Public Health Ministry to ask Thai govt to collect entry fees from foreigners

[ginjag]

My friend has just flown back to the UK for an operation, only having spent 1 out of 4 weeks. He went to AEK hospital in Udon, they charged him 20,000 bht deposit before treatment, saw 3 doctors--ex rays etc,

how can they treat people who don't pay, when you have to pay in advance ?? no uniformity.

Your friend went in for non-emergency treatment.

I'd like to think that if I, or someone I cared about were brought unconscious into a hospital after a car wreck, they'd treat me first, then I'd make restitution later.

I'm sure some of the unconscious foreign victims can't pay after their lives have been saved.

I doubt the 500 baht plan is designed to cover non-emergency cases like your friend anyway.

My friend went in AEU emergency-thrombosis, if he couldn't pay I would have to.

There are the cases you talk about, passport-ID driving license, and can re-coup later in majority of cases, the minority we are talking about---that is a small % and I am one NOT to believe the stats of UNPAID.

All longstayers, over say 90 days shout be charged a insurance fee, regardless of age---win some lose some-but no loss, insurance works that way.

My take on this is bad hospital management -underfunded by government-and blame a big loss on tourist ex pats etc.

[impulse]

My friend has just flown back to the UK for an operation, only having spent 1 out of 4 weeks. He went to AEK hospital in Udon, they charged him 20,000 bht deposit before treatment, saw 3 doctors--ex rays etc,

how can they treat people who don't pay, when you have to pay in advance ?? no uniformity.

Your friend went in for non-emergency treatment.

I'd like to think that if I, or someone I cared about were brought unconscious into a hospital after a car wreck, they'd treat me first, then I'd make restitution later.

I'm sure some of the unconscious foreign victims can't pay after their lives have been saved.

I doubt the 500 baht plan is designed to cover non-emergency cases like your friend anyway.

My friend went in AEU emergency-thrombosis, if he couldn't pay I would have to.

There are the cases you talk about, passport-ID driving license, and can re-coup later in majority of cases, the minority we are talking about---that is a small % and I am one NOT to believe the stats of UNPAID.

All longstayers, over say 90 days shout be charged a insurance fee, regardless of age---win some lose some-but no loss, insurance works that way.

My take on this is bad hospital management -underfunded by government-and blame a big loss on tourist ex pats etc.

All may be true. But we're arguing over the red herring.

This is a tax increase. Pure and simple. Some tiny portion of it (300 million out of 12 billion) is supposed to be set aside to reimburse health care providers for care they rendered to foreigners who couldn't or didn't pay. And that's how they're selling it to the foreign public. I don't read Thai, so I can't tell how they're selling it for domestic consumption.

And this entire 400+ post argument about choice and insurance and "why should I pay if I already have health insurance?" just proves that we've drunk their Kool-Aid. 487.5 baht out of the 500 baht isn't about health care for foreigners, it's about increasing taxes.

The 12.5 baht health care portion we're all arguing about is pretty trivial.

Edited October 23, 2013 by impulse

[Thai at Heart]

It's a tax increase.

So says today's article in the newspaper that we can't link to.

Some of it will go to fund health care for foreigners that can't or won't or didn't pay. Some of it will go to airplane tickets to deport the foreigners who need to leave at the request of the government and can't or won't pay.

Proceeds will go into the general fund and be doled out according to some yet to be decided scheme.

$17 tax increase for visiting Thailand. If that's going to change anyone's travel decisions, I'm pretty sure they don't really care. That's not their target demographic.

To those who live here on the edge of their financial abilities, it sucks. But inflation is a fact of life whether it's taxes, food, rent, or whatever.

They probably should have just announced a 500 baht tax increase and left all the controversy out of it.

Then they should have separately announced magnanimous improvements in service to foreigners to include emergency medical treatment in cases of indigence and no insurance. And no more staying in jail until you can afford a ticket home, we'll fly you there (with a blacklist in your passport if we do have to fund your deportation) Still beats the crap out of rotting in jail.

And I'm pretty sure the coverage is just to get a patient stable enough to fly them out of the country back home for the real treatment. I'm not envisioning years of cancer treatment or liver transplants under the coverage.

