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

[Thai at Heart]

"Each year Thailand gets a lot of revenue from the tourism industry - but the government has never used money from this industry to develop and support tourism," she said.

Well, I've got to admit that it's good on her, Tourism Council of Thailand president Piyaman Tejapaibul, to admit this. That's a rather reveal.

As if we had any doubts regarding who truly benefits from foreign money. Surely not the tourists. Funny how TV can be so accurate sometimes.

I do notice over the last months that the Thai apologist brigade have gone almost completely dark silent. Interesting.

How can we (tourists) with a travel insurance be a burden to the thai health program, we pay for all treatment with our insurance?

I see this as an copy off there ten double pricing for admit to their parks and other attractions.

Actually, you are more than just paying, you are contributing a profit, that then is used to pay for other people's treratment. The government service is non-profit, foreigners paying with insurance are contributing a profit. I would think that if they stopped looking at foreigners going to government hospitals as a profit centre and simply charged the cost, the 300mn probably disappears anyway.

Just imagine, 6mn GBP loss every year, every whole year, every whole 356 days. Meanwhile, they busily treat millions of Thai's for 30 baht, and no one, yup, no one wonders at the paper loss that that generates. Then bear in mind that very few Thai's pay any income tax and only pay 7% on VAT which on a spend of 300k per per year would equate to 21k per year contribution to government, and wonder why on earth they give a crap about 300mn when basically the Thai's themselves are not even getting remotely close to making the whole system self funding.

Just think about it. 500 baht on 23mn tourists, is the same as 150 baht on every man woman and child in Thailand. Why can't the Thai's pay for their own system because at the moment, most don't get remotely close to paying the true cost of what they take out.

[harber8]

But yet no talk on how they would exempt those of us from the fee that already have travel insurance or insurance IN Thailand? Why on earth would I pay THB500 to enter the country when I already pay THB20000 a year for my Thai policy??

That would involve thinking.

[impulse]

This is a tax increase. A tiny portion (12.5 baht) of the 500 is earmarked to reimburse foreigners' unpaid medical expenses. The rest goes into the coffers.

It is not being held out as any type of insurance. If you get hurt and can pay, you will be required to pay. If you can't pay, they'll try to make you pay. If you still can't pay, they'll try harder. If you still can't pay, today the hospitals get stuck with the unpaid bill, and you have to deal with immigration and the like. None of that is going to change. That's what the 12.5 baht is for: reimbursing the hospitals.

The other 480+ baht goes where all tax money goes.

Anyone expecting to pay 500 baht and get free heart surgery (or even a free band-aid) will be sadly disappointed.

Edited November 19, 2013 by impulse

[belg]

same same question as :

policeman comes up to you and is asking you for an extra 200 - 500 baht to supplement his poor poor income

you did nothing wrong, but if you don't pay, you might suddenly be carrying illegal drugs out of the blue and face a few years in prison

just an example ....

or you are stupid enough to rent a jetski and the paint comes off because of the friction of the water and they force you to pay 20 - 50.000 baht in damages...

would that scare of tourists ?

what about all the people who have insurance... double pay for nothing ?

why not implement a mandatory insurance, bought in the home country, or your visa / entry would be denied ?

what is the next step ? 30 baht per day for staying in the country a whole year aka 10.000 baht extra per expat ?

[Thai at Heart]

This is a tax increase. A tiny portion (12.5 baht) of the 500 is earmarked to reimburse foreigners' unpaid medical expenses. The rest goes into the coffers.

It is not being held out as any type of insurance. If you get hurt and can pay, you will be required to pay. If you can't pay, they'll try to make you pay. If you still can't pay, they'll try harder. If you still can't pay, today the hospitals get stuck with the unpaid bill, and you have to deal with immigration and the like. None of that is going to change. That's what the 12.5 baht is for: reimbursing the hospitals.

The other 480+ baht goes where all tax money goes.

Anyone expecting to pay 500 baht and get free heart surgery (or even a free band-aid) will be sadly disappointed.

You might not get a heart transplant, but if you say happened to trip down some steps and twist your knee, and were to get hold of a decent lawyer, I think you would find they would probably have to put your knee back to some kind of workind shape.

