Mum’s plea after ‘big-hearted’ son, 29, who rescues Thai dogs, struck with brain tumour and needs £15,000 to fly home

[Just Weird]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

It is important to understand the difference between a policy issued on a Moratorium basis and one issued with Full Medical Underwriting.

On a Moratorium basus the application process is simple but for an initial time period (usually 24 months) any claim related to a pre-existing condition is excluded. The great disadvantage is that there can be some uncertainty as to what will be covered in that 2 yr period as the insurance company willl make determination as to whether related to pre-existing oroblem at that time. Once the 24 months are up everything is covered provided you were symptom and treatment free during those 24 months. If you required treatment during those initial 24 months of the policy (even though not paid for by the insurance) then the 24 month click starts clicking again from the time treatment stopped.

Under Full Medical Underwriting you must complete a very detailed health questionnaire at the time of application and might also be asked to submit medical records or Dr certificate related to specific prior illnesses. Less often, might also have to undergo a physical check up. After the underwriters have reviewed the information they will decide what if any conditions are excluded as pre-existing and these are specified in your policy. Anything not so specified is covered and there is no uncertainty and no room for surprises as long as you were truthful in your application details. If exclusions are applied inutially you can get them reviewed at a later date and if you have been without need for further treatment for say 2 years or more, the company will usually lift the exclusion. Conditions that require lifelong treatment will of course remain excluded.

It is almost always in your best interest to apply under Full Medical Underwriting.

The above pertains to ordinary medical insurance. Travel policies are a bit different and simpler. They do not do full medical underwriting but have specific language defining what is covered re pre existing problems and contrary to what many people assume, many travel insurance policies will cover "acute exacerbations" of pre existing conditions including medical evacuation back home. Not all, but many.
 

Thanks for that but I understand insurance already, probably much better than you do, I didn't ask for clarification of anything so perhaps you should have posted it as a general comment on this thread! 

 

I also know what your comment pertains to and the differences between the different policies and their underwriting requirements.  My comment that you tried to lecture me on stands.

[paulikens]

On 10/1/2018 at 2:42 PM, snoop1130 said:

British man facing £100,000 bill after falling ill in Thailand without insurance

By Lucy Middleton

 

George Gannon, pictured with girlfriend Natalie Hobbs, woke up on September 25 unable to speak or move his legs (Picture: Caters News Agency)

 

A British man who fell ill in Thailand is now at risk of being stranded on an island after his hospital costs went into the thousands.

 

George Gannon, 29, awoke on September 25 to find that he had lost the ability to speak and move his legs.

 

The social media consultant and DJ, who has lived in Thailand since 2014, was then diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and rushed to hospital in Koh Samui by ambulance boat.

 

Now George, originally from Basingstoke, is facing mounting medical bills, including at least £600 a day for his treatment and £3,500 for an operation, as he doesn’t have health insurance.

 

Full Story: https://metro.co.uk/2018/10/01/british-man-facing-100000-bill-after-falling-ill-in-thailand-without-insurance-7993797/

although he doesnt have insurance which it a bit if a silly thing to do,even if you have insurance you've still got to have that money to hand as the insurance company wont pay out till ya back in ya home country &with all the relevant paperwork. so to a degree its irrelevant if you have insurance or not. 

 

[BestB]

7 minutes ago, paulikens said:

although he doesnt have insurance which it a bit if a silly thing to do,even if you have insurance you've still got to have that money to hand as the insurance company wont pay out till ya back in ya home country &with all the relevant paperwork. so to a degree its irrelevant if you have insurance or not. 

 

Incorrect. Insurance company issues letter of guarantee to hospital. It’s onky small claims that you pay yourself and get money later

[paulikens]

7 minutes ago, BestB said:

Incorrect. Insurance company issues letter of guarantee to hospital. It’s onky small claims that you pay yourself and get money later

depends what you mean on small claims?i know for one i havent got a cple of thousand pounds lying about

[BestB]

4 minutes ago, paulikens said:

depends what you mean on small claims?i know for one i havent got a cple of thousand pounds lying about

Small means small , few thousand baht . With my claim , prior to having anything done, I submitted claim , insurance company issued letter of guarantee and surgery went ahead.

