The No Health Insurance Option

[TommoPhysicist]

MY insurance plan is to produce a government employee.

Another year until my wife graduates high-school, then university, then English teacher (five year plan)

Another 3 years until my daughter graduates high-school, 5 years at uni, then Doctor or nurse (eight year plan)

Lets hope no major illness for me in the next five years!

[JeffreyMcCollum]

I was paying 750 baht a month from my work for 2 years. for insurance. This wasn't covered and that wasn't covered and this I could only go here and that only there and they only covered so much.

Now I pay as I go including when my heart stopped and was in the ER with full work ups and test (and revived to say the least) 2 days in ICU and a single room after that until I was ready to go, and still I paid less this year with all that than when I was insured

I pay all my medical as well as my wife and daughter and dental too and happy to save and pay all on the spot. Saves me !

[stevenl]

I was paying 750 baht a month from my work for 2 years. for insurance. This wasn't covered and that wasn't covered and this I could only go here and that only there and they only covered so much.

Now I pay as I go including when my heart stopped and was in the ER with full work ups and test (and revived to say the least) 2 days in ICU and a single room after that until I was ready to go, and still I paid less this year with all that than when I was insured

I pay all my medical as well as my wife and daughter and dental too and happy to save and pay all on the spot. Saves me !

And that works fine until you run into some real problems (complicated traffic accident requiring multiple surgeries and weeks/months in hospital, complicated treatments for diseases, etc.

Insurance is meant to insure the risk you can not pay for a certain risk, illness, accident, new home, etc., and during time has become more and more 'I have paid 2000 Baht premium this year and did not get anything back, so why do I insure?'.

If you can and are willing to pay for all those things you don't need insurance, but if you can't afford it or are not willing to pay for it, that's where insurance comes in very, very handy.

[isawasnake]

His system works fine if you have a credit card to back it up too, assuming you have decent credit etc. I think credit cards are very under-discussed here. They are there if you need them, as you say, but if you don't need them you paid nothing. The beautiful part is you will have strong negotiating leverage after a major accident or health issue too. They calculate risk when they give you credit, and the risks they take are based on greed. Use that against them as best you can i say. Why the hell not? Meanwhile, the small stuff can be paid for out of pocket, and normally at substantially less cost than the insurance itself. It is just about being smart, some people are too conservative imo and spend money that could go to other things, namely enjoying oneself, but that is just one guys opinion of course.

Edited October 21, 2012 by isawasnake

[CeeBee]

Has anybody found a Thai health fund which you can join if you are older than 65 years?

[thequietman]

A very well known doctor in BKK told a friend of mine that there is a way for expats to be covered as Thai people are after a certain age. He just told him he needed to look into it but did not elaborate. Does anyone know what he could be talking about?

Hope this helps.

I am married to a thai and was told to get myself a yellow book. On getting the yellow book, I went to the hospital and registered myself there. the pue yai confirmed I was living at the address. I was then told that I was entitled to medical care the same as any thai person. If I go now with a small ailment, they will give me the option of waiting and the care is free or if I choose not to wait then a small fee is due. I am under 45. Thats all I know.

[isawasnake]

A very well known doctor in BKK told a friend of mine that there is a way for expats to be covered as Thai people are after a certain age. He just told him he needed to look into it but did not elaborate. Does anyone know what he could be talking about?

Hope this helps.

I am married to a thai and was told to get myself a yellow book. On getting the yellow book, I went to the hospital and registered myself there. the pue yai confirmed I was living at the address. I was then told that I was entitled to medical care the same as any thai person. If I go now with a small ailment, they will give me the option of waiting and the care is free or if I choose not to wait then a small fee is due. I am under 45. Thats all I know.

But what hospital is that? Also, what type of hospitals would that be possible at? Thanks.

[thequietman]

A very well known doctor in BKK told a friend of mine that there is a way for expats to be covered as Thai people are after a certain age. He just told him he needed to look into it but did not elaborate. Does anyone know what he could be talking about?

Hope this helps.

I am married to a thai and was told to get myself a yellow book. On getting the yellow book, I went to the hospital and registered myself there. the pue yai confirmed I was living at the address. I was then told that I was entitled to medical care the same as any thai person. If I go now with a small ailment, they will give me the option of waiting and the care is free or if I choose not to wait then a small fee is due. I am under 45. Thats all I know.

