Thailand without health insurance?

Surely nobody's that stupid?!

Surely nobody's that stupid?

[Kwasaki]

Are expats really living in Thailand without health insurance?

Surely nobody's that stupid?!

If your from the UK no need, that's hi so talk.

[Mobi]

Are expats really living in Thailand without health insurance?

Surely nobody's that stupid?!

Since you ask, I did have health insurance, but as it didin't cover me for pre-existing conditions - namely cardiac or diabetic related, it was, at best, of marginal benefit. Then, as you will discover one day, when I turned 65, the insurer quadrupled the insurance premium and I decided it just wasn't worth it for the minimal coverage on offer.

I came to Thailand with my eyes wide open on this and have sufficient funds to pay for most medical emergencies, excluding maybe being permanently on a machine in a vegetative state - but I don't really worry about that....

It is nevertheless worth checking out what maybe available back home, should the need arise and should I be fit enough to travel. As I stated in a previous post, even if I have to pay for treatment on the National Health service, it may still be a worthwhile option.

[roamer]

Are expats really living in Thailand without health insurance?

Surely nobody's that stupid?!

Said with a sense of irony surely ?

[Kwasaki]

Are expats really living in Thailand without health insurance?

Surely nobody's that stupid?!

Since you ask, I did have health insurance, but as it didin't cover me for pre-existing conditions - namely cardiac or diabetic related, it was, at best, of marginal benefit. Then, as you will discover one day, when I turned 65, the insurer quadrupled the insurance premium and I decided it just wasn't worth it for the minimal coverage on offer.

I came to Thailand with my eyes wide open on this and have sufficient funds to pay for most medical emergencies, excluding maybe being permanently on a machine in a vegetative state - but I don't really worry about that....

It is nevertheless worth checking out what maybe available back home, should the need arise and should I be fit enough to travel. As I stated in a previous post, even if I have to pay for treatment on the National Health service, it may still be a worthwhile option.

+1 health insurance is nothing but a con, I claimed once in the UK and the following year the charges doubled and on top of that they said I was not able to claim for further treatment of my previous illness.

[inthepink]

A lot of sanctimonious bo***cks on this thread, mainly from one particular poster. Given the number of people in the United Kingdom that are claiming unemployment benefit / income support / housing benefit / invalidity benefit (whilst living in a subsidised council house) that have no intention of ever working, plus the fact that both my parents worked for their whole lives and claimed virtually nothing, I'll feel free to return to the UK and tell them I'm planning on staying if I should ever wish to take advantage of NHS facilities.

[Kwasaki]

A lot of sanctimonious bo***cks on this thread, mainly from one particular poster. Given the number of people in the United Kingdom that are claiming unemployment benefit / income support / housing benefit / invalidity benefit (whilst living in a subsidised council house) that have no intention of ever working, plus the fact that both my parents worked for their whole lives and claimed virtually nothing, I'll feel free to return to the UK and tell them I'm planning on staying if I should ever wish to take advantage of NHS facilities.

+1

[MAJIC]

Why would you want to take advantage of this so called loophole? If you can't afford your medical treatment in Thailand you shouldn't be here. Before the usual band of flamers come on the scene the majority of UK tax payers pay tax via Pay As You Earn, ( PAYE ), what people don't realize is that the welfare system is a Pay As You Go system. In effect, not one coin of your annual tax payment is invested into your personal future. Basically every penny in tax collected is paid out in the same year.

Also before people start jumping about and screaming " I've paid my dues ", very,very few people pay more into the tax system than they take out in benefits over a lifetime. In effect the system is front loaded, by the time you hit 16 years of age you've already ran up a bill of multiple thousands ( sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds ) due to medical and educational costs during that period.

I still pay tax in the UK, why shouldn't I get medical care?

I paid my 30 years NI contributions, why shouldn't I still get the benefits linked to those payments?

Why do you post such rubbish?

Seems to me you are just a troll, just posting inflammatory remarks.

