Hospital charges on retirement visa

[JOHN CHAN]

I am from UK on retirement visa here. I was wondering that if I need hospital care, I would need a pay quite a big sum if I go to a private hospital. What about government hospitals? Is there a fee schedule (cheaper than private, I believe) for retirees or it is the same for Thai citizens? Grateful if somebody could advise.

[glegolo]

I am not sure about other falangs and other provinces, but for me here in Chaiyaphum having both Tabien baan as well as Baht ba cha chon (yellow housebook plus thai ID-card pink one) I have the very same prices as the thias here... I mean on the gouvermental hospital..

 

Glegolo

[watcharacters]

2 minutes ago, glegolo said:

I am not sure about other falangs and other provinces, but for me here in Chaiyaphum having both Tabien baan as well as Baht ba cha chon (yellow housebook plus thai ID-card pink one) I have the very same prices as the thias here... I mean on the gouvermental hospital..

 

Glegolo

 

 

I thought I read that that program ended.

 

Incorrect?

[Eff1n2ret]

13 minutes ago, JOHN CHAN said:

...if I need hospital care....

If you're getting old, it's "when", not "if", trust me.

 

I don't know government hospital charges, but non-surgical intensive care in a good private hospital runs at ~15,000Baht per night. If you don't have or are unable to arrange insurance I hope you have made a substantial financial provision for when you do fall ill, even if you seek treatment in a government hospital.

[KMartinHandyman]

 
 
I thought I read that that program ended.
 
Incorrect?

I'm not sure as of today but in early 2016 I went to a government hospital in Issan for a mc license check up (b100) and they issued me a hospital system card.

[watcharacters]

4 minutes ago, Eff1n2ret said:

If you're getting old, it's "when", not "if", trust me.

 

I don't know government hospital charges, but non-surgical intensive care in a good private hospital runs at ~15,000Baht per night. If you don't have or are unable to arrange insurance I hope you have made a substantial financial provision for when you do fall ill, even if you seek treatment in a government hospital.

 

 

Amen, brother..

[Eff1n2ret]

1 minute ago, KMartinHandyman said:

I'm not sure as of today but in early 2016 I went to a government hospital in Issan for a mc license check up (b100) and they issued me a hospital system card.

Yes, I'm registered with a  local navy/government hospital. The issue of the card doesn't imply entitlement to Thai prices, they do charge more but not at the level of the private groups. I don't know how much because I haven't had to get treatment there yet.

[Lamkyong]

no the charges are the  same as any non thai   as for card it is just a registration card for that particular hospital   offers no discount or reduced fees

[BritTim]

Before settling for using government hospitals, research the quality of care available, and how busy they are. Some government hospitals are good. Some are, frankly, terrible. The better government hospitals tend to be very busy. There is no special pricing for retirees, but some allow you to pay for a better quality of care (in particular, much shorter wait times). If you use a good government hospital without paying VIP rates, you may well wait all day before seeing a doctor.

[Lamkyong]

i agree  but in the UK you can wait upwards of 3 days to get an appointment

and possibly up to one year for non emergency   surgery

here you have a choice   at government hospitals    pay a reasonable fee   and get treatment today

[glegolo]

2 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

I thought I read that that program ended.

Incorrect?

I do not know generally about that program. But I can tell you what happened in my case. background was, operation in BKK hospital in Khorat, a stent-operation, good job, no complaints.

 

Did go for check up 2 weeks later at general hospital in Chaiyaphum which was approved by the doctor at BKK hospital saying Chaiyaphum had a "good" heart doctor.

 

Came there, waited while my wife registrered me, took a while, much people, waited something like 30 minutes. We were then shown 4th floor, where the heart doctor had his reception. He and 3 nurses were working very good, and after a 3 minutes wait, they started to process me...

 

Doctor assured me that I from now on can do all check ups, and no need to go back to BKK hospital more. Tests were done and all good. Doctor issued recepies for 7 medicines which we bought on the hospital.

 

Prices for medicin were REALLY cheap and just as an exemple... Plavix that the pharmacy originaly offered be with 90 baht a pill, went down to 46 baht a pill. The general Hospital charged me the astonishing cheap price of 15.68 baht/pill...  And the rest of the 6 different medicines were REALLY REALLY much much cheaper.....

