Thai Health Insurance Co Ltd

[simon43]

In my quest for health insurance in LoS, I received details from 'Thai Health Insurance Co Ltd' about their 'Wealthy Healthy' and 'Major Medicare' plans.

These plans are targeted towards customers who are happy to pay for out-patient/minor surgery expensies, but want cover for the major problems, (such as a car accident, heart attack etc).

The cover is basically for 1,5 million baht per disability, with hospital room paid for and repatriation cover of $1 million, (although I should imagine if a BKK private hospital cannot fix you then you will probably die on the plane home anyway...)

The premiums seem very reasonable, around 10K baht per year for my age (47), or 29k baht/year if I add on outpatient extras etc.

Does anyone have experience of this insurance company?

Thanks

Simon

[jingjingna]

Someone I know has health insurance with this company. The quote you have been given seems reasonable. My friend has the Simply Healthy plan which includes an allowance for outpatient costs at around just under 10,000 Baht per annum.

[backflip]

jingjingna,

To avoid a $250US payment, how much does your friend pay for the insurance premium?

[jingjingna]

backflip,

The premium is just under 10,000 Baht. This is for the Simply Healthy Plan which includes 30 outpatient visits a years limited to 700 baht per visit. There are other plans available though that will cover upto 1,000 per visit.

[eugengeri]

backflip,

The premium is just under 10,000 Baht. This is for the Simply Healthy Plan which includes 30 outpatient visits a years limited to 700 baht per visit. There are other plans available though that will cover upto 1,000 per visit.

Does his health insurance "for under 10k" cover all treatments ???

This is maybe okay in combination with your insurance in your home country.

You can read this article:

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/health_insurance_thailand.asp

[jingjingna]

eugengeri,

I have no idea of the ins and outs of what's covered and what's not (I personally have free Bupa Health through my work) though you can look it up yourself on the Thailhealth website. My friend thinks it is adequate for his needs though his needs may differ from your own. Their are other options to choose from, happy hunting!

[jingjingna]

Simon43,

Check out NZI formerly Royal Sun Alliance...expensive but might be more in line of what you are looking for.

[simon43]

To be honest, their Major Medicare plan looks fine, although I still need to discuss this with them.

I'm wary of paying out on expensive health insurance when, for the vast majority of accidents/illnesses, it is cheaper to pay yourself (if you live in Thailand). I went down with pneumonia last Xmas (after a visit to cold England), and spent 5 days in Bumrungrad Hospital. The total bill for doctor, medicines and large room was 60,000 baht. My finances are fine to pay for that sort of cost and for outpatient costs etc.

What I do want cover for is if I have a major car accident and am unconscious. At least if I'm carrying my health insurance card then they might try to get me to a decent local hospital.

If there really is a major, long-term problem, then no health cover will insure against it. Even the very expensive policies always limit the duration of aftercare. I prefer to trust in my Thai family to help to look after me. (My home is Thailand, so no point shipping me back to the UK...)

Simon

[Firefan]

I have signed up with Thaihealth. Their "Wealthly Healthy"(he,he - cool name) plan covering up to the 1.5M mentioned. I added out-patient (30 visits max per year of 2000 Baht+xrays/tests for an additional 20k).

They have "no cash pay" agreements with practically all the major hospitals which I know that Goodhealth and others do not. That means no cash outlays whether in-patient(hospitalized) or out-patient treatment.

My experince with 1 year of Goodhealth is that thy are too far from here to service their clients well. Emailed them once as a client to request chiropractor approval and never got a reply, and also found only ONE no-cash outlay(outpatient) hospital in entire Thailand on their list - and when contacted, they had never heard of Goodhealth....

W. Thaihealth one can then combine the 1.5M Baht cover with their cheap travel insurances when one travels to get close to $100.000 cover.

Cheers!

[simon43]

I'm sigining up with Thaihealth Major Medical plan. For the premium cost it looks fine and should cover for what I need.

However, (standard warning here), what is suitable for one person may not be suitable for another. Please consult your financial advisor. blah blah blah

[Firefan]

Just got my policy from Thai Health. Note that the first 30 days the cover is for accidential and out-patient(if chosen) only. At least that is what I was informed verbally. The policy looks even stricter actually as can not see stipulated that accidential is even covered the first 30 days.

Basically; if one is swithing from other insurance it makes sense to "overlap" with that month to cover ones a..

Scuba diving, and a few other dangerous sports not covered - so remember to sign up for that insurance offered by the dive shop.

Simon; while true that there is repatriation cover of $1M through SOS, it is only for repatriation back to your health insurance home country - which I presume is Thailand. They will not fly you from Thailand to the US/EU or whatever.

When travelling to EU/US/other expensive medical areas it makes sense to add a travel insurance as 1.5M Baht($40k) will not last that far those places.

Thai Health have one called Journey with the most expensive costing 2000 Baht for 1 month adding 2M Baht to the above cover.

Cheers!

Edited July 17, 2006 by Firefan

[simon43]

Hi Firefan

Re the repatriation, I asked the rep re this and she said it did cover being flown back to the UK.

However, I don't believe her anyway!! As I said in my initial post, I consider Thailand my home. The hospitals here can give first class treatment, so I would see little point being shipped back to the UK.

Would I rather die in the UK with my greedy ex-wife hovering over me, or die in sunny Thailand with my cute-as-hel_l Thai wife at my bedside?? I'll let you guess the answer

Simon

[Firefan]

He,he - point well taken my friend!

I was told differently. I presume we both dealt directly with Thaihealth and you were not using an agent? I went to their office myself.

Also; the insurance cover would quickly run out in EU/US so flying there would, besides the risky trip if really serious, also be damaging financially - due to the very different price levels.

Another weird thing is that the life insurance+personal accident part does not cover infections(!?) This is not big amounts anyway - but a bit weird.

On a positive note they added a correction to the policy confirming a full 30 day out-patient follow up included after accident/illness, and that there is no limit to surgeon fee(up to policy limit).

I was also positively surprised to see that accident treatment not needing hospitalization (I.e. out-patient) is still covered under the major medical cover (normally require use of the out-patient add-on).

I have become a bit of an expert in reading these policies by now

Cheers!

[AsiaWolfie]

He,he - point well taken my friend!

I was told differently. I presume we both dealt directly with Thaihealth and you were not using an agent? I went to their office myself.

Also; the insurance cover would quickly run out in EU/US so flying there would, besides the risky trip if really serious, also be damaging financially - due to the very different price levels.

Another weird thing is that the life insurance+personal accident part does not cover infections(!?) This is not big amounts anyway - but a bit weird.

could that "not cover infections" - thing have something to do with HIV maybe ?

seems like companies such as BUPA don't even pay antiviral treatment if you catch the HIV Virus

[Firefan]

Don't think related to that. Note I am only talking a symbolic payment in case of death/handicapped. It does not refer to the general health treatment.

AS to geneal health treatment Thaihealth does, as far as I have been able to deduct, cover HIV related sickness. Unlike BUPA they do not specifically EXCLUDE HIV/Aids related sickness. They DO have the almost standard disclaimer/no-pay for STDs (as does BUPA) but normally hiv/aids related illness is considered seperately, probably due to the multiple ways one can become a victim to that (blood transfusion Etc.).

Cheers!