 

For physio , I paid my own money, 1000 per visit, doctor visits 1200, then emailed receipts and was refunded into account of my choice .

[The manic]

45 minutes ago, paulikens said:

although he doesnt have insurance which it a bit if a silly thing to do,even if you have insurance you've still got to have that money to hand as the insurance company wont pay out till ya back in ya home country &with all the relevant paperwork. so to a degree its irrelevant if you have insurance or not. 

 

Not true

[elgenon]

On 10/3/2018 at 1:20 PM, balo said:

 

Probably a digital nomad , do online work from their laptops. 

 

I meant as far as a visa. I thought they were cracking down on visa runs.

[Jingjock]

On ‎9‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 12:28 PM, atyclb said:

so poster B corrects poster A's claim it is a bacteria by falsely stating it is a virus

does anyone even take 1 minute to lookup these things before proclaiming causes of diseases / syndromes ???

Yes I read about it on the net, another brit got it here the following year, took tablets and is back in the uk. Also in Bay of Plenty NZ many got this syndrome through floods going in their drinking water mixed with all sorts of germs etc. None died, if treated soon you can recover

[drummer boy]

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 4:50 AM, ukrules said:

 

Once you've already had cancer once your chances of getting any kind of cheap insurance are pretty low.

you are so right very hard to get insurance here in Thailand that goes for heart conditions stents etc' I have tried they don't wont to no !

 

[WonnabeBiker]

Airlines won't take him in First class, with the privacy screen in place and a nurse accompanying him and a dozen release forms signed? He will be quiet, wear adult diapers... Just wondering.

 

Wish Thailand would make VISAs easier and add health insurance for tourists. Short-term visitors get that with their gold cards or can buy it for a month in their home countries.

 

Euthanasia would be an act of kindness for many soi dogs. I saw one running scared with his front leg hanging by a bit of skin. Wish I had the chance to catch him and have him put down painlessly!

[Tony125]

Update 4  ( From GoFundMe page )

Posted by Sarah Evison

19 hours ago

  

Hello from Koh Samui 
some fabulous news thanks to all you wonderful people. This morning George had not only the bandages removed, but also the stitches out. He has gone for another CT scan for a follow up and we are now awaiting a fit to fly certificate. George and Natalie are so very grateful, as am I and my whole family. The road continues upon our return when George attends hospital and they assess for treatment. We are yet unsure when we will fly home, but we are coming home soon England!!
We are forever in your gratitude guys for all the support, love, good wishes and donations 
Go Team George!!

[Tony125]

Update 5

Posted by Sarah Evison

1 day ago

   Share

 

 

We are coming home! George has been given his fit to fly certificate and so we leave the beauty of Koh Samui on Wednesday returning to the UK on Thursday of this week
without you this would not have been possible and the whole family thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity 
but unfortunately it doesn't stop here. Upon our return, George will start cancer treatment at the North Staffs hospital in Stoke. His girlfriend, Natalie and George will be staying with my family whilst he undergoes whatever treatment he requires. It's not going to pleasant nor easy, but we look forward with positivity and light in our hearts. 
Please do not stop donating as any amount is , believe me, going towards Georges wellbeing in the future
Again , thank you all

[oldlakey]

7 hours ago, Tony125 said:

Update 5

Posted by Sarah Evison

1 day ago

   Share

 

 

We are coming home! George has been given his fit to fly certificate and so we leave the beauty of Koh Samui on Wednesday returning to the UK on Thursday of this week
without you this would not have been possible and the whole family thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity 
but unfortunately it doesn't stop here. Upon our return, George will start cancer treatment at the North Staffs hospital in Stoke. His girlfriend, Natalie and George will be staying with my family whilst he undergoes whatever treatment he requires. It's not going to pleasant nor easy, but we look forward with positivity and light in our hearts. 
Please do not stop donating as any amount is , believe me, going towards Georges wellbeing in the future
Again , thank you all

Sometimes it appears the world is not such a bad place

[cat handler]

On 10/4/2018 at 12:34 PM, Sheryl said:

many travel insurance policies will cover "acute exacerbations" of pre existing conditions including medical evacuation back home.


Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

Ha ha ha, good one, you almost had me there. Health Insusnce companies are charities? Yeah right. 

No insurance company will cover you for pre-existing conditions, ever, its how they make their money. You would slso be lucky to find one that will cover you for an undiagnosed pre-existing conditions, if they dont have to pay up they wont.

[schvonsky1]

2 hours ago, cat handler said:

 

Ha ha ha, good one, you almost had me there. Health Insusnce companies are charities? Yeah right. 

No insurance company will cover you for pre-existing conditions, ever, its how they make their money. You would slso be lucky to find one that will cover you for an undiagnosed pre-existing conditions, if they dont have to pay up they wont.

Absolutely bullshizer if you have a pre-existing condition and you declare it they will do a screening and 9 times out of 10 if not all the fooooooking time you will be insured I foooooooking know ya ???? end????????????????????

[Sheryl]

Travel insurance differs significanlty from regular health insurance in many ways, including this one.

 

There are many travel insurance policies that quite explicitly cover "acute exacerbations" of pre-existing conditions. Meaning emergency care needed to stabilize you to the point you can return home. Further treatment once at home is outside the travel policy and you are usually requited to have insurance or NHS eligibility in your home country to get a travel policy.

[wgdanson]

10 hours ago, cat handler said:

You would slso be lucky to find one that will cover you for an undiagnosed pre-existing conditions, if they dont have to pay up they wont.

How would someone know if they had an undiagnosed pre-existing condition.  They go to claim for let's say a heart attack and are then told, oh no we won't pay because you had it 10 years ago, but nobody knew. I think not.

[cat handler]

10 hours ago, wgdanson said:

How would someone know if they had an undiagnosed pre-existing condition.  They go to claim for let's say a heart attack and are then told, oh no we won't pay because you had it 10 years ago, but nobody knew. I think not.

And how would an Insurance Company know that you didnt know something was wrong with your health but didnt have insurance in your home country, for example a badly infected tooth requiring a root canal? You cant just nump on a plane to Thailand and then see a dentist and have it covered by travel insurance. 

Again Insurance companies dont pay out if they dont have to. If they find out your condition was present before you left your home country they wont pay for treatment. And you are right, if you had a heart attack 10 years ago they wont cover you for it if you have another one in Thailand 

[cat handler]

19 hours ago, schvonsky1 said:

Absolutely bullshizer if you have a pre-existing condition and you declare it they will do a screening and 9 times out of 10 if not all the fooooooking time you will be insured I foooooooking know ya ???? end????????????????????

<REMOVED>

 

Heres an idea, get on line and try taking out travel insusnce and declare that you have had a hesrt attack recently, see how you go . You may end up getting cover but you will be paying a lot more in premiums for the increased risk. If you don’t declare you wont be covered. 

[sambum]

18 hours ago, cat handler said:

And how would an Insurance Company know that you didnt know something was wrong with your health but didnt have insurance in your home country, for example a badly infected tooth requiring a root canal? You cant just nump on a plane to Thailand and then see a dentist and have it covered by travel insurance. 

Again Insurance companies dont pay out if they dont have to. If they find out your condition was present before you left your home country they wont pay for treatment. And you are right, if you had a heart attack 10 years ago they wont cover you for it if you have another one in Thailand 

"for example a badly infected tooth requiring a root canal? You cant just nump (jump?) on a plane to Thailand andthen see a dentist and have it covered by travel insurance."

 

Right and wrong! I am now living in Thailand but a few years ago I was doing 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in the UK stints. The first time I needed root canal treatment a nd a porcelain crown fitted, the insurance paid up. A couple of years later, I had to have the same procedure done again (on another tooth, by the way), and the insurance would not pay as "I had made a similar claim previously"! 

 

So my insurance company reckons that people can't get toothache twice? 

[cat handler]

On 10/24/2018 at 5:13 PM, sambum said:

"for example a badly infected tooth requiring a root canal? You cant just nump (jump?) on a plane to Thailand andthen see a dentist and have it covered by travel insurance."

