Living in Thailand with no health insurance

[JLCrab]

When I first started traveling in Asia 30 years ago there were many/most places that would accept American Express card but not VISA/MasterCard.

Anyway I just confirmed with AmEx in Bangkok that Bangkok Hospital Khon Kaen accepts AmEx card so quite likely same with ChiangMai.

[Spaniel]

I need hip replacement surgery - TB 500,000 - 600,000 at Bangkok Hospital. Very glad I have insurance!

Will your insurance cover the total bill?

[Spaniel]

I have been fully been fully insured health insurance-wise for 12 years since arriving full-time in Thailand. After reading all the information here and elsewhere on ThaiVisa, as to the health insurance rip-offs and that anyone who could afford to pay cash for their own medical expenses should not buy insurance, and that there are much better things that one could do with the money that they would save on annual premiums, etc., I have decided:

I will renew my policy for the 13th year when it comes due in a few months.

did you use it during those 12 years? if not, its hard to argue thst it was a good investment

I would hardly call insurance a good investment. You're buying peace of mind. If that's not important to you then go uninsured. It's certainly not an investment.

[Spaniel]

I think that you have that backwards. When you hit 50 the average person has about 30 years left and the odds of having a major (expensive) medical problem go up by the year. At age 20, odds are you won't many major medical conditions in the near future. So it makes a lot more sense to go without medical insurance when young than when old.

I won't argue with your '30 years left' (although none of my family ever made 70 and I'm already over 60).

But what I will question is the worth of that 30 years.

I've never seen ANYONE over 70 with a life worth living.

They merely survive, because they can't face dying.

Rather grim view of people over 70! I'm 71 and hardly fit your evaluation of the over 70 crowd. I suspect you see a lot of yourself in your statement. Maybe you should seek out different friends?

[tonray]

I think that you have that backwards. When you hit 50 the average person has about 30 years left and the odds of having a major (expensive) medical problem go up by the year. At age 20, odds are you won't many major medical conditions in the near future. So it makes a lot more sense to go without medical insurance when young than when old.

I won't argue with your '30 years left' (although none of my family ever made 70 and I'm already over 60).

But what I will question is the worth of that 30 years.

I've never seen ANYONE over 70 with a life worth living.

They merely survive, because they can't face dying.

Rather grim view of people over 70! I'm 71 and hardly fit your evaluation of the over 70 crowd. I suspect you see a lot of yourself in your statement. Maybe you should seek out different friends?

Or at least eat better and exercise !

[chiang mai]

You misunderstand, I'm not in a position to object to your spending habits, that's your business not mine, I was merely pointing out something that may not have been obvious. In fact I used to use Bumrungrad for all my medical needs when I first came to Thailand and then I started to realise that there are alternatives that are just as good if not better but also substantially cheaper.

I made it sound like we were using exclusively Bumrungrad and wantonly running up the bill but that's not the case. We have certain routine tests and MRIs done at other places for reasons of convenience, we've used BNH in Bangkok a couple of times for minor surgeries, and I cut the insurance company a break on prescription costs by having them filled at an independent pharmacy instead of at the hospital.

I'm well aware that Bumrungrad is not the only place with good doctors, but I think that Bumrungrad is the gold standard in Thailand. Almost all of the doctors that they have on staff have rock-solid credentials, most of their doctors are good at explaining treatment option to patients, and I think that the odds of receiving successful treatment there are as high as anywhere in SE Asia. And they can direct bill to foreign insurance companies.

The point that I was inelegantly trying to make is that if your insurance company is willing to pay for even the most expensive hospital in Bangkok then you don't have much incentive to beat the bushes looking for cheaper alternatives, for anything complicated you might as well go straight to the hospital that you trust most. And that means that your medical costs are apt to be more expensive than if you didn't have insurance or if you had a less comprehensive policy.

I think that National University Hospital in Singapore is probably the gold standard for the region but that's an aside. Libel laws prevent me from detailing my experiences with Big B. over many years but I think if you had the entire picture you would change your views. Anyway, you must seek treatment where you feel comfortable doing so.

