Canadian man in health insurance limbo after near-fatal accident in Thailand

[mrmazinkle]

1 hour ago, petesc55 said:

No mention if he was wearing a helmet?

 

I doubt James Gandolfini was wearing a helmet when he passed away

 

[Destiny1990]

3 hours ago, Canceraid said:

What! Come to thailand and immediately start riding a bike! ...sorry not sympathies here from me.

When u is a traffic victim here no sympathy from me either for u whatsoever.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

As said,I think the person who injures YOU should be liable. IF they have no insurance, then that is their problem. I'm sure 1 year in the clink per million owed to the hospital might work. Hospitals should ALWAYS be free to victims. Just had your legs blown off by terrorists - no worries here's the 10 million baht hospital bill. 

 

Of course it wont ever happen, as hospitals would go bankrupt chasing THAI mad teen bike riders, gang members and drunk pick-up and mini van drivers for cash.  

 

Maybe if Thais - and maybe tourists/ex pats - had to pay obligatory 1000 baht per year insurance for accidents THEY cause maybe that may help.

So what will you do to a absolute poor 70 year old Thai man that cause an accident? Put him in jail ? Reality here is that most Thais dont have insurrance and dont have money to pay your hospital bill. Its up to you to make provision for such accidents, Thailand is not a nanny state like most western countries, here you need to look out for yourself. 

[Jeremy50]

2 hours ago, petesc55 said:

No mention if he was wearing a helmet?

 

I think we can assume he wasn't. Same as nearly all the foreignersI see  in Isaan, no helmet, and often with their children, or those of others on the bike, Thai style............totally irresponsible and insane. As for the health insurance, most policies exclude motorbike crashes, as well as activities such as running down the middle of roads, throwing yourself off cliffs, banging your head against walls, etc etc.

[NoshowJones]

4 hours ago, Canceraid said:

What! Come to thailand and immediately start riding a bike! ...sorry not sympathies here from me.

He may have had previous experience of riding motorbikes in his own country. But if, and it is an if, he just came to Thailand with

no riding experience at all, and immediately stated riding on the roads, then I would agree with you.

[Happyman58]

This time i am on the side of Thailand Every country you go to if you are not a citizen of that country you must have pvt health insurance otherwise you get a bill. So has this guy got pvt health insurance i would say no. Now they expect everyone to help and donate Not fair really What about the good people who take out out pvt insurance Its not cheap This guy decided he did not want it Thats life i say

[daveAustin]

What! Come to thailand and immediately start riding a bike! ...sorry not sympathies here from me.

Well who would want any sympathy from a person with no empathy? Some people! I hope you don't have kids.

[NCC1701A]

Very sad. Lets hope he gets home soon.

 

does Thai Visa have a pinned thread with a complete check list on what to do before you come Thailand as a tourist?  "Understanding the risks of visiting Thailand."

 

Including info on understanding your medical insurance, what is not covered, your risks on the highways and lowering your western perceptions of how traffic accidents are handled here.

 

Especially for people from countries that have socialized medicine and this might be the first time outside their bubble world.

 

Thailand is not a Xbox game or a Disneyland ride. It is Tombstone Arizona, 1880.

 

Except here Wyatt Earp is totally corrupt but at least the nurses are hotter.

 

[cruisemonkey]

The B.C. Medical Services Plan will not pay anything.

 

To be covered he has to:

- have a travel insurance policy has to covers riding scooters/motorcycles,

- he does not need a Thai Driver's License, but he has to have a valid, class 6 (motorcycles) B.C. Driver's License,

- have an International Driver's Permit.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2017 by cruisemonkey
I made a boo boo.

[Mook23]

5 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Not unusual for wallets to disappear when you are being taken to a hospital.  And not unusual for personal belongings to disappear in a room when "officials" go into to investigate.

Aka thai style "they take care you"... ?

[dcnx]

6 hours ago, jerojero said:

Just carry the Policy card in your wallet, and better yet with copy in your luggage.

When I had my bad accident, my wallet, passport, phone, keys, and even the spare phone charger under my bike seat all conveniently went missing.

 

I remember checking to see if my wallet was still on my as I laid there, and it was. Phone too. I told the police my passport was under my bike seat that I could see the seat sas closed. I watched them take the keys from my bike and open the seat.

 

I was then tossed into a pick up truck and taken to the hospital. 

