Thai Commerce Min will press charges against hospital operators overcharging foreigners

[webfact]

Commerce Ministry will press charges against hospital operators overcharging foreigners

BANGKOK, 15 May 2015 (NNT) - The Commerce Ministry would press charges against hospital operators overcharging foreigners for their services.

Department of Internal Trade Director-General Boonyarit Kalayanamit made the warning after recent complaints show several private hospitals were charging foreigners at a rate higher than normal.

Mr. Boonyarit said the 1999 Consumer Protection Act indicates all kinds of business operators must clearly display their service charges and capital cost. He explained the act covers hospital services and medicine costs as well. Medical establishments that do not follow this act may be fined of no more than 10,000 baht.

The Department of Internal Trade would summon hospital operators to inquire about their service charges, in order to determine whether their rates were justifiable, the Director General said. Operators violating its regulation are subjected to 7 years imprisonment or a 140,000-baht fine or both.

-- NNT 2015-05-15

[fritzzz25]

What about foreigner prices for everything else? Entrance to different venues, etc.

Or is that "Thainess"?

[ColdSingha]

10,000 baht fine, that'll teach them!

[cumgranosalum]

Yet again, just a piecemeal, unenforceable dictum.

what processes will be put in place that can compare various medical procedures and then decide if someone was overcharged??

[ehs818]

Window dressing PR (again!).

[hgma]

nightvision policies as usual!!

[quandow]

I bet they laugh their @SSES off after delivering speeches like this one!

Silly, silly foreigners.

[prakhonchai nick]

10,000 baht fine, that'll teach them!

For a couple of nights stay in some large hospitals, the foreigner price is often at least 10,000baht more than the Thai price. Worth takling a chance on charging the high price and not getting fined!

[LuckyLew]

And the amount they are over charging in most cases is probably more than enough to cover these 10 000 fine

Hospital directors are probably rolling on the floor laughing their ... off

[scorecard]

It's not only outrageous pricing.

The practices of these hospitals to up the charges when they know you have health insurance should also be investigated. And they do this to Thais as well as foreigners.

[Suradit69]

What about foreigner prices for everything else? Entrance to different venues, etc.

Or is that "Thainess"?

No, but complaining about every little thing certainly is farang-ness.

No one forces you to go to "different venues." Hardly on the same level as obtaining medical care. Maybe attending fewer "different venues" would be healthier anyway.

[Suradit69]

And the amount they are over charging in most cases is probably more than enough to cover these 10 000 fine

Hospital directors are probably rolling on the floor laughing their ... off

In part it's meant to cover some of our fellow farang who skip off without paying anything.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/824984-misdemeanors-records-and-immigration-will-they-reject-you/

[dirtycash]

dont worry, you will all be dead by the time any such laws are implemented.

[cumgranosalum]

So TV members - how are you going to go about reporting this overcharging? Anyone done it yet?

[gchurch259]

The whole pricing scheme in Thailand is crazy, in a city where the minimum wage is 300THB they have 200 to 300 USD a day hotels, 20M TBH condos, 5 USD drinks at night. Even in the country Rai of land can run into the 100's of thousand THB.

People so corrupt they catch them in billions of THB stolen scammed from the government. China had the right idea at one time they put a 9MM right in the back of the head for corrupt officials !!

An old man gets 10 years for having knock of CDs, while someone who kills cyclist gets suspended sentence an chump change fine !!

Dear General/PM keep flushing the device until the water is clear !!

[razer]

LMFAO .... fining big business 10,000 Baht for not posting prices. Ouch!

Seriously, if they really want Thailand to be a HUB of something this is a good place to start. Lots of money in the healthcare business if it is on the up and up.

Generally speaking, Thai thinking never really understood repeat business. Everybody is a one-time Charley so screw the hell out of them.

[Thai at Heart]

Hilariously, the government itself practices double pricing. Can I sue them?

[trogers]

The whole pricing scheme in Thailand is crazy, in a city where the minimum wage is 300THB they have 200 to 300 USD a day hotels, 20M TBH condos, 5 USD drinks at night. Even in the country Rai of land can run into the 100's of thousand THB.

People so corrupt they catch them in billions of THB stolen scammed from the government. China had the right idea at one time they put a 9MM right in the back of the head for corrupt officials !!

An old man gets 10 years for having knock of CDs, while someone who kills cyclist gets suspended sentence an chump change fine !!

Dear General/PM keep flushing the device until the water is clear !!

Problem is, one cannot flush cancerous stem cells...

[shaurene]

Fritzzzz

Let's get the bloody hospitals sorted first. The other charges you refer to are peanuts compared.

[shaurene]

Overcharging from the normal price, now what does this mean. The 2 private hospitals I have been in in KHon Kaen are so expensive but my thai wife and her daughter have been in the same hospitals and they where charged the same as I. Was.

It is over pricing on the services and prescriptions, it you are on a drip they charge you so high for the needle, the piece of tube and all the other bits.

[peterb17]

Off to see an excellent world class doctor on Tuesday - maybe will cost 5000- 10 000 baht.

The cost of a private consultation in the UK or especially America would be staggering .

Quite happy to pay that- a minor problem.

The whole point of organising insurance with an internationally recognised company if heaven forbid you develop cancer or something serious - have millions of $ or £ at your disposal .

Do they overcharge - probably not. Do they push you into loads of tests and treatments -yes. Never go for all those check ups- they will always find something.