Exactly . 30 years of NI contributions is important and if you have a property in the Uk as I have and registered with a local Gp , then I am covered

30 Years of NI Contributions,and paying Taxes are not taken into consideration,and the NI part of what you have payed in only counts when you claim your 65 year old pension,which applies to those,who are exempt from now having to work until 68.

The new qualifying period to claim a full Pension is 30 years of NI contributions,any years of NI contributions less than 30 years,will be paid at a reduced rate Pro rata.

There are many on this thread who just don't get the fact,they are officially non resident after Six months out of the Country,excepting those that have retired to Countries that are members of the EEC.

Some posters here have been in Thailand too long,and have no idea how the UK system has been constantly changing in their absence.

e.g I know someone who had been abroad a number of years,and walked into the Jobcentre plus,in order claim Jobseekers allowance,

he was told it is only the last 3 years NI contributions that would entitle him to Jobseekers allowance,and as he admitted to having been abroad for much longer,he was not entitled to claim Jobseekers allowance,because he has not paid any NI contributions in the last 3 years.

Everything has changed,and those that think they can walk back into the UK,and start claiming,are living in cloud cuckoo land!

Google:Habitual Residents Test UK, the information is all there for returnees to the UK!

Sorry too many links to Post them all!

Edited January 2, 2012 by MAJIC

[theblether]

Why would you want to take advantage of this so called loophole? If you can't afford your medical treatment in Thailand you shouldn't be here. Before the usual band of flamers come on the scene the majority of UK tax payers pay tax via Pay As You Earn, ( PAYE ), what people don't realize is that the welfare system is a Pay As You Go system. In effect, not one coin of your annual tax payment is invested into your personal future. Basically every penny in tax collected is paid out in the same year.

Also before people start jumping about and screaming " I've paid my dues ", very,very few people pay more into the tax system than they take out in benefits over a lifetime. In effect the system is front loaded, by the time you hit 16 years of age you've already ran up a bill of multiple thousands ( sometimes hundreds of thousands of pounds ) due to medical and educational costs during that period.

I still pay tax in the UK, why shouldn't I get medical care?

I paid my 30 years NI contributions, why shouldn't I still get the benefits linked to those payments?

Why do you post such rubbish?

Seems to me you are just a troll, just posting inflammatory remarks.

Exactly . 30 years of NI contributions is important and if you have a property in the Uk as I have and registered with a local Gp , then I am covered

30 Years of NI Contributions,and paying Taxes are not taken into consideration,and the NI part of what you have payed in only counts when you claim your 65 year old pension,which applies to those,who are exempt from now having to work until 68.

The new qualifying period to claim a full Pension is 30 years of NI contributions.

There are many on this thread who just don't get the fact,they are officially non resident after Six months out of the Country,excepting those that have retired to Countries that are members of the EEC.

Some posters here have been in Thailand too long,and have no idea how the UK system has been constantly changing in their absence.

e.g I know someone who had been abroad a number of years,and walked into the Jobcentre plus,in order claim Jobseekers allowance,

he was told it is only the last 3 years NI contributions that would entitle him to Jobseekers allowance,and as he admitted to having been abroad for much longer,he was not entitled to claim Jobseekers allowance,because he has not paid any NI contributions in the last 3 years.

Everything has changed,and those that think they can walk back into the UK,and start claiming,are living in cloud cuckoo land!

Try Googling HRT Test,for returnees to the UK,Benefits are for those that are permanently Resident in the UK,some will choose to lie,but they will get caught out eventually,and will have to pay back,ill gotten gains, and may very well face Prison,which has already been mentioned on this thread.

I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance........and another band that wrongly think they are entitled to health care because they paid NIC in the past.........then another band of apologists that just cant stick to the topic, who gives a toss about the workshy etc, they are irrelevant to this thread.

If you are a UK property owner that is irrelevant also, paying domestic rates has nothing to do with NIC.........if you are living in Thailand but still paying UK tax and NIC then you are covered, ( I believe ) by the NHS.

