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

[Rhys]

....have the health official get off the buns...

[YetAnother]

On 1/17/2018 at 8:29 PM, the guest said:

I agree all foreigners must have insurance, then they won't be a burden to the Thai system. Thailand is for Thais, not for foreigners !

often we are thankful some people are not our neighbors

[Sonhia]

 

I've always had to pay for every once of medical care I've reluctantly had to seek, whilst living in Thailand, even having to pay for one of those poorly maintained, death trap on wheels, mobile disco excuse of a 'state of the art' ambulance resembling something out of the dark ages, that should have been scraped years ago, not road worthy and driven by a crazed, look at me, immature petrol head, untrained medic, with a carefree attitude to all matter of life, probably intoxicated and resembling a tramp!

 

What level of REAL medical care / assistance would be offered to foreigners?

 

If I had medical cover, I'd expect professional medics, state of the art equipment, professional uniformed staff. A respectable, quite uncluttered, clean medical ward with privacy, not the usual family and friends, home from home party atmosphere rubbish, with people sleeping under ward beds, kids running about, with loud music playing and the usual loud voices booming out, with unruly, uncaring individuals!

 

Luckily for me, I've never been admitted into a Thai hospital. My observations are based on the many visits to Thai hospitals visiting foreign friends, who normally leave the hospital, dead!

 

The medical insurance (scam) for Foreigners, maybe a way of trying to prop up a health service under great strain due to a failing economy and lack of funding, with foreigners experiencing unfair plus sub standard levels of medical care? 

 

Scam springs to mind, as does the FARANG pricing system plus inequality demonstrated toward most foreigners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Sonhia

[garyk]

Vending machines spitting out insurance to enter Thailand.

Plus the banks charging 220 baht per transaction. haha

 

[Number 6]

Nothing but a scam and despite this being Thai insurance I will guarantee it will only be reimbursement, not a discount or reduction of payment. The insurance company will refuse the claim and the person is left to sort it out from home.

 

It's just another hidden cost tacked onto a visit to Thailand.

[observer90210]

This is the consequence of all the dumb farangs who come to Thailand, play it Mr Big Shot, rent big bikes with no licence or try to play it James Bond with irresponsable and unprepared sport/leisure activities........get an accident with of course no insurance coverage as it is much more fun to spend the cash on booze, girls and renting bikes,....and finally end up posting on Please-fund-my-stupidity websites, to raise money for their hospital bill.....had it comming and as usual, it is the decent foreigners who will end up in bearing the extra hassles for no fault of theirs....

Edited March 20, 2018 by observer90210

[rasg]

This is why you need travel insurance.

 

 

[oldhippy]

1 hour ago, rasg said:

This is why you need travel insurance.

 

 

But the question remain:

 

How can the Thai government check whether the insurance documents are genuine and all inclusive?

[rasg]

30 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

How can the Thai government check whether the insurance documents are genuine and all inclusive?

They probably can’t with the systems currently in place. How do the police know that a car is insured in the UK? They check on a computer. Not that difficult to setup. Maybe the insurance could be checked when you check in or as part of the check in process online. I believe that anybody traveling to a different country or coming to the UK should use common sense and buy travel insurance. The guy who lost his leg probably thought it would never happen to him and then it did. He's quite young and would have probably only paid £30-50. Probably a tiny percentage of his holiday budget that he spent drinking and chasing girls.

 

Reading the link I posted should be mandatory for anybody who doesn't think that buying travel insurance is worth it. With the very high accident rate in Thailand and now they have a big rabies problem, I think I will continue to pay travel insurance. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by rasg

[oldhippy]

1 hour ago, rasg said:

They probably can’t with the systems currently in place. How do the police know that a car is insured in the UK? They check on a computer. Not that difficult to setup. Maybe the insurance could be checked when you check in or as part of the check in process online. I believe that anybody traveling to a different country or coming to the UK should use common sense and buy travel insurance. The guy who lost his leg probably thought it would never happen to him and then it did. He's quite young and would have probably only paid £30-50. Probably a tiny percentage of his holiday budget that he spent drinking and chasing girls.

 

Reading the link I posted should be mandatory for anybody who doesn't think that buying travel insurance is worth it. With the very high accident rate in Thailand and now they have a big rabies problem, I think I will continue to pay travel insurance. 

