What Happens When A Tourist Goes To A Hospital In Bangkok?

[tubehero]

A friend of mine, from Vietnam, is unwell and wants to go to the nearby BNH hospital in Bangkok.

He said that he has a medical insurance card, issued by a Vietnamese bank. But he does not know if it is accepted by the hospital here.

I have no experience to give advice. Could you pls offer some information? What would happen when a foreign tourist goes to a local hospital here?

My sincere thanks,

[Dancealot]

Be prepared to pay cash. Inform with the hospital he is in now how much it'going to be. Depending on the severity of circumstances the bill could be cheap. Later he will be able to declare the costst at his insurance. Tip: try to get the bills in English. This how things work with foreign(i speak of dutch insurances). I hope you can relieve your friend of this bourdan whilst he seems to be occupied. I hope he will be ok.

[pomchop]

Be prepared to pay cash. Inform with the hospital he is in now how much it'going to be. Depending on the severity of circumstances the bill could be cheap. Later he will be able to declare the costst at his insurance. Tip: try to get the bills in English. This how things work with foreign(i speak of dutch insurances). I hope you can relieve your friend of this bourdan whilst he seems to be occupied. I hope he will be ok.

Cash OR credit card

[stevenl]

Sometimes it is possible to contact your (in this case his) own insurance company and have them sort things out with the hospital directly. Much easier.

[sbergin]

First hand experience. 3 weeks in Chulla hospital, emergency surgery, cat scans, etc, intensive care for 3 days then 2 weeks in a ward. Total cost - 50,000 baht. Paid cash upon 'check out' then made claim in own country. Didn't choose Chulla, that's just where the ambulance took me. Great staff and doctors though and would recommend it over any other hospital here.

Guy in same ward (dutch) had a motocy accident and was in bad shape - in there for a long time and ran up a bill of 600k. He couldn't pay (broke & no insurance), embassy came in, they wouldn't help either. In the end, police came and took him to jail.

[lovetotravel]

I've heard good things about Chula. I'd bet your same visit to Bumrungrad would be 2-4x.

[tubehero]

May I ask what is Chulla hospital? Is it Chulalongkorn Hospital ?

Thanks to all. My friend came to the hospital this morning and said it was a very pleasant experience.

[seancar29]

Have on two occasions needed to visit the Bumrungrad. Once with the wife, for a minor surgery and once with one of the kids.

I have only great things to say about that place.

They asked for payment for the surgery in advance by cash or card and the other time the payment was made after the consultation and medicines dispensed.

We were then able to provide the paprwork to our insurers to get reimbursed.

The cost of the second visit with one of the kids was negligible so we didnt go to the insurers.

[NancyL]

One advantage of going to places like Bumrungrad and Chula is that they have international accreditation and it will be easier to file a claim with the insurance.

Here in Thailand, many of the bank-issued insurance cards cover only accidents. Maybe the same in Vietnam. The OP's friend should expect to have to pay his bill and then sort out the details once discharged.

I find sbergin's post a little unbelievable. How is the hospital going to collect when someone is in jail? Here in CM they'll work out payment plans that involve holding the debtor's passport. Not exactly legal, but at least they work with you on doing 90 day reports and visa extensions.

Edited February 15, 2012 by NancyL

[Dancealot]

First hand experience. 3 weeks in Chulla hospital, emergency surgery, cat scans, etc, intensive care for 3 days then 2 weeks in a ward. Total cost - 50,000 baht. Paid cash upon 'check out' then made claim in own country. Didn't choose Chulla, that's just where the ambulance took me. Great staff and doctors though and would recommend it over any other hospital here.

Guy in same ward (dutch) had a motocy accident and was in bad shape - in there for a long time and ran up a bill of 600k. He couldn't pay (broke & no insurance), embassy came in, they wouldn't help either. In the end, police came and took him to jail.

No kidding? That's hard man really hard!

[Ijustwannateach]

Yes, it is unlikely (unless perhaps you are covered by a carrier which has a presence in Thailand, and your policy is an international one) that the policy will be accepted for direct payment. Most likely you will have to be prepared to pay cash/credit and then be reimbursed by the carrier back in Vietnam, if they are willing to do so. You may wish to verify this will work by actually calling the insurance company (that's the usual way to find out what they will do).

[Gone]

First hand experience. 3 weeks in Chulla hospital, emergency surgery, cat scans, etc, intensive care for 3 days then 2 weeks in a ward. Total cost - 50,000 baht. Paid cash upon 'check out' then made claim in own country. Didn't choose Chulla, that's just where the ambulance took me. Great staff and doctors though and would recommend it over any other hospital here.

Guy in same ward (dutch) had a motocy accident and was in bad shape - in there for a long time and ran up a bill of 600k. He couldn't pay (broke & no insurance), embassy came in, they wouldn't help either. In the end, police came and took him to jail.

To be honest if he lives here he should have had insurance and if he was on vacation he should have took out the insurance plan when he bought his ticket. It sucks when things like this happen but someone needs to pay for the care and medicine etc. $18,000.00 does seem like a lot. He must have been in very bad shape.

[lovetotravel]

Just heard about a friend who was hurt on his scooter and refused treatment by one of the large hospitals as he didn't have the cash on him. Another friend was called and drove him to one of the local Thai hospitals where the prices were much cheaper and he had the cash to cover the expenses.

I don't have insurance, but have enough cash to (hopefully) cover any medical situation. Or at least as much as most insurance policies would cover.

[Sheryl]

The Thai government is getting increasingly concerned about the problems caused by uninsured farang being unable to pay their bills in government hospitals. It is becoming more and more of a problem as many of the retirees here are reaching the age where they suffer from serious illness requiring expensive care. In fact thought is being given to making proof of health insurance a requirement for visa extensions.

No one should be here without insurance, full stop. For short term travellers, travel insurance policies are usually quite affordable.

$18,000 is nothing. I have seen people faced with bills of > $100,000 in government hospitals. Major surgery and a long ICU stay is all it takes. And medical evacuation bacjk home, if you are for example on a ventilator, will also run well over $100,000, so even if free care is available back home you still need insurance here.

I have seen some really awful and tragic things unfold due to people having those types of bills and no way to pay them.

[lovetotravel]

Mandatory insurance is not such a bad thing. I think other countries require this also with a visa, right? Germany?

With regards to insurance, rather lack of, it's also a huge problem in my home country (US). Many have gone into financial ruin due to this. But even with a policy, they don't cover everything and usually have total payout limits, right???