Moving To Ubon

[retiredaamt]

My wife and I will be moving from Chiang Mai to Ubon in early December and am trying to get some information on the hospital situation in Ubon. I see that there are three private hospitals, Rajavej, Ubonrak and Roamklao. Which of the three is the best to use for a American veteran with Tricare only? Wife has relatives in town and in Sisaket so shopping and things to see are not a problem. Being a former VFW Service Officer, and currently an assistant SO, I personally have talked to Rajavej and Ubonrak about the use of Tricare and the VA FMP programs. Ubonrak didn't seem interested, will only furnish billing and Doc. reports in English. Pay as you go. Rajavej was very interested and I gave them names and numbers to inquire about Tricare and VA billing.

My goal is to have one or more hospitals to do self-billing for Tricare in-patient billing and full billing for VA Service Connected treatments.

I wondered a little, back to my orginal question, which of the three hospitals is better, price and service wise.

[elwood]

Sorry I haven't a clue as to what Tricare is, but no doubt others will help you on that. I can only say that I have had good service from both Rajavet and Ubonrak over the past 16 years - don't know anything about Roamklao - not only for myself but various members of the family too. I believe that Rajavet is cheaper overall.

Incidentally, the government hospital here, Saphasit, often receives favourable comments from local expats, as do Ubonrak and Rajavet. No doubt there will be negative comments, as there would be for any hospital worldwide, but I can only go by my and my family's treatments.

Good luck and welcome to Ubon.

Edited September 30, 2012 by elwood

[retiredaamt]

Sorry I haven't a clue as to what Tricare is, but no doubt others will help you on that. I can only say that I have had good service from both Rajavet and Ubonrak over the past 16 years - don't know anything about Roamklao - not only for myself but various members of the family too. I believe that Rajavet is cheaper overall.

Incidentally, the government hospital here, Saphasit, often receives favourable comments from local expats, as do Ubonrak and Rajavet. No doubt there will be negative comments, as there would be for any hospital worldwide, but I can only go by my and my family's treatments.

Good luck and welcome to Ubon.

Thank you elwood. Tricare is the insurance program for the US Military Retiree's. VA FMP is for veteran's that served, did not retire, but have disabilities attributed to their military service. Medical treatment for VA disbilities is fully covered by the Veteran's Administration. Thank you for your reply.

Any American Veteran that has any questions about their and spouse's benefits can PM me.

[NeverSure]

Sorry I haven't a clue as to what Tricare is, but no doubt others will help you on that. I can only say that I have had good service from both Rajavet and Ubonrak over the past 16 years - don't know anything about Roamklao - not only for myself but various members of the family too. I believe that Rajavet is cheaper overall.

Incidentally, the government hospital here, Saphasit, often receives favourable comments from local expats, as do Ubonrak and Rajavet. No doubt there will be negative comments, as there would be for any hospital worldwide, but I can only go by my and my family's treatments.

Good luck and welcome to Ubon.

Thank you elwood. Tricare is the insurance program for the US Military Retiree's. VA FMP is for veteran's that served, did not retire, but have disabilities attributed to their military service. Medical treatment for VA disbilities is fully covered by the Veteran's Administration. Thank you for your reply.

Any American Veteran that has any questions about their and spouse's benefits can PM me.

Thank you for your service.

I know nothing about care in Ubon, but just wanted to put in a good word for vets and for VA. My dad is alive and well at 95 and is a veteran of WWII including D-Day, through France and to The Battle of the Bulge where he was wounded. He spent 6 months in the hospital back then.

I don't know what we would have done without VA. They cover his hearing aids, medical, etc. and send him a check for about $1,600 every month for disability.

I do have a problem with anyone who just mooches off any government, but I don't think we can do enough for our vets, wounded or not. Once they sign that blank check pledging their lives so that the rest of us can sleep well at night, I owe them all in a big way.

Good luck getting it sorted out in Ubon.

[retiredaamt]

Sorry I haven't a clue as to what Tricare is, but no doubt others will help you on that. I can only say that I have had good service from both Rajavet and Ubonrak over the past 16 years - don't know anything about Roamklao - not only for myself but various members of the family too. I believe that Rajavet is cheaper overall.

Incidentally, the government hospital here, Saphasit, often receives favourable comments from local expats, as do Ubonrak and Rajavet. No doubt there will be negative comments, as there would be for any hospital worldwide, but I can only go by my and my family's treatments.

Good luck and welcome to Ubon.

Thank you elwood. Tricare is the insurance program for the US Military Retiree's. VA FMP is for veteran's that served, did not retire, but have disabilities attributed to their military service. Medical treatment for VA disbilities is fully covered by the Veteran's Administration. Thank you for your reply.

Any American Veteran that has any questions about their and spouse's benefits can PM me.

Thank you for your service.

I know nothing about care in Ubon, but just wanted to put in a good word for vets and for VA. My dad is alive and well at 95 and is a veteran of WWII including D-Day, through France and to The Battle of the Bulge where he was wounded. He spent 6 months in the hospital back then.