Of course I agree with you about the necessity of travel insurance, in particular to travelling in countries like Thailand or the us.

 

But as you say, immigration can not check.

Checking as part of on line check in? Some people don't check in on line, and how can the airline know the extent of the coverage? Hell, I am not even certain of the exact coverage of my own travel insuranca!

 

When Thais visit Europe they need travel insurance, as part of the visa application.

BUT...

Are the Thai consulates up to this extra job? What about visa free visits?

Thais can buy travel insurance on line, from reliabele European insurers. Does the average European tourist have access to reliable Thai insurers?

 

Yes, everybody should have travel insurance, but I do not see it happen.

[rasg]

As I mentioned before, there is a car insurance register in the UK that the police have access to to check if a driver is insured. Anybody can check that any car has an MOT on the .gov website. Technology-wise it's a simple thing to do.

[John8]

Other countries require a insurance to enter as a tourist, so why not Thailand?

 

How many times have we heard about tourists that can't pay there million baht medical bill ?

"go fund me" LOL ..

 

Except for it being a burden in the airport, or claming that it is a way to harvest money from foreingers.. so just skip all the 'cheep charlie' complaints, because if you traveling with out a insurance your are an idiot... what's the problem?

 

You that complain... why do you not want an travel insurance for Thailand?

[oldhippy]

8 minutes ago, John8 said:

Other countries require a insurance to enter as a tourist, so why not Thailand?

 

How many times have we heard about tourists that can't pay there million baht medical bill ?

"go fund me" LOL ..

 

Except for it being a burden in the airport, or claming that it is a way to harvest money from foreingers.. so just skip all the 'cheep charlie' complaints, because if you traveling with out a insurance your are an idiot... what's the problem?

 

You that complain... why do you not want an travel insurance for Thailand?

QUOTE: What's the problem?

 

Answer: See my answer 2 posts before, but no doubt you have a solution for that?

[StayinThailand2much]

On 3/21/2018 at 4:53 AM, Sonhia said:

What level of REAL medical care / assistance would be offered to foreigners?

No-one would object to a (moderately priced) real insurance policy, but I suspect that the ones they'd be selling at the border would not be worth the paper they're printed on. In case of treatment, they would, probably, neither be accepted at hospitals, nor clinics.

[StayinThailand2much]

On 2/19/2018 at 12:11 PM, oldhippy said:

Thailand could join the EU.... There is a vacancy at present.

Better Thailand than Albania or Kosovo... 

[DJ54]

Is there an article with more information? I could see them able to implement on some visa types. Hopefully they don’t pick and choose. 

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

1 hour ago, John8 said:

Other countries require a insurance to enter as a tourist, so why not Thailand?

 

How many times have we heard about tourists that can't pay there million baht medical bill ?

"go fund me" LOL ..

 

Except for it being a burden in the airport, or claming that it is a way to harvest money from foreingers.. so just skip all the 'cheep charlie' complaints, because if you traveling with out a insurance your are an idiot... what's the problem?

 

You that complain... why do you not want an travel insurance for Thailand?

Yep Google sez...Poland 、Czech Republic、and Cuba require travel. 

Must be working great for them. Three places I quarantee I will never visit.

 

 

[Mangkhut]

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1030462-big-hospital-bill-that-cant-be-paidwhat-now/?utm_source=newsletter-20180324-1248&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

[Cheops]

How many foreigners need medical treatment? How many Thais are using the 30 baht system to get medical treatment?

I bet the latter are much more and you don't hear the gov. complaining that the burden is too much!

 

So, the medical insurance for foreigners who arrive without insurance, should be 30 baht the most for a couple of weeks coverage!

Treatment for those 30 baht insured foreigners can be done at government hospitals, which for Thai people is also not a burden for the gov.

Travelers with upfront bought insurance can use the private hospitals.

 

I see many comments here from people complaining, that they now maybe need to buy insurance.

Mostly they are the same people commenting about the people who got into an accident without insurance how stupid that was.

 

Question to those people: is medical insurance in your home country compulsary?

I bet for most it is, so don't complain if you need to buy insurance for the country you are a guest in!

