Surgery In Bangkok Without Paying?!

[Mickey Cohen]

Hi all,

I just got surgery in in private Hospital in BKK.

They said it would cost me between 40 and 50k

I had to deposit 25k before the operation.

Once finished they gave me back this deposit showed me the bill, it was 48k but didnt ask me to pay then send me back home.

It has been 2 weeks now and nothing happened.

Can I just not pay? Will I get into troubles?

Thanks for your answers

[chiang mai]

I assume the numbers you gave are not Thai Baht (?) otherwise it must have been a fairly small operation/procedure.

Regardless, if the hospital has made an error and fogotten to bill you you can expect them to realise that sooner or later, if in the meantime you have gone away you can also expect your name to be passed to Immigration for a chat or two the next time you arrive in Thailand. But that fact notwithstanding, I think you need to do the right thing here and stiffing a hospital is not it.

[Mickey Cohen]

The numbers are in THB.

I live here, so I dont go out too often...

They dont have my Passport number and made a mistake when spelling my name. This hospital is really unorganized actually

[Payboy]

You better pay up, just in case they forgot a scalpel or two inside you.

[chiang mai]

The numbers are in THB.

I live here, so I dont go out too often...

They dont have my Passport number and made a mistake when spelling my name. This hospital is really unorganized actually

Them being disorganised is no excuse to rip them off, pay your bill!

[Mickey Cohen]

Actually I was still high from the operation when they send me back home. Of course I wanted to pay but nobody asked me to...

Usually when do they make you pay? Just before you leave right?

[Tywais]

Actually I was still high from the operation when they send me back home. Of course I wanted to pay but nobody asked me to...

Usually when do they make you pay? Just before you leave right?

Many hospitals won't even let you go until you have paid or worked out a payment plan with them so surprised you were able to leave the hospital at all. If you were covered by insurance and the claim went through while admitted than not a problem but from the sounds of the OP you didn't use insurance.

Also, I'm confused about the lack of asking for the passport copy as all hospitals require full identification documents for registering with them. For Thai's it's their Thai ID card, for foreigners it is their passport. I've registered at several hospitals and clinics and every single one required it.

Sounds like you just walked out the door in a daze while they were expecting you to walk over to the cashier.

[Mickey Cohen]

I used BUPA insurance but as I just purchased it, they said It wasn't going to work. I insisted anyway and they did the insurance paper work.

Im fluent in Thai so I just gave my national ID card (not thai) and they were ok with it.

[Sheryl]

I'm with all those who say do the right thing, and pay.

Not paying for a service you received is no different, morally, than stealing. Hospitals pass on the losses incurred from people who fail to pay onto other customers one way or another, so other people are going to have to pay for your freeloading, to be blunt.

Man up and pay. What goes around comes around.

[Mickey Cohen]

Ha thats a bit of a hash answer.

I was willing to pay but nobody asked me to.

Maybe the insurance worked and in this case Am I going to receive a letter?

I was expecting answers on the payment delays, how come nobody asked me to pay etc.... not on moral thanks SHeryl....

[Sheryl]

I was willing to pay but nobody asked me to.

By that logic you could walk out on restaurant meals if the check hasn't been delivered to you. They did ask you to pay by showing you the bill. You were expected to then go and pay that at the cashier.

If you did not sign anything authorizing the hospital to bill BUPA it is doubtful the insurance paid it, but it is easy enough to verify, just call or email your case manager at BUPA (name will be on the paperwork received when you got your policy), explain that you had recent medical care at X hospital and are not sure whether the hospital is being reimbursed by BUPA or you need to pay, can they confirm whether or not they have received a claim from the hospital? (This would also be an opportunity to ascertain if it is true that your insurance won't cover it).

[jellydog]

My guess is that the hospital is billing your insurance carrier. You'll probably be billed what the carrier doesn't cover. If they don't bill you-home free. My only slightly cynical view is that if you provided insurance information to the hospital the ball is in their court.

[Mickey Cohen]

I was willing to pay but nobody asked me to.

By that logic you could walk out on restaurant meals if the check hasn't been delivered to you. They did ask you to pay by showing you the bill. You were expected to then go and pay that at the cashier.

They showed me the bill AT THE CASHIER and the nurse looking after me told be I could leave.

My guess is that the hospital is billing your insurance carrier. You'll probably be billed what the carrier doesn't cover. If they don't bill you-home free. My only slightly cynical view is that if you provided insurance information to the hospital the ball is in their court.

I suppose thats what is happening since I DID sign a paper saying that I have a BUPA insurance. In that case when can I expect the bill and is it going to be a simple letter?

