Health Insurance For Foreigners Being Planned In Preparation For The Asean Community

[churchill]

Health Insurance for Foreigners Being Planned in Preparation for the ASEAN Community

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Public Health is seeking an appropriate form of health insurance for foreigners, especially those from ASEAN countries, seeking medical care in Thailand when ASEAN becomes a single community.

Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong stated that, following the realization of the ASEAN Community in 2015, more people from countries sharing borders with Thailand would seek medical treatment here.

In order to cope with the situation, he said, Thailand needs to improve its medical services and propose a suitable health insurance scheme as an alternative for medical charges. The health insurance scheme will be carried out on a humanitarian basis, while it must not create financial burdens for various hospitals.

The Ministry of Public Health is seeking an appropriate form of health insurance for foreigners, especially those from ASEAN countries, seeking medical care in Thailand when ASEAN becomes a single community.

Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong stated that, following the realization of the ASEAN Community in 2015, more people from countries sharing borders with Thailand would seek medical treatment here.

In order to cope with the situation, he said, Thailand needs to improve its medical services and propose a suitable health insurance scheme as an alternative for medical charges. The health insurance scheme will be carried out on a humanitarian basis, while it must not create financial burdens for various hospitals.

The Public Health Minister said that the establishment of the ASEAN Community would facilitate travel within the region by ASEAN citizens. Concerning public health, he said, the free movement of people in the region is likely to lead to two major problems in Thailand. The first problem is that certain diseases that have been brought under control may reemerge. These diseases include diphtheria, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and AIDS. [more...]

Full story: http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_news.php?id=6590&a=3

-- THE GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT 2013-01-03

[doctorproc156]

Before any of this should be discussed, all ASEAN countries should have universal healthcare fully implemented to begin with. I know that isn't really realistic for our less developed neighbors, but countries like Malaysia, Indonesia Philippines Vietnam and Laos have to implement it at some point.

[citizen33]

In theory the ASEAN plus 3 countries have signed up to this already, with Thailand providing the secretariat helping facilitate the development of UHC across the region (see below). Of course, that is a long way from full implementation though. The statement in the OP is encouraging, and may eventually help expats, but we need to read it alongside the recent news of cost cutting in the funding of Thailand's 3 public insurance schemes.

FINAL JOINT STATEMENT

5th ASEAN PLUS THREE HEALTH MINISTERS MEETING

6 July 2012, Phuket, Thailand

1. WE, the Ministers of Health of ASEAN Member States, representing

Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of

Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Republic

of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic

of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Viet

Nam, The People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea,

convened the 5th ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers Meeting on 6 July

2012 in Phuket, Thailand, in the spirit of unity and our ultimate goal to

achieve good health for all ASEAN Plus Three citizens. We discuss

progress in implementing joint activities in the health sector, especially

the topic of Universal Health Coverage, share our concerns and express

our commitment to strengthen our collaboration.

2. We confirm that our collaboration shall align with the “ASEAN

Strategic Framework on Health Development (2010-2015)”, endorsed by

the 10th AHMM) with specific focus on collaborative areas that include

Emerging Infectious Diseases, Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and

Traditional Medicine as identified by the 1st ASEAN Plus Three SOMHD

held in July 2011, in Nay Pyi Taw, the Republic of the Union of

Myanmar. We welcome any additional collaboration agreed in future

meetings.

3. We recognise the significant and concrete roles played by the

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) on poverty reduction and universal

access to essential health services to support the achievements of the

Millennium Development Goals. We commit to collectively accelerate

the progress towards UHC in all countries by tasking the ASEAN Plus

Three SOMHD to discuss the formation of an ASEAN Plus Three

network on UHC. We agree to share and collectively build up the

national and regional capacity to assess and manage the equitable and

efficient health systems to support UHC. We concur and will collectively

move the issue of UHC to be discussed and committed at the highestFINAL

regional and global development forum, including the ASEAN Plus

Three Summit, and the United Nations General Assembly.

4. We express deep concerns on the increasing unhealthy lifestyle and

risk behaviours, which eventually lead to the rapidly increasing chronic

non-communicable diseases. We are fully aware that these risk

behaviours relate closely to the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and

need to be tackled through Health in All Policies (HiAP) movements. We

will collectively advocate, facilitate and implement more social and

economic interventions to halt and reverse the increasing trend on

tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and unhealthy diet, as well as

sedentary life style. We commit to implement the Political Declaration of

the High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the

Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases (A/RES/66/2)

based on the targets set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

5. We note the progress made in ASEAN Plus Three collaborations in

the areas of traditional medicine and maternal and child health. We also

note the progress made in the areas of Communicable and Emerging

Infectious Diseases such as the initiatives on Field Epidemiology

Training Network (FETN), Risk Communication, Partnership

Laboratories, Animal Health and Human Health Collaboration, specific

disease interventions including malaria, rabies and dengue. We appreciate

and strongly support the cross-sectoral work for health development. We

strongly support the newly-established ASEAN Plus Three FETN. We

support the effort and commit to cooperate in multi-country studies, joint

outbreaks investigation, contain and control outbreaks of diseases of

regional significance such as dengue, severe hand foot mouth disease, and

anti-microbial drug resistance. We commit to achieve and maintain corecompetency as stipulated by the International Health Regulations (IHR) not later than 2014.