 

All of my belongings were removed from me somewhere along the way and I never saw the same police again. Everything but the wrecked bike was stolen from me and I not only had no id, but no credit card, no cash, and no way to contact anyone. Hospital staff sent an email for me. Otherwise, I would have been screwed.

 

Pattaya.

 

Unless you've been through it, you have no idea how fast things can turn on you here while you're being taken advantage of by the very people who are helping you. And there is nothing you can do about it. 

 

[harleyclarkey]

NOTE;

 

If you intend to travel or to stay awhile in, say,  Thailand ...read your travel insurance very, very carefully.

 

1. There is a cut-off date for the length of travel. Usually a trip of 30 or 45 days abroad.

2. Check if it covers motorbikes/scooters. It usually does NOT.

[fxe1200]

One should keep a copy of the insurance policy underneath the seat of the motorcycle, so one won't forget.

[luis888]

What! Come to thailand and immediately start riding a bike! ...sorry not sympathies here from me.

I don't quite understand your comment. Do you have to wait a week before you ride a bike in Thailand, or maybe 2 weeks, or do you think a month is more advisable. What a pathetic reply.

Sent from my SM-G610F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[merijn]

15 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

I think also you need a permanent license if you've been here for some time?  If he's got a motorcycle license back home, and an IDP, then he'd be OK here as a tourist...right?

Tourist (up to 90 days) can use their home country driving license in combination with international driving permit if their home driving license is not in English language.

Persons over 90 days in Thailand are required to have a Thai driving license as they are not regarded short term tourist.

To drive a scooter in Thailand on your home country driving license will require a "full" motorcycle license. 

[JusMe]

As geriatrickid explained, his costs can be covered by this provincial health care, only as reimbursement so one needs to front everything before submitting for cash back, and only up to the level of the same service back in Canada, which is likely much higher than the cost for that same service in Thailand.  I doubt if there could be anything for transportation costs, so if he's got to be flown back to BC, that's out of pocket.

 

Main problem is fronting the entire bill and then trying to recoup from the provincial health plan later.

 

This is, of course, assuming he was only on holiday and not out of the country for more than six months.

[gk10002000]

17 hours ago, Kerryd said:

According to his uncle, he did have Travel Insurance but:

"Kovacs said his nephew did get travel medical insurance, but it doesn't cover motor vehicle accidents." 

So they seemingly know what kind of coverage he has but don't know the insurer or policy number ? A little odd.

 

The accident apparently happened on 27 Dec, somewhere about "3 hours away" from Chiang Mai. That would explain why it didn't appear in any of the Thai (English language) media outlets. (Didn't make any of the mainstream Canadian news outlets either at the time as far as I can tell.)

 

Naturally, his family have set up a GoFundMe page with a relatively modest $50,000 goal. They reached just over $19,000 so far.

Many if not most short term travel insurance do not by default cover motorcycles, jet skis, and other things.  Those are considered hazardous and require supplemental coverage.  In years past I used to purchase short term insurance for the typical 30 days I would travel to Thailand (American am I).  It really wasn't that expensive.  Now I have better medical insurance so I have no need to purchase anything extra or special.  In either case, none of the companies I ever bought short term insurance from would direct pay the hospital, nor could I find any that would direct pay the hospital or accept direct billing from a hospital.  I would have had to submit claims, and wait for that process to work itself out.  And if one is a bit incapacitated, this could be a challenge.  No idea how long a claim and payment cycle might be, but one should be prepared for quite a stay while the payments get sorted out.

 

I have heard of some travelers that were able to buy short term travel coverage that would direct pay or accept direct billing, but I could never find any like that.  I would also add that if one is NOT licensed in their home state or country to drive a motorcycle I am pretty sure you run a great risk of your insurance company denying payment.  I am sure my default State Farm auto insurance would not cover me since I am only licensed for a car here in the USA.

Edited March 5, 2017 by gk10002000
addition

[JusMe]

GK, that is, of course, for an American.  Canadians are covered by their provincial health care systems worldwide, as long as they are not out of the country more than six (eight now?) months.  Only problems are that it's reimbursement, not immediate coverage, and up to a Canadian cost standard, which is why we're fine in Thailand, but face horrendous costs if we encounter medical issues in the US.