I don't know what we would have done without VA. They cover his hearing aids, medical, etc. and send him a check for about $1,600 every month for disability.

I do have a problem with anyone who just mooches off any government, but I don't think we can do enough for our vets, wounded or not. Once they sign that blank check pledging their lives so that the rest of us can sleep well at night, I owe them all in a big way.

Good luck getting it sorted out in Ubon.

NeverSure, Thank you for your reply. I agree with you 100%. Please convey my appreciation to your Dad for his service. There are many Vets, wives, widows and dependant children living here in Thailand that do not know what they are entitled to and do not know how to get their benefits. I try to help as best I can with paperwork, filing their claims and providing as much information as I can. Hopefully I will be able to help some. Medical is the only concern I have in Ubon. I know my way around pretty much. Getting settled into the new house is my big concern at the moment.

Again, thank you and your dad.

[NeverSure]

NeverSure, Thank you for your reply. I agree with you 100%. Please convey my appreciation to your Dad for his service. There are many Vets, wives, widows and dependant children living here in Thailand that do not know what they are entitled to and do not know how to get their benefits. I try to help as best I can with paperwork, filing their claims and providing as much information as I can. Hopefully I will be able to help some. Medical is the only concern I have in Ubon. I know my way around pretty much. Getting settled into the new house is my big concern at the moment.

Again, thank you and your dad.

I think it's awesome that you help people. Case in point. My dad has a purple heart and a bronze star even though he was just a drafted PFC. He was almost 90 before someone smarter than we are figured out that he was entitled to about 3x the disability payments he had been getting since the 40's. No one ever applied for benefits for his hearing loss, for instance. When that first check for about $1600 came, added to his SS check, it changed all of our lives.

And yes, I will pass along your thanks to him. Last Memorial Day the paper in the nearest large town did a big spread on him on the front page with color pictures. They took pictures of him and his medals. It really touched all of us. There aren't many like him left.

Edited October 2, 2012 by NeverSure

[NeverSure]

Double post.

Edited October 2, 2012 by NeverSure

[kdc1899]

I didn't think Tri-Care worked outside of U.S. Possesions. You could fly Phillipine Air to Guam if something expensive was on the horizon but the paid in full cost of medical care in Thailand is similar to your Tri-Care CoPay. The Base hospitals in Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, etc should also be available to you but in Guam your Tri-Care will work in a non military healthcare facility.

The government hospital in Ubon (Sappasit) is hands down the most competent digs in town. You won't have some sweet thang serving you tea and you won't be in and out in 30 minutes but you will be attended to by folks who have the same or better credentials than the fashionable doctors in the other three. All my kids were born there. All the clinics the wife and kids go to are staffed by Sappasit doctors (most staff doctors in any Thai hospital have off site private clinics).

[retiredaamt]

I didn't think Tri-Care worked outside of U.S. Possesions. You could fly Phillipine Air to Guam if something expensive was on the horizon but the paid in full cost of medical care in Thailand is similar to your Tri-Care CoPay. The Base hospitals in Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, etc should also be available to you but in Guam your Tri-Care will work in a non military healthcare facility.

The government hospital in Ubon (Sappasit) is hands down the most competent digs in town. You won't have some sweet thang serving you tea and you won't be in and out in 30 minutes but you will be attended to by folks who have the same or better credentials than the fashionable doctors in the other three. All my kids were born there. All the clinics the wife and kids go to are staffed by Sappasit doctors (most staff doctors in any Thai hospital have off site private clinics).

kdc 1899, Do I ever need to talk to you. First off are you retired military or veteran with disabilities from the VA? What is your age, are you over 65? Depending on which you are depends on what you get. Tricare and VA work worldwide. In most cases, yes you have to pay the hospital up front for your medical treatment here in Thailand. VA will only pay for Service Connected Disabilities. But you file a claim with Tricare or The VA for reimbursement which can be done online. I can assist you in setting it up. Here in Chiang Mai, Chiang Ram hospital will file claims for you through Tricare if you were a inpatient. They will also file VA claims through the VA's Forieng Medical Program, FMP, of which you have to be registered. I can help with that also. You only pay the 25% of the bill. The hospital files for the rest. Outpatient you pay up front and then file. All bills and doctor reports are in English. I have talked with several hospitals in Ubon and am trying to get them to work the same as Chiang Mai Ram. Rajavej was the most receptive. They want to get involved with Tricare and VA filing. I gave them names and numbers to call to get all the info they needed. They have my name and number if they have any questions they want me to answer. I will PM you with my name, phone number and email address so you may contact me and I can answer your questions. Tricare has just changed their one (1) year claim limit to three (3) years. So if you have old bill you may be able to get some of your money back. Just make sure they are in English. If not, go to the hospital and ask them to do them in English. Anyone may PM me and I will answer any questions they may have. I do not do this for any fees. I am a retired Vet that wants to help other Vet's no matter what branch of service..