Choice Over Bt30 National Health Security Office Fee

[webfact]

PUBLIC HEALTH

Choice over Bt30 NHSO fee

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Payment of a Bt30 fee for treatment under the National Health Security Office may be made voluntary, reportedly to save the government's face after the requirement met a large outcry from beneficiaries.

The Bt30 charge was aimed at services outside normal hospital working hours and in large state hospitals under the NHSO scheme, such as those attached to medical schools and Army.

The NHSO policy board yesterday proposed the pay-if-you-want condition while compromising with many NHSO beneficiaries who complained the Bt30 collection was a burden.

Some said patients should not be asked about their healthcare rights everytime they go to hospital. They had to keep saying they belonged to the "gold card" scheme, which was seen as an indication that they could not afford to pay their medical bills.

For general treatment, NHSO beneficiaries do not have to pay the Bt30 fee, a panel source said.

Nimit Thian-udom, an NHSO board member, said the government should provide a contingency budget if the Bt30 becomes optional, as a study shows that Bt1.9 billion would be available if the fee was imposed on all 23 million beneficiaries.

-- The Nation 2012-06-13

[whybother]

Collecting the 30 baht might be a burden, but having to set up the collection processes, and then NOT collecting would be even more of a burden.

[AleG]

Collecting the 30 baht might be a burden, but having to set up the collection processes, and then NOT collecting would be even more of a burden.

Step 1, propose stupid policy.

Step 2, realize policy is, indeed, stupid.

Step 3, implement stupid policy to save face.

[thaicbr]

Collecting the 30 baht might be a burden, but having to set up the collection processes, and then NOT collecting would be even more of a burden.

Step 1, propose stupid policy.

Step 2, realize policy is, indeed, stupid.

Step 3, implement stupid policy to save face.

Actually it's re-propose. They are only doing this because the original 30b scheme was thaksins idea. But you have every thing else correct

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Thaivisa Connect App

[OzMick]

Admitting the policy was a unpopular failure is a great step forward. Now take a look at rice-pledging, credit cards, tablets................

[JohnAllan]

How the hell can they have an 'optional' fee? Either impose it, or scrap it!

Time, perhaps, to consider amending the system to something closer again to the UK's national health scheme.

[khaowong1]

They can't scrap it, it was their glorious former and most probably, current leaders idea.

[Buchholz]

They can't scrap it, it was their glorious former and most probably, current leaders idea.

Another U-Turn in a government with more U-Turns than Sukhumwit from Bangkok to Trat.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=search&section=search&do=search&fromsearch=1

[waza]

OMB!

[webfact]

Voluntary Bt30 collection to start

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Collection of the Bt30 per treatment fee under the National Health Security Office welfare scheme will begin on a voluntary basis on August 1, despite critics saying this might offend the beneficiaries.

The plan was initially founded in 2001 as a Bt30 universal healthcare scheme in which fees was exempted for children, the elderly, disabled people and those classified as poor under an Interior Ministry definition, Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said yesterday.

The fee is also exempted for cases not requiring a prescription, but is preferred where medication is needed, he added. Collecting the Bt30 fee should generate up to Bt2 billion a year, which will be given to all NHSO-linked hospitals as reimbursement.

From August 1, beneficiaries can receive treatment at all times, not in certain hours as specified for gold-card holders, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-14

[otherstuff1957]

So, the 30 baht payments will be voluntary...

Hospital Receptionist: "Would you like to pay 30 baht or get admitted for free?"

Patient: "I'll take option number 2 please"

Hospital Accountant: "This is giving me a huge headache".

Hospital Director: "Just enter them as all not paying... we'll take the extra money and all go to lunch on Friday."

[gand]

The problem is having to account for the money, had it just been tea money, there would be no problem.