 

I did pay for the medicines, but didn´t pay for the doctor. I do not know why, or if this was a mistake of som kind. But this was done for 3 weeks ago..... And all good....

 

Glegolo

 

[Sheryl]

Your visa status (and age) is irrelevant to what you will be charged for health care here. There is no special program or discount for elderly and/or retired foreigners.

 

Most government hospitals will charge foreigners exactly the same as the full charge for Thais who pay out of pocket. Of course most Thais do not (pay out of pocket), most are covered by either the so called "30 baht" scheme (which foreigners are not eligible for) of Social Security (foreigners can get, but only if legally employed). So in that sense you do pay more in that most Thais will be paying nothing or 30 baht while you will be paying the full fee. But a Thai who for whatever reason has to pay out of pocket for care (for example, if wanting to get care at other than the hospital they are registered at) would pay this same.

 

This is for most government hospitals.But there have been reports of a few, located in areas with many foreigners, developing two tiered pricing and there is nothing to prevent a hospital from doing that, other than that it would not be worth the effort unless they expected a fair number of farang patients.

 

Having a hospital card has no relation to what you are charged. It is just a card with a number linked to your medical records, it confers no financial benefit or entitlement.

 

Government hospitals do indeed cost much less than private hospitals, on average about 1/3 as much. But do not be lulled into thinking that means it will always be affordable. Outpatient care and very simple hospitalizations will be fine, but for a catastrophic illness or accident involving long ICU stays and specialized surgeries, you can easily wrack up bills of 1-2 million baht in a government hospital. And they will expect to be paid...in fact they will present bills usually at weekly intervals, sooner if an expensive procedure has been performed.

 

Insurance is essential. If not insured then should set aside at least 2 million baht (5-6 mill if wanting the option of using private hospitals) in readily accessible funds for use in medical emergency...and figure out ahead of time what you will do when that amount is drawn down.

 

Note that many large government hospitals have "after hours" clinics where you can chose your doctor (otherwise not possible, and interns/students  will do most of the direct care) and be seen on something approximating an appointment basis. This is well worth the added cost. If you go through the public channel, expect very long waits (as in, all day) often in uncomfortable crowded conditions. Usually the costs of such after hours clinics, while much more than the public channel, are still much, much less than a private hospital. There are some exceptions, though, One or two government hospitals'  are trying to brand their after clinics as "VIP" with prices comparable to mid-range private hospitals or even higher.

 

Government hospitals do indeed vary greatly. See this archived thread for an explanation of the different tiers http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/615461-the-thai-public-health-system/

 

 

[carlyai]

Your visa status (and age) is irrelevant to what you will be charged for health care here. There is no special program or discount for elderly and/or retired foreigners.
 
Most government hospitals will charge foreigners exactly the same as the full charge for Thais who pay out of pocket. Of course most Thais do not (pay out of pocket), most are covered by either the so called "30 baht" scheme (which foreigners are not eligible for) of Social Security (foreigners can get, but only if legally employed). So in that sense you do pay more in that most Thais will be paying nothing or 30 baht while you will be paying the full fee. But a Thai who for whatever reason has to pay out of pocket for care (for example, if wanting to get care at other than the hospital they are registered at) would pay this same.
 
This is for most government hospitals.But there have been reports of a few, located in areas with many foreigners, developing two tiered pricing and there is nothing to prevent a hospital from doing that, other than that it would not be worth the effort unless they expected a fair number of farang patients.
 
Having a hospital card has no relation to what you are charged. It is just a card with a number linked to your medical records, it confers no financial benefit or entitlement.
 
Government hospitals do indeed cost much less than private hospitals, on average about 1/3 as much. But do not be lulled into thinking that means it will always be affordable. Outpatient care and very simple hospitalizations will be fine, but for a catastrophic illness or accident involving long ICU stays and specialized surgeries, you can easily wrack up bills of 1-2 million baht in a government hospital. And they will expect to be paid...in fact they will present bills usually at weekly intervals, sooner if an expensive procedure has been performed.
 