All of us form our opinions of hospitals based upon anecdotes and anecdotes are not data. I don't know a way around that, nor do I know why you've had bad experiences with Bumrungrad while I've have good ones.

One thing to consider when looking for the gold standard is oversight: as far as I can see there are almost no controls in place in Thailand to manage and verify the quality of medical treatment but in places such as Singapore and Hong Kong medical oversight is a big and very important issue. In Singapore for example the Health Sciences Authority regulates medical standards and actively monitors compliance, it can be argued that the HSA is too powerful and that doctors are afraid of making a mistake because that can lead to suspension or their license being revoked but it does lead to high levels of patient safety, nothing even remotely similar exists here as far as I can tell.

[JLCrab]

I live in Khon Kaen. Khon Kaen Unversity has one of the largest medical schools in Thailand outside Bangkok. Doctors come from all over the country to study at KKU and many, when they are finished with their training, regardless of from where they have come, prefer to stay in Khon Kaen because they and their families like living in Khon Kaen. Indeed many of the practicing doctors in KK are on the faculty of the medical school.

So the 'happy doctor' component in Khon Kaen is maybe higher than that in Bangkok or even Chiang Mai and everyone wants, or should want, their doctor to be happy. This I have been told.

Edited April 12, 2016 by JLCrab

[gk10002000]

What often happens is one goes through much of life, patting himself/herself on the back for all the money not wasted on health insurance. And then something serious happens and that person is in deep trouble. Statistics also indicate that as we get older, our medical needs and costs only increase, often dramatically.

Like some other forms of insurance I pay my premiums and hope that I am wasting my money and will never need the insurance. Those premiums do allow me to take responsibility for my own financial and medical needs and not push that responsibility on to others

Going on 59 now and have never needed or used any insurance, but I have paid all and everything without a single day's break since when I first joined the military way back in 1986. I drive cheaper cars that don't need to be insured for collision because the coverage costs versus what they will replace just isn't worth it. I insure for liability and the other stuff that is mandatory. Medical wise I had cheap but completely wonderful Florida Blue Cross Blue shield. It was kind of a catastrophic type plan but that is all I needed or wanted. I could choose my own family doctor and had an occasional free checkup with all the blood work up. I have no recurring costs or chronic ailments or anything. I just wanted insurance in case the big ticked item came along and that would not break me. I didn't mind what they call a "high" deductible of 10K USD. Since I never needed any treatment for anything that was a non-issue. The premiums I saved would have been 10x that by now. Unfortunately, Obamacare came along and now I am told what type of coverage I must have. I am not allowed to make choices or seek my own counsel. As an engineer with a family background in medicine I am quite angry that others are mandating what I need and must pay for.

As for Thailand, I think there are some very affordable insurance options and with very reasonable coverage options. I am getting into the "gray" area age-wise where getting coverage and premiums are a potentially big issue.

While I have no firm data, I am pretty sure that about 50% of the people "living" in Thailand do not carry health insurance. They are relying on being able to fly back to their home country and having friends or family or their own country's medical services provide for them. I believe most of those younger people I see there, that clearly are not old enough to be retired from full military service, or a 20 year company pension, maybe those digital nomad types do not carry health insurance. And many of the older retirees that are barely scraping by and just surviving are not carrying insurance.

[chiang mai]

I live in Khon Kaen. Khon Kaen Unversity has one of the largest medical schools in Thailand outside Bangkok. Doctors come from all over the country to study at KKU and many, when they are finished with their training, regardless of from where they have come, prefer to stay in Khon Kaen because they and their families like living in Khon Kaen. Indeed many of the practicing doctors in KK are on the faculty of the medical school.

So the 'happy doctor' component in Khon Kaen is maybe higher than that in Bangkok or even Chiang Mai and everyone wants, or should want, their doctor to be happy. This I have been told.