But what hospital is that? Also, what type of hospitals would that be possible at? Thanks.

any government hospital.

[citizen33]

Please read the complete thread. Sadly the last post is not in accord with government policy: if a non-Thai citizen has ever had coverage under the universal coverage scheme (AKA 30 baht scheme) through a yellow book - or even a blue book - it is because some people didn't understand the rules. The only ways to get coverage from a Thai public health insurance scheme past age 65 is (a) get registered with the Social Security Scheme (bprakan songkhom) before age 60 and maintain your monthly payments or ( b ) have a Thai spouse or child who is covered by the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme and gain coverage as a dependent.

Quite a lot of expats register as a patient with their local community hospital and get care for very modest charges but that is not the same thing as being a registered UCS beneficiary.

Edited October 22, 2012 by citizen33

[kwonitoy]

A challenge with self-funding is determining the right amount. One thing to bear in mind is that insured expats will most often choose the most expensive medical care option (such as Ram hospital here in Chiang Mai). When it's our own money being spent, we can be much more prudent and choose somewhat cheaper, but still excellent, care at places like Sripat or Lanna, or one of the good government hospitals where appropriate. And we can buy any necessary prescriptions at much cheaper places than the private hospital pharmacies. Insurance policies often have a 500K or 1M maximum payout. An agent has informed me that payouts over 500K are quite rare. All considered, my guesstimate is that a 2M fund strictly for medical expenses is about right.

I'm 58. Typical basic in-patient only coverage up to age 69 will average roughly 150,000 (less now, more later), ignoring probable rate increases. Coverage from age 70 to 74 is about 350,000 per year at today's rates! It will be more when I reach that age.

12 years at 150,000 is 1.8M. The additional 5 years to age 75 is another 1.75M for a total of about 3.5M outlay.

Zziffle:

Not going to argue with your thesis, but I will give you a real world example that recently happened to me regarding health insurance in Thailand.

I'm a 55 year old Canadian expat, resident in Thailand for 17 years now. I live here and have become a non resident Canadian for tax purposes years ago. As such I don't have access health care in Canada any more. My Decision.

So the decision years ago for me was the same as your's. I choose the insurance options for myself and my wife approx. 10 years ago. Insured through LMG Pacific. Premiums for my wife and I came to about 60,000 baht per year for both of us. Her coverage is local and mine is worldwide due to my job in the O&G industry. Premiums have increased on my 50th birday, last years tarrif was 100 Grand.

Never had a claim and had thoughts like yourself as to going it alone.

2 years ago the wife delivered our child, fully covered in hospital in Udon to the tune of 70,000 baht. Fully paid for no argueing with the insurance company. Good but the insurance company is still ahead, as is their business.

Myself, never a sick day in my life, BP excellent, cholestoral fine, heart and lungs above average on my last checkup.

Last April a pain in my right hip had me go to the hospital.

Had a core decompression done on my right hip, cost 100,000 baht, fully paid for no questions asked.

Late September, the bone in my right hip collapsed. I had since april been researcing hospitals in Bangkok. Decided on VejThani which has a specilast department for hip and knee replacement.

Last monday went in and got a brand new hip, total cost 430,000 baht, covered by insurance except for the implant itself as per policy. About 80% paid by them.

Further checking shows my left hip also on the way out so I'm looking at the same price again in a year or two. Hopefully longer, it's hurts like a SOB for the first 3 days!!!

So to your thoughts about 500k being maximum for a procedure, think again.

Mine was a cut and dried procedure. If your ticker goes south on you the skies the limit.

1m-2m maximum coverage. I have 20m coverage and am thinking of increasing it

I'm glad I had it as it would be harder and harder to get as I age. As for premiums they can only increase the charge 25% ONE TIME for a particular area of the body.

As they say here " Up to You " but I'm glad I had my coverage and wouldn't change a thing now.

Ken

[isawasnake]

^Thanks. Where exactly are these places to get prescriptions cheaper? Maybe this needs its own thread. I have tried nearby (the hospital) pharmacies before, price seems to be about the same, at least with some things.