BUPA $$$

[Spaniel]

I just got my BUPA renewal notice. Last year my premium was B49,674 but the renewal rate has jumped to B67,313! I haven't had any claims the past year and only 1 small claim in 11 years. This is for the Emerald Plan. I'm 71, will be 72 in July. Guess that's the reason for the increase. I'm posting this just as info for others as I don't think I have any alternative other then no coverage at all.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Spaniel

[tonray]

Was there a noted increase in the price charts once you reach 72 ? Many health and life insurers have gradated premium scales based upon age.

[grumpyoldman]

Same for my Platinum Plan OP. Was always around 40,000thb a year this year the bill came in at 53,000. I think that's nearly the same percentage yours increased.

[richard_smith237]

I'm 41 - my work pays for my BUPA International Coverage which I think is about US$2400

I pay for my Wife and Son (who are 38 and 2) - The Premium for both is GBP 1760 (with a GBP 500 dedutable each) for Inpatient treatment only.

I was annoyed last year when the premium when up by GBP 260... quite a dramatic increase, when I complained I was informed it was due to increasing medical costs. However, I can't see how medical costs have increased 17% in a year - The premium already increased by 12% the year before (for my Wife only).

So... While I'm extremely happy with BUPA's level of cover and relatively satisfied with the service (direct settlement at hosptials), I'm somewhat annoyed by the yearly increase in premium to the point I'd be happy to switch if a reasonable alternative were to become available.

[Sheryl]

All insurance policies raise premium rates with age. BUPA Thailand does this in 5 year age bands so a very big increase at once....usually 30-35%. I don't know if BUPA Uk is the same.

Most other insurers raise rates by age annually.

In addition there are sometimes smaller across the board inflation increase.

Neither is related to whether you have claims.

[mania]

OP I know in some ways that 67,313 baht per year is a lot

Yet in dollars I also see it is $197 a month so given age etc I guess still a pretty good deal

But...........What I don't understand about BUPA is after reading their Sapphire-Ruby-Emerald-Diamond plans

is just how little they cover & gawd help you if you need it in the first 6 months as even less is covered

The surgical fees of 22-70k coverage seems so thin

Same with the general expenses...capped so low

I just had a CT KUB scan I paid cash & it was 12k just for that 1

Overall after 4 years here major medical coverage is the one thing that has me often thinking of moving back to where

I came from. Because while I can self insure I also know things can happen that have no limit.

Insurance here is so limited from what I see.

At least back home in most countries there is that safety net where if you cant pay you will not be refused

Good Luck & hope your rates do not keep climbing for that amount of coverage

[Sheryl]

The only BUPA Thailand policy worth having is Platinum5 or at minimum Platinum 2.

Ruby, emerald etc ~ so little cover as to be nit worth having. For some reason ridiculously low policies like that are popular in Thailand...I guess people just look at rhe premium cost and not at what the policy contains.

internationally issuef Expat policies run from a little higher in premium than Platinum5 to about double it. Coverage levels are rificulously high....opposite situation to BUPA Thailand's most popular packages.

There is a lack of international expat policy geared to the realities of health care costs in Thailand.

[mania]

The only BUPA Thailand policy worth having is Platinum5 or at minimum Platinum 2.

Ruby, emerald etc ~ so little cover as to be nit worth having. For some reason ridiculously low policies like that are popular in Thailand...I guess people just look at rhe premium cost and not at what the policy contains.

internationally issuef Expat policies run from a little higher in premium than Platinum5 to about double it. Coverage levels are rificulously high....opposite situation to BUPA Thailand's most popular packages.

There is a lack of international expat policy geared to the realities of health care costs in Thailand.

Thanks Sheryl

I never looked at those till now & they do look a lot better & nice to see that "Full Cover" in the important spots.

@ 64.082 baht per year for my age group that is about $150 a month USD so a bit more than back home...but something to consider if I stay & just justify it as 5k a month roughly

What is kind of surprising about those cheaper Ruby,Emerald etc plans is there is also one called Crystal & it runs 11k a year & has full coverage in all the important

areas but......when I asked about it they said you have to be Thai

555 Have to laugh a little trying to imagine an insurance company trying to pull that off back home...Oh wait...your Japanese? your price is 6x higher

Edited April 6, 2016 by mania

[JESSVANPELT]

All Health insurance plans go up according to age, nothing new here if you would have read the policy you would have known, but many get this same surprise

[Sheryl]

Thanks Sheryl

I never looked at those till now & they do look a lot better & nice to see that "Full Cover" in the important spots.....

Yes, the cover is good and caps are in line with current realistic costs per episode. In addition, Platinum plans cover you worldwide except US , so if you travel anywhere else you are covered, inclusive of med-evac back to Thailand which is important if you travel to say Cambodia or Myanmar.