There is no point throwing the toys out of the pram.........the OP is taking a serious gamble.......a gamble that he is almost certainly going to lose. So ask yourself? Are you insured in Thailand or not?......and who is going to pick up the pieces if your not?

ps interesting to note that the first guy that flamed me has now admitted he has no insurance coverage........turn your anger upon yourself sir.

Edited January 2, 2012 by theblether

[theblether]

A lot of sanctimonious bo***cks on this thread, mainly from one particular poster. Given the number of people in the United Kingdom that are claiming unemployment benefit / income support / housing benefit / invalidity benefit (whilst living in a subsidised council house) that have no intention of ever working, plus the fact that both my parents worked for their whole lives and claimed virtually nothing, I'll feel free to return to the UK and tell them I'm planning on staying if I should ever wish to take advantage of NHS facilities.

So your as tardy as the rest of the people you tarnished......thanks for the admission.

On a separate but related note.......does anyone know if you can continue to voluntarily pay NIC while resident here? I remember there was a self-employed code at one point that was cheap, around about a fiver a week......is that still running?.....and would that give you automatic cover when you went back?

[7by7]

if you are living in Thailand but still paying UK tax and NIC then you are covered, ( I believe ) by the NHS.

No; Entitlement to NHS treatment is based purely on residence. If you are not a UK resident, you are not entitled to NHS treatment; except initial emergency care in an A&E department. End of story.

I'm not commenting on whether it's fair or not; but that is how it is.

[theblether]

if you are living in Thailand but still paying UK tax and NIC then you are covered, ( I believe ) by the NHS.

No; Entitlement to NHS treatment is based purely on residence. If you are not a UK resident, you are not entitled to NHS treatment; except initial emergency care in an A&E department. End of story.

I'm not commenting on whether it's fair or not; but that is how it is.

OK, I stand corrected. I would say its unfair if you are still paying into the system. I can understand the government restricting access though, there is a contingent of ex-pats that regard the NHS as their birth right. Could you imagine the pressure that would be loaded on the system if every ex-pat British passport holder could claim access? Then multiply that by their spouses and dependant children? The service would collapse, and their would be riots on the streets if said people got access in front of UK residents.

[chiang mai]

blether - "I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance".

I'm going to have to join the growing list of folks who think that many of your comments are simply wrong. At age 62 I've lived in Thailand for the past ten years and I stopped buying medical insurance during that time. I may have paid out close to a quarter million baht in medical fees over that period but I've also saved at least three times that amount in premiums. My decision, a conscious calculated one that has proved to be a sound financial decision that I would repeat, so let's not be too quick to call people like me idiots unless you know about what you speak.

[theblether]

blether - "I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance".

I'm going to have to join the growing list of folks who think that many of your comments are simply wrong. At age 62 I've lived in Thailand for the past ten years and I stopped buying medical insurance during that time. I may have paid out close to a quarter million baht in medical fees over that period but I've also saved at least three times that amount in premiums. My decision, a conscious calculated one that has proved to be a sound financial decision that I would repeat, so let's not be too quick to call people like me idiots unless you know about what you speak.

So your in the lucky position that you can fund your own medical care.......what about the ex-pats in Thailand that cant? How would you describe them?

There are hundreds, probably thousands of people in that position........what are your thoughts about them??

Edited January 2, 2012 by theblether

[chiang mai]

blether - "I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance".

I'm going to have to join the growing list of folks who think that many of your comments are simply wrong. At age 62 I've lived in Thailand for the past ten years and I stopped buying medical insurance during that time. I may have paid out close to a quarter million baht in medical fees over that period but I've also saved at least three times that amount in premiums. My decision, a conscious calculated one that has proved to be a sound financial decision that I would repeat, so let's not be too quick to call people like me idiots unless you know about what you speak.

So your in the lucky position that you can fund your own medical care.......what about the ex-pats in Thailand that cant? How would you describe them?

There are hundreds, probably thousands of people in that position........what are your thoughts about them??