6. We acknowledge the efforts made by the ASEAN Plus Three Senior

Officials Meeting on Health Development (ASEAN Plus Three SOMHD)

in convening the first two consecutive Meetings. We strongly urge them

in maximising the avenue of the ASEAN Plus Three SOMHD to

strengthen current collaborations. We task the ASEAN Plus Three

SOMHD to explore models of technical cooperation such as identifying FINAL

and the matching of health priorities between ASEAN and Plus Three,

including seeking opportunities from Plus Three and other sources for

technical support. Also we subscribe to monitoring the progress of these

identified collaborative areas and identifying new areas of working

together.

7. We recognise the contribution by, and commit to collaborate closely

with development partners, especially the World Health Organization, the

development banks, bilateral development partners, civil society

organisations and private sectors.

We look forward to further exchanges of views and joint collaboration in

health development at our next meeting in the Socialist Republic of

Viet Nam in 2014.

*************

Edited January 3, 2013 by citizen33

[khunbillmex]

It would be nice if they thought of including ex-pats as well. I've been in Mexico for 16 years and qualify [not by longivity] for both national IMSS and state/provincial Seguro Popular. 2+ years ago our twins were born under IMSS in a specialty hospital due to perceived complcations [and there were - my wife was in the ICU fo 10 days] annual cost was under US$125. There was no billing dept to pass as we all exited the hospital. We are selling here [if it ever happens] and moving to KK where I expect no afforable coverage [at least for me]

[fresnoboy]

Health Insurance for Foreigners Being Planned in Preparation for the ASEAN Community

It would certainly be nice ! As to whether it will happen in my lifetime, I have doubts !

[bkk_mike]

To be honest, I have insurance from the office in Hong Kong.

Half the time, the paperwork that I get from hospitals in Thailand (especially for Dental work - regardless of which hospital I've used), is deemed unacceptable by the (American) insurance company, and I end up NOT getting reimbursed.

In Hong Kong, I don't have to pay in advance and ask for reimbursement (except for dental admittedly), the hospital deals with the insurance company directly. And any dental work in Hong Kong for any of my family, I never had any issues with reimbursement.

What they need to do is set up an International process for dealing with insurance claims. - so that wherever your insurance is based (in Asean, or for my benefit, elsewhere too), the hospital deals with the insurance company's local office so that people aren't out of pocket because the documents aren't of the standard required by the insurance company's foreign office.

As for Universal Healthcare. I could see it happening in Singapore. I don't think any of the other countries in Asean are yet at the stage where they could handle the cost of unlimited universal health care. (There isn't the income levels to tax people sufficiently to provide full coverage, or, more importantly, the political will. The 50 baht health scheme is probably as good as Thailand's going to get for the time being, and is the one thing I actually think Thaksin did right (and I am NOT a supporter)... - I know elderly Thais with a pacemaker that they got on the 50 baht scheme, but I think there's a lot of luck involved as to what doctor you see on the scheme.

Edited January 4, 2013 by bkk_mike

[khunken]

The first problem is that certain diseases that have been brought under control may reemerge. These diseases include diphtheria, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and AIDS

The problem is that all except diphtheria, have already emerged in Thailand. In fact, they've never really gone away. As usual, Thai officialdom refusing to acknowledge that problems begin at home.

[stevenl]

The first problem is that certain diseases that have been brought under control may reemerge. These diseases include diphtheria, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and AIDS

The problem is that all except diphtheria, have already emerged in Thailand. In fact, they've never really gone away. As usual, Thai officialdom refusing to acknowledge that problems begin at home.

Big difference between emerging and controlling. Nowhere did he say these diseases do not exist in Thailand.

[hhfarang]

Ha ha, Asean; a group of Asian nations where people can travel freely across borders. Next thing you know there will be one currency, the Asiao. This experiment has worked so well in Europe, it's no wonder they are trying to copy it here...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The first problem is that certain diseases that have been brought under control may reemerge. These diseases include diphtheria, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and AIDS

The problem is that all except diphtheria, have already emerged in Thailand. In fact, they've never really gone away. As usual, Thai officialdom refusing to acknowledge that problems begin at home.

Big difference between emerging and controlling. Nowhere did he say these diseases do not exist in Thailand.

I wasn't aware that AIDS and veneral diseases have been "brought under control" in Thailand.

In fact, from the recent news reports posted here, the AIDS problem in Thailand seems to be worsening lately after the prior government push for condom use and related thing came and went, and no longer seems to be much of a priority.

[belg]

humani-what ? recent visit in day hospital for checkup : only farang paid about 3000 baht for a 3 minute visite with so called specialist and expensive medicine... thai people not paying anything, just signing a paper, not credit card !!!

paying taxes many times what average somchai pays (which is in general 0)