Thailand to require foreign tourists to buy health insurance

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

The idea of simplifying the whole issue into a tax to fund healthcare is reasonable.

How about just keeping the visarun money in the country and basically use fees to fund various health programs for foreigner and Thai alike?

The Thai govt is kissing away all kinds of money to Myanmar, Lao, Cambodian, Malaysian visa runs.

They want a windfall?

Duh wake the F up. Sell visa's and fund whatever. Health Programs, Education, environment.

It's a windfall for the taking.

[ttwitt]

The idea of simplifying the whole issue into a tax to fund healthcare is reasonable.

How about just keeping the visarun money in the country and basically use fees to fund various health programs for foreigner and Thai alike?

The Thai govt is kissing away all kinds of money to Myanmar, Lao, Cambodian, Malaysian visa runs.

They want a windfall?

Duh wake the F up. Sell visa's and fund whatever. Health Programs, Education, environment.

It's a windfall for the taking.

they're funding the airlines and the accounting firms like they are required to do by the corrupt UN.

[super22k]

I got a bill at a Chiang Mai hospital for 5,000 bht. When my Thai girlfriend queried it they said it was for 500 bht and it was a slip of the pen. It is strange how these "slips of the pen" are always to their advantage. I have had to pay for everything medical in Thailand and yet Thais get everything medical free in the UK. This is unfair and smacks of discrimination. Surely,the respective governments can come to some kind of agreement.

Does this health insurance apply only to tourists or to retirement visa holders,too? If someone is very old they will have difficulty in getting health insurance. This could possibly mean they get booted out of Thailand.

[wooloomooloo]

I logged on to Just Giving a year or two ago to donate twenty quid to a fund to fly a guy back to the UK who was in a serious condition after a motorbike accident in Chiang Mai after his travel insurance had elapsed. I'm not entirely certain his insurance would have covered such an accident had it been live, anyway.

Myself and many others saved his parents' having to sell their house to fund an air ambulance.

We can go off topic rattling on about corruption et al, but the bottom line is don't travel without comprehensive travel insurance to any alien nation. It's madness to travel without it.

My travel insurance isn't cheap at £140 per year, but I'm covered for most eventualities, including motorbike accidents. Most of the cheap policies will not cover you for such an event. If in doubt, read the small print.

[JimsKnight]

easy to print up fake health documents from the internet

That sounds like a plan except what if the immigration officials check up on it? Nowadays the internet is a double-edged sword and lieing to a government worker like immigration could get you deported persona-non-grata!

There are how many nationalities of visitors, and the will mostly insure outside the country?

You reckon that an immigration officer is going to have time to check? It basically makes the point of visa on arrival a misnomer.

I think they will for some, not all but if enough people are shaken-down you watch the baht fall out of their worried pockets...

[onflipflops]

The health ministry set up the meeting after Thailand's government asked it to address concerns about the financial burden on the country's state hospitals, which are required to provide foreigners with free medical service, Pradit said.

Free medical services for foreigners at state hospitals.... when did that start then?

Emergency medical services are provided and in some cases people with chronic problems have been treated despite being unable to pay.

In just one example:

Jetsada Jongpaiboonpattana, director of the state-run Vachira Phuket Hospital, said the hospital spent about 3 million baht last year on treating foreign tourists for free.

The cost involves medical services for accidents, emergency care and operations, and taking care of dead foreigners whose bodies were left at the hospital.

The hospital has now set up a foundation and accepts donations from patients to help pay for foreign patients who cannot afford medical fees.

This matter comes up every time this topic is brought up. Those of us who actually pay for our treatment end up paying more for those foreigners who are unable to pay hospital charges.

While it may be difficult to enact and enforce, it's certainly a reasonable matter of concern.

I suppose it can't cost that much. If a big hospital in Phuket states it spends 'only' 3 million baht on treatment for foreigners that can't/ don't pay, I wonder how many hospitals in the country would have a similar expense. Phuket is probably one of the most touristic areas of the country, so there are probably few hospitals that exceed this amount. I actually think that 90, if not more, percent of all hospitals in the country hardly get to treat any tourists at all. Somewhere I read something about 20 million tourists in a year. If they all pay 100 baht, either included in their ticket just like some countries charge an airport tax or just on arrival, then that would mean 2 billion baht. I strongly doubt the costs of unpaid treatments by foreign tourists would exceed this amount of money. No need to look at anyones age, medical past, or whatever.

I might be wrong.

[Time Traveller]

I really dont understand all the negativity on this topic requiring people who are non-Thai citizens to have mandatory medical insurance while in Thailand is actually one of the smarter suggestions that the power that be have come up with.