Without the benefit of accurate numbers it's hard to comment, who are these people and how many are there, what are their ages, how long do they intend to remain uninsured, what's the current state of their health, why are they uninsured etc etc. Health insurance, as in the case of any insurance, is predicated on fear and risk, that's what makes the insurance industry so successful financially. But turn that concept on its head and be prepared to accept some risk and the cost advantage model changes to the benefit of the consumer. For most Brits there's a window of risk between their retirement age and the age of sixty five when they are once again covered by the NHS, if those folks retire here at say age sixty, they have a five year window where, with some good fortune, they may experience good health. If they do not they had best hope their medical condition allows them to return to the UK for treatment or that they have enough funds to self pay.

[roamer]

blether - "I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance".

I'm going to have to join the growing list of folks who think that many of your comments are simply wrong. At age 62 I've lived in Thailand for the past ten years and I stopped buying medical insurance during that time. I may have paid out close to a quarter million baht in medical fees over that period but I've also saved at least three times that amount in premiums. My decision, a conscious calculated one that has proved to be a sound financial decision that I would repeat, so let's not be too quick to call people like me idiots unless you know about what you speak.

So your in the lucky position that you can fund your own medical care.......what about the ex-pats in Thailand that cant? How would you describe them?

There are hundreds, probably thousands of people in that position........what are your thoughts about them??

Without the benefit of accurate numbers it's hard to comment, who are these people and how many are there, what are their ages, how long do they intend to remain uninsured, what's the current state of their health, why are they uninsured etc etc. Health insurance, as in the case of any insurance, is predicated on fear and risk, that's what makes the insurance industry so successful financially. But turn that concept on its head and be prepared to accept some risk and the cost advantage model changes to the benefit of the consumer. For most Brits there's a window of risk between their retirement age and the age of sixty five when they are once again covered by the NHS, if those folks retire here at say age sixty, they have a five year window where, with some good fortune, they may experience good health. If they do not they had best hope their medical condition allows them to return to the UK for treatment or that they have enough funds to self pay.

CM, have I missed something here, that at "sixty five when they are once again covered by the NHS, ". Only I came across this;

"British expats are up in arms over new rules preventing them from receiving free NHS treatment. The new regulations, designed to curb expat “medical tourism,” forbid free treatment to UK pensioners who have lived abroad for six months or more.

That means no matter how much an expat has paid in taxes over his lifetime, he is now on the hook for the cost of any medical treatment at home. Emergencies (such as heart attacks) will still be covered.

The new law is designed to prevent older Brits with chronic health conditions from using the NHS system like medical tourists, thus driving up public spending on health."

http://expathealth.org/country-alerts/uk-expat-nhs-treatment/

Freely admit not a subject I have researched in depth.

[SantiSuk]

Those are very useful links, thank you.

However I don't suppose that if I am taken seriously ill in Thailand, I can just hop on a plane, assuming I'm fit to travel, and get treated on the NHS, unless of course I had maintained an address in the UK and can claim that I am returning to settle.

Nevertheless useful info.

If you have an address in the UK where you have previously been registered with a GP I don't think there are any triggers that get you de-registered (unless you complete the paperwork to stop paying UK taxes). I live mostly in Thailand but return to the UK regularly and I found no difficulty in keeping my GP registration or even moving it when I moved my UK rented accomodation/UK base. I have never seen the need to lie about intending to return to settle - I am honest about living in Thailand but not breaking links with the UK (ie still pay UK taxes.

I appreciate that many expats on here are more dosconnected form the UK than me, but it might stop the semi-disconnecteds from getting psooked by all this talk of NHS crack-downs.

I have also had no difficulty in bringing my Thai + British passport-holding duaghter to the GP's clinic, but they always say that there is some process I should go through to make it legit, but them they waive that and say 'We'll look at her anyway - bring her in".

Maybe there are rules that say I should not be able to do any of that. I'm only reporting what can happen in practice.

[chiang mai]

blether - "I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance".

I'm going to have to join the growing list of folks who think that many of your comments are simply wrong. At age 62 I've lived in Thailand for the past ten years and I stopped buying medical insurance during that time. I may have paid out close to a quarter million baht in medical fees over that period but I've also saved at least three times that amount in premiums. My decision, a conscious calculated one that has proved to be a sound financial decision that I would repeat, so let's not be too quick to call people like me idiots unless you know about what you speak.

