‘Sell health insurance to migrants’

[rooster59]

‘Sell health insurance to migrants’

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION

 

Raks Thai Foundation coordinator Pakpoom Saweangkham addresses on the problem of the abandoned stateless children in the discussion forum yesterday.

 

Ministry should force hospitals to cut health costs: Surapong.

 

THE PUBLIC Health Ministry should force public hospitals to sell health insurance to all foreign workers to tackle the financial deficit from providing healthcare to migrant workers and solve the issue of abandoned stateless children, experts suggested.

 

The Thai Health Reform Foundation (TRF) and Thai Health Promotion Foundation yesterday held a forum on the increasing number of abandoned stateless |children, after it was found that in areas such as Phuket and Tak’s Mae Sot district, many migrant workers left their babies at hospitals because they did not have money to pay for the medical fees.

 

The child abandonment |problem was mainly caused by some hospitals that refused to accept the health insurance of pregnant |workers and forced them to pay the full cost of delivering a baby.

 

Some hospitals have restricted the use of health insurance because they faced a financial deficit in |providing care for migrant workers with health insurance.

 

The former head of Lawyers’ Council’s Human Rights Subcommittee on Ethnic Minorities, the Stateless, Migrant Workers and Displaced Persons Surapong Kongchantuk said that the hospitals’ financial problem could be solved by strictly enforcing the existing rules of the Public Health Ministry.

 

“In theory, the health insurance model for the migrant workers can run effectively and also generate huge profits to the health providers,” Surapong said.

 

“This is because the overall annual expense for migrant workers on this insurance scheme was around Bt900 million. 

 

“But considering the number of insured persons in the system was over 1 million, who pay Bt1,600 per year for the insurance, the budget for the insurance will be up to Bt1.6 |billion, more than enough to cover the health expense.”

 

He said that this insurance model was very successful in many areas such as Samut Sakhon, where most of the foreign workers had bought insurance, as the hospitals could profit from the scheme because only a few workers use the benefits from the insurance.

 

The plan can also prevent hospitals from bankruptcy, as cases where hospitals have to subsidise high expense for complex treatment are rare.

 

However, Surapong said that in the areas where the insurance did not work, such as Phuket, it was because the budget for the public hospitals is based on the official |population number in the area. Phuket has a large non-registered population, so the budget for the hospitals is not enough to treat the large number of people in the area.

 

“The solution for this problem is to let the workers in the area register and buy health insurance, which will solve the financial problem of the hospital. Moreover, |the government should enforce all public hospitals by using the power of Article 44 of Interim Charter for instance, to follow |the Public Health Ministry regulations and sell health insurance to all migrant |workers,” he said.

 

To resolve the problem of abandoned stateless children, Surapong said the Social Development and Human Security Ministry should cooperate closer with hospitals and help raise abandoned stateless children at their orphanages, as this is their duty according to the Child Protection Act.

 

Pakpoom Saweangkham from Raks |Thai Foundation suggested that family planning promotion among the migrant workers was also important to help |workers better plan their future and |financial management.

 

“The preventive approach is the best option to solve these problems. Meanwhile, the authorities should also adjust their |attitude on the migrant workers by seeing them as a people and stopping the |discrimination,” Pakpoom said.

 

According to Raks Thai Foundation, |statistic for 2009 showed that there were around 7,900 stateless people in the country, 551 of whom were children who were taken care of in official orphanages.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30317681

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-10

[prakhonchai nick]

Where can one buy this insurance? At 1,600baht it appears a bargain, and most of us on here are effectively immigrants

[Juan B Tong]

Finally a proposal that makes sense.

[louse1953]

1 hour ago, Juan B Tong said:

Finally a proposal that makes sense.

Let us all know when you are accepted.

[TerryLH]

"Where can one buy this insurance? At 1,600baht it appears a bargain, and most of us on here are effectively immigrants"

 

But you are not classed as a migrant worker.  Unless, of course, you work here and are from one of the surrounding countries.

[KIWIBATCH]

 ....."many migrant workers left their babies at hospitals because they did not have money to pay for the medical fees....."

 

This was damn sad to read....leaving your newborn at a hospital.......!!!!

[hlj]

Thailand should indeed have this 1,600 bahts insurance for all  who does not have insurance. There are many people who would take this insurance, the migrant workers as you call them along with foreigners.  This would become a profit making policy which would help keep the hospitals out of the red in all cases incurred while at the hospital. It would also be good when you arrive in Thailand it is mandatory you purchase this insurance on arrival in case of any health needs.

 

[YetAnother]

monstrous foolishness

[Na Lee]

 ....."many migrant workers left their babies at hospitals because they did not have money to pay for the medical fees....."
 
This was damn sad to read....leaving your newborn at a hospital.......!!!!

How many??????? Tell me please. And how many non-immigrants = Thai girls/women. So give me your figures you seem to have.

[KIWIBATCH]

1 hour ago, Na Lee said:

How many??????? Tell me please. And how many non-immigrants = Thai girls/women. So give me your figures you seem to have.