So then of course, once they have been inundated with hundreds of thousands of tourists trying to blag free treatment, and causing a huge problem in the government hospitals etc, eventually they will have to back down from this stupid idea. They should have just called it what it was; A Tourist Surcharge, and shut up compeltely about how the issue was unpaid bills at hospitals. I wonder what they total revenue take in the government sector hospitals is from foreigners? It must run to the billions.......

[hawker9000]

WRT the OP, it's all in how you ask the question.

Q: Would (extra) 500b fee scare off tourists?

A: Probably not...

Q: Would:

Growing police & govt corruption,

Increasing crimes including violent crimes, against foreigners,

Increasingly exploitive attitudes toward foreigners,

Dual-pricing,

Lax punishment for crimes committed against foreigners,

Political instability,

Increasing prevalence of scams against tourists,

Transportation mafiosi in some areas targeting tourists,

Lack of road safety,

AND a new 500b tax on arriving tourists for medical services they'll never see

...scare off tourists?

A: ????

Edited November 19, 2013 by hawker9000

[connda]

A 500 baht charge would not bother me one bit, IF if was applied to a program that paid for / offset medical charges by foreign tourists. However, the will never happen. 45% will go to corruption, 45% will disappear, and 10 % will be forwarded to hospitals who will simply add it to their budget. If a foreigner comes in, they will be charged as normal, or reject because they can not pay.

What a crock of hewy! BS.

[dezeure]

what a crock of sh*t. This country has not ever spend one bloody satang in helping a foreigner. I have never been able to go to the hospital and get anything free or paid by the government. This is just another typical Thai scam where they will pocket their own richness and nothing, but absolutely NOTHING will change.

So I guess I will never have to pay the 500 Baht since I have my own insurance. Both a Thai insurance and a Hong Kong insurance, covering much more than 200,000 Baht; instead its covering 2 million DOLLARS... so screw your 500 Baht

What about us who have work permits and stay permits, who pay ALOT for those, and the visas which are also NOT free...

Keep going Thailand and soon you will rot in your own mess... We all keep telling but as everyone knows who has lived here long enough; Thais never listen to others, since they are according to themselves the superior race... we are just aliens (as it states on most of their form) or then they ask you RACE: I just reply HUMAN

[Tiffer]

You hit the nail right on the head.

15 baht solves their problem. The rest is bunce and graft.

All other comments are superfluous.

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?

[notmyself]

You hit the nail right on the head.

15 baht solves their problem. The rest is bunce and graft.

All other comments are superfluous.

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?

Given the extreme complexities of administering the system the final cost could well be 10 billion. Every land, sea and air entry point would need a number of lawyers in various languages to decipher each insurance policy. What if Mr Somchai at immigration says it is fine but then you have an accident only to find you are not covered? Expats would not bother having other insurance which would deprive hospitals of huge amounts of revenue and those who did not have insurance yet nevertheless paid cash after an accident would no longer be required to pay.

Even at 500 Baht I seriously doubt that the system would be cost effective even without graft. With graft the losses will go up so they would be throwing good money after bad. It's very much the same as the legal system is in LoS. If you get swindled out of 50k but you know full well that it will cost at least 100k and take 2 years with doubtful chance of willing then there is no point doing it.

[Thai at Heart]

You hit the nail right on the head.

15 baht solves their problem. The rest is bunce and graft.

All other comments are superfluous.

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?

Given the extreme complexities of administering the system the final cost could well be 10 billion. Every land, sea and air entry point would need a number of lawyers in various languages to decipher each insurance policy. What if Mr Somchai at immigration says it is fine but then you have an accident only to find you are not covered? Expats would not bother having other insurance which would deprive hospitals of huge amounts of revenue and those who did not have insurance yet nevertheless paid cash after an accident would no longer be required to pay.

Even at 500 Baht I seriously doubt that the system would be cost effective even without graft. With graft the losses will go up so they would be throwing good money after bad. It's very much the same as the legal system is in LoS. If you get swindled out of 50k but you know full well that it will cost at least 100k and take 2 years with doubtful chance of willing then there is no point doing it.

Of course, these numpties don't have the relevant data to make any of these calculations.