You exaggerate a little, it is large and growing quickly but it is not ranked as an institute of medical teaching/learning other than for some research work into liver fluke. It is ranked as number six in Thailand but not for medical related studies.

http://www.4icu.org/th/

http://whichuniversitybest.blogspot.com/2010/11/top-medical-schools-in-thailand.html

[LivinLOS]

BlackOps raises the important point that the hospital KNOWS it's going to get paid when they see the insurance card, but they have no guarantee when they're presented with your unconscious body and a wallet full of bank cards. You may never regain full capability to make appropriate arrangements for care, either. A private hospital is taking a gamble when they accept an unknown unconscious patient with no payment history, no insurance card and only a wallet-full of bank cards to his name. Often those cards are expired, over-limit, or the patient won't be able to access them. The prudent course for the hospital is to bundle the patient off to the nearest gov't hospital and there, they'll stabilize the patient and keep him alive, but they won't go to extremes until they make contact with the family and get assurances of payment.

I've known foreigners to be here at the gov't hospital, in a coma, for 3 or 4 weeks while the hospital staff tries to figure out if they're going to get paid. And I've seen foreigners try to use bank cards and not remember PINs or find they're over their limit or need some gizmo to receive a PIN or have some problem where they're basically up the creek unable to access the fortune they say they have overseas.

Yes thats the one real concern, which I also said on page 1.... Tho my wife has access to funds, and RAM knows me and I have a record there.. Should a coma last days / weeks my family also has access to funds and would be informed by then too.

Of course should they simply find an unconscious body, I think the same applies, the vast majority of insured people I know dont actually carry their insurance card in their wallet, its home in the safe or similar. You can carry a laminate explaining your ability to pay and desired hospital destination as easily as carrying a medical card.

[JLCrab]

I didn't exaggerate at all. I said it is a large medical school and the doctors like living in Khon Kaen as they have limited stress compared to other locations. BTW it was fun reading your Big Bum assessment -- you mention procedures and body parts I didn't even know existed.

[NancyL]

I've carried my insurance cards in my wallet all my life. That's why they give them to you when you renew your policy -- so you'll put them in your wallet and the hospital staff can call the phone numbers on them to verify coverage if you're unable to speak for yourself. Why would you keep something like this in your safe? It's not like it's a credit card. It can be easily replaced. It's your policy that should be kept in a safe place with your other important documents.

[LivinLOS]

I've carried my insurance cards in my wallet all my life. That's why they give them to you when you renew your policy -- so you'll put them in your wallet and the hospital staff can call the phone numbers on them to verify coverage if you're unable to speak for yourself. Why would you keep something like this in your safe? It's not like it's a credit card. It can be easily replaced. It's your policy that should be kept in a safe place with your other important documents.

I just know speaking with many expats.. Many of whom have the insurance, they dont seem to carry the cards..

I agree its silly, as thats the purpose of the card, but seems very normal to not do so.

[NancyL]

I didn't exaggerate at all. I said it is a large medical school and the doctors like living in Khon Kaen as they have limited stress compared to other locations. BTW it was fun reading your Big Bum assessment -- you mention procedures and body parts I didn't even know existed.

There's something to be said for this. It's good to go to a hospital where the staff is happy. I've noticed this at Bangkok Hospital here in Chiang Mai. The staff just seems much happier than at many of the other hospitals in town. For starters it seems that 50% of the females of child-bearing age are pregnant and in talking with some of them they've said that yes, they had that in mind in joining the staff -- that they'd like to have their baby at Bangkok Hospital.

I have a cardiac condition and in the past I'd gone to Bumrungrad every 18 months or so for a complete cardiac work-up. I decided to switch to Bangkok Hospital here for my most recent check. During the cardiac ultrasound just before the stress test, I heard the echocardiogram doctor talking with the cardiologist and from their conversation (in Thai), I realized that the echocardiogram doctor had been the doctor from Bumrungrad. I talked with her afterwards. She was pregnant! She said she didn't really recognize me when I came into the room, not until she started to do the echocardiogram and then she recognized my heart! She was able to provide the cardiologist (who hadn't seen me before) with valuable info about what had changed since she'd last seen my heart. She also said that she and her husband had decided to leave Bangkok and move to Chiang Mai so they could start a family.