A lot of countries also require similar things for non-citizens, so this suggestion is hardly a unique requirement in Thailand.

Of course one must wonder why all the negativity and hostility towards a very sensible requirement, is it becasue some members believe introducing this requirement will it it harder for them to get a visa or their ability to live here ?

Because what has someone else's inability to pay their medical bills (not to mention the hospital's own decision to provide free care it can not afford) got to do with me?

It's like someone who allows homeless people to live at their home, then because he can't afford to feed them expects you to pay for them.

Please tell me which countries make it mandatory to buy insurance for all visitors?

Edited June 29, 2013 by Time Traveller

[paz]

I really dont understand all the negativity on this topic requiring people who are non-Thai citizens to have mandatory medical insurance while in Thailand is actually one of the smarter suggestions that the power that be have come up with.

A lot of countries also require similar things for non-citizens, so this suggestion is hardly a unique requirement in Thailand.

Of course one must wonder why all the negativity and hostility towards a very sensible requirement, is it becasue some members believe introducing this requirement will it it harder for them to get a visa or their ability to live here ?

Because what has someone else's inability to pay their medical bills (not to mention the hospital's own decision to provide free care it can not afford) got to do with me?

It's like someone who allows homeless people to live at their home, then because he can't afford to feed them expects you to pay for them.

Please tell me which countries make it mandatory to buy insurance for all visitors?

Cuba, the EU, probably others.

[Time Traveller]

I really dont understand all the negativity on this topic requiring people who are non-Thai citizens to have mandatory medical insurance while in Thailand is actually one of the smarter suggestions that the power that be have come up with.

A lot of countries also require similar things for non-citizens, so this suggestion is hardly a unique requirement in Thailand.

Of course one must wonder why all the negativity and hostility towards a very sensible requirement, is it becasue some members believe introducing this requirement will it it harder for them to get a visa or their ability to live here ?

Because what has someone else's inability to pay their medical bills (not to mention the hospital's own decision to provide free care it can not afford) got to do with me?

It's like someone who allows homeless people to live at their home, then because he can't afford to feed them expects you to pay for them.

Please tell me which countries make it mandatory to buy insurance for all visitors?

Cuba, the EU, probably others.

eu is if you want a visa. Visa free you don't need insurance.

[brianlg]

ANYONE who travels overseas WITHOUT the appropriate Health/Travel Insurance [applicable to their destination] ... OR in fact; even contemplates it ... must be a COMPLETE IDIOT !!!

In fact many countries [including USA] will not even issue a Visa unless you can display proof of such insurances.

Just look at the UK visitor to TH just recently who had a stroke and was hospitalised in Phuket and then BKK [in a coma] costing some 50,000.00 GBP in the first week or two ...

AND paid for by his mates ... ALL because he failed to take out an Travel Insurance Policy which would have cost him 24.00 GBP [ I believe] !!!

Come on guys ... GET REAL !!!

THAILAND and/or other travel destination countries shouldn't have to SUFFER because of your STUPIDITY !!!

[dieter1]

health insurance with mastercard black

sorry , cant find something like this here:

http://www.mastercard.com/tt/personal/en/findacard/credit_cards/black/black_card.html

do "translate" it for me please ...

[chiang mai]

UK has free health care, for residents.

BTW tell me a country that has free health care. Even Canada will cost you money if you are a traveler. If you are hurt int he US you are screwed if you do not have good health care.

I agree that you should either be able to prove you have health insurance or for us that have been here awhile the funds in a Thai bank to support you if you are injured.

Free at the point of delivery. It's not free. If you're a tourist you're expected to pay for all but emergency treatment.

You weren't specific, you simply made the statement that no country offers free health care hence you have been corrected.

I didn't actually make any statement at all prior to the one you've just replied to.

Sorry, it should have pointed to poster Sustento

[thelegend]

Seems to me to be just another way to make Thailand even more competitive with it's competition nations!!!! One could easily and reasonably reach the conclusion that Thailand really doesn't want Tourists and is hell bound on discouraging them. Better the Government take a look at the financial contribution to Thailand made each year by farangs, and then thank Budda for it and do everything they can to encourage it . I am well certain the gain will be seen to far outweigh any cost of hospitalisations by farangs. That said, I do believe in travel insurance, "don't leave home without it ", and must also say I have been well treated in a regional Thai hospital after a motosi accident , as good care as I would have got anywhere, and at such tiny cost as it was not worth a claim on my insurance.