[lopburi3]

Troll posting removed.

[orchis]

Maybe you could contact the hospital to see if you still have a bill to pay?

Edited January 20, 2013 by orchis

[Sheryl]

I was willing to pay but nobody asked me to.

By that logic you could walk out on restaurant meals if the check hasn't been delivered to you. They did ask you to pay by showing you the bill. You were expected to then go and pay that at the cashier.

They showed me the bill AT THE CASHIER and the nurse looking after me told be I could leave.

My guess is that the hospital is billing your insurance carrier. You'll probably be billed what the carrier doesn't cover. If they don't bill you-home free. My only slightly cynical view is that if you provided insurance information to the hospital the ball is in their court.

I suppose thats what is happening since I DID sign a paper saying that I have a BUPA insurance. In that case when can I expect the bill and is it going to be a simple letter?

OK, it was not clear in your first post that you were specifically told you could leave without paying and you also did nto mention having signed something for the insurance.

This does sound like they were intending to bill your insurance.

I have BUPA and in my experience (2 claims over the years, one less than a year ago) , you do not ever get a bill or anything else in the mail.

So if the insurance proceeds to pay the claim, you'll never hear anything...except from BUPA should you ever want to increase your level of cover in which case they will likely insist on an exclusion for whatever condition this claim involved (exclude it from increased cover, it will stay covered under the existing level of benefit as long as you don't miss a payment).

If the BUPA turns down the claim, then only the hospital will bill you.

[Mickey Cohen]

Ok Im starting to understand better,

so following your experience, you didnt pay anything since BUPA covered 100%? And if BUPA doesnt cover 100% the hospital is going to charge me...but how and when?

[Sheryl]

Yes, in my experience I didn't pay a thing as BUPA covered all. (Actually I think the first claim I did have to pay for out patient medication only, second claim there was none).

Hospitals usually contact BUPA by phone as soon as you are admitted or it has been decided to admit you so they would already know the claim was going to be covered. It would be unusual for a hospital not to do this.

If BUPA refuses to pay the claim or for some reason does not pay a large amount of it then I would expect the hospital to contact you with a bill...either by mail, email or phone. Most likely by mail with a follow up phone call.

I don't see any downside to your contacting BUPA to confirm that they have gotten a claim from the hospital and are processing it. Nor to your calling the hospital finance office to ask.

[wpcoe]

Ok Im starting to understand better,

so following your experience, you didnt pay anything since BUPA covered 100%? And if BUPA doesnt cover 100% the hospital is going to charge me...but how and when?

I've used BUPA, usually several times a year, and often they don't pay 100%. (Most of my visits are outpatient, and outpatient coverage is pretty low for high-end farang hospitals, it seems. ESPECIALLY if you are prescribed medication.)

IF they don't cover your charges 100%, the hospital will present you for a bill for the not-covered amount and you are required to pay before you can leave.

The fact that you were at the cashier and they told you you could leave AND the fact that they totally refunded your entire B25k deposit leads me to believe BUPA indeed covered your entire bill. Follow Sheryl's suggestion to contact your BUPA rep to verify, just for peace of mind.

[Mickey Cohen]

Ok Im starting to understand better,

so following your experience, you didnt pay anything since BUPA covered 100%? And if BUPA doesnt cover 100% the hospital is going to charge me...but how and when?

I've used BUPA, usually several times a year, and often they don't pay 100%. (Most of my visits are outpatient, and outpatient coverage is pretty low for high-end farang hospitals, it seems. ESPECIALLY if you are prescribed medication.)

IF they don't cover your charges 100%, the hospital will present you for a bill for the not-covered amount and you are required to pay before you can leave.

The fact that you were at the cashier and they told you you could leave AND the fact that they totally refunded your entire B25k deposit leads me to believe BUPA indeed covered your entire bill. Follow Sheryl's suggestion to contact your BUPA rep to verify, just for peace of mind.

Thanks for this answer!

Ok so this is really weird indeed : I talked several times with the special finance office and they said my BUPA is not valid and I should wait an extra 3 months to "activated" it since I just bought it.

Plus in the BUPA brochure its written that my surgery would only be covered at 25%

So why the hell they didnt ask me to pay anything...?

[Mickey Cohen]

I still didnt get any bill

[Sheryl]

Have you called the hospital Finance/Billing office?

[infinity11]

At the risk of sounding..., i don't know how this will sound actually, and with a tint of humor and good cheer i am compelled to ask this thread:

What would a thai do???

Bwahahahahahahahahaa

(I have not yet read the entire thread)

Edited February 19, 2013 by infinity11