Insurance is essential. If not insured then should set aside at least 2 million baht (5-6 mill if wanting the option of using private hospitals) in readily accessible funds for use in medical emergency...and figure out ahead of time what you will do when that amount is drawn down.
 
Note that many large government hospitals have "after hours" clinics where you can chose your doctor (otherwise not possible, and interns/students  will do most of the direct care) and be seen on something approximating an appointment basis. This is well worth the added cost. If you go through the public channel, expect very long waits (as in, all day) often in uncomfortable crowded conditions. Usually the costs of such after hours clinics, while much more than the public channel, are still much, much less than a private hospital. There are some exceptions, though, One or two government hospitals'  are trying to brand their after clinics as "VIP" with prices comparable to mid-range private hospitals or even higher.
 
Government hospitals do indeed vary greatly. See this archived thread for an explanation of the different tiers http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/615461-the-thai-public-health-system/
 
 

I have seen before that you advise inpatient hospital care insurance (sorry if I've got this wrong).

For a 71 year old, what hospital or medical insurance package would you recommend?

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[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, glegolo said:

I am not sure about other falangs and other provinces, but for me here in Chaiyaphum having both Tabien baan as well as Baht ba cha chon (yellow housebook plus thai ID-card pink one) I have the very same prices as the thias here... I mean on the gouvermental hospital..

 

Glegolo

I have the same as you, and making enquires at my local government hospital, I am not entitled to the same prices as the Thais.

It seems it is another case of hospitals, amphurs, banks etc, all over Thailand making up their own rules.

If I were you Glegolo, I would be checking your local government hospital every so often just to make sure, after all TiT.

[Sheryl]

Yes, inpatient insurance is essential unless you are wealthy enough to self-insure.

 

Selection of a health insurance plan is complex and many factors to consider.  At 71 you will be limited in choice, but there are some internationally based insurers who will enroll at that age. Offhand: Cigna Global, AXA, and Globility (there may be others, these are the ones I know of)  AXA has several different products/plan names.

 

See this thread for a detailed discussion of some of the issues/things to consider in selecting a policy: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/953121-health-insurance-what-to-watch-out-for/?page=3#comment-11369187

 

Don't delay, the older you get the less will be available, and pre-exsiting conditions will be excluded; as you age you are bound to develop some.

 

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, Lamkyong said:

i agree  but in the UK you can wait upwards of 3 days to get an appointment

and possibly up to one year for non emergency   surgery

here you have a choice   at government hospitals    pay a reasonable fee   and get treatment today

Very true, but what about something really serious, heart attack etc?

[Suradit69]

5 hours ago, Eff1n2ret said:

Yes, I'm registered with a  local navy/government hospital.

 

If you mean Queen Sirikit Hospital, yes the charges are substantially less than in a private hospital, but you will pay a bit more than Thais. The hospital is subsidized by the government and is intended first of all for military and their dependents, so paying a bit more seems quite reasonable.

 

I have registered there and have a card (somewhere), but that's just for record keeping. It doesn't imply any special consideration.

[worrab]

I had a stoma hernia operation at the General Hospital Prachuap Khiri Khan. From first meeting the consultant surgeon to the operation was about 6 weeks involving a couple of meetings with him, I had a private room for 5 nights and 4 follow up meetings. For all of this I paid just under THB 32000. A Thai friend from the village where I live had the same operation and room and that cost them THB 35000!! I was unable to get this covered by insurance as it was an on-going illness, as such.

 

I had first class service at the hospital and the actual operating theatres were very new and modern. The nurses looked after me extremely well and I can honestly say  I would go there again.

 

I am registered at this hospital and my local one in Bang Saphan Noi where they deal with my dressing changes and again, well looked after here.  

[Muhendis]

With regard to overnight stay in a private room at a govt. hospital. There is a nominal charge for the private room but if your Thai wife stays with you the charge is reduced to the Thai price. I Know this from experience with both Ramathibodi hospital in Bangkok and also Buriram hospital.

