UK soap star's four million baht Thai hospital bill - yet more fiction from "The Sun"

[impulse]

1 hour ago, wvavin said:

To die is so much cheaper than to seek treatment.

 

Is that an observation?

 

Or advice?

[bristolgeoff]

Surely he had insurance,he would not be a idiot.but maybe he is.anyway the hospital will be expensive

[paddyjoe41]

We all know that if there is a smell of money and the patient is a farang the bill will escalate to whatever they think is near enough,they can complain as much as they want(hospitals I mean)Anyone that has lived here for any length of time will certainly know about this.The only face they loose is the fact that the truth has emerged,they can tell porkys and believe them themselves.Having said that in most of the hospitals the treatment can be good,again depending what the injury is and as said the smell of LSD.

Edited July 21, 2017 by paddyjoe41

[colinneil]

1 hour ago, Cats4ever said:

The Sun - owned by the geriatric, serial root rat Rupert. Glad he is American. 

 

Hello Rupert Murdock American??????????????

He is an AUSSIE.

[moe666]

People tend to think Thai hospital want to rip you off, maybe it is the patients need for treatment that is the factor. A friend spent 3 months in Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai, double fracture left leg two kness blown out, arm broken, and a few other problems. Total bill 4,000,000b not to bad in the end he could have died from his accident

 

Some hospitals charge more for the same treatment than others do not necessarily a ripoff, unless you know the full story do not show your ignorance by making unnecessary and less than factual commits

[David Walden]

1 hour ago, Eli1 said:

It should be made compulsory for anyone travelling overseas to have insurance no insurance no travel part and parcel of travelling simple as that it's not a hard equation... seriously what is wrong with people.

Your idea is very good...but travel insurance is medicine for profit.  In Australia we have very good Govt Medicare and you can have extra private top up cover with a private company.  Unfortunately all this cover stops the moment you leave Australia.  If you take out travel insurance almost anything you have ever suffered from in the past will likely be excluded from cover.  When you go to make the claim that's usually when you find out.  So like me at 75 Y/O and in fairly good health and having few things in the past fixed I am never sure if I'm covered.  Certainly if at some time in the past the person in question in this post had any treatment on his knee it is unlikely he would be indemnified for his costs under  travel insurance  The insurance company is likely to just refuse to pay.  To  be covered for pre-existing matters the loading can up to the sky.

 

Most travel insurance available in Australia only covers you to the extent that the insurer is only required to fix you up enough to get you home so that Australia's Medicare system can take over care and treatment once you are back on Australian soil...I suspect other countries including UK have similar conditions???  That is they will not pay for any ongoing treatment in other countries, so as soon as you can get on a plane that's what will happen.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2017 by David Walden

[Altalake]

Donnie might say "Fake news"???

[maxcorrigan]

35 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Hello Rupert Murdock American??????????????

He is an AUSSIE.

Not now Colin, he's a naturalised yank and has been for sometime!

[baansgr]

I just saw the BBC staff salaries made public, if this guy was such a big star on Eastenders, 4 mil is only a few weeks pay.....or was he just an extra at the fruit stall in the market

[baansgr]

Just now, Eli1 said:

It should be made compulsory for anyone travelling overseas to have insurance no insurance no travel part and parcel of travelling simple as that it's not a hard equation... seriously what is wrong with people.

That's all well and good for youngsters but a 90 year old just wanting a day trip to France could expect to pay close to 1,000 pounds for cover

[RandolphGB]

3 hours ago, Kenegg said:

Everybody from the UK will know about how good "The Sun" can be at correct information.. remember Hillsborough 

Don't people ever shut up about H****boro. Sick of hearing about it 

[elliss]

Just now, USPatriot said:

No money. He is in for a long long vacation

      UK taxpayers ,  should  support this celeb,  who has fallen on hard times   Imho

[colinneil]

15 minutes ago, maxcorrigan said:

Not now Colin, he's a naturalised yank and has been for sometime!

Oops silly me, i didnt know that.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

13 hours ago, TheLobster said:

Hopefully he gets back to England okay and gets sorted.

 

At least his hospital bill has been reduced thanks to 'The Sun'.

Thanks to the Sun...how funny. Everything they print is a fabrication, fake or misinterpreted. This story is no different. The guy is a moron. Not only did he wonder off alone, not tell anyone and now he can't cover any Hospital bills. Thank <deleted> for the Sun...phew!

[Suradit69]

14 hours ago, observer90210 said:

Will some people once again be all that stupid and fund recklessness and carelessness of others?

Exactly. There are those who get up-in-arms about mandatory medical insurance, but when hospitals get stiffed by twits like this guy, the hospitals' losses aren't covered by the money fairy. It will be reflected in higher charges for the rest of us who do pay for the treatment we receive.