BUT remember that there will be big jumps in premiums every 5 years (the first hike could come much sooner depending on where you fall in the 5 year age band at enrollment).

And Thai insurers have the right to cancel your policy at will. If the latter concerns you, look at European based insurers, usually their contracts do not permit that. Mind you I have not heard any accounts of BUPA doing this, but legally they can, and this is especially a concern if one plans on growing old here, because if they are going to do that it would likely be to someone with a chronic health condition likely to entail many future claims...at which point chance of getting other insurance pretty well nil.

[wpcoe]

One thing to remember if upgrading to a higher level of BUPA coverage is that any pre-existing condition as of the day of upgrade will covered only at the level of the previous plan. If you've had BUPA for a number of years, that covers a lot of areas that will not benefit from a higher level of coverage.

[Spaniel]

All Health insurance plans go up according to age, nothing new here if you would have read the policy you would have known, but many get this same surprise

I knew their would be a increase in premium at renewal. My post was concerning the size of the increase.

[xylophone]

All Health insurance plans go up according to age, nothing new here if you would have read the policy you would have known, but many get this same surprise

I knew their would be a increase in premium at renewal. My post was concerning the size of the increase.

Yes same here.........was very surprised when my annual premium went up to over 100k baht pa.

Problem is not much in the way of options available at 68 yrs old so changed to monthly direct debit which eases the pain a little!!

[Sheryl]

All Health insurance plans go up according to age, nothing new here if you would have read the policy you would have known, but many get this same surprise

I knew their would be a increase in premium at renewal. My post was concerning the size of the increase.

Yes, the BUPA increases are huge because they do it 5 yearly. Other policies will increase by less but every year. Anout 7% rise every year vs. about 35% in one fell swoop. I don't know why BUPA does it this way, would think less palatable to their clients. But in fact works out sort of the same.

[topt]

All Health insurance plans go up according to age, nothing new here if you would have read the policy you would have known, but many get this same surprise

I knew their would be a increase in premium at renewal. My post was concerning the size of the increase.

Yes, the BUPA increases are huge because they do it 5 yearly. Other policies will increase by less but every year. Anout 7% rise every year vs. about 35% in one fell swoop. I don't know why BUPA does it this way, would think less palatable to their clients. But in fact works out sort of the same.

Would the OP not be falling in the middle of a band though as from memory don't they run 55-60, 60-65, 65-70 etc? Seems strange to get hit for so much going from 71-72?

[Sheryl]

The bands are odd and not always where you'd expect them to be. Also years can't overlap (same year can't be in two bands).

I know I crossed a five year band at an odd age, not a multiple of five.

I think it may be something like 57-61, 62-66, 67-71 etc

[chiang mai]

I'd bite my leg off and yours for a BUPA premium of 67K baht and I'm only 66!

Note to self: check and see if biting leg off self is covered under BUPA.

[tomwct]

Don't renew and setup a Health Savings account with your premiums!

[Spaniel]

I contacted BUPA and inquired about upgrading my current Emerald policy to the next level, Diamond and Platinum 1. Here is what my new premium would be if I should select either of these plans. Diamond will be Bhat 83,775 and Platinum 1, Bhat 119,597. To go to the Diamond plan bumps the coverage up a bit on each item. Of course the Platinum 1 looks much better but then the cost, though still affordable, isn't cheap. My current policy runs to 26 May so still time to think about which way to go.

[Spaniel]

Don't renew and setup a Health Savings account with your premiums!

Is this what you have done? And if so how is it working out?

[mania]

Don't renew and setup a Health Savings account with your premiums!

That always sounds pretty good till your actually in a Hospital & see how fast the cha ching can ring

Much much faster than you ever stowed 60k yearly premiums.

[JLCrab]

Just to note courtesy Tilleke & Gibbins:

(Thailand Insurance) Regulations

Insurance companies are subject to extensive regulation in terms of capital adequacy, permitted investments, handling of claims, marketing activities, dispute resolution, and others. Policy wording may only be used following approval of the OIC. In addition, all advertising images and solicitation documents are regarded as part of the relevant insurance policy. If the meaning of any advertised wording or image is contrary to that written in the policy, such meaning is to be interpreted in favor of the insured or the beneficiary (as the case may be).

An insurance contract is voidable if, at the time of its making, the insured, or in case of life insurance, the party upon whose death payment depends, knowingly omits facts that would have induced the insurer to raise premiums or refuse to enter into the contract, or knowingly makes false statements in regard to such facts.

http://www.tilleke.com/resources/compliance-complete-insurance-country-guide-thailand

Edited April 8, 2016 by JLCrab

[bkk6060]

Just wanted to see if this is a decent deal.