[lopburi3]

3 hours ago, Lamkyong said:

i agree  but in the UK you can wait upwards of 3 days to get an appointment

and possibly up to one year for non emergency   surgery

here you have a choice   at government hospitals    pay a reasonable fee   and get treatment today

Not always - if you require surgery or special treatment you can be put into a queue the same as anyone else.  My recent experience was a 3 month queue, then surgery not done due no vacancy in ICU for first night recovery and put into a new 3 month wait (which I did not wait).

Price would indeed have been much less in Government hospital as a paid patient - in my case it would have been about 100k rather that the 1 million I paid privately.  But as I have insurance money was not a primary factor.

 

 

 

 

[soisanuk]

Queen Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip which is both a government hospital and the Navy base hospital had signs in English that foreigners paid 50% more than Thais -- even at that, the Hospital is substantially less than private International hospitals.  I was there with a Thai person who was the patient.

[nongsangcity]

7 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

I thought I read that that program ended.

 

Incorrect?

Incorrect i have just re newed my 30 baht hospital scheme....in sakon nakhon...

Edited November 26, 2016 by nongsangcity

[nongsangcity]

2 hours ago, carlyai said:

 

I have seen before that you advise inpatient hospital care insurance (sorry if I've got this wrong).

For a 71 year old, what hospital or medical insurance package would you recommend?

Sent from my SM-J700F using Tapatalk
 

 

 

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Your visa status (and age) is irrelevant to what you will be charged for health care here. There is no special program or discount for elderly and/or retired foreigners.

 

Most government hospitals will charge foreigners exactly the same as the full charge for Thais who pay out of pocket. Of course most Thais do not (pay out of pocket), most are covered by either the so called "30 baht" scheme (which foreigners are not eligible for) of Social Security (foreigners can get, but only if legally employed). So in that sense you do pay more in that most Thais will be paying nothing or 30 baht while you will be paying the full fee. But a Thai who for whatever reason has to pay out of pocket for care (for example, if wanting to get care at other than the hospital they are registered at) would pay this same.

 

This is for most government hospitals.But there have been reports of a few, located in areas with many foreigners, developing two tiered pricing and there is nothing to prevent a hospital from doing that, other than that it would not be worth the effort unless they expected a fair number of farang patients.

 

Having a hospital card has no relation to what you are charged. It is just a card with a number linked to your medical records, it confers no financial benefit or entitlement.

 

Government hospitals do indeed cost much less than private hospitals, on average about 1/3 as much. But do not be lulled into thinking that means it will always be affordable. Outpatient care and very simple hospitalizations will be fine, but for a catastrophic illness or accident involving long ICU stays and specialized surgeries, you can easily wrack up bills of 1-2 million baht in a government hospital. And they will expect to be paid...in fact they will present bills usually at weekly intervals, sooner if an expensive procedure has been performed.

 

Insurance is essential. If not insured then should set aside at least 2 million baht (5-6 mill if wanting the option of using private hospitals) in readily accessible funds for use in medical emergency...and figure out ahead of time what you will do when that amount is drawn down.

 

Note that many large government hospitals have "after hours" clinics where you can chose your doctor (otherwise not possible, and interns/students  will do most of the direct care) and be seen on something approximating an appointment basis. This is well worth the added cost. If you go through the public channel, expect very long waits (as in, all day) often in uncomfortable crowded conditions. Usually the costs of such after hours clinics, while much more than the public channel, are still much, much less than a private hospital. There are some exceptions, though, One or two government hospitals'  are trying to brand their after clinics as "VIP" with prices comparable to mid-range private hospitals or even higher.

 

Government hospitals do indeed vary greatly. See this archived thread for an explanation of the different tiers http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/615461-the-thai-public-health-system/

 

 

The 30 baht scheme is alive and kicking in Sakon Nakhon.....i dont work and neither do my friends...i am on my 5th year on the 30 baht scheme....one of my friend had a fall and broke his ankle badly he had 3 operations had pins in his leg and ankle......when leaving the hospital he received a bill for 60000 baht...he showed his 30 baht card and his bill was reduced to 30 baht.....i have hospital check ups and tablets every 2 months for a on going problem...and my bill is always 30 baht........for the scheme you must have the yellow house book...a yearly full medical..x ray..blood test etc etc....and a payment of 2700 baht per year...