How many foreign tourists were treated in country last year for emergencies? 1:50, 1:75. 1:100, 1:200

How many tourists were treated in country for degenerative problems?

What was the TOTAL nationwide for the spend by ALL tourists from all countries for medical for emergencies?

And I think they will find, that once all is said and done, to charge everyone 500 baht x 23mn isn't enough to pay for everything. If someone has insurance and they have a serious accident, they would have paid bills into potentially MILLIONS of baht for their treatment. I know for a fact of one friend who had a heart attack while in country, and his total bill was 750k.

That would require 1500 payers to fund it. But of course, he was covered by his insurance, so was probably a net contributor to the system because his 750k bill probably included 75k profit.

All they can see is the potential billions of baht windfall. Please go ahead and implement this. I can't wait for the hospitals all over the country to start moaning and whingeing that they have been inundated with Chinese, Cambodian, Hong Kong and Western tourists with ingrown toenails, or twisted ankles that all need fixing according to their policies. They system will COMPLETELY IMPLODE.

[PaullyW]

"Each year Thailand gets a lot of revenue from the tourism industry - but the government has never used money from this industry to develop and support tourism," she said.

Well, I've got to admit that it's good on her, Tourism Council of Thailand president Piyaman Tejapaibul, to admit this. That's a rather reveal.

As if we had any doubts regarding who truly benefits from foreign money. Surely not the tourists. Funny how TV can be so accurate sometimes.

I do notice over the last months that the Thai apologist brigade have gone almost completely dark silent. Interesting.

How can we (tourists) with a travel insurance be a burden to the thai health program, we pay for all treatment with our insurance?

I see this as an copy off there ten double pricing for admit to their parks and other attractions.

I agree. Another way of putting it is another xenophobic manifestation of Thai society.

[cronus]

hopefully less tourists will come. Better for us all really

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

Yes and the Service I get here in Chiang Mai right now is: Just Hand over your Money and fck off! Never experienced so much hate against foreigners and terrible Service as right now here in the red Shirt capital Chiang Mai. Visited 2 times a year for about a month each time the past 3 years. This time was the last time for sure.

[TheNativeSon]

NO!

[tomacht8]

Another thought:

500 Baht travel insurance for 30 days made in Thailand:

“This money would be used to support the ministry's budget to provide emergency medical services for foreign tourists suffering serious illness or injury.Under this plan, each foreign patient would be covered by Bt200,000 to Bt300,000 in emergency care. This budget would also be used to develop healthcare units and procure medical devices.”

Sounds good?

No.

If you compare this (price and benefits) with other travel insurance worldwide then that is very expensive!

For example a Family with 2 kids is then 2.000 Baht for 30 Days.

My family travel insurance cost me 1.000 Baht for the whole year!!!

The insurance covers all trips with a duration of up to 56 days per trip.

This offers you the comprehensive insurance coverage

100 % reimbursement for:

- medically necessary treatment in unforeseen illnesses and Accidents abroad

- medical treatment (outpatient and inpatient) , including surgery,

- Accommodation and meals in the hospital

- Drugs, dressings , medicines and medical aids ( without corrective lenses and hearing aids)

- analgesic dental treatment necessary simple fillings , temporary dentures and repairs of inlays ( inlays ) and of dentures

- medically reasonable and appropriate return transportation (including air ambulance ) .

we Replace these costs also for us with the performance of " repatriation

abroad " insured person accompanying

- Burial abroad to 10,000 Euros of costs directly incurred

- Repatriation to your homecountry with death abroad

24 -hour emergency service with comprehensive services such as:

- Designation of hospitals abroad

- Costs guarantee to 10,000 Euros to the hospital and Acquisition of the settlement with the hospital and the attending physician

- Interpreter services in all major world languages

- Organization of the repatriation transport

- Organization of burial abroad or repatriation from abroad

And the benefits are much better and much more! I can choose a private hospital,
and must not go to a government hospital (probably where the doctor is not there anyway,
because most of the time he works in his private clinic, to make money)!

Overpriced and useless, especially if you really need expert medical help quickly!

Edited November 19, 2013 by tomacht8

[boomerangutang]

I think this stupid idea came about because there are some rag-tag farang hanging out in Phuket and Pattaya - some of whom need medical assistance once in awhile.