The way I see it, I'd be happy to pay the 500 baht just to know that, if my wallet goes missing and I end up unconscious in a hospital, the doctors aren't wondering whether they'll get paid for treating me. I could die long before they find out I have excellent employer provided health care here in Thailand.

Not that I have any choice since it's really just a tax increase.

There are plenty of Chinese coming on very low budget tours where 17usd might be significant.

[impulse]

There are plenty of Chinese coming on very low budget tours where 17usd might be significant.

And I live with the (delusional) hope that the powers that be can see that 24+ million tourists a year are putting so much strain on the infrastructure and doing so much damage to the "resource", that they're willing to reduce the body count numbers in hopes that the high end tourists won't quit coming.

Hey, one can hope...

Edited October 23, 2013 by impulse

[ginjag]

It's a tax increase.

So says today's article in the newspaper that we can't link to.

Some of it will go to fund health care for foreigners that can't or won't or didn't pay. Some of it will go to airplane tickets to deport the foreigners who need to leave at the request of the government and can't or won't pay.

Proceeds will go into the general fund and be doled out according to some yet to be decided scheme.

$17 tax increase for visiting Thailand. If that's going to change anyone's travel decisions, I'm pretty sure they don't really care. That's not their target demographic.

To those who live here on the edge of their financial abilities, it sucks. But inflation is a fact of life whether it's taxes, food, rent, or whatever.

They probably should have just announced a 500 baht tax increase and left all the controversy out of it.

Then they should have separately announced magnanimous improvements in service to foreigners to include emergency medical treatment in cases of indigence and no insurance. And no more staying in jail until you can afford a ticket home, we'll fly you there (with a blacklist in your passport if we do have to fund your deportation) Still beats the crap out of rotting in jail.

And I'm pretty sure the coverage is just to get a patient stable enough to fly them out of the country back home for the real treatment. I'm not envisioning years of cancer treatment or liver transplants under the coverage.

The way I see it, I'd be happy to pay the 500 baht just to know that, if my wallet goes missing and I end up unconscious in a hospital, the doctors aren't wondering whether they'll get paid for treating me. I could die long before they find out I have excellent employer provided health care here in Thailand.

Not that I have any choice since it's really just a tax increase.

There are plenty of Chinese coming on very low budget tours where 17usd might be significant.

I wish they would force me to take out insurance At 72 no one wants to know they only want fit younger persons who may never claim. Greed again. no swings and roundabouts here. only mega profit.

BS excuse to get revenue the powers that be squander.

[centrala]

I note the other paper today detailing AOT' plan to increase both international and domestic departure fees at airports.

So, in addition to the new coming tax, they've increased the going tax.

[indieke]

It is not about the money! Although if I travel with my family it will be 2500 Bht! I am insured, this is all BS! The Government is more and more doing all they can, to make the tourist pay for having the hour the pleasures of their country! Tax on alcohol, tax on that, tax on departure on ticket, it si never enough, always something new!

I used to fly to Thailand from Nice for 600 €. Now I can hardly find a comfortable flight for 1000 €. I used to have 48 Baht for the Euro, last time 37!!! Much worse then 500 Bht! At touristic places, prices have gone up with at lest 50 % for everything in a few years. Then sorry for our Russian friends, but they have taken over the country. I hardly get a menu in some places in English! I am not english myself! I am Belgian, so I do an effort to speak the international language.

I like a glass of wine, but honestly I often stick to beer, that has gone up also. Ok there are worse things, but just to show how it has gone downhill in a few years already. Nothing is done to keep the beauty of the country, just allowing to overbuild 'seen Phuket 25 years ago and now?'. Allow natural disasters because of the greed for money! See is a waste, collect but not take care of anything!

Wherever, I travel, I never had to pay anything on arrival. At least I hope they find a way to avoid lines for all tehse people arriving tired, not know what is happening, where the credit card does not work, or they not have cash money in Baht or foreign. That only is living hell!

Does anybody know this is really effective? I hear there was already an agreement to make this mess start the 15 th January......

