Report: All foreign tourists will soon need insurance in order to enter Thailand

[overherebc]

1 hour ago, Flying Kiwi said:

MY point i have insurance OK durrrr

Your first reply gave the impression that your treatment costs were so low you didn't need insurance.

??

That's why you got the responses.

[VBF]

On 7/22/2017 at 10:18 AM, rasg said:

If you are willing to lodge a few million baht in a Thai Government bank account, maybe. That you have no access to, of course. It's just cheaper in the long run to have the peace of mind of travel insurance.

Self insurance IS a valid option, but only IF you have sufficient funds available. However, "available" need not mean in a Thai bank  - it could mean a credit or debit card with sufficient credit limit or balance to cover it.

 

Just as a small example, my UK issued Visa credit card gives me £7000 of credit - that's about 308,000 Baht at present rates. However the card supplier is always asking me to increase my limit and that's just one card - I have several plus I have debit cards. Now I'm not a particularly wealthy person but coming from the UK, that sort of credit has become the norm.  So IF I need emergency treatment, I can pay for it, therefore no reason to hold the money in Thailand as long as it's accessible.

 

Now as it happens, i do choose to have (annual) travel insurance but that's my choice for peace of mind and so that I should always get the treatment paid for me rather than need to pay for it myself, or at any rate be able to claim it back.

 

I really don't want the Thai government telling me to take their preferred option when my preferred option is just as good.

Edited July 24, 2017 by VBF

[rasg]

It really doesn’t matter as you are sensible enough to have travel insurance and I bet it's for more than 308,000 baht. I have a card like it too but I wouldn't want to knock a big hole in it for hospital treatment if I didn't have to. Fine to use it and then claim on my travel insurance policy after though.

[gk10002000]

I have fine insurance in the USA that I will maintain while working and it will cover me while traveling.   Now the years between my retirement and getting on Medicare are a bit of a challenge. Immediately upon leaving work, I could do what the USA calls COBRA and that can be purchased for 1 year or 18 months as I recall. That used to cost about the same cost as one's current premiums, but now, due to Obamacare I think the cost will be much higher.  For example, my current employer costs me $98 a month. But The cheapest Obamacare policies in my area of Florida are a stunning $508 with no subsidies.  So I have no idea how the COBRA will come up with a cost number.  If I stop working, I certainly won't make as much as I was when working.  My dividends and interest are sizable though.  

 

  I will be able to qualify for VA (Veteran's Affairs) medical insurance that basically has no premiums.  But that coverage is really only valid if I am in the USA and walk into a facility here. If I get hurt over seas, I would be on my own.  Pay there and get my butt on a plane home if possible.    A lot is going to depend on how long I stay in Thailand.  Getting temporary insurance is a possibility, although if the time span is long enough I think getting a policy inside Thailand could work better.  Say BUPA for instance.  You get the policy and in general it is accepted on the spot, you don't have to transfer funds, you don't have to worry too much about being extorted or held for ransom, etc.  Every temporary insurance plan I have seen requires one to pay the hospital first, then file fore reimbursement.  Now, there may be some temporary insurance plans available by Thai companies or hospitals that would pay directly.  That is worth looking into.

 

  But in all the cases, I hate paying twice, once in two countries

[Mickmouse1]

Switch to neighbouring countries and see how the Thai will feel???

[YetAnother]

35 minutes ago, Mickmouse1 said:

Switch to neighbouring countries and see how the Thai will feel???

point taken; due to the weak thai understanding of cause-and-effect, they likely wouldnt piece it together and would fancy some other irrational 'explanation'

[monkfish]

Most travel insurances will only cover treatment in Thai Government hospitals and don't include private Hospitals such as Bangkok Hospital which is probably the standard most tourist will want. My mum got the best travel insurance available when she came but when she got Ill the insurance company would only pay for treatment at Banglamung Hostpital.

[Jip99]

5 minutes ago, monkfish said:

Most travel insurances will only cover treatment in Thai Government hospitals and don't include private Hospitals such as Bangkok Hospital which is probably the standard most tourist will want. My mum got the best travel insurance available when she came but when she got Ill the insurance company would only pay for treatment at Banglamung Hostpital.

 

 

That at is not correct.

 

A friend had no problem getting agreement to use the Bangkok Korat hospital.

