Would a 500 Baht emergency-coverage fee scare off foreign tourists?

[davidst01]

hopefully less tourists will come. Better for us all really

[MILT]

hopefully less tourists will come. Better for us all really

Really? Who's us?

[yourauntbob]

most "emergency" medical care is due to bus crashes, train wrecks, taxi driver beatings, airline runway skids......

couldnt they just hold responsible the people who put those dirty farangs in the hospital? would probably cut the bugdet by more than half. oh, i forgot, its harder to syphon off money when you do it that way.

[bigtime]

it's not the money. anyone coming to thailand can afford 500 baht. It's the impression it gives : that thailand's so desperate/greedy (you choose), it is basically selling tickets as if thailand was a circus.

funny thing is, as far as i know, nobody's laid out what the 500 baht would actually get you, as far as "emergency medical assistance". Likely nothing. If people actually believed that 500 baht meant that if they fall and break their arm it's covered, i bet most people would gladly pay. But as several of you mentioned already, we all know where the money will REALLY go...

[biplanebluey]

Yes it would scare me. There is no chance in hell i want them to take me to a hospital that can do ICU for 500thb

Why talk a load of rubbish---------- is it your mentality that cannot work out the logic?

[upena]

500 baht to get in, 800 to get out, and thousands of baht scammed while you visit. Thainess

[Alwyn]

The ridiculous thing is of course, now why would anyone bother to bring their own insurance.

They reckon they can cover 23mn people with 500 baht a head. No chance. They will be flooded by the neighbouring wanting their 300k of cover for having paid their 500 baht.

All the self payers will now be covered for 500 baht. There is in reality no way that 500 baht is enough. They need to do some serious actuarial work or this could well turn out to be a financial disaster with a list of exclusions so big there won't be any use. Every Chinese tourist well now visit a Thai hospital for their chest infection....

I need a knee operation, maybe I will just have a slip and tear my knee ligament. Operation please..... For 500 baht coverage.

Now this is one way to make a medical hub for sure. Accident coverage? Surely cars and buildings have insurance to cover accidents? Lol

good points!

[Time Traveller]

Like the last dozen or so government ideas, this could really back fire on them financially. If these tourists come to expect free hospital treatment from 500 baht fee, the Ministry could be on the hook for a lot more than 300 million baht a year. Which like that airport departure tax will then go up from 500 to 1000 baht, then higher

[oldsailor35]

I have a permanent travel insurance from my bank for a small monthly fee. It covers me up to 1/4m £ per annum.

Will a Thai hospital treat me via this entry fee or insist I use my insurance? Furthermore, how much of this fee will be diverted into official's pockets? Remember the shortfall of the airport departure tax .

And this bank is ?

[Somtamnication]

13 years living here and this is the first govt. proposal that makes perfect sense.

Thais should not have to pay for an idiot falang who drives around without a helmet, never driven a scooter in their own country and decide to be "local".

[Bpuumike]

I think you should be exempt on production of a valid insurance document on entry.

I can see it having a small impact especially on budget travelers, but mostly on regional travelers from the ASEAN countries. 500 baht may well piss them off enough to make alternative arrangements.

They could possibly end up losing well over 10 billion a year.

The Thai Revenue Dept target for 2013 is around 2 trillion baht, so even if 1% of tourists were to fall away, then that could see a drop of 20 billion.

I don't think the title should say 'scare off tourists' but it would certainly 'piss off tourists'.

Thailand needs to get it's head out of its arse on tourism. I have traveled far and wide all my life, and I have seen enough major tourist destinations going from boom town to ghost town in a relatively short time.

10 years from now, I expect Thailand to be declining. Most have been there and done it, plenty of new places opening up all the time, fashions change. Thailand needs to start thinking about improving the tourist industry here instead of letting it slide into a seedy cesspit of scams and corruption.

You don't know what you have got until it has gone. Thailand would be cast back into the dark ages without its tourist revenue.

Don't take the piss Thailand.

A major attraction for tourists is the availability of attractive younger ladies, which for demographic reasons is declining.

[moe666]

Its just a way to raise more cash to cover budget expenses. They will not stand up and tax property or increase the income tax to cover the rice scam or the 1rst time car buyers scam. Stop with all of the mention of getting some health insurance never going to happen.

[Prbkk]

That departure tax fiasco is symptomatic of the utter incompetence of AOT and those responsible for the development of tourism in Thailand. YEARS after virtually every other country in the world ( and certainly those with an interest in inbound tourism) , had built the cost into tickets, Thailand persisted with collecting the money at booths at the airport....delays, chaos, confusion. Hopeless.

That raises the question of how this proposed fee would be collected. More importantly, I don't understand WHY it applies at all.

If I need medical treatment in Thailand, or dental, I PAY THROUGH THE NOSE for it now ( and with the double pricing in place, for some medications as well).