[chiang mai]

Here's the problem they are trying to prevent, for those who think the money involved is only small:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2351637/The-health-tourist-hit-runners-rip--24million-unpaid-NHS-bills-abuse-free-care-non-EU-patients-doubles-just-year.html

[doremifasol]

The only free thing I get at the hospital is the water I drink.

[mca]

Here here to mandatory insurance. When I worked in the hotel trade here the amount of our guests who didn't have either and, when the sh*t hit the fan, seemed to feel that it was the both the hotel's and Thailand's responsibility to dig them out of situation they found themselves in at no cost to themselves.

I just returned from a trip home and the all singing and dancing travel insurance price was negligible.

Basically if you're dumb enough to travel without insurance you'd do the world a favour by staying at home.

With your attitude I wouldn't want to stay at any Hotel you worked at...by the way, If mandatory health insurance is implemented, it could dissuade some tourists coming to Thailand, another nail in the coffin.

Thats OK. With your attitude I wouldn't want you to stay either. The problems we encountered with guests who couldn't do anything as simple as arrange ( what should be a no brainer ) travel insurance and then expect everybody else apart from their useless selves to bail them out and run around wiping their <deleted> for them. We were a hotel, not their parents. What are we expected to do for them? Pay an expensive hospital bill on their behalf because some bloke fell over and broke his shoulder because he was drunk and didn't have enough money to pay the bill? ( Case in point ). Funny how these people brought enough money to pay for the booze that caused the mishap in the first place.

A quick google got me a worldwide travel insurance coverage quote for a fortnight for under 2000 baht. If something like that is too difficult to arrange and pay for then, like I said, stay at home. Save everybody else a load of hassle.

We've got enough expats in Thailand already who have enough trouble tying their shoelaces let alone functioning on a normal, everyday level as it is.

Edited June 30, 2013 by mca

[mca]

Here here to mandatory insurance. When I worked in the hotel trade here the amount of our guests who didn't have either and, when the sh*t hit the fan, seemed to feel that it was the both the hotel's and Thailand's responsibility to dig them out of situation they found themselves in at no cost to themselves.

I just returned from a trip home and the all singing and dancing travel insurance price was negligible.

Basically if you're dumb enough to travel without insurance you'd do the world a favour by staying at home.

O.K. so I'm dumb enough to be here, and pushing into my last quarter century cannot get insurance, especially if you already have a medical record.

I'll pay my fees when I have to------,my home is here thanks and when they make me have the insurance I'll be glad to accept.

When making clever comments think about other persons, Your comments are for the silly sods that have NO thought on the subject and don't care. I DO thanks,

Just pointing out to you that with all your hotel trade experience, have a thought for the not SO DUMB

My apologies. Of course the type of person I'm referring to wouldn't be in your situation. I thought my post was reasonably clear that I'm talking about travelers getting themselves into sticky situations.

Edited June 30, 2013 by mca

[jalansanitwong]

The first two sentences made a lot of good sense then came the third........."we could boost the visa fees with insurance premiums".....stop reading.

any excuse to rip off or inconvenience farangs will be considered here in LOS

you can imagine the sort of medical coverage that would come with it...

Asia is a rubber stamp economy

[mca]

Here here to mandatory insurance. When I worked in the hotel trade here the amount of our guests who didn't have either and, when the sh*t hit the fan, seemed to feel that it was the both the hotel's and Thailand's responsibility to dig them out of situation they found themselves in at no cost to themselves.

I just returned from a trip home and the all singing and dancing travel insurance price was negligible.

Basically if you're dumb enough to travel without insurance you'd do the world a favour by staying at home.

Agree totally.. what other 'argument' is there really? There is just NO excuse for not having any insurance.. my only concern of first reading of the new 'policy' was if the requirement would be to get travellers to buy insurance from within Thailand, meaning a money-spinner and the potential for lots of scamming and cheapie versions.. ARRIVING with insurance already in place is just how it should be.. a no-brainer.. as you say folks without it shouldn't travel.. full stop!!!

Disagreed totally, I choose not to pay insurance company premiums and prefer to pay cash for the services I need this approach has served me well for at least ten years, only people who are scared or forced to pay for insurance.

What if the case were a lengthy extended stay in hospital? Those bills could run up like a rocket.

Edited June 30, 2013 by mca

[Chicken George]

Everything should be balanced in that Thailand makes millions from tourism so has to expect tourists to be able to use their hospital facilities at a fair price and cope with the odd idiot who has no money or insurance. Not make people prove they have or buy insurance on arrival. Also to help the married or retired falangs why not let us pay into their system so as to get healthcare the same as Thais if we should so wish to do so. Certainly not asking for it to be free. After all us expats do pump money into local economies.