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

You are making to many assumptions.
I already have global coverage. There are no exclusions. It is already expensive, why should I be forced to purchase some redundant possibly dodgy “travel insurance” in addition to enter Thailand?

[Cheops]

3 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

You are making to many assumptions.
I already have global coverage. There are no exclusions. It is already expensive, why should I be forced to purchase some redundant possibly dodgy “travel insurance” in addition to enter Thailand?

In that case of course you shouldn't need to purchase redundant insurance. My comment was more towards the people comlaining about people without insurance and then complaining that insurance is too expensive for them.

 

Furthermore, my point is more about the fact that in reality I don't think it's a real burden to the Thai gov., since they also support more or less free healthcare for millions of Thai with the 30 baht system. The number of foreigners that actually got medical treatment without paying is in the noise level.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

I have Aetna Global health. (US based). Last couple years they did not even provide insurance cards. I have an app in me iPhone. Will the IO at Swampy accept that？And what if My battery dies. I can print out an insurance card I’d reckon

 

Just another opening to sell fake insurance policies like the online “return ticket” scams.

 

[wgdanson]

On 1/5/2018 at 10:28 PM, StayinThailand2much said:

repatriation to Sri Lanka

But I don't want to go to Sri Lanka.

[Cheops]

13 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

I have Aetna Global health. (US based). Last couple years they did not even provide insurance cards. I have an app in me iPhone. Will the IO at Swampy accept that？And what if My battery dies. I can print out an insurance card I’d reckon

 

Just another opening to sell fake insurance policies like the online “return ticket” scams.

 

Indeed, I think it's just a moneymaking thing. Let's say about 1 million visitors per year which don't have insurance. 1 million to pay 6000 baht for a 2 weeks policy is a lot of money. (I figure 6k is roughly the cost for a standard travel insurance, though I could be wrong, since I didn't buy any since very long time.)

[ravip]

On 05/06/2017 at 11:24 AM, Orton Rd said:

Idiotic, it's bad enough now with the Chinese at DM, imagine the 'queues' for insurance machines, folks with no baht, arguing, kids crying, machines breaking down, laughable.

 

'The requirement is seen as helping to reduce the burden on Thai hospitals who are being forced to treat an increasing number of insured foreigners.'

 

No problem then according to the article if foreigners are insured why is it costing Hospitals?

 

Not really idiotic per se. Think a little bit before making comments like these. The West had this regulation since 2006, as far as I can remember.

 

Have you ever read the news items how sick foreigners were begging for money for treatment? Are you a "go fund me" fan?

 

No need to stand in queues - just get your travel insurance from your own country! I do this every time I travel.

 

Now where is your "idiotic" scenario? Definitely not in this regulation!

 

Please be more thoughtful when posting.

Edited March 28, 2018 by ravip

[ravip]

On 19/02/2018 at 10:41 AM, oldhippy said:

Thailand could join the EU.... There is a vacancy at present.

That might be the end of Thailand!

[ravip]

On 25/03/2018 at 2:51 PM, Cheops said:

Indeed, I think it's just a moneymaking thing. Let's say about 1 million visitors per year which don't have insurance. 1 million to pay 6000 baht for a 2 weeks policy is a lot of money. (I figure 6k is roughly the cost for a standard travel insurance, though I could be wrong, since I didn't buy any since very long time.)

"go fund me" is a better solution?

[ravip]

22 hours ago, ravip said:

"go fund me" is a better solution?

 

22 hours ago, ravip said:

"go fund me" is a better solution?

 

22 hours ago, ravip said:

"go fund me" is a better solution?

Just one example where insurance would have helped >>> 

 

[surangw]

huge money maker for someone's   uncle

[Expatthailover]

On Mon Jun 05 2017 at 1:54 PM, Orton Rd said:

Idiotic, it's bad enough now with the Chinese at DM, imagine the 'queues' for insurance machines, folks with no baht, arguing, kids crying, machines breaking down, laughable.

 

'The requirement is seen as helping to reduce the burden on Thai hospitals who are being forced to treat an increasing number of insured foreigners.'

 

No problem then according to the article if foreigners are insured why is it costing Hospitals?

 

Quality tourists will organise insurance prior to their trip.

If they havent...tough. Get in the queue for the machine

Tjailand is perfectly within their rigjts to do this