I thought everyone pays, either directly or via insurance. Perhaps the only tourists not paying are those requiring emergency treatment as a consequence of being injured ? So all tourists must pay to subsidise the treatment of those injured in bus, car, boat accidents ? What gall ...it defies belief.

Why stop at 500 baht? Surely the threshold could be higher? I think they could go up to 1,500 baht before impacting "quality tourist" arrivals.

Then jack up all the two-tier pricing at tourist sites for foreigners.

Then charge a "Air Consumption Tax" as all these tourists are breathing Thai air.

Then simply turn them upside down on arrival, shake them and keep all the money that falls out.

Seriously, I assume they will refund any "Entrance" fee upon departure if one has not availed themselves of the "local medical resources"? Not.

First of all, let's not forget that the THB 500 'departure fee' was not shelved, it was included in the price of air tickets, so all tourists are already paying that fee.

What is being proposed is an additional THB 500 'arrival fee', so there may well be an option to also add this to the cost of an air ticket in the future and then shake down tourists with an additional fee, perhaps a 'staying in Thailand fee'. The opportunities are, theoretically, endless.

What concerns me is the claim that it costs Thailand 200 to 300 million a year to care for tourists which I believe to be total b****cks.

If I, as a foreigner, have to visit a hospital, I am immediately asked who will pay the bill. If I have insurance, then the bill will be enormously inflated; if I state that I will pay the bill myself, it will still be inflated, although not enormously; if I say that I don't have the means, I will be shown the door...!

I personally believe that those armed with the knowledge that they are already paying a 'departure fee' within the cost of their air ticket will regard any additional 'arrival fee' as evidence of yet another shakedown of foreign tourists, and this could well lead to decisions to take their holidays elsewhere.

[moe666]

hopefully less tourists will come. Better for us all really

Have to agree with that one, Chiang Mai is over run at the moment.

[Dante99]

It is a great idea, so much better than Obama Care.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Just look at the maths.

We lose 300mn so will tax bazillions.

If they put a 1/10th of a satang on beer nationwide it would make the number go away. It's just a cash raising plan and nothing to do with medical losses.

The other issue here is one of the last times we read about this plan, after a bunch of govt agency reps had supposedly met and agreed, the number of agencies and purposes to get funding from this had magically expanded far beyond just reimbursement or coverage for government medical expenses relating to tourists

Immigration was supposed to get some of the funds to "improve" its services, as was the Airports authority...and a number of other trough feeders... Now suddenly in this latest report, they're back to just talking about funding for covering medical expenses... And no mention of all the others...

In the earlier version, the portion that seemed destined for the MOPH was pretty small out of the much larger expected funding of billions.

Perhaps a bit of a shell game going on here...

[oldsailor35]

13 years living here and this is the first govt. proposal that makes perfect sense.

Thais should not have to pay for an idiot falang who drives around without a helmet, never driven a scooter in their own country and decide to be "local".

So, do you really think it is ok that a person such as myself who is here on a Non Imm., O visa and has to do a stupid border run every 90 days, having to pay bht 500 each time.

[challenger99]

Blind maker, they take us as stupid and dumb?

They think collect 10 Billion THB but say have to spend 200 - 300 Million for foreigner!! Where is going the difference?

How many % of foreigners (tourist) really will touch this "pot", most have own travel insurance! It's a shame for Thailand, to steal more and more money from tourists beside the increase of prices ... would say since 6 years more than 20%! As I read, they plan also increase the airport tax with 200 Bath (probable hidden in the ticket) ... why we have to pay for bad made runways which always are under repair? Where all this money go in true???

[Travel Dude]

So we collect 10 billion in fees to cover 200-300 million of medical costs?

I would be for a compulsory travel insurance at point of entry for those who do not have a travel or international insurance.

[boomerangutang]

A good point about regional tourists which could affect the much vaunted rush of Chinese. Most are on package tours and when the B500 is converted into their own courrency plus admin charges and any other excuse the package cost goes up.

The new fee probably won't scare off Western tourists until problems arise when those seeking medical attention find it buys them nothing. Remeber when the B30 medical plan was introduced and so many hospitals refused to honour it.

As soon as the gov't dummies realize this could impact on Chinese tourist numbers, they'll quickly make an exception for Chinese tourists. What else could the Chinese-Thai Shinawatres do?

Additionally, if this dumb-ass tax-grabbing plan goes through, can you picture a Thai hospital honoring this agreement. If you can, you can probably picture a typical Thai restaurant offering an organic salad of lovely vegetables, with no added dressings. No, whenever a hospital sees a farang, it will find ways to suck the money out of his wallet.

[oldsailor35]

All persons on proof of travel insurance should be exempt of this money grabbing tax. How on earth can they demand extra money to cover something that one is already covered.