[monkfish]

2 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

That at is not correct.

 

A friend had no problem getting agreement to use the Bangkok Korat hospital.

That's great for your friend but did Insurance pay the full cost or a percentage? For my mum they ended up paying paid 20% of the full treatment cost at a private hospital.

[Jip99]

1 hour ago, monkfish said:

That's great for your friend but did Insurance pay the full cost or a percentage? For my mum they ended up paying paid 20% of the full treatment cost at a private hospital.

 

Full whack.

[ZAKY]

No!!! Its not true that foreigners can get cured in Thailand hospital for free. All procedures are subject to a deposit payable in advance! 

[sead]

On ‎2017‎-‎06‎-‎05 at 1:06 PM, CLW said:

And show me that hospital that treats foreigners without paying or credit card deposit.
Anyway most travel insurance you have to pay first by yourself and claim afterwards

Lol. They kicked out my neighbour yesterday from the hospital. He broke hes leg but didnt have Insurance and they wont keep him in hospital during sunday. So they fixed his leg temporarily and drove him home and told him to go another hospital on monday...... They kept his passport and he has to pay what he Owes and to the new cheaper hospital.

[tfc]

On 9/8/2017 at 11:44 AM, monkfish said:

Most travel insurances will only cover treatment in Thai Government hospitals and don't include private Hospitals such as Bangkok Hospital which is probably the standard most tourist will want. My mum got the best travel insurance available when she came but when she got Ill the insurance company would only pay for treatment at Banglamung Hostpital.

 

Nah back in 2010 when I got dengue my travel insurance (nothing fancy) covered my full stay at Bangkok Hospital in Phuket town for 7 days.  Friend took me to the hospital, staff called my insurance, 20 minutes later I'm in a private room everything covered.  In hindsight it was pretty funny because on the one hand I had the insurance company calling me everyday to see how I was going and if I was well enough to check out and on the other hand the doctor saying "its up to you" when I asked him when I was well enough to leave. 

 

[bheard]

Thai hospitals who are being forced to treat an increasing number of insured foreigners.
 
Now you lost me !

Can't read?

[monkfish]

4 hours ago, tfc said:

 

Nah back in 2010 when I got dengue my travel insurance (nothing fancy) covered my full stay at Bangkok Hospital in Phuket town for 7 days.  Friend took me to the hospital, staff called my insurance, 20 minutes later I'm in a private room everything covered.  In hindsight it was pretty funny because on the one hand I had the insurance company calling me everyday to see how I was going and if I was well enough to check out and on the other hand the doctor saying "its up to you" when I asked him when I was well enough to leave. 

 

Well I can assure you in my Mothers case was completely different a complete nightmare with the UK insurance company.
Worst thing the private hospital representative a well spoken Farang convinced her there would be absolutely no problems with insurance and she could check in straight away.
Only after she was settled into a private room attached to a drip etc. did they inform her that the insurance wasn't going to pay.
At that point she was in a great deal of pain so she decided to pay herself.

Cheers

[Eli1]

On 08/09/2017 at 1:58 PM, monkfish said:

That's great for your friend but did Insurance pay the full cost or a percentage? For my mum they ended up paying paid 20% of the full treatment cost at a private hospital.

Who did you insure with why don't you tell us that because that does not make sense I've been injured before and went to Bangkok hospital without any problems and fully paid out by my insurance which was CoverMore insurance

[madmitch]

Most private hospitals have payment deals directly with the larger travel insurers and TPAs. They wouldn't have these agreements in place if the insurance companies were going to exclude them!

[marino28]

I think is a good idea. Hope they will do it 

[nong38]

If it comes to fruition it will interesting to see how they treat people with a Retirement/marriage/ work permit etc because anyone who is not travelling, ie that live here are not strictly tourists or travellers and will not have valid "Travel Insurance"" on arrival, I have been told this by Insurance brokers, there would be no guarantee that your claim would be met when they know the details and trying to get money out of an Insurance company is never easy.

Similarly in the UK you have to have been resident for the previous 6 months to be able to get travel insurance, you will be able to buy it no problem but if you make a claim and they find you have not been resident in the UK for the previous 6 months your insurance will not be valid. Then you have th age issue, once you get past 60 you are on a sliding scale to heaven, they dont want to know a potential bad risk.