The cardiologist had been a well-respected professor at CMU and aged out of their system. He wasn't ready to retire and is now on staff at Bangkok Hospital. He really likes the way he can park so close to the building and isn't rushed in seeing patients.

[chiang mai]

I didn't exaggerate at all. I said it is a large medical school and the doctors like living in Khon Kaen as they have limited stress compared to other locations. BTW it was fun reading your Big Bum assessment -- you mention procedures and body parts I didn't even know existed.

" you mention procedures and body parts I didn't even know existed." which is why for you, medical insurance is an absolute must, the rest of us are able to understand and figure out many of those things by ourselves.

Edited April 13, 2016 by chiang mai

[JLCrab]

I am sure if I was a medical basket case I would know all about body parts and procedures that have to do with me but as I am not a medical basket case and walking pharmacopoeia I don't know about things that I don't have to know about.

Edited April 13, 2016 by JLCrab

[Kwasaki]

Well I for one am even more conflicted on the topic, plus this is depressing.

How much does a gun cost in Thailand?

More than cost of some health insurance.

[mania]

Well I for one am even more conflicted on the topic, plus this is depressing.

How much does a gun cost in Thailand?

More than cost of some health insurance.

555 As with many things in Thailand it is cheaper to rent

[luther]

Cancer treatment in Thailand for those going to private hospitals can cost several million baht, and chemo doesnt get much cheaper at government hospitals such as Shripat. My Thai landlord said she had a Thai friend who died of cancer and spent his last 20-30 days in Bumrungrad. They were asking something around 30,000 baht per day, just for hospice type care.

I know several Thai citizens with cancer, first class service from the government hospitals in CM at no charge.

I would suggest your Thai landlord is doing the usual Thai bragging about how much money he can afford to waste on unnecessary private treatment.

The only high hospital prices in Thailand are for fleecing foreigners.

If I were to have potentially life threatening hospital treatment, I would want to have it on a country where doctors couldn't buy their way through medical school.

[sirineou]

Well I for one am even more conflicted on the topic, plus this is depressing.

How much does a gun cost in Thailand?

More than cost of some health insurance.

555 As with many things in Thailand it is cheaper to rent

Yes, but you dont have the pride of ownership!

When you own your own gun, you clean it more, and you invest in a nice mother of pearl handle,perhaps a good silencer.

Nothing worst than killing your self with a dirty, ugly, noisy gun

I hate when that happens to me.

Edited April 13, 2016 by sirineou

[luther]

Cancer treatment in Thailand for those going to private hospitals can cost several million baht, and chemo doesnt get much cheaper at government hospitals such as Shripat. My Thai landlord said she had a Thai friend who died of cancer and spent his last 20-30 days in Bumrungrad. They were asking something around 30,000 baht per day, just for hospice type care.

I know several Thai citizens with cancer, first class service from the government hospitals in CM at no charge.

I would suggest your Thai landlord is doing the usual Thai bragging about how much money he can afford to waste on unnecessary private treatment.

The only high hospital prices in Thailand are for fleecing foreigners.

If I were to have potentially life threatening hospital treatment, I would want to have it on a country where doctors couldn't buy their way through medical school.

Oncologist trained at the Mayo Clinic, 8 years practicing in the states, hardly bought her way through med school.

Price for a particular chemo drug in the states is 9,000 dollars per dose, same drug 2,800 dollars per dose in Thailand. Government pays drug costs for Thai citizens, does not for foreigners.

For someone in their 50's in Thailand, comprehensive health insurance covering full cancer treatment is roughly 1,500 dollars per year or 15,000 dollars per decade. Treatment in the case I know of has cost well over 60,000 dollars. Although, this person could easily afford to go without insurance and pay out of pocket, the vast majority of expats I have met in my 20 years in Thailand could not.