 

Right and wrong! I am now living in Thailand but a few years ago I was doing 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in the UK stints. The first time I needed root canal treatment a nd a porcelain crown fitted, the insurance paid up. A couple of years later, I had to have the same procedure done again (on another tooth, by the way), and the insurance would not pay as "I had made a similar claim previously"! 

 

So my insurance company reckons that people can't get toothache twice? 

andthen (and then?)......love it when mistype correctors mistyping 

 

your lucky they covered it the first time, they could say the decay occurred in the UK.

[monnington]

On 9/28/2018 at 12:28 PM, wotsdermatter said:

I am not heartless but my question is simple.  If he had received treatment for cancer in the U.K., why come to live in a country where any form of medical insurance would not cover the cost of any possible future treatment?  Saving soi dogs is not a real excuse to ask for help pay for his treatment because there's far too many anyway (but that is another story).  It is surprising the number of people who come to Thailand then have to be "rescued" because of their lack of foresight and are not being able to perform tasks such as ride motorcycles then end up in hospital because of that lack of knowledge.

 

'nuf sed

 

mate, that is a rough thing to say, if he had cancer before maybe he wanted to see the world because he realised life can blindside you and one day, as it has now, you could die or lose it all, become sick etc. he didnt plan to get sick again did he the poor guy. if we all throw him a few quid then we can rest easy we have all done something good today. And people who crash bikes, just trying to enjoy their life, you sound like a real negative, glass half empty, kinda guy. the poor kid just got sick, help him dont have a go at him and if the motorbike crashers dont try to ride them then how they ever gonna learn? no one is perfect, life a bitch we all know it, i hope he gets better soon and they set upa go fund me page i will send him 20 quid for sure. id like to think others woilkd do the same for me

 

[Tony125]

9 hours ago, monnington said:

 

mate, that is a rough thing to say, if he had cancer before maybe he wanted to see the world because he realised life can blindside you and one day, as it has now, you could die or lose it all, become sick etc. he didnt plan to get sick again did he the poor guy. if we all throw him a few quid then we can rest easy we have all done something good today. And people who crash bikes, just trying to enjoy their life, you sound like a real negative, glass half empty, kinda guy. the poor kid just got sick, help him dont have a go at him and if the motorbike crashers dont try to ride them then how they ever gonna learn? no one is perfect, life a bitch we all know it, i hope he gets better soon and they set upa go fund me page i will send him 20 quid for sure. id like to think others woilkd do the same for me

 

If you read my post #223 you will see that because of the donations he has already left  Thailand and is now back in England. Donations for his continued medical treatment can be sent here https://www.gofundme.com/GeorgeGanno

[Kieran00001]

On 9/29/2018 at 11:44 AM, colinneil said:

It is a life destroying thing, it is a viral infection of the central nervous system, most people contracting it do not survive, some who survive are disabled for life, very few people who contract it return to normal.

 

There are so many around this forum who have had or know someone who has had this syndrome, its quite rare really, but we have four here already will personal experience, a bit odd really.

[Tony125]

15 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

There are so many around this forum who have had or know someone who has had this syndrome, its quite rare really, but we have four here already will personal experience, a bit odd really.

https://wtvr.com/2019/01/01/22-year-old-teacher-chesterfield-native-struck-with-paralysis-stuck-in-thailand-unable-to-return-home/

*** With modern aggressive treatment most recover ***   

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Guillain-Barré-Syndrome-Fact-Sheet

[Kieran00001]

Just now, Tony125 said:

https://wtvr.com/2019/01/01/22-year-old-teacher-chesterfield-native-struck-with-paralysis-stuck-in-thailand-unable-to-return-home/

*** With modern aggressive treatment most recover ***   

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Guillain-Barré-Syndrome-Fact-Sheet

 

It just struck me as odd that within minutes this small forum produced four people with personal experience of it, but maybe its not that unusual after all, your link says it affects 1 in 100,000 people per year, so well over 500 cases in Thailand expected per year.