I am 61 and via email was given a quote for the Platinum 2 plan for 70,000 b.

I checked with Aetna, AXA, and Prime and Bupa seemed to have the best plan for me.

I can go to Bumrumgrad Hospital which is 5 minutes from my Apt.

Is this a reasonable estimate for this plan?

[Social Media]

Just wanted to see if this is a decent deal.

I am 61 and via email was given a quote for the Platinum 2 plan for 70,000 b.

I checked with Aetna, AXA, and Prime and Bupa seemed to have the best plan for me.

I can go to Bumrumgrad Hospital which is 5 minutes from my Apt.

Is this a reasonable estimate for this plan?

The actual price is 83k but you get 15% discount at present for paying annually 70,893 baht. 10% off if you opt for monthly. 6255 baht

I believe for the cover it provides, it is a good choice.

Edited April 11, 2016 by Black Ops

[bkk6060]

Just wanted to see if this is a decent deal.

I am 61 and via email was given a quote for the Platinum 2 plan for 70,000 b.

I checked with Aetna, AXA, and Prime and Bupa seemed to have the best plan for me.

I can go to Bumrumgrad Hospital which is 5 minutes from my Apt.

Is this a reasonable estimate for this plan?

The actual price is 83k but you get 15% discount at present for paying annually 70,893 baht. 10% off if you opt for monthly. 6255 baht

I believe for the cover it provides, it is a good choice.

Yes OK thank you much.

Much better then the USA where they want close to $1000 a month for a single policy now.

[Gary A]

I had my health insurance with Liberty Mutual group. In all the years I was insured, I had one claim. I had appendicitis. They paid in full at a private hospital and no questions asked. I tried to choose a company carefully that would not cancel my policy because of age, No problem with this company. What they didn't tell me is that they would eventually price me out with crazy high premiums. I dropped the policy at age 65 and am now self insured. I think I could pay hospital bills for serious problems cheaper than the cost of the premiums. I am now 71 years old and am way ahead of the game. I still have my US retirement fund that is my nest egg. Hopefully it will be inherited by my kids but it is there in case of any costly health emergency.

[JLCrab]

I'll presume the above is signed up fpr Medicare in the US. However, given a severe emergency occurrence like stroke, heart attack, aneurysm, etc., that presumes you are in sufficiently stable condition to get back to US to use medicare for further treatment.

[Isan Farang]

I'm 41 - my work pays for my BUPA International Coverage which I think is about US$2400

I pay for my Wife and Son (who are 38 and 2) - The Premium for both is GBP 1760 (with a GBP 500 dedutable each) for Inpatient treatment only.

I was annoyed last year when the premium when up by GBP 260... quite a dramatic increase, when I complained I was informed it was due to increasing medical costs. However, I can't see how medical costs have increased 17% in a year - The premium already increased by 12% the year before (for my Wife only).

So... While I'm extremely happy with BUPA's level of cover and relatively satisfied with the service (direct settlement at hosptials), I'm somewhat annoyed by the yearly increase in premium to the point I'd be happy to switch if a reasonable alternative were to become available.

We almost pay the same premium; for 2015 to 2016 I paid $2684 this is for Classic & Evacuation paid to BUPA Global Medical Insurance based in the UK. I have been with them since 2002 and have only ever had 1 claim when I contacted Dengue Fever in Thailand. I am 61 years old and still do some consultancy work in the middle east.

Are you with BUPA Thailand or BUPA UK ?. I was thinking of getting a quote from BUPA Thailand but I expect the costs may be similar.

[bkk6060]

Just to follow up, I did get the Bupa policy Platinum 2.

About $2,000 USD for me age 61. I actually went to their office in Sathorn. Nice modern place.

I met with a Rep, filled out the paperwork, and put the payment on my CC. She gave me a hard copy of my Health card on the spot.

What I did not know is the policy is good worldwide. Except, the good old USA of course.

Anyway, I was pleased with the process.

Edited April 18, 2016 by bkk6060

[mania]

Just to follow up, I did get the Bupa policy Platinum 2.

About $2,000 USD for me age 61. I actually went to their office in Sathorn. Nice modern place.

I met with a Rep, filled out the paperwork, and put the payment on my CC. She gave me a hard copy of my Health card on the spot.

What I did not know is the policy is good worldwide. Except, the good old USA of course.

Anyway, I was pleased with the process.

That is a fair price given age & decent coverage etc.

That is the one thing for us folks from the USA though...no coverage when visiting

I always wished they offered a Thailand only policy like they do for the Thais...Crystal plan etc

Full coverage reasonable prices but Thailand only

Since we only ever are in Thailand or US why pay for the worldwide (except US ) coverage

Edited April 20, 2016 by mania