Artists, teachers, engineers, pilots, real estate developers, bridge players...Could be hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Edited April 13, 2016 by luther

[connda]

I've assisted numerous older expats who find themselves in trouble, usually medical trouble. Most have financial problems in paying their current or anticipated medical bills. I've seen numerous situations where older expats have died of conditions that would have been treated or cured by health care systems in the west. Often these expats don't die comfortably.

Sadly, people sometimes get themselves into situations where they can't afford or don't want to or otherwise aren't able to return to their home country for care if it's needed. Or their condition is chronic and they don't want to return or can't return to their home country to have it resolved, i.e having heart stents installed, for example. Right now, I can think of about a dozen older expats who would have much better quality of life if they had an extra 200,000 - 250,000 baht to undergo the procedure to install a few heart stents. Instead, they're going thru life with low energy due to poor heart function, managing to stay alive with naps and medications, living from one pension check to the next.

How can you assist elderly expats that have serious health problems and can`t afford medical treatment? Unless you are a faith healer or can pay their medical bills yourself, I don`t see any ways you can help them.

If I only had enough money in the bank to grab my retirement extension each year and just enough to live on I would be having many sleepless nights. I cannot feel sorry for people that do not make provisions for themselves in Thailand, whether it be insurance or money put by knowing full well our situations in Thailand or for those living by chance. The facts are that as we get older, not only do we grow uglier but the risks of ill heath increase dramatically and the more dependent we become on assistance from others and health care. These are undisputed facts.

Good question about how can I (and others) assists elderly expats with serious health problems who can't afford medical treatments. We're the members of Lanna Care Net and we've been thru training and are aware of the resources available both here and in the clients home country for assistance.

For example, many Americans who served in the U.S. military, even for a brief period, aren't aware that they're qualified for assistance if they're low income and/or have high medical bills once they're over age 65. They think VA benefits are only for those who made a career of the U.S. military. I've guided numerous U.S. vets (and their widows) thru the minefield that is the application process for VA benefits. (Sadly, VFW membership is available only to those who actually served overseas, but the benefits I mentioned are available to all vets who served during the specified timeframes)

Other examples of how we can help -- in keeping elderly expats with health problems complient with their Thai immigration requirements. This is one reason I keep myself current on what's happening at Imm., because I'm helping or advising older people with health problems on how to deal with 90 day reports and extensions, including medical extensions.

Other ways we can help -- some of our members are retired doctors and nurses. They visit clients in their homes weekly to check that they're taking meds properly, educate Thai family members on how to prepare food that older westerners find appealing, go with clients to doctors appointments to help them "listen, ask good questions and remember" what the doctor says.

Sometimes clients decide to return to their home countries, but are overwhelmed in figuring out the details -- how to get rid of their stuff here, find a place to live in their home country, make travel arrangements, pack, even how to get to the airport. All this can be difficult if you have diminished physical and mental capabilities and especially difficult if you need to access to the social services of your home country when you return. Needless to say, often our caseworkers spend much time on the phone talking with officials in their clients home countries. Where possible, we have caseworkers of the same nationality as the clients.

Let's see -- the list just goes on. I could keep writing. No case is truly hopeless. Yes, some people truly aren't able to pay their bills. The gov't hospitals will work out a payment plan. Often one of our caseworkers is on the scene during that process to make sure the client understands what he's signing and the process for making payments. Sometimes, it's physically difficult for the client to get into the hospital each month to make the payments and amazingly, there isn't a good mechanism for paying via bank transfer. Some of our caseworkers collect the payments each month and scan and email the receipts to the clients, and eventually pass along the paper copy. Unfortunately, we started to do this when we found clients were giving money for contract payment to their neighbors or maids and then not bothering to ask for receipts. And the hospital would have no record that the client's payment contract was being fulfilled.