I don't know...I have no idea...I was simply commenting on the statement in the news article which I found very sad reading re Mums and Dads having to leave their newborn at the hospital because they didn't have the money to pay the medical fee's.......

[Cadbury]

Can Rohingyan migrants from Myanmar apply?

[anon4546543]

2 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Can Rohingyan migrants from Myanmar apply?

They are not migrants. They are illegal economic refugees

[Ulic]

Once again I am left scratching my head. It sounds great on the surface. 1,600 baht a year. 1 million

migrants. More than enough to cover the hospital costs for migrants of 900 million baht. All this

said, it also stays it is because migrants don't use their insurance coverage. Either they don't understand

insurance, or the don't actually believe it will be honoured. If they start using the insurance they have

bought I am quite sure they will soon be running a huge deficit and the Thai government will be

complaining mightily.   

[fforest1]

Who here thinks they would let farang have insurance for

1,600 a year?

[digger70]

Good idea, everyone should be able to get an Insurance in the Country they Reside in.I think it would be better for the Hospitals in general,they would get payed all the time.they should provide an insurance for expats to. If it was a  few thousand THB more then the THB 1,600 I think most expat would dump their ripoff  insurance what they have got now .The expats who don't have (can't afford one) would get an insurance too.

[Juan B Tong]

14 hours ago, louse1953 said:

Let us all know when you are accepted.

He he.  Good one!  That's your best?

[Cadbury]

6 hours ago, spiderorchid said:

They are not migrants. They are illegal economic refugees

Lighten up SpiderMan. My original comment about health insurance for Rohingyan migrants was intended to be facetious for what I would have thought was obvious reasons. But your above response deserves a reply.

 

Are these Rohingyan "illegal economic refugees" you refer to the same ones who were encouraged to enter Thailand to escape persecution in Myanmar and start a "new" life? When they arrived they were tortured, held to ransom and then murdered if their families did not pay up. I guess you describe that as economic if you choose.

 

After they were murdered they were buried in mass graves near the Thai border town of Padang Besar, reportedly with the full knowledge of Thai town officials. For further enlightenment you might care to read this story.

 

http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/rohingya-refugees-buried-in-mass-graves-in-thailand/news-story/5e5f454179a89e55dc85a83eb77e7ab1

 

[wgdanson]

3 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Who here thinks they would let farang have insurance for

1,600 a year?

Heart bypass, lung transplant for Bht1600. I'll go for that 1

[MikeN]

4 hours ago, digger70 said:

Good idea, everyone should be able to get an Insurance in the Country they Reside in.I think it would be better for the Hospitals in general,they would get payed all the time.they should provide an insurance for expats to. If it was a  few thousand THB more then the THB 1,600 I think most expat would dump their ripoff  insurance what they have got now .The expats who don't have (can't afford one) would get an insurance too.

I would have no problem with paying a reasonable amount on top of the visa extension fee every year, for coverage at a govt hospital. If you were working and earning 65,000 baht a month as is required for a retirement extension, how much would you pay into the Social Security Fund for the free medical treatment ? That would be a fair amount IMHO. If the govt hospital is not good enough and you want to go to Bumrungrad then get private health cover.

[anon4546543]

14 hours ago, Cadbury said:

Lighten up SpiderMan. My original comment about health insurance for Rohingyan migrants was intended to be facetious for what I would have thought was obvious reasons. But your above response deserves a reply.

 

Are these Rohingyan "illegal economic refugees" you refer to the same ones who were encouraged to enter Thailand to escape persecution in Myanmar and start a "new" life? When they arrived they were tortured, held to ransom and then murdered if their families did not pay up. I guess you describe that as economic if you choose.

 

After they were murdered they were buried in mass graves near the Thai border town of Padang Besar, reportedly with the full knowledge of Thai town officials. For further enlightenment you might care to read this story.

 

http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/rohingya-refugees-buried-in-mass-graves-in-thailand/news-story/5e5f454179a89e55dc85a83eb77e7ab1

 

All they needed to do was to go back home to Bangladesh. Same culture, same religion, and safety. It used to be incumbent to seek refuge in the nearest country that provided these assurances. But, no, they tried for the economic outcome. Not saying that I agreed what happens to them. Just saying they had a far better alternative.

Note also that Malaysia nor Indonesia wants them. 

[TerryLH]

" If you were working and earning 65,000 baht a month as is required for a retirement extension, how much would you pay into the Social Security Fund for the free medical treatment ? "

 

I don't think you thought that through.

An extension for retirement does not allow you to legally work here.

The SS fee you'd be paying is 750 baht for anything over 15k a month.  (If still working.)

If you were in fact on an extension and not working, but paying into SS on your own, the amount would be 432 baht a month - if you qualify.

With SS there is no free medical treatment.  You'd be paying 432 to 750 a month.

[jumbo]

On 6/11/2017 at 5:34 AM, fforest1 said:

Who here thinks they would let farang have insurance for

1,600 a year?

I have healthcare insurance life long at 5,000 thb per year... so why couldn't they do that for migrant workers/farangs

Edited June 12, 2017 by jumbo