[dg1980]

I think the basic idea is not a bad one. With the number of visitors, there is an inevitable cost to healthcare. I see far too many tourists coming here with no travel health insurance. It would not be a great situation for hospitals to be turning away those requiring medical attention because they had no coverage, or couldnt afford it.

Given some of the behaviour/character types of some people arriving on these shores, perhaps a 500 baht fee for those with no coverage would be a reasonable measure.

Whether or not the motivation behind this is to pay for healthcare or not is another story...

[Thai at Heart]

There are plenty of Chinese coming on very low budget tours where 17usd might be significant.

And I live with the (delusional) hope that the powers that be can see that 24+ million tourists a year are putting so much strain on the infrastructure and doing so much damage to the "resource", that they're willing to reduce the body count numbers in hopes that the high end tourists won't quit coming.

Hey, one can hope...

They don't care. They didn't care when the infrastructure was overloaded with 10mn passengers. Why should they give a crap if it's overloaded at 20mn.

They might care when the whole bay of Thailand turns green.

[Thai at Heart]

I think the basic idea is not a bad one. With the number of visitors, there is an inevitable cost to healthcare. I see far too many tourists coming here with no travel health insurance. It would not be a great situation for hospitals to be turning away those requiring medical attention because they had no coverage, or couldnt afford it.

Given some of the behaviour/character types of some people arriving on these shores, perhaps a 500 baht fee for those with no coverage would be a reasonable measure.

Whether or not the motivation behind this is to pay for healthcare or not is another story...

99.9% of the bills get paid with a profit included.

[Bkungbank]

Most of Western tourist already have their own insurance policy the main problems are those Cambodia and Myanmar workers which using service from public hospitals, Why should we pay for someone use the facility ?

[taninthai]

geez i stopped going national parks cause of the rip off charges,,i stopped going to some of the islands down south cause they want you to pay to step foot on them,know what do i stop going thailand ,said it before the greed of the people in this country knows no bounds.......

[meatboy]

I think the basic idea is not a bad one. With the number of visitors, there is an inevitable cost to healthcare. I see far too many tourists coming here with no travel health insurance. It would not be a great situation for hospitals to be turning away those requiring medical attention because they had no coverage, or couldnt afford it.

Given some of the behaviour/character types of some people arriving on these shores, perhaps a 500 baht fee for those with no coverage would be a reasonable measure.

Whether or not the motivation behind this is to pay for healthcare or not is another story...

you see far to many tourists coming here without ins.

are you some kind of peeping tom.

[umbanda]

500 B for indefinite medical insurance sounds great, I'll save a fortune.

Not 500B...but less than 3000B/YEAR...may get you health insurance here.....if you do not mind be around not rich Thai people, and in a waiting room without AC and fashion chairs....

Ask at the local government hospital administrator if you qualify.

Or.....for less than 40000/YEAR you may get a good Health Insurance in AIA...

Or.....FREE..if you do not have money...thanks to a country caring to the health of its citizens better than most countries in the world....including the USA and other "big" ones....

[centrala]

I think the basic idea is not a bad one. With the number of visitors, there is an inevitable cost to healthcare. I see far too many tourists coming here with no travel health insurance. It would not be a great situation for hospitals to be turning away those requiring medical attention because they had no coverage, or couldnt afford it.

Given some of the behaviour/character types of some people arriving on these shores, perhaps a 500 baht fee for those with no coverage would be a reasonable measure.

It's understandable, given the amount of confabulation by the government and its contradictory announcemnts, that big misunderstandings will occur with this issue.

The 500 baht provides absolutely no medical insurance whatsoever for anyone.

It is just a new fee to enter the country. Period.

It does absolutely nothing else. It won't insure those without insurance and it won't bring only high-end tourists to Thailand.

What it will provide is..... Twelve Billion Baht for a few government officials.

.

[centrala]

500 B for indefinite medical insurance sounds great, I'll save a fortune.

Not 500B...but less than 3000B/YEAR...may get you health insurance here.....if you do not mind be around not rich Thai people, and in a waiting room without AC and fashion chairs....

Ask at the local government hospital administrator if you qualify.

Or.....for less than 40000/YEAR you may get a good Health Insurance in AIA...