The gov't hospitals have a human rights obligation to treat someone in an emergency condition, regardless of ability to pay. Thus, a foreigner who is living from pension-check-to-pension-check can show up at their E/R in the midst of a heart attack and they will treat and stabilize him. That bill can be as high as 150,000 baht. But they'll send him home with a bagful of meds and a payment contract with the strong advise that he needs to have several cardiac stents installed to prevent future heart attacks and improve the quality of his life.. But, that is considered an "elective procedure" and they won't perform that surgery unless 150,000 baht is deposited first. Of course, if the expat has no savings and is only able to pay off the bill for the initial heart attack at a rate of 10,000 baht per month, he better pray that he stays very, very healthy.

I attempted to contact VA awhile back. There email message said they get back to me in 5 days. That was about 45 days ago. I'm thinking that's par for the course at VA. If you know how to navigate their system, I'd love to hear from you.

[NancyL]

About the VA -- email could be a problem, esp. from a Thai IP address. If they answered, be sure it didn't end up in your Junk folder. Phone calls can be a better way to contact them if you can wait on hold.

Do your homework first. Google is your friend. Be sure you've requested your service record documents and have them in front of you when you call. Know what program you want to ask about. There are many resources on the web -- on the VA website and from various veteran's organizations. Be sure you've totally exhausted those before you try to contact the VA directly.

Most of the time I'm contacting the VA via EMS thru the Thai postal system, sending forms to them and they reply in about six weeks with their form letters to the Thai address of the beneficiary. You can download the forms from their website -- ones you can fill-in on-line. It just takes patience and willingness to dig around the internet to deal with them.

[suzannegoh]

I made it sound like we were using exclusively Bumrungrad and wantonly running up the bill but that's not the case. We have certain routine tests and MRIs done at other places for reasons of convenience, we've used BNH in Bangkok a couple of times for minor surgeries, and I cut the insurance company a break on prescription costs by having them filled at an independent pharmacy instead of at the hospital.

I'm well aware that Bumrungrad is not the only place with good doctors, but I think that Bumrungrad is the gold standard in Thailand. Almost all of the doctors that they have on staff have rock-solid credentials, most of their doctors are good at explaining treatment option to patients, and I think that the odds of receiving successful treatment there are as high as anywhere in SE Asia. And they can direct bill to foreign insurance companies.

The point that I was inelegantly trying to make is that if your insurance company is willing to pay for even the most expensive hospital in Bangkok then you don't have much incentive to beat the bushes looking for cheaper alternatives, for anything complicated you might as well go straight to the hospital that you trust most. And that means that your medical costs are apt to be more expensive than if you didn't have insurance or if you had a less comprehensive policy.

I think that National University Hospital in Singapore is probably the gold standard for the region but that's an aside. Libel laws prevent me from detailing my experiences with Big B. over many years but I think if you had the entire picture you would change your views. Anyway, you must seek treatment where you feel comfortable doing so.

All of us form our opinions of hospitals based upon anecdotes and anecdotes are not data. I don't know a way around that, nor do I know why you've had bad experiences with Bumrungrad while I've have good ones.

One thing to consider when looking for the gold standard is oversight: as far as I can see there are almost no controls in place in Thailand to manage and verify the quality of medical treatment but in places such as Singapore and Hong Kong medical oversight is a big and very important issue. In Singapore for example the Health Sciences Authority regulates medical standards and actively monitors compliance, it can be argued that the HSA is too powerful and that doctors are afraid of making a mistake because that can lead to suspension or their license being revoked but it does lead to high levels of patient safety, nothing even remotely similar exists here as far as I can tell.

I don't doubt that the medical care in Singapore is highly competent. That's the way that it is there in most non-medical fields too, if something goes wrong it's not usually because someone <removed> up.

Edited April 13, 2016 by CharlieH
language removed

[chiang mai]

I think that National University Hospital in Singapore is probably the gold standard for the region but that's an aside. Libel laws prevent me from detailing my experiences with Big B. over many years but I think if you had the entire picture you would change your views. Anyway, you must seek treatment where you feel comfortable doing so.

