Can I leave the country having a debt?

[khunPer]

If the hospital files a police complaint the passports can be flagged at Immigration and the holders prevented from leaving, I personally know of one farang this happened to in CM about eight years ago.

If have heard something semilar, for example with unpaid hotel bills, but was looking through the posts to see if I could learn more...

[Suradit69]

You owe money to an organisation that you are trying to come to a resolution with. There is no court judgement against you, you have no obligation to tell them you are leaving the country. Certainly you need to be taking this up with the insurance company, the one thing I will say that it's not in the DNA of an insurance company to pick the most expensive clinic, usually the reverse.

"There is no court judgement against you, you have no obligation to tell them you are leaving the country."

And yet all you have do is mention a mandatory medical coverage tax for tourists and foreign residents and you'll have 10 pages of claims that farang always pay their bills and never get treated without payment up front and the hospitals never lose money treating farang.

No problem though. The hospitals will either get the money from the patient who was treated or they'll get it by increasing charges that the rest of us have to pay. The mystery as to why hospitals keep charging more and more deepens.

[HUAHIN62]

Get out asap and put the screws on the insurance company. When you are back in your home country contact the hospital and negotiate a payment plan.

[Emster23]

Tell them you wish to meet with your lawyer to discuss this and will get back to them. Don't mention lawyer is in another country. The cancellation letter to me equals "the gloves are off" and if they can be unscrupulous, so can you.

[kjhbigv]

"ANyhow, what would be the minimal amount thai instituations bother going to court? Do they have to go to court at all like in Europe?"

Firstly, I can only presume they can only take it to a Thai Court. What jurisdiction would a Thai Court have for a civil debt, in a European country?

None, I would guess. The same as a European Court has no jurisdiction in a Thai Court for a civil case.

Would they they be able to enforce the debt (by Court Order) in a European country?

Surely, it would take a lot of money and effort to do so.

Edited July 16, 2014 by kjhbigv

[dotpoom]

You owe money to an organisation that you are trying to come to a resolution with. There is no court judgement against you, you have no obligation to tell them you are leaving the country. Certainly you need to be taking this up with the insurance company, the one thing I will say that it's not in the DNA of an insurance company to pick the most expensive clinic, usually the reverse.

From listening to complaints about insurance companies on a regular basis from home in Europe, I don't think the above would be correct....Insurance companies seem to care little about the cost....in fact it regularly is the case that when bills were examined it showed that the companies paid out in a hugh amount of cases for treatment that was not even given and overnight beds in hospitals paid for that were never even used. Hospitals appear to be cleaning up from the private insurance companies.

[Greg Nixon]

How long was she treated? If she was treated for a year at 40 THB/day , you would owe $480.00. Oh my God break the bank.

[xenophon]

You owe money to an organisation that you are trying to come to a resolution with. There is no court judgement against you, you have no obligation to tell them you are leaving the country. Certainly you need to be taking this up with the insurance company, the one thing I will say that it's not in the DNA of an insurance company to pick the most expensive clinic, usually the reverse.

Correct. Make sure that neither you nor the creditor initiate legal action before your departure. In that case, there is no actual or potential reason (e.g. injunction) to prevent you departing. This, of course, does not prevent the creditor taking 'informal' measures against you, so keep your impending departure to yourself.

Also, investigate the details of this cancellation of letter.

[mrwebb8825]

Why don't you contact a lawyer instead of coming here with this? Many law firms will give you an initial consultation for free.

[Jdiddy]

Do/Can they check that sort of stuff at land borders? If not cancel plane tickets, rebook from Kuala Lumpur or PP and do a day trip over the border the day before you are due to leave

Or book a ultra cheap ticket to a nearby country the day before hand, see if you can get through passport control, if you can, simply walk back out saying plans have changed. If not smash it over land to PP or KL, get a flight back to BKK and use the international transit system (if they have it) to avoid immigration and get on your flight home

You really shouldnt have to do that though, make sure you stick it to the insurance lot

How long was she treated? If she was treated for a year at 40 THB/day , you would owe $480.00. Oh my God break the bank.

Put your reading glasses back on grandpa, "40 th thb/day" most likely means 40,000 as she was only in there for 7 days

[CRUNCHER]

I believe you got a very precise answer to your question when you asked it in the "ask a lawyer" forum.

[northernjohn]

The guarantee letter was cancelled?

Did her medical treatment change from what the letter had approved?

Was it the result of doctors re diagnosing the condition as "non-life threatening"?

Is this type of reversal common amongst health insurers?

Was it travelers insurance?

As for leaving an unpaid bill behind, I have read most of the expensive Internationally accredited hospitals are tied in with American hospitals and any unpaid bill would result in collection efforts in the US and negative reports to the Big 3 Credit Reporting Agencies.

Maybe a poor credit rating is no concern for non-Americans but a death knell for Americans in todays culture.

Good luck

Your last sentence......are you so insular in your view of the world ? Jeezzzzz...this as you come overhere with sensible posts on a regular basis.

Ouch.