Edited November 19, 2013 by oldsailor35

[Larry001]

LOS 555

[pookiki]

This scheme 'may' be ok if it truly distinguishes 'tourists' from the other types of foreigners residing in Thailand, i.e. those on work permits, retirees, etc. I think it is a bit 'over the top' that as a retiree in Thailand that I have to show financial responsibility to obtain an extension of stay and be subject to an entry fee on top of this as a 'tourist' as well. On the other hand, I don't think the Thai government has provided sufficient evidence of the financial liability caused by tourists seeking medical care. Ironically, many people who come to Thailand are 'medical' tourists seeking treatment at private Thai hospitals. Go figure.

[NongKhaiKid]

All persons on proof of travel insurance should be exempt of this money grabbing tax. How on earth can they demand extra money to cover something that one is already covered.

and in most cases coverage that can be relied on.

[BangkokHank]

Please someone go and do the maths for these dips**TS.

They lose 300mn? My God, they are losing bazillions on rice, on bomb detectors and they want to go through all this hassle to recover 300mn from 20mn tourists?

15 baht per head?

This has absolutely nothing to do with unpaid medical bills of foreigners, which are miniscule compared to the revenues generated by tourism. That's just a pretext. They had to come up with some kind of semi-plausible reason. The entry fee on tourists is needed precisely to pay off those other losses - losses resulting from various vote buying schemes. It's easier to try to extract money from foreigners because the Thai authorities assume that foreign tourists can't vote. They might not be able to vote in elections, but they CAN vote with their feet.

[Prbkk]

Indeed. This kind of "shoot from the hip" 'planning' typifies the mismanagement of Thai tourism. Never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Charging medical tourists 500 Baht on top of the thousands $$$$. Lunatics in charge of the asylum.

quote name="pookiki" post="7054954" timestamp="1384830018"]This scheme 'may' be ok if it truly distinguishes 'tourists' from the other types of foreigners residing in Thailand, i.e. those on work permits, retirees, etc. I think it is a bit 'over the top' that as a retiree in Thailand that I have to show financial responsibility to obtain an extension of stay and be subject to an entry fee on top of this as a 'tourist' as well. On the other hand, I don't think the Thai government has provided sufficient evidence of the financial liability caused by tourists seeking medical care. Ironically, many people who come to Thailand are 'medical' tourists seeking treatment at private Thai hospitals. Go figure.

[Spare]

500 baht to get in, 800 to get out, and thousands of baht scammed while you visit. Thainess

Scam? Yes.

Similar scan in LHR, LAX, SIN, NRT, you name it.

And BKK is still the cheapest compared to the above.

[catweazle]

500 Baht more per person: 50 Euros extra for a family of four...

In our area I see:

Tourists who have such a tiny budget, that they stuff themseves at the all inclusive breakfast buffet to an extend allowing them to survive the day with a few snacks (danish pastries) stuffed into their bags when the staff isn't paying attention and some sodas bought at the 7Eleven.

Tourists who haggle about 10 Baht for a T-shirt - trying to lower the already perfect deal (130 Baht) to 120 like the souvenir seller can live on sunshine and air alone.

Tourists who buy bread, butter, sausage, etc. at the 7Eleven, so they can fix a beggar's dinner back at their bungalows.

Tourists who order one pizza and one Coke for a family of 4 at a restaurant.

Tourists who don't even have the cash to go for an elephant ride with their kids or do anything extra that stretches their daily budget of approx. 10 Euro total (for a family of 4).

Tourists who buy a few fridge magnets as souvenirs because they can't afford even a t-shirt, letting alone a nice wooden lamp, a Sarong or something like that.

Does this answer the qustion?

[malakmd]

I think it is a good process and should be applied, because, this is the main requirement for European Visa too, than why not? as long as the fee cover all charges for medical and also provide some insurance, each hospital need to have a customer relation officer, who can speak English and tourist must be given priority to get the medical support in case of any emergency, showing this Health card must be helpful, however there should be a very practical plan to implement, specially when charging money from the tourist for their medical coverage.

The health department need to issue Health Card with validity period. it not look practical and nice to ask each tourist to buy 500 THB health card for their every trip, specially if they are frequent traveller to Thailand, we all knows most tourist travel to Thailand 3 or 4 times per year,

How to charge on Validity base Health Card?

for example;

100 THB Card Valid for 60 Days

250 THB Card Valid for 180 Days

500 THB card Valid for 365 Days (1 Year)

Each card may can be recharge, it will help Health department to keep database intact, otherwise it will become a mess to feed data for each time, when the same tourist travel in Thailand, and apply for new Health Card, it will also help tourism sector to record. that each tourist travelling how many time per year to Thailand.

Simple way to do it, once they buy the card, put Card number on TM Card. they just need to add one more field in TM Card to note Health Card number.

How to sell this card? well all airlines and countries airports, where a flyer is travelling to Thailand can get these card if plan well, or else on arrival there should be ample counters to sell these cards, before making line to immigration check in counters.

[fabphil]

Tell me where the free medical services are now that the falang are supposed to be getting...been around here a long time never had free anything,,