So your in the lucky position that you can fund your own medical care.......what about the ex-pats in Thailand that cant? How would you describe them?

There are hundreds, probably thousands of people in that position........what are your thoughts about them??

Without the benefit of accurate numbers it's hard to comment, who are these people and how many are there, what are their ages, how long do they intend to remain uninsured, what's the current state of their health, why are they uninsured etc etc. Health insurance, as in the case of any insurance, is predicated on fear and risk, that's what makes the insurance industry so successful financially. But turn that concept on its head and be prepared to accept some risk and the cost advantage model changes to the benefit of the consumer. For most Brits there's a window of risk between their retirement age and the age of sixty five when they are once again covered by the NHS, if those folks retire here at say age sixty, they have a five year window where, with some good fortune, they may experience good health. If they do not they had best hope their medical condition allows them to return to the UK for treatment or that they have enough funds to self pay.

CM, have I missed something here, that at "sixty five when they are once again covered by the NHS, ". Only I came across this;

"British expats are up in arms over new rules preventing them from receiving free NHS treatment. The new regulations, designed to curb expat “medical tourism,” forbid free treatment to UK pensioners who have lived abroad for six months or more.

That means no matter how much an expat has paid in taxes over his lifetime, he is now on the hook for the cost of any medical treatment at home. Emergencies (such as heart attacks) will still be covered.

The new law is designed to prevent older Brits with chronic health conditions from using the NHS system like medical tourists, thus driving up public spending on health."

http://expathealth.o...-nhs-treatment/

Freely admit not a subject I have researched in depth.

I believe Roamer that the rules are still that those in receipt of state pension and/or ex-pats returning to settle permanently are still able to access NHS services free of charge, ditto anyone requiring initial A&E treatment. Previously the time out of country limit was three months but a green paper recommended that be extended to six months each year before the benefit was lost, unless the person fell into one of the two categories I mentioned at the outset.

[chiang mai]

Those are very useful links, thank you.

However I don't suppose that if I am taken seriously ill in Thailand, I can just hop on a plane, assuming I'm fit to travel, and get treated on the NHS, unless of course I had maintained an address in the UK and can claim that I am returning to settle.

Nevertheless useful info.

If you have an address in the UK where you have previously been registered with a GP I don't think there are any triggers that get you de-registered (unless you complete the paperwork to stop paying UK taxes). I live mostly in Thailand but return to the UK regularly and I found no difficulty in keeping my GP registration or even moving it when I moved my UK rented accomodation/UK base. I have never seen the need to lie about intending to return to settle - I am honest about living in Thailand but not breaking links with the UK (ie still pay UK taxes.

I appreciate that many expats on here are more dosconnected form the UK than me, but it might stop the semi-disconnecteds from getting psooked by all this talk of NHS crack-downs.

I have also had no difficulty in bringing my Thai + British passport-holding duaghter to the GP's clinic, but they always say that there is some process I should go through to make it legit, but them they waive that and say 'We'll look at her anyway - bring her in".

Maybe there are rules that say I should not be able to do any of that. I'm only reporting what can happen in practice.

GP's are supposed to prune their register every twelve months for people who are registered but not seen, they are then required to write to them at their last known address to confirm they are still living there, if they have moved or can't be contacted they must be removed from the GP's register. If the GP doesn't do that he still gets paid by the NHS for having that person on their books so you can guess what happens!!!

[Mobi]

There is no point throwing the toys out of the pram.........the OP is taking a serious gamble.......a gamble that he is almost certainly going to lose. So ask yourself? Are you insured in Thailand or not?......and who is going to pick up the pieces if your not?

Huh! Are you in some kind of apparel universe? I have already stated:

a. - Any health insurance cover would have little or no benefit to me due to my myriad pre-existing conditions.

b. - That I have sufficient funds to pay for virtually any medical emergency that may arise while I in Thailand. By way of example, it is looking like I may need a heart valve replacement which will cost around 700k – 1 million Baht at Bumrungrad, (where my chosen medical carers work). This will be no problem for me although it doesn’t stop me looking into the possibility of having it done on the National Health – and paying for it.