[Soutpeel]

Here here to mandatory insurance. When I worked in the hotel trade here the amount of our guests who didn't have either and, when the sh*t hit the fan, seemed to feel that it was the both the hotel's and Thailand's responsibility to dig them out of situation they found themselves in at no cost to themselves.

I just returned from a trip home and the all singing and dancing travel insurance price was negligible.

Basically if you're dumb enough to travel without insurance you'd do the world a favour by staying at home.

Agree totally.. what other 'argument' is there really? There is just NO excuse for not having any insurance.. my only concern of first reading of the new 'policy' was if the requirement would be to get travellers to buy insurance from within Thailand, meaning a money-spinner and the potential for lots of scamming and cheapie versions.. ARRIVING with insurance already in place is just how it should be.. a no-brainer.. as you say folks without it shouldn't travel.. full stop!!!

Disagreed totally, I choose not to pay insurance company premiums and prefer to pay cash for the services I need this approach has served me well for at least ten years, only people who are scared or forced to pay for insurance.

What if the case were a lengthy extended stay in hospital? Those bills could run up like a rocket.

As mentioned in a previous post I know of a couple of couple over the years who were very "financially liquid" and chose the "self-insurance" route...found themselves requiring medical treatment and just about bankrupted themselves paying for the treatment.

The statements made by the poster you are responding to IMHO is behaving irresponsibly.

no likes paying for insurance, but you are very glad its there when you do need it...

For me I think what they are planning makes perfect sense

[chiang mai]

Here here to mandatory insurance. When I worked in the hotel trade here the amount of our guests who didn't have either and, when the sh*t hit the fan, seemed to feel that it was the both the hotel's and Thailand's responsibility to dig them out of situation they found themselves in at no cost to themselves.

I just returned from a trip home and the all singing and dancing travel insurance price was negligible.

Basically if you're dumb enough to travel without insurance you'd do the world a favour by staying at home.

Agree totally.. what other 'argument' is there really? There is just NO excuse for not having any insurance.. my only concern of first reading of the new 'policy' was if the requirement would be to get travellers to buy insurance from within Thailand, meaning a money-spinner and the potential for lots of scamming and cheapie versions.. ARRIVING with insurance already in place is just how it should be.. a no-brainer.. as you say folks without it shouldn't travel.. full stop!!!

Disagreed totally, I choose not to pay insurance company premiums and prefer to pay cash for the services I need this approach has served me well for at least ten years, only people who are scared or forced to pay for insurance.

What if the case were a lengthy extended stay in hospital? Those bills could run up like a rocket.

During the past ten years that I've lived here I've spent around THB 300k on medical expenses including 175k for a cardiac stent. The insurance premiums that I've avoided during that time must be in excess of THB 600k plus I've had the benefit of the investment return on those would be premiums thus financially it has worked out well for me. In going forward: Sheryl calculates that an expat who lives here and self insures needs a minimum of THB 5 mill.set aside for large scale and protracted medical emergencies, I have at least twice that ammount available to me in cash. And today in separate thread we learn that the UK is now going to grant free NHS services to expats who have paid at least ten years of NI payments, in a worst case scenario I therefore only have to get stabilised (if possible) before repatriation to the UK and free ongoing care is a reality.

This point of course is the cue for someone to come along and say, what if you were on life support and couldn't be stabilised etc etc. My response would be that if the world ended tomorrow all my careful planning and funds management would have been for nought, but the odds are that's not going to happen.

[Credo]

Without some statistics about the amount of money it is costing the gov't in health care for foreigners, it is difficult to know the extent of the problem. There are so many people on 'extended' tourist visas.

It would also be important to know the number of people who are the victims of traffic/auto/motorcycle accidents and the costs associated with it. Perhaps, insurance could be included in rental cost -- including accident insurance.

How many foreigners are the victim of crimes that result in medical attention?

[jamhar]

Edit

I took too long to post and someone else already covered the first subject.

But on another note

I could see other countries requiring visiting Thai's to have to get insurance for travel to their country.

It would be interesting to see where all this could lead.

Edited June 30, 2013 by jamhar

[chiang mai]

My second post on this subject

I just spent 7 days in the Rayong City Hospital.

I had a potentially critical condition and being new to TL, it was the only hospital i knew of.

Spent 4 miserable hours before seen by a dr

After that, was quick tracked to radiology sent to the surgical ward,

medicated, observed, and hoped for the best.

In all that time, i saw one other farang. And he left after 2 days with a cast on his leg.

My point is that if there is a burden that tourists are causing to the Thai medical system, I didtnt see it.