[Kerryd]

21 hours ago, WhizBang said:

As a Canadian he will have  Provincial Health Care.  Not sure what their coverage would be when traveling internationally though.  The family should contact their provincial health care system for what to do.

(checking what appear to be newer guidelines)

Edited March 5, 2017 by Kerryd

[JusMe]

Admitted, a few years back, but I had minor surgery at Siriraj, kept all my receipts for both the surgery and meds. A few months later, when back in Edmonton, submitted them all to Alberta Health.  Including some medical receipts I had for treatment in The Philippines, I eventually was reimbursed for about 95% of the total I spent.  And I was able to use the remainder for my income tax deduction.

[cyberfarang]

22 hours ago, taichiplanet said:

The article doesn't mention if he had a motorbike licence or not, if not then insurance will not pay anyway.

 

It is hard enough on the family even with the insurance paying up, let alone without it. I do feel for them.

Good point. The insurance company will look for the slightest reason not to pay. It could also be that some travel insurance companies will pay out for thefts, victims of crime and medical emergencies if a policy holder becomes sick, but will not pay out for accidents. The problem is that most tourists, wherever they travel believe that nothing bad will happen to them.

[bandito]

22 hours ago, Get Real said:

Today´s conspiracy theory.

 

Not so.

3 yrs ago I was in hospital, for an operation, not in a private room and the hospital staff told me to give my wallet, watch and anything worth something to give to my wife as it was unsafe to keep it in hospital.

 

[varun]

No sympathy for testosterone-fueled idiots who insist on renting & riding 2-wheelers on Thailand's roads,

in the absence of the appropriate insurance and often, even without basic safety precautions such as a helmet.

 

 

[Colabamumbai]

On 3/5/2017 at 9:09 AM, WhizBang said:

As a Canadian he will have  Provincial Health Care.  Not sure what their coverage would be when traveling internationally though.  The family should contact their provincial health care system for what to do.

Canadians get no international health care.

[Shawn0000]

On 05/03/2017 at 8:35 AM, Canceraid said:

What! Come to thailand and immediately start riding a bike! ...sorry not sympathies here from me.

 

So kind of you, and you have so much information to go on as well, for all you know he could have been riding bikes for years.

[USPatriot]

On 04/03/2017 at 7:55 PM, taichiplanet said:

i think you are correct, as a tourist for a limited time you can use you own country's licence.

Police ask for an international drivers license if the person doesn't have a Thai license.

[USPatriot]

On 05/03/2017 at 6:33 PM, bandito said:

 

Not so.

3 yrs ago I was in hospital, for an operation, not in a private room and the hospital staff told me to give my wallet, watch and anything worth something to give to my wife as it was unsafe to keep it in hospital.

 

American hospitals are the same.   Trust them with your life and giving you drugs boat don't leave a wallet out

[taichiplanet]

33 minutes ago, USPatriot said:

Police ask for an international drivers license if the person doesn't have a Thai license.

that is true, though the thai law states otherwise but sometimes difficult to argue with a thai cop! But if Canada has a treaty with Thailand on accepting each other's driving licences, then the insurance company would have to accept that.

 

Section 42-2

• In case there is a treaty between the Thai government and a foreign government regarding mutual acceptance of driver licence, an alien who does not have an immigrant visa may drive a motor vehicle with a driver licence issued by such a foreign government, or an automobile association authorised by such a foreign government.

http://driving-in-thailand.com/motor-vehicle-act/#03

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g293915-c133830/Thailand:Driving.License.Requirements.html

Edited March 12, 2017 by taichiplanet

[Banana7]

2 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

Canadians get no international health care.

That's not true! Residents of Ontario are partially covered. When you travel outside of Canada, OHIP will pay for insured, emergency health services that meet specific criteria. OHIP pays a set amount for these services.

 

 

Edited March 12, 2017 by Banana7

[JusMe]

2 hours ago, Banana7 said:

That's not true! Residents of Ontario are partially covered. When you travel outside of Canada, OHIP will pay for insured, emergency health services that meet specific criteria. OHIP pays a set amount for these services.

 

 

And this is true for Albertans, also.  It's supposed to be "emergency" care, but basically will cover all one needs.  However, like OHIP, it pays a set amount for services, clearly enough to cover Thai costs but not American costs, so one needs to be careful about travel destinations.  And, the payment is a reimbursement, so one must front the payment at the time of receiving the service.