Also, I would never rule out the possibility of returning to the UK to live if my medical situation deteriorated to the point where I feel it might be the best option. I have much family there and sufficient funds to get a place of my own should I need to do so.

So where is the gamble? I have covered all my bases and probably have more options than many who feel they hold adequate medical cover, as insurance is not always what it purports to be – and believe me I know, I spent much of my working life in insurance.

You just seem determined to drive home your prejudiced and ill-considered views regardless of the facts and the circumstances.

Have a nice day and keep healthy – you never know - your medical cover may be declined on a technicality….

[Mobi]

Those are very useful links, thank you.

However I don't suppose that if I am taken seriously ill in Thailand, I can just hop on a plane, assuming I'm fit to travel, and get treated on the NHS, unless of course I had maintained an address in the UK and can claim that I am returning to settle.

Nevertheless useful info.

If you have an address in the UK where you have previously been registered with a GP I don't think there are any triggers that get you de-registered (unless you complete the paperwork to stop paying UK taxes). I live mostly in Thailand but return to the UK regularly and I found no difficulty in keeping my GP registration or even moving it when I moved my UK rented accomodation/UK base. I have never seen the need to lie about intending to return to settle - I am honest about living in Thailand but not breaking links with the UK (ie still pay UK taxes.

I appreciate that many expats on here are more dosconnected form the UK than me, but it might stop the semi-disconnecteds from getting psooked by all this talk of NHS crack-downs.

I have also had no difficulty in bringing my Thai + British passport-holding duaghter to the GP's clinic, but they always say that there is some process I should go through to make it legit, but them they waive that and say 'We'll look at her anyway - bring her in".

Maybe there are rules that say I should not be able to do any of that. I'm only reporting what can happen in practice.

GP's are supposed to prune their register every twelve months for people who are registered but not seen, they are then required to write to them at their last known address to confirm they are still living there, if they have moved or can't be contacted they must be removed from the GP's register. If the GP doesn't do that he still gets paid by the NHS for having that person on their books so you can guess what happens!!!

Yes, you beat me to it. that is how it is done; I know because they wrote to me after I had left the country asking me to confirm I was still living at my last registered address and it was clearly a standard letter issued by all GP's.

Certainly for some people, such as SantiSuk, having property in the Uk and returning regularly may help to keeep his GP registration going and effectively circumnavigate the system.

But the law is very clear. Entitlement to free healthcare has nothing to so with paying taxes, owning property or how many times you return to England. It is based 100% on a non-residence determination, which has been expanied as living out of the Uk for 6 months or more.

If SantiSuk is actually non-resident, (i.e. he has been out of the UK for 6 months), but is claiming free healthcare by convincing the authorities he is resident, then he is breaking the law - pure and simple.

But unlike others in this forum - I don't judge or condemn.

[true blue]

just a pennys worth of input to topic,can a 74 year old get health insurance,under the impression after 65 you are inassurable???.

[exeter]

Mention of 6 months in relation to residence and time out of the country I believe is not correct. When I was looking for travel Insurance last year there was a question which asked have you been resident in the UK for more than 90 days? " answers to this I have lived in the UK since I was born in the 1940's but if I have been resident for the last 90 days, then you can take out the Insurance but you probably will not be covered.

In 2009 when I was thinking of moving our to Thailand for most of the year, I went down to the NHS in Whitehall, I was told that if I spent more than 3 months out of the country I would lose all my NHS benefits!! Most of these would be re instated at the age of 65 however. But its not like you get notice of an illness with enough notice for you get by to blighty is it. It is a problem and the Thai Insurance for healthcare are not good value what I have seen and when you get to 85 they bowl you out, now a bad risk!

Everyone should sort of plan on how to deal with the healthcare situation here, I expect many probably do not have adequate provisions, I am probably one right now, what I intend to do is to build up a bank account buffer, if its not used then its passed on to someone you know rather than a company/shareholder.