Then the idea blossomed in the intelligence-challenged brains of PT money-grubbers.

As a person who has been coming to Thailand for over 30 years, and resided here for over 15, I can picture Thai hospital staff mentioning all sorts of services/procedures which don't apply - if this butt-plug new tax gets the green light.

[Spare]

If the French can force the Thais to buy compulsory insurance, why can't the Thais do the same?

Double standard?

It is a matter of principle, not who is rich and who is poor.

https://www.tlscontact.com/th2fr/help.php

What are the requirements for insurance?

Due to a regulation of the European Union (Decision 2004/17/CE of December 22nd 2003), there is a requirement to hold travel insurance, which is a compulsory document.

The travel insurance should be:

Valid for Schengen area if you apply for short stay visa

Valid for France if it is required in the document list and you apply for long stay visa

Valid for DROM/CTOM according to your itinerary

Your travel insurance must be valid with a minimum cover of €30,000 in order to face any expenses that may arise in connection with your repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment. The travel insurance should fully cover the period of your stay in the Schengen Area. (see list of approved insurance companies.)

Edited November 19, 2013 by Spare

[Bagwan]

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

You obviously do not understand the principle of insurance.

I wouldn't even consider being treated by a Government hospital. - and some of the privates are a bit dodgy.

[Bagwan]

Five hundred baht will not scare tourists away, but 500 here, 500 there and Thailand is becoming ever more expensive. Most tourists visit here because its cheap; raise the price enough and the "value" seekers will find alternative destinations.

And lets be honest, tourists don't receive free medical care from Thailand. This is partly to fund the medical services received by Cambodian, Laos and Burmese workers and partly as a back door tax hike to replenish government coffers, near empty due to populist spending...

I totally agree that Thailand is cheap.

In every sense of the word.

[CUNJU]

Does the 500 bht Apply to people holding retirement visas?

[Liberator]

Would people care about another 10 quid on the ticket if they are covered for all medical insurance---some staying 3 months or more.

I would have thought that it was a no Brainer----Yes some people would, those in the employment of selling over priced travel insurance----

If this was a world wide scheme---(which ever country you go to your fully covered for 10 quid) it would probably be praised as a forward looking idea, but as it comes from Thailand, most farrangs will probably pan it.

That's the stupid thing about this whole idea. Most tourists have some form of travel insurance and if they have problems, the insurance company pays. If this scheme comes be then people will think they don't need travel insurance here. So have they checked how much tourists (with insurance) actually contribute to the economy?

Add that to the cost and it's a whole different game.....

[thrilled]

I'm hoping that less tourist will be coming to Thailand because of paying the 500 baht.Less tourist means A better Thailand

[PeterSmiles]

If the French can force the Thais to buy compulsory insurance, why can't the Thais do the same?

Double standard?

It is a matter of principle, not who is rich and who is poor.

Well said, if a Thai want to make a visa for any Shengen country, but I assume the rules are the same for any western country, he will have to show proof of insurance otherwise NO VISA.

But hey, if Thailand want to charge a few baht to cover their arse, the superior farang shall fight them.

[tomacht8]

If the French can force the Thais to buy compulsory insurance, why can't the Thais do the same?

Double standard?

It is a matter of principle, not who is rich and who is poor.

https://www.tlscontact.com/th2fr/help.php

What are the requirements for insurance?

Due to a regulation of the European Union (Decision 2004/17/CE of December 22nd 2003), there is a requirement to hold travel insurance, which is a compulsory document.

The travel insurance should be:

Valid for Schengen area if you apply for short stay visa

Valid for France if it is required in the document list and you apply for long stay visa

Valid for DROM/CTOM according to your itinerary

Your travel insurance must be valid with a minimum cover of €30,000 in order to face any expenses that may arise in connection with your repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment. The travel insurance should fully cover the period of your stay in the Schengen Area. (see list of approved insurance companies.)

Yes the thais can buy and own land in france, why we can not do the same here?

Double standard?

It is a matter of principle, not who is rich and who is poor.

Yes, a medical travel insurance is necessary.

But I do not want to be forced to buy a more then questionable insurance that really does not help me in the event of an incident.