[Xobtsiwt]

The Sun is owned by the Ghastly Gargoyle, erstwhile known as the Dirty Digger when he was still Australian. That is all that needs to be said about its verity.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

1 hour ago, David Walden said:

Your idea is very good...but travel insurance is medicine for profit.  In Australia we have very good Govt Medicare and you can have extra private top up cover with a private company.  Unfortunately all this cover stops the moment you leave Australia.  If you take out travel insurance almost anything you have ever suffered from in the past will likely be excluded from cover.  When you go to make the claim that's usually when you find out.  So like me at 75 Y/O and in fairly good health and having few things in the past fixed I am never sure if I'm covered.  Certainly if at some time in the past the person in question in this post had any treatment on his knee it is unlikely he would be indemnified for his costs under  travel insurance  The insurance company is likely to just refuse to pay.  To  be covered for pre-existing matters the loading can up to the sky.

 

Most travel insurance available in Australia only covers you to the extent that the insurer is only required to fix you up enough to get you home so that Australia's Medicare system can take over care and treatment once you are back on Australian soil...I suspect other countries including UK have similar conditions???  That is they will not pay for any ongoing treatment in other countries, so as soon as you can get on a plane that's what will happen.

 

 

I understand that in the UK, an expat is only eligible for free treatment there if he is able to prove that his return to the country is on a permanent basis.  

 

An expat cannot return to the UK just to get free medical treatment, but of course they still tax you on all UK earnings just the same as if you are resident there, despite limiting the State Pension to its original starting level and the fact that you are unable to avail yourself of any of the usual benefits claimed by UK residents.

[Oxx]

3 hours ago, soalbundy said:

The Sun, like the Express or the Mirror were never really interested in facts.

 

Nonsense.  They went to enormous lengths to find the real truth by tapping people's phones.

[Dustdevil]

 Not surprised if a British former tv star is broke. They have traditionally not been well-paid, which is the main reason so many wind up on US television. They do an excellent job on American accents, by the way. Tom Wilkinson and Hugh Laurie are but two of many examples. Don't miss Laurie in Hulu's "Chance" series.

[JRUSA]

16 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

It's all a load of wad scallop ! 

Man I love UK euphemisms..

 

[Arandora]

1 hour ago, Dustdevil said:

 Not surprised if a British former tv star is broke. They have traditionally not been well-paid, which is the main reason so many wind up on US television. They do an excellent job on American accents, by the way. Tom Wilkinson and Hugh Laurie are but two of many examples. Don't miss Laurie in Hulu's "Chance" series.

You are joking! Have you not read about the furore that has just broke out a couple of days ago when theBC was forced to publish a lost of the salaries to its highest paid stars? Even these are understated in some cases as some top earners are paid by private companies for BBC shows. See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/bbc-salaries-names-not-highest-earner-list-pay-wage-emily-maitlis-jane-hill-jenni-murray-women-a7848991.html

I would have published a link to the Sun's article but they may have got the facts wrong! 

It is being widely reported with a "No comment" response from his representatives that this "fallen star" had no travel insurance. That being the case why has the British Embassy stepped in? Would they do that for an uninsured ordinary UK visitor? 

Edited July 21, 2017 by Arandora

[mickyboy]

yes another case of fund me as im stupid had no insurance because it was never going to happen to me even though im a drinker and  like a drug or two sillyboy

[lvr181]

Whatever the amount he just does not want to pay.......................tight ass?   If he ever was a 'star' now he is a 'fallen star'.

 

I wonder why the British Embassy is not helping out?

Whatever they spend getting him home and on the cost of treatment to date in Thailand, they can put a lien(?) on his future earnings?  Once he has cleared immigration in the UK, on his return, they can suspend his passport until such time as all debts are re-payed? Or is this all rocket science?

[animatic]

The reporting is uniformly wrong from almost every source stated here, and the assumptions drawn here are even farther from the truth, including that saving face doctor's comments.

 

The last two comments above are truly off-base and total foolishness...

 

You would think people would pride themselves on being actually informed before speaking publicly...

Guess not.

 

[MaiChai]

Even 500,000 is a bit steep for what amounts to emergency treatment? So the hospital is still overcharging compared to other hospitals in Thailand?

[dunroaming]

17 hours ago, InMyShadow said:

Won't be long and adoring fans will leave around half a mill dollars and he will keep the balance of course.

Fans?  Hardly anyone in the UK can remember who he is at all.  His "glory" days were over years ago.  As for the Sun... well anyone who believes anything in the Sun is pretty naïve.

[khunPer]

This story seem to be another brick in the wall for mandatory travel insurance...

 

The first stories with amount for hospitalization sounded completely unrealistic, even at up-priced Samui private hospital – £13,000 a night; i.e. more than half a million baht – a 46,000 baht bill at a private hospital for some level of intensive care sounds much more reasonable, and for how long time, two days..?

 

Recently it was stated that all hospitals by Law shall provide up to three days emergency treatment, after which a patient can decide to be moved to another hospital, for Thais often a choice for government hospital with free treatment, or under the "30 baht scheme".

 

Can imagine it was rather 13,000 baht a night for room, than 13,000 Sterling, and then some on top for the emergency treatment and other costs. Wonder where the £90,000 figure for an operation came from..?

[TheFishman1]

14 days of injections and 500000 bht sounds about rightTIT

[wpcoe]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thaivisa assumes they meant the condition bi-polar where sufferers can misunderstand information.

That sounds more like dyslexia that being bi-polar, which refers to manic-depressive behavior, no?

 

 

[CharlieH]

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