If you are not well- go.

We don't live for ever- endless X Rays, instruments shoved up every orifice don't help-

My opinion - have friends who seem to spend every waking moment in Bangkok Pattaya hospital- just love the place. End up on a heap of medically dubious medication- big Pharma loves them.

[Time Traveller]

And the amount they are over charging in most cases is probably more than enough to cover these 10 000 fine

Hospital directors are probably rolling on the floor laughing their ... off

In part it's meant to cover some of our fellow farang who skip off without paying anything.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/824984-misdemeanors-records-and-immigration-will-they-reject-you/

So becuase a farang thief once walked out without paying 5 years ago, they decided to wait until the next farang came along 5 years later to double charge him? Somehow I don't think that's what it is.

It's called Racial Discriminatory pricing. All businesses factor delinquent accounts into their margin pricing. There is no excuse for charging someone more for the same treatment simply becuase they are a different race.

[Time Traveller]

Off to see an excellent world class doctor on Tuesday - maybe will cost 5000- 10 000 baht.

The cost of a private consultation in the UK or especially America would be staggering .

Quite happy to pay that- a minor problem.

The whole point of organising insurance with an internationally recognised company if heaven forbid you develop cancer or something serious - have millions of $ or £ at your disposal .

Peter, you've alluded to a point few people understand. Medical Insurance companies don't have millions of dollars available for every policy holder. They only have the funds from the insurance premiums. You might think it's "free money" for treatment, but it's paid by everyone's insurance premiums. i.e. We all pay for it when hospitals overcharge.

Insurance Companies operate for one reason: To make a profit. Not to give everyone unlimited medical treatment.

The fact that a few cheating Thai hospitals exploit that is known to insurance companies.

From personal experience, insurers typically negotiate hospital charges down by around 50% compared with what the "self insured" person may pay for the same treatment.

[Johnny S]

and Santa Claus are gonna visit us tonight ... Hospitals are as many other above the law cause who own the privat hospitals ...

[scorecard]

Off to see an excellent world class doctor on Tuesday - maybe will cost 5000- 10 000 baht.

The cost of a private consultation in the UK or especially America would be staggering .

Quite happy to pay that- a minor problem.

The whole point of organising insurance with an internationally recognised company if heaven forbid you develop cancer or something serious - have millions of $ or £ at your disposal .

Peter, you've alluded to a point few people understand. Medical Insurance companies don't have millions of dollars available for every policy holder. They only have the funds from the insurance premiums. You might think it's "free money" for treatment, but it's paid by everyone's insurance premiums. i.e. We all pay for it when hospitals overcharge.

Insurance Companies operate for one reason: To make a profit. Not to give everyone unlimited medical treatment.

The fact that a few cheating Thai hospitals exploit that is known to insurance companies.

From personal experience, insurers typically negotiate hospital charges down by around 50% compared with what the "self insured" person may pay for the same treatment.

How does this negotiation work?

Who starts or generates the negotiation.

Please share.

[cumgranosalum]

Off to see an excellent world class doctor on Tuesday - maybe will cost 5000- 10 000 baht.

The cost of a private consultation in the UK or especially America would be staggering .

Quite happy to pay that- a minor problem.

The whole point of organising insurance with an internationally recognised company if heaven forbid you develop cancer or something serious - have millions of $ or £ at your disposal .

Do they overcharge - probably not. Do they push you into loads of tests and treatments -yes. Never go for all those check ups- they will always find something.

If you are not well- go.

We don't live for ever- endless X Rays, instruments shoved up every orifice don't help-

My opinion - have friends who seem to spend every waking moment in Bangkok Pattaya hospital- just love the place. End up on a heap of medically dubious medication- big Pharma loves them.

"Off to see an excellent world class doctor on Tuesday" - really? and who says he's "world class"? his clinic or himself....other patients?...or the framed certificates on his wall?

​on a more general note, it amazes me how people confidently extoll the virtues of a practitioner, clinic or hospital........when they are clearly in no position to make such an assessment....... in fact there isn't even a system in Thailand for doing this properly.

[janpharma]

10.000.-THB ?...that's a joke...Make it 1.000.000.- and maybe something will change...

[rethaier]

What about foreigner prices for everything else? Entrance to different venues, etc.

Or is that "Thainess"?

No, but complaining about every little thing certainly is farang-ness.

No one forces you to go to "different venues." Hardly on the same level as obtaining medical care. Maybe attending fewer "different venues" would be healthier anyway.

An apologist has expressed their childish point of view. Farang don't complain about "every little thing" they complain about inequality. For instance, in my country Thais can buy land, have access to equal medical care, pay the same price as me for anything and everything, get citizenship after a few years etc. etc. etc. But in this biased and bigoted country we are treated as second class citizens just above the rank of a Burmese.

.

[rethaier]

And the amount they are over charging in most cases is probably more than enough to cover these 10 000 fine

Hospital directors are probably rolling on the floor laughing their ... off

In part it's meant to cover some of our fellow farang who skip off without paying anything.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/824984-misdemeanors-records-and-immigration-will-they-reject-you/

I sincerely doubt that this is common practice amongst those of us that have made Thailand our home.

[jackanapes]

I am sure many people will welcome this response to hospital overcharging and malpractice the practice of keeping people on a life support system till there is no more money must cease .