I have self insured myself, its the only sensible option for me, money in the bank,

[Global Guy]

This story isn't whether I think the Thai medical system is right or wrong. It's just a story of what the reality is...and for foreigners to understand it.

 

The three times I was in a Thai hospital, each time after the doctor made the diagnosis, someone with a clipboard showed up before they started treatment to determine how I would pay.

 

Once I was in CCU, unconscious, busted up from head to toe, and bleeding out (a severe accident). The doctor told my gf that I would soon die but she needed to make a payment before they would begin the first round of life saving surgeries. My initial surgical bill exceeded my insurance coverage. I needed four initial surgeries in addition to the one to stop the bleed out just to get me stable enough for the other surgeries four days later. I was a mess. Again, I had insurance, just not enough for something this catastrophic. 

 

They would not take any life saving measures until my gf got some cash to the hospital. I've read other stories where the hospital watched foreigners die because they couldn't make the initial payment. My gf got them some cash, they did the first group of surgeries and stabilized me, and waited until we came up with more cash to go to round two.

 

Luckily I regained consciousness a few days after the first surgeries and was able to tell my gf how to get to my "emergency money" and then the hospital approved the next round of surgeries a few days later when she gave them that cash. Before I was discharged I had to come up with a third cash payment or they wouldn't discharge me. 

 

Obviously, I got even larger insurance coverage now, but the point is, unlike in Western countries where medical care and payment are two separate issues, in Thailand they are 100% connected. No pay, they will not save your life. They will watch you die.

 

Again, I had health insurance but once that maxed out, they stopped medical treatment immediately. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just that foreigners should know that yes, they will watch you die if you cannot pay up front. This is still a third world country and they don't value life above everything else like in the West. If my gf wasn't with me, since I was unconscious, I would have bled to death. 

 

It is what it is....

[ukrules]

16 minutes ago, Global Guy said:

Again, I had health insurance but once that maxed out, they stopped medical treatment immediately. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just that foreigners should know that yes, they will watch you die if you cannot pay up front. This is still a third world country and they don't value life above everything else like in the West. If my gf wasn't with me, since I was unconscious, I would have bled to death. 

 

It is what it is....

Your insurance must have been pretty crappy, what hospital does this happen at or are there multiple hospitals involved ?

[Global Guy]

3 minutes ago, ukrules said:

Your insurance must have been pretty crappy, what hospital does this happen at or are there multiple hospitals involved ?

These incidents happened at two different hospitals. One hospital not so good and another (the serious accident) is a good hospital but the amount of medical care/work I needed was extreme. Over 2.5 years post accident now, I'm still having surgical work as recent as 8 weeks ago, and need more medical work to continue fixing problems plus physical therapy and neuro work. I go to the States for my surgeries now as my insurance covers that work over there. My insurance here isn't nearly as good as in the US.

 

To put this accident in perspective, the surgeons did a medical case presentation at the hospital on all the work they had to do to piece me back together. I have 20 pieces of titanium holding various parts of my body together. 

 

I was that busted up. Frankenstein looked better than I did. They had to reconstruct the left half of my face, among other reconstruction work on my legs, hips, jaw, sinus cavities, etc. I still have another two years of work to go on my teeth, jaw, and soft tissues in my legs and hips. My accident is one that wasn't supposed to be survivable. 

 

So, it wasn't just the insurance issue, it was the extreme severity of the damage I had. And I didn't describe all my injuries either.

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, Global Guy said:

These incidents happened at two different hospitals. One hospital not so good and another (the serious accident) is a good hospital but the amount of medical care/work I needed was extreme. Over 2.5 years post accident now, I'm still having surgical work as recent as 8 weeks ago, and need more medical work to continue fixing problems plus physical therapy and neuro work. I go to the States for my surgeries now as my insurance covers that work over there. My insurance here isn't nearly as good as in the US.

 

To put this accident in perspective, the surgeons did a medical case presentation at the hospital on all the work they had to do to piece me back together. I have 20 pieces of titanium holding various parts of my body together. 

 

I was that busted up. Frankenstein looked better than I did. They had to reconstruct the left half of my face, among other reconstruction work on my legs, hips, jaw, sinus cavities, etc. I still have another two years of work to go on my teeth, jaw, and soft tissues in my legs and hips. My accident is one that wasn't supposed to be survivable. 

