I was recently entertaining a relative for a few weeks in Pattaya. He noticed a lot of mature and older people and many of whom seemed to be frail and unwell such as with walking sticks and in wheelchairs. He asked me how do these people manage with their ailments and getting healthcare and medicines and doctor treatment. I was not sure how to answer. Do these people have private insurance? Do they use public hospitals? Or do they pay privately? Or do they simply get treatment in other countries or simply do without?

Without being disrespectful looking at some of them around I would find it difficult to see how they could pay much in the way of private medical fees.

I think you'll have to do a survey and ask them, then make statistic based on the answers,

anything else is a pointless guessing game

Me, and most of my friends, self-insure...but we're a pretty cashed-up lot, having retired in out 30's. I always tell anyone who asks that this is a major consideration for anyone considering living or retiring in Thailand. If you can't afford to self insure, you don't belong here. By self insure, I mean having US$ 100-200k liquid in the bank.

For others, I suspect they forgo treatment for minor ailments or treat many things with the cheap antibiotics available over the counter here, without the need to run to the doctor for every little scratch. For major health emergencies, if they can make it back home, the europeans can fob themselves off on their national healthcare systems and Americans on a local emergency room.

One different aspect to this is basic care as opposed to major illnesses. You will get frail as you get older even if your health is OK. How do people manage to clean, do shopping, ride the bike etc. Do they all have young thai girlfriends/wives or is there any form of care that you can buy for a modest sum.

It's easy enough to find people to come in and do things for you for relatively low cost here.

If I broke my leg and needed someone to clean up and go and fetch food etc, I would just get ask the girl in the rental office to find me someone.

As with maids, you may need to try a few before you get one you like, but the same probably applies to wives/girlfriends also.

This is a very good question. And there is no one answer. There are some threads on this over in the Insurance sub forum.

I know some who self insure, others who have coverage from their home country, others who have insurance here and others who have none of the above.

If you've got a major problem (heart attack, major car accident, etc), your insurance costs could easily go over a few hundred thousand dollars.

Health care here is just like in your home country. Some hospitals are good, some not so. Some docs are good, some not so. Some will have glowing recommendations for a doc/hospital, others will have the opposite.

Again, no easy answers.

"He noticed a lot of mature and older people and many of whom seemed to be frail and unwell such as with walking sticks and in wheelchairs."

Frankly, those people flock to Thailand for a bit of nookie because they can't get it anywhere else. Healthcare isn't a concern, but the unique experience.