But as I have mentioned earlier think 3 months and not 6 months.

[chiang mai]

Mention of 6 months in relation to residence and time out of the country I believe is not correct. When I was looking for travel Insurance last year there was a question which asked have you been resident in the UK for more than 90 days? " answers to this I have lived in the UK since I was born in the 1940's but if I have been resident for the last 90 days, then you can take out the Insurance but you probably will not be covered.

In 2009 when I was thinking of moving our to Thailand for most of the year, I went down to the NHS in Whitehall, I was told that if I spent more than 3 months out of the country I would lose all my NHS benefits!! Most of these would be re instated at the age of 65 however. But its not like you get notice of an illness with enough notice for you get by to blighty is it. It is a problem and the Thai Insurance for healthcare are not good value what I have seen and when you get to 85 they bowl you out, now a bad risk!

Everyone should sort of plan on how to deal with the healthcare situation here, I expect many probably do not have adequate provisions, I am probably one right now, what I intend to do is to build up a bank account buffer, if its not used then its passed on to someone you know rather than a company/shareholder.

But as I have mentioned earlier think 3 months and not 6 months.

You are correct, except, it was three months but a green paper has suggested six months and that is almost certainly what it will become in April.

[theblether]

blether - "I cant resist coming back in again. There are a band of people who are proving they are nutters by not having health insurance".

I'm going to have to join the growing list of folks who think that many of your comments are simply wrong. At age 62 I've lived in Thailand for the past ten years and I stopped buying medical insurance during that time. I may have paid out close to a quarter million baht in medical fees over that period but I've also saved at least three times that amount in premiums. My decision, a conscious calculated one that has proved to be a sound financial decision that I would repeat, so let's not be too quick to call people like me idiots unless you know about what you speak.

So your in the lucky position that you can fund your own medical care.......what about the ex-pats in Thailand that cant? How would you describe them?

There are hundreds, probably thousands of people in that position........what are your thoughts about them??

Without the benefit of accurate numbers it's hard to comment, who are these people and how many are there, what are their ages, how long do they intend to remain uninsured, what's the current state of their health, why are they uninsured etc etc. Health insurance, as in the case of any insurance, is predicated on fear and risk, that's what makes the insurance industry so successful financially. But turn that concept on its head and be prepared to accept some risk and the cost advantage model changes to the benefit of the consumer. For most Brits there's a window of risk between their retirement age and the age of sixty five when they are once again covered by the NHS, if those folks retire here at say age sixty, they have a five year window where, with some good fortune, they may experience good health. If they do not they had best hope their medical condition allows them to return to the UK for treatment or that they have enough funds to self pay.

Fundamentally though it is a gamble, one that you have appeared to win up to this point and long may it continue, but a gamble none-the-less. There are countless stories of people who have lost the gamble and ended up in very very dire straits. If we had to open a thread on the people we knew / know that have taken seriously ill, been involved in accidents or have been assaulted here in Thailand the Thaivisa server would collapse.

Your a switched on guy, you know the stories as well as anyone, including the very unfortunate story of the young guy that was knocked off his motorcycle in Chiang Mai and ended up in a vegetative state. I believe his family had to raise £35,000 to get him an Air Ambulance back to the UK. Can you imagine the level of stress for that family during the 6 months that he was left here while they tried to raise the money?

The concept of being in Thailand without adequate insurance is wrong, all wrong. The consequences can be devastating.

[exeter]

Well as for the comment on refused a pay out from an insurance company I dont trust them an inch, I cannot say I have good experiences with any of them. You give them omey in good faith and hope if anything happens that they will be fair and pay out as well, but they wriggle and squirm and try not to pay out if they can, thats how they make their money. I can totally understand why people dont get involved with them. But, you should put some of your own money asside for a time when an unfortunate event takes place and hope you have been doing it long enough to hedge that bet.

I know of one famous household name who does just that puts an amount of money into a fund rather than into an Insurance company policy, seems to work.