If you have a Schengen approved insurance, then u can be sure you get the medical help you need.

Please let me choose a approved insurance companie by myself.

Do you really think that this 500 baht for 30 days is from a kindhearted origin?

I think more than 50% of all Thai people have no health insurance.

Would be good if everyone had a health insurance, like in france.

Maybe it is also a matter, who is rich enough to buy a health insurance.

[PeterSmiles]

OK, I gonna repeat what is written in the OP, I will talk slowly as it seems difficult to get through the skull of some people here.

the Public Health Ministry proposed a plan to collect Bt500

The ministry is now discussing with related agencies to find appropriate ways to collect the fees.

Edited November 19, 2013 by PeterSmiles

[paddyjenkins]

If the idea is to raise revenue for thailand then it wont work in my case. That is because every time i am scammed out of 500 baht by the thai authorities i will just spend 2000 or so less during my stay...so in my small minded way i will beat the thais at their own game, by being even cheaper and more small minded than they are...but as it will be a fun little game for me to play i will get a small minded kick out of it...

[Thai at Heart]

If the French can force the Thais to buy compulsory insurance, why can't the Thais do the same?

Double standard?

It is a matter of principle, not who is rich and who is poor.

https://www.tlscontact.com/th2fr/help.php

What are the requirements for insurance?

Due to a regulation of the European Union (Decision 2004/17/CE of December 22nd 2003), there is a requirement to hold travel insurance, which is a compulsory document.

The travel insurance should be:

Valid for Schengen area if you apply for short stay visa

Valid for France if it is required in the document list and you apply for long stay visa

Valid for DROM/CTOM according to your itinerary

Your travel insurance must be valid with a minimum cover of 30,000 in order to face any expenses that may arise in connection with your repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment. The travel insurance should fully cover the period of your stay in the Schengen Area. (see list of approved insurance companies.)

And how much would that cost, what would the coverage be, and what would the exclusions be?

For 500 baht you would get some pretty good coverage and the reality is that in many cases accidents would be covered by other policies or car insurance etc.

If you slip in a hotel, the hotel insurance pays.

[Jackson86]

Not really an issue for me since I visit Thailand once a while.

[PeterSmiles]

If the French can force the Thais to buy compulsory insurance, why can't the Thais do the same?

Double standard?

It is a matter of principle, not who is rich and who is poor.

https://www.tlscontact.com/th2fr/help.php

What are the requirements for insurance?

Due to a regulation of the European Union (Decision 2004/17/CE of December 22nd 2003), there is a requirement to hold travel insurance, which is a compulsory document.

The travel insurance should be:

Valid for Schengen area if you apply for short stay visa

Valid for France if it is required in the document list and you apply for long stay visa

Valid for DROM/CTOM according to your itinerary

Your travel insurance must be valid with a minimum cover of 30,000 in order to face any expenses that may arise in connection with your repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention or emergency hospital treatment. The travel insurance should fully cover the period of your stay in the Schengen Area. (see list of approved insurance companies.)

And how much would that cost, what would the coverage be, and what would the exclusions be?

For 500 baht you would get some pretty good coverage and the reality is that in many cases accidents would be covered by other policies or car insurance etc.

If you slip in a hotel, the hotel insurance pays.

If 500 Baht would give you pretty good coverage, then why does your travel insurance from your home country cost a multiple of that ?

[takkatan in the land]

Bt500 will be imposed only on those arriving via air. For land border crossing the fee will be Bt30 regardless of the time you are going to stay in Thailand. So yes, for each Cambodia visarun you'll pay Bt30 extra.

the Public Health Ministry proposed a plan to collect Bt500 as a fee for entering the country from foreign tourists staying in Thailand from three to 30 days;.............so if one is on a 1 year tourist visa does one have to pay 500 baht every

I am not sure if they will apply the fee only to those who arriving by air, but what it is said is ..... 500 baht fee for foreign tourist staying in Thailand from 3 to 30 days.

So if you need to do visa runs I guess you might have some problems to make some border officers understand that you must not to pay a this tax.

Also when they say foreign tourist they really wanted to say farangs nor Lao or Burmese because they need them, to do the jobs than thais don't want to do.