 

So, it wasn't just the insurance issue, it was the extreme severity of the damage I had. And I didn't describe all my injuries either.

 

Damn, that's a lot of medical work, good luck with the recovery.

[roamer]

On 7/24/2017 at 7:22 PM, VBF said:

Self insurance IS a valid option, but only IF you have sufficient funds available. However, "available" need not mean in a Thai bank  - it could mean a credit or debit card with sufficient credit limit or balance to cover it.

 

Just as a small example, my UK issued Visa credit card gives me £7000 of credit - that's about 308,000 Baht at present rates. However the card supplier is always asking me to increase my limit and that's just one card - I have several plus I have debit cards. Now I'm not a particularly wealthy person but coming from the UK, that sort of credit has become the norm.  So IF I need emergency treatment, I can pay for it, therefore no reason to hold the money in Thailand as long as it's accessible.

 

Now as it happens, i do choose to have (annual) travel insurance but that's my choice for peace of mind and so that I should always get the treatment paid for me rather than need to pay for it myself, or at any rate be able to claim it back.

 

I really don't want the Thai government telling me to take their preferred option when my preferred option is just as good.

You could be very surprised at a credit card companies response to a pre-authorisation request for, lets say £5000 from a Bangkok hospital. Noted what you said, you have travel insurance, wise man. Debit card, sufficient funds, fine. Am Ex, no problem. Credit card major bank, maybe OK. Credit card finance company, see how fast that credit limit changes.

I think the sign in the Aussie embassy in Bangkok has it right, "If you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel".

[blankagain]

On 6/5/2017 at 2:40 PM, Toshiba66 said:

Not to Australia.

Correct, but I was in the outpatient section of a major hospital recently when a chinese woman came in complaining of a severe ear ache and was told it would cost her $360 to see a Dr but if she could hold out until the morning she could see a Dr for $75 at one of the health centres. She opted for the later. It would also be applicable to a Thai visitor. You have to bear the burden of any medical costs associated with your partner. 

[bmanly]

I have been to 45 countries around the world so far and not one has ever made it compulsory to have travel insurance. The insurance I do have when I come to Thailand is an A class travel insurance from Australia that actually pays out on claims. Are the Thai insurances from the vending machines going to guarantee full medical cover? Do you trust them? I wouldn't that's for sure. 

[Gus0898uk]

For a couple of years when coming on holiday to Thailand I bought the TAT insurance but this only covers you until you are 70.

I have tried some UK  travel insurance companies and declared my pre existing medical conditions and can get a months cover for £73 which I think is reasonable.

Are there any Thai companies that cover farangs over 70 and on meds for holiday cover?

TIA

[gk10002000]

20 hours ago, madmitch said:

Most private hospitals have payment deals directly with the larger travel insurers and TPAs. They wouldn't have these agreements in place if the insurance companies were going to exclude them!

i have never found a company that the hospitals would direct pay.  Over the years I bought several policies for my holiday.  I am an American.  If you know a larger travel insurance company that is available for a USA citizen and that in general is honored by a Thai hospital, please post the name (s).  Every policy I ever found were all reimbursements you had to file, and, there also was fine print about any money they pay out would only happen after you had used up whatever benefits or reimubursables your basic home policy may have covered, so that was another hoop to jump through.

[madmitch]

2 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

i have never found a company that the hospitals would direct pay.  Over the years I bought several policies for my holiday.  I am an American.  If you know a larger travel insurance company that is available for a USA citizen and that in general is honored by a Thai hospital, please post the name (s).  Every policy I ever found were all reimbursements you had to file, and, there also was fine print about any money they pay out would only happen after you had used up whatever benefits or reimubursables your basic home policy may have covered, so that was another hoop to jump through.

Here's a list. http://www.phukethospital.com/Patient-Services/Insurance-Company-International.php

 

Although it states health insurance some travel insurance companies are included and the likes of SOS Assistance and Mondial act as TPAs for a number of travel insurance companies.

 

You will notice that no American insurance companies are included on the list! Interesting! I don't know why.

[Media1]

On 6/5/2017 at 12:43 PM, HiSoLowSoNoSo said:

The hole thing is a scam, they are already calculating how much profit they will make from these insurances'

Yes very bad operation and need new government ASAP