Or.....FREE..if you do not have money...thanks to a country caring to the health of its citizens better than most countries in the world....including the USA and other "big" ones....

See above post.

The 500 baht fee provides zero medical insurance.

.

[nong38]

I read the "scoop-hold the front page" when I was on hols and I thought um whata wonderful idea ( for Thais )! Easy money and a committee will set up share out the free money. They quickly got wind of all the chaps and chapess's on longer stays and Retirement Visas which they originally had not twigged, so its now 500bts for 30 days then?

I can imagine that tourists who will shafted in the new year will be looking around the region for alternatives in the future, Burma, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia all spring to mind but TAT will no doubt have done their homework probably at the BIG C foodpark and discounted these options as they are not hubs and cannot hold a light to Thailand, so thats all alright then, so all go home and see what other measures can be introduced to re coup more money than "Johnnie Foreigner" can contribute towards like the High Speed Transport Plan or the ever popular Rice support caper.

One wonders where it will all end, in the toilet perhaps where brains meet reality passing through. But then what do we know, Thailand knows doesn't it ask anyone at the ASEAN ( but not in English).

[nong38]

In a couple of weeks my Retirement Visa is up for renewal, I will take the officer there the cuttings and ask how this will affect me, should be interesting and I will let you know what the score is but I bet it will different at every office and when I go for my monthly blood pressure check in two weeks I will go the administrator and ask what the score is under this scheme and the other recently proposed healthcare for non immigrants, should also be interesting my bet is that "they know nothing".

[bhakta]

As if the costs of visiting Thailand are not already overly costly, now they need to find a new way to rip off the visitors. What is it their business? I have never heard of such a thing, and I have never seen any Thai medical facility offering service free of cost for visitors.

[marcusd]

This is all hocus pocus. Tourists pay or they die. Simple. I know I worked in their hospital system a few months. Pitiful corruption and stupidity. The stupidity was the most unforgivable.

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

[Mangosteen1]

You guys really don't want us here right. whats with all these fees. Yeah sure the money will go too that.

[nontabury]

This is all hocus pocus. Tourists pay or they die. Simple. I know I worked in their hospital system a few months. Pitiful corruption and stupidity. The stupidity was the most unforgivable.

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

Can you give us a few examples?.

[boomerangutang]

The 500 baht fee provides zero medical insurance.

As if the costs of visiting Thailand are not already overly costly, now they need to find a new way to rip off the visitors. What is it their business? I have never heard of such a thing, and I have never seen any Thai medical facility offering service free of cost for visitors.

This is all hocus pocus. Tourists pay or they die. Simple. I know I worked in their hospital system a few months. Pitiful corruption and stupidity. The stupidity was the most unforgivable.

Regardless of what government says, there is no way they will offer any sort of medical services to farang, period. All Thais think all farang are rich. They see us going to the ATM any time, and pulling out Bt.20k. That's a big reason why it's so easy for them to justify stealing from us. I've had soooooo many things stolen, even by Thais and hill tribers I thought I could trust. Right now, I'm trying to sell what I have left and find a better place to reside. It's been 15 years here, but it's getting close to 'bye bye Thailand' for me. Too many rip-offs, too often ....YUK.

[teatree]

Why should the government bail out private companies? Let the private hospitals take the hit.

[masuk]

This is not world first.

Many country have such law.

Some even force you to exchange x dollars per day to their currency.

$25 US for 30 day entry to Indonesia. ฿750 ??

However, if this Thai fee went to Health, it would be nice to see.

[Sceptict11]

Oh dear

A rather silly newspaper report and all the Farang react by falling out of the boat.

Some people have have not grown up despite their obesity and liking of beer

[gk10002000]

OK. Maybe pay some fee or show some proof of insurance of some type. Some countries do require some level of protection be maintained by tourists. Difficult for me to accept this in Thailand, but I do understand it. The question now is, if this is enacted and imposed, do the tourists get anything out of it? Will tourists get any type of coverage or right to treatment?

[englishoak]

Just make everyone entering patpong soi cowboy or walking street pay 500bht itll make billions more ...

crazy ideas to fleece people these thieves come up with