I sadly admit that I have no idea if the Big 3 Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) in the US track credit histories of people in other countries. Nor do I have any idea how much influence an individuals credit report affects their daily life as compared to the US. In the US, a person with a poor credit history will often be denied far more than future loans but will be turned down for job openings, will not be able to rent an apartment, will pay more for their auto insurance, etc..

Ofcourse, if someone with combined direct experience would like to compare and contrast other nations practices against the US, I would be interested.

My own credit rating has gone down in recent years since I have no mortgage, do not carry credit card debt (pay in full each month), pay cash for automobiles, etc..

Cheers

I have a perfect credit history in Canada going back many years at least 15. I also have a credit card in the states. The interest on money is so prohibitive I tried to set up an open end loan that was about cheaper on the interest 23% down to 8 1/2%. They would not look at my credit rating in Canada. It was the Wells Fargo Bank. Not exactly a small time operation.

As for the OP it has pretty well been covered when he was told don't mention it.

[Carib]

Everybody is so busy with non relevant postings that they missed the fact that the OP his problem has been solved.

[F4UCorsair]

I have difficulty believing that there are some posting here encouraging the OP to avoid his responsibility to pay for treatment.

He's said his insurance will now cover it, but if it hadn't, avoiding a debt incurred keeping his wife alive is not an honourable thing to do, because ultimately somebody must pay, probably through increased hospital fees.

As for B40,000 a day....in Thailand? Even intensive care in Australia doesn't cost that much.

[Jdiddy]

I have difficulty believing that there are some posting here encouraging the OP to avoid his responsibility to pay for treatment.

He's said his insurance will now cover it, but if it hadn't, avoiding a debt incurred keeping his wife alive is not an honourable thing to do, because ultimately somebody must pay, probably through increased hospital fees.

As for B40,000 a day....in Thailand? Even intensive care in Australia doesn't cost that much.

Dont think anyone is, but lets say op's situation hasnt been resolved, and the hospital could easily prevent op from flying out, how do you get blood out of a stone? Would be alot easier to get back home, resolve things with the insurance and pay back the hospital then being stuck here with no job

If your going to let "honour" get in the way of that, your just plain silly. Ideology at it's worst

[Ricardo]

Do many people travel with two passports, other than James Bourne? It sure seems like a good way to create confusion.

It's perfectly normal, for a dual-national to travel with both passports on them, IME.

The standard example is surely a Thai-national, who departs Thailand on their Thai passport, but enters UK/USA/Australia on their British/American/Australian passport, and vice versa ?

[zydeco]

There was the case of the guy who allegedly thrashed his house and refused to pay damages. He was stuck in Thai for a few years until acquitted. I suspect it was for criminal damage as opposed to a debt...However I do believe it is a criminal offence not to pay a debt in Thai??????

Maybe you've discovered a new way for all the visa runners to get an extension on their visa to stay in Thailand.

[F4UCorsair]

There was the case of the guy who allegedly thrashed his house and refused to pay damages. He was stuck in Thai for a few years until acquitted. I suspect it was for criminal damage as opposed to a debt...However I do believe it is a criminal offence not to pay a debt in Thai??????

Maybe you've discovered a new way for all the visa runners to get an extension on their visa to stay in Thailand.

Apparently it's not a criminal offence not to make good a debt. He asked the question of the TV Lawyer, and the reply was that he could only be detained on criminal charges.

[susan d]

Check with insurance company. They should pay.

[CodyB]

I have difficulty believing that there are some posting here encouraging the OP to avoid his responsibility to pay for treatment.

He's said his insurance will now cover it, but if it hadn't, avoiding a debt incurred keeping his wife alive is not an honourable thing to do, because ultimately somebody must pay, probably through increased hospital fees.

As for B40,000 a day....in Thailand? Even intensive care in Australia doesn't cost that much.

Intensive Care in Australia is subsidised, even if you're not covered under Medicare. No one pays a pure cost for medical treatment in Australia.

A mate of mine had an appendectomy and it was 200,000 baht. There was no intensive care and he was in an and out within 4 days.

And the insurance, depending on the type of insurance and the particulars of it's underwriting would probably have had this reaction upon discovering your girlfriend is a dual citizen.

* We will not guarantee coverage until full disclosure is given. Duty of disclosure varies from country to country, and in Australia it's essentially anything that the insured would 'reasonably' believe (Common Law term) and anything the insurance company asks. Travelling on two passports does not necessarily heighten risk of contracting a tropical disease, so this is something fairly easily covered in Australia but other countries have different policies.

[harrry]

I have difficulty believing that there are some posting here encouraging the OP to avoid his responsibility to pay for treatment.

He's said his insurance will now cover it, but if it hadn't, avoiding a debt incurred keeping his wife alive is not an honourable thing to do, because ultimately somebody must pay, probably through increased hospital fees.

As for B40,000 a day....in Thailand? Even intensive care in Australia doesn't cost that much.

Strangely for many things the cost is much higher here than in Private Hospitals in Australia. Australian hospitals tend not to charge 10 baht for every asprin and 50000baht for a large vial of injectiaon of which they use 1 cc which is available for 5000.