Bt30 healthcare payments to resume: Witthaya

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Collection of the annual Bt30 fee from beneficiaries of the National Health Security Office (NHSO) - the socalled golden card healthcare scheme - will resume, amounting to a total of more than Bt1.9 billion from more than 63 million members, who have been exempted from paying for several years.

Speaking yesterday as the chairman of the NHSO board, Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said the collection could begin in August after a Cabinet approval okaying it was anticipated by June.

The collection of the fee has its critics. A number of beneficiaries say that patients should not be asked about their treatment rights whenever they went to hospitals, as they had to repeatedly say they were under the golden card scheme, seen as an indication that they could not always afford to pay their medical bills.

Sureerat Treemakkha, a leader of the Lovers of NHSO group, said the Bt30 fee, while very small, was in violation of a government policy to reduce or eradicate social and financial division. She called on the government to review its decision to resume collection of the Bt30 annual fee.

The collection of the Bt30 fee was revoked after the military coup in 2006, which toppled the Thaksin Shinawatra government. Thaksin had initiated the golden card healthcare scheme, which had become popular with lowincome earners, who gave him political support as a result.

There are 63,562,735 beneficiaries under the NHSO scheme and the collection would generate a total of Bt1,906,882,050. This amount will be allocated to 9,940 tambonlevel health promotion hospitals each receiving Bt95,703; 25 general hospitals each receiving Bt3,815,560; and 68 hospitals each receiving Bt2,257,125, among other agencies under the Public Health Ministry, an NHSO report said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-12

How can the PTP-led coalition's reintroduction of this expensive-to-collect fee help the poor, as they struggle with a rising cost-of-living, or is this just another 'misconception' ?

What will happen is that that exemptions will be given to the poorest - giving rise to a whole new beaurocracy division to decide who is poor.

I was thinking how do you decide who is poor, then realised only those in dire need would bother filling in a ream of paperwork to avoid paying B30, and then realised that quite possibly people who are really poor won't because they can't.

How can the PTP-led coalition's reintroduction of this expensive-to-collect fee help the poor, as they struggle with a rising cost-of-living, or is this just another 'misconception' ?

Definitely a misconception.

The money collected from these rich people is needed to offset the money lost when the government felt obligated to cut the poor folks whose corporate tax rate was too high. The need for relief by these impoverished paupers who are the owners of these corporations outweighs the needs of the wealthy health care recipients connected to the 30 baht health scheme.

Government Must Beware Of Ballooning Budget Deficits

Another populist policy that is hurting state coffers is the ruling party's corporate income tax cut from 30 per cent to 23 per cent. This has reduced state coffers by nearly Bt50 billion in tax revenue losses this year.

-- The Nation 2012-05-26

http://www.thaivisa....ost__p__5332466

Edited June 12, 201214 yr by Buchholz

So they are going to collect 30 baht from every Thai and gain 2B Baht.

Is that every day, week, month, year or just every visit to the hospital?

And the 2B baht is the gross figure or net after the costs of paperwork and staff are paid out?

According to the Nation above the reduction in corporate income tax this year so far is nearly 50B baht or the cost of every Thai persons visits for over 20 years.

Either some facts are missing or incorrect along the line or the government favours taxing the whole population whilst letting big business off lightly.

Perhaps the lunatics are running the asylum after all.

I think the lunatics have already filled their pockets and are off spending the ill gotten gains and enjoying the good life. The asylum is over run with vermin at present, while awaiting a new headmaster.

So they are going to collect 30 baht from every Thai and gain 2B Baht.

Is that every day, week, month, year or just every visit to the hospital?

And the 2B baht is the gross figure or net after the costs of paperwork and staff are paid out?

According to the Nation above the reduction in corporate income tax this year so far is nearly 50B baht or the cost of every Thai persons visits for over 20 years.

Either some facts are missing or incorrect along the line or the government favours taxing the whole population whilst letting big business off lightly.

Perhaps the lunatics are running the asylum after all.

The 30 Baht last time cost 50Baht to collect

I think the lunatics have already filled their pockets and are off spending the ill gotten gains and enjoying the good life. The asylum is over run with vermin at present, while awaiting a new headmaster.

I think "Wallace and Grommet" from AntiPesto are needed here.