All of us form our opinions of hospitals based upon anecdotes and anecdotes are not data. I don't know a way around that, nor do I know why you've had bad experiences with Bumrungrad while I've have good ones.

One thing to consider when looking for the gold standard is oversight: as far as I can see there are almost no controls in place in Thailand to manage and verify the quality of medical treatment but in places such as Singapore and Hong Kong medical oversight is a big and very important issue. In Singapore for example the Health Sciences Authority regulates medical standards and actively monitors compliance, it can be argued that the HSA is too powerful and that doctors are afraid of making a mistake because that can lead to suspension or their license being revoked but it does lead to high levels of patient safety, nothing even remotely similar exists here as far as I can tell.

I don't doubt that the medical care in Singapore is highly competent. That's the way that it is there in most non-medical fields too, if something goes wrong it's not usually because someone <removed> up.

I had taken it as given that you are/were Singaporean although my opinions were independent of that fact.

[rawhod]

I think that you have that backwards. When you hit 50 the average person has about 30 years left and the odds of having a major (expensive) medical problem go up by the year. At age 20, odds are you won't many major medical conditions in the near future. So it makes a lot more sense to go without medical insurance when young than when old.

I won't argue with your '30 years left' (although none of my family ever made 70 and I'm already over 60).

But what I will question is the worth of that 30 years.

I've never seen ANYONE over 70 with a life worth living.

They merely survive, because they can't face dying.

BritManToo...

In the blink of an eye you will be 70, and you will look back and wonder where the last 10 years went, and you won't feel any older than you do today.

I hope you then look back at the statement you have made on here, and realize just how wrong you are (were).

[ukrules]

I know someone who has cancer right now. He's from the US and has no insurance here or back home.

He's already spent around $100k in operations / chemo treatment over the last year or two and you know what - he's still got cancer but he no longer has so much money.

Buy the &lt;deleted&gt; insurance because when you need it you might just really need it.

[mania]

I know someone who has cancer right now. He's from the US and has no insurance here or back home.

He's already spent around $100k in operations / chemo treatment over the last year or two and you know what - he's still got cancer but he no longer has so much money.

Buy the <deleted> insurance because when you need it you might just really need it.

If possible he should return to the US

If he has no job (regardless of what he has in the bank)

He will get free coverage thru medicaid not to be confused with medicare

[Eterno]

No insurance here.

Maharaj Nakorn, in cases which I am sick, and I need to save money without considering a fast service.

McCormick, in the same case but if I want to be checked faster.

Also for dentistry, I consider that to be something in which saving to much doesn't worth it at all. Its a bit pricey, filling (700b), removing 2 wisdom teeth (one of those which was impacted/horizontal, and very close to the nerve, the other one normal) [4000b], but things done excellent,no numbness, excellent stitching,etc.

And for some blood test I can't get in the following:

AMS CLINICAL SERVICE CENTER, CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY (if you want to know the prices pm me and I send a pic of them, and of what they can test).

And Dr.Morgan for consultation.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Eterno

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Cancer treatment in Thailand for those going to private hospitals can cost several million baht, and chemo doesnt get much cheaper at government hospitals such as Shripat. My Thai landlord said she had a Thai friend who died of cancer and spent his last 20-30 days in Bumrungrad. They were asking something around 30,000 baht per day, just for hospice type care.

I know several Thai citizens with cancer, first class service from the government hospitals in CM at no charge.

I would suggest your Thai landlord is doing the usual Thai bragging about how much money he can afford to waste on unnecessary private treatment.

The only high hospital prices in Thailand are for fleecing foreigners.

If I were to have potentially life threatening hospital treatment, I would want to have it on a country where doctors couldn't buy their way through medical school.

Lie.

Cancer treatments cost a lot of money, even in government hospitals.

Comments like this are very irresponsible. My wife's best friend dies at the age of 29 because she could not afford it and had to resort to scummy "holistic" treatments.

Edited June 21, 2016 by theguyfromanotherforum