[Anthony5]

1 hour ago, soisanuk said:

Queen Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip which is both a government hospital and the Navy base hospital had signs in English that foreigners paid 50% more than Thais -- even at that, the Hospital is substantially less than private International hospitals.  I was there with a Thai person who was the patient.

 

 

I don't think Queen Sirikit is a government hospital, as I asked this just recently at the doctor in Banglamung hospital as my son needed treatment which isn't available at Banglamung, though the Sattahip government hospital isn't far from there.

[Sheryl]

It is a government, but military. Not part of the network in the 30 baht scheme. The military hospitals are free only for military and their dependents. Civilians can use them, but have to pay the full price.

 

For which reason they are usually less crowded than the regular govt hospitals (I think Queen S. in Sattahip may be an exception to that) and fir us farang who have to pay full price regardless, makes sense to use them over say a provinical hospital, which is where all the Thais will go as it is where they can get free care.

 

Nonsangcity, I suggest you keep quite re the 30 baht scheme and foreigners in your province, It is not supposed to be going on, directives were sent to the provinces to that effect, and it will continue only as long as it goes unnoticed by the powers that be.

[soalbundy]

2 hours ago, worrab said:

I had a stoma hernia operation at the General Hospital Prachuap Khiri Khan. From first meeting the consultant surgeon to the operation was about 6 weeks involving a couple of meetings with him, I had a private room for 5 nights and 4 follow up meetings. For all of this I paid just under THB 32000. A Thai friend from the village where I live had the same operation and room and that cost them THB 35000!! I was unable to get this covered by insurance as it was an on-going illness, as such.

 

I had first class service at the hospital and the actual operating theatres were very new and modern. The nurses looked after me extremely well and I can honestly say  I would go there again.

 

I am registered at this hospital and my local one in Bang Saphan Noi where they deal with my dressing changes and again, well looked after here.  

I paid the same but at a private hospital in Surin, i don't know what a stoma hernia is, mine was in the groin.

[Si Thea01]

I've got insurance but a private hospital will charge well and truly above what the insurer reimburses.  B150k plus.  had three 3 operations in a large government teaching hospital, the cost, with a private room and good food, around B70K all up.  Will never go to a private hospital again, especially when you can get better treatment and operated on by the head of the department.  

[tutsiwarrior]

5 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Note that many large government hospitals have "after hours" clinics where you can chose your doctor (otherwise not possible, and interns/students  will do most of the direct care) and be seen on something approximating an appointment basis. This is well worth the added cost.

 

yeah...I usually go this route if there is a problem and it's pretty good...I had blood in my urine and thought: 'uh oh...' as I had no insurance and limited resources at the time...the doc did an xray and then showed it to me during the same visit and said: 'it's what I thought, you've got an obstruction in yer urethra and it's causing some blood to pass...it should clear itself soon, no biggie...'...I had thought that it was kidney tranplant time...

 

 

Edited November 26, 2016 by tutsiwarrior

[Grubster]

1 hour ago, nongsangcity said:

 

The 30 baht scheme is alive and kicking in Sakon Nakhon.....i dont work and neither do my friends...i am on my 5th year on the 30 baht scheme....one of my friend had a fall and broke his ankle badly he had 3 operations had pins in his leg and ankle......when leaving the hospital he received a bill for 60000 baht...he showed his 30 baht card and his bill was reduced to 30 baht.....i have hospital check ups and tablets every 2 months for a on going problem...and my bill is always 30 baht........for the scheme you must have the yellow house book...a yearly full medical..x ray..blood test etc etc....and a payment of 2700 baht per year...

I have been living in Sakon for five years and this sounds good, I am not sure what a yellow house book is or how to get it, maybe I have one do you need one for retirement extension or drivers license?

[carlyai]

I have been living in Sakon for five years and this sounds good, I am not sure what a yellow house book is or how to get it, maybe I have one do you need one for retirement extension or drivers license?

The falangs round here were in the 30 Baht system, but as Sheryl says it was stopped. Round here anyway.

When we got our new ID cards and yellow books allowed us to register at the hospital without our passport, but didn't allow us to join the 30 Baht scheme.



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