And what ever the cost is, is MORE than made up by the billions the tourism spend in TL

Which is where the Thal medical probably gets a good deal of funding from.

The point is that the Tourist already fund the medical system, at least partially

and tourist makes a small population of the patients in the government hospitals

and most of those tourist pay their bill, as i did.

I have yet to see any data that suggest that farangs are a burden on thai government hospitals.

But i've learned that in TL, SHOW is more important than substance

So if there is a perception of a farang problem in the hospitals

This could actually happen. If it wouldn't have an impact on tourism and national image

You're new to Thailand, you've been in one hospital for a few days and you didn't see the problem, does that surprise you and do you expect that minicsule sample to be representative!

If there's one thing I've learned in the past ten years here it's that farangs treat anything that the Thai governement says with huge suspicion, mostly with cries of, "it's not true, they're trying to extort more money from us", My suggestion to you would be to try to slook at the problem a little more objectively, you know from earlier posts that medical toursim is a massive problem in the UK's NHS and you are aware of a series of steps that are being taken to try and eradictae it. You also have an idea from press reports what the broad brush cost of that problem is.

So why not a similar problem in Thailand and on a similar scale, there's shed loads of penniliess deadbeat tourists who come here trying to sponge anything they can and there''s even more people who live here year round but can't afford to, many can't even afford to eat properly let alone pay hospital bills!

For my part I've come across a number of farangs in different circumstances who are just the tip of this problem, one guy an ex tourist police guy in Phuket wracked up several hundred thousand in hospital bills at the International Hospital before using contacts in the police force to get him out from under them, before returning home to Belgium. Another no-hoper in CM years ago did similar and as soon as he managed to get out of the hospital he was over the border and away - talk to the doctors in the larger hospitals and they'll tell you this is a serious problem for them, many people here are inclined to disbelieve it all simply because it's Thailand and that in itself is really sad that individuals can't form their own views without being influenced by the bar stool brigade.

[Rorri]

Of course if I DON'T use the health insurance the cost will be refunded on my departure, correct?

Not likely.

Just another tourist scam.

does you car insurance get refunded if you dont drive your car or your household insurance get refunded if you dont get broken into ?....so cant see how this is a scam

I think the difference here is YOU choose car and house insurance , this "tourist" insurance is forced upon you, so yes, if NOT used, it should be refunded, this would also STOP it falling into the hands of the corrupt.

[skippybangkok]

I think the difference here is YOU choose car and house insurance , this "tourist" insurance is forced upon you, so yes, if NOT used, it should be refunded, this would also STOP it falling into the hands of the corrupt.

Lol, car insurance is no mandatory ? I love the concept, but the premiums will go up to about 2 million baht per tourist per trip

[Tywais]

Of course if I DON'T use the health insurance the cost will be refunded on my departure, correct?

Not likely.

Just another tourist scam.

does you car insurance get refunded if you dont drive your car or your household insurance get refunded if you dont get broken into ?....so cant see how this is a scam

I think the difference here is YOU choose car and house insurance

Not completely accurate, you are required to buy compulsory car insurance by law.

BTW - regarding a previous post on Burmese/etc., migrant workers are required to pay around 1300 baht/year for insurance. So mandatory insurance for non-Thais is not a precedence.

[Rorri]

The health ministry set up the meeting after Thailand's government asked it to address concerns about the financial burden on the country's state hospitals, which are required to provide foreigners with free medical service, Pradit said.

Free medical services for foreigners at state hospitals.... when did that start then?

That is just a big fat lie..... I can go to the public hospitals and get treatment at the same rate as the thai people I guess.i.e. I pay a quite low charge In my case they checked my heart with different machines and checked the rythm and i paid something like 200 baht only... But free - no way

Glegolo

Yes that has been my experience too (I paid the same as locals, although for emergency care they have the 30 Baht card) but private hospitals are expensive. Medicines are almost always the most expensive part of going to a hospital here - the doctor's fee may only be 200 Baht or something (even in a private hospital it may not be that much either) but then don't be surprised if you end up paying 1000 Baht or more just for 3-4 packets of pills half of which you might not need anyway.

So true about the pills, recently I had a persistent cough, so, under pressure from the good wife, love her to bits, off the hospital, now I know in Australia I would have been given a course on antibiotics, here, I get antibiotics and 4 other pills cough suppressant pill, expectorant pill, anti-allergy pill and an anti cold pill. Money money money.

[chiang mai]

You have to understand that the culture here requires doctors to give patients at least four different types of medication otherwise the local patient thinks the doctor hasn't done a thorough job, no joke.