Health insurance which cover pre-existing conditions

[Dooball]

I have plans to move to Thailand with my Thai wife but will not do so until i have proper medical health insurance which includes my pre-existing conditions.
A few years ago i read someones post on this forum about a European, i believe French insurance company covering pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately i can't find that post or remember the name of the company. He paid 5000 or 6000 thb monthly. Does anyone know the name of this insurer?

 

I'm 32 and suffer from an autoimmune disease, lots of allergies and asthma.
I have had no treatment for the autoimmune disease for over 5 years now because i have found a way to keep it under control just with diet. For the asthma i use an inhaler.
Some insurance companies drop the exclusion of the pre-existing condition if it's in remission or not been treated for the past 2 years.

I have no plans to work the coming 2 years so Thai social health care is out of the question. Leaving only private health care left.

 

What do you pay for your private health insurance, and are your pre-existing conditions covered? (medicaid and NHS excluded).

 

[Sheryl]

I don't know of any insurance company that would cover you for the asthma.  The autoimmune disease, if it has nto required treatment for 5 years, possibly but no guarantee.

 

Sometimes insurers will include cover for pre-existing conditions in exchange for a higher premium on an individual basis.

You should work with a broker for advice on your specific needs.

[Dooball]

Thanks, luckily asthma medication is quite cheap.

Do you know of any good brokers?
I read that Thai insurance companies are terrible in coverage and include a lot of small fineprints. Is that true?

[Bang Bang]

1 hour ago, Dooball said:

Do you know of any good brokers?

AA Insurance brokers have a good reputation. Ask for Jenny if she still works there.

[Sheryl]

+1 re AA brokers.

 

Jenny is still there.

[email protected]

[HampiK]

It also depends where you from. For example if you from swiss.. and you have the correct swiss insurance already you could keep that one also when you leave Switzerland. Therefore the preexisting conditions would be covered. As swiss insurance can not reject any preexisting coverage for basic health insurance. They only can deny for additional coverage.

Check with your country how it is handled there. For the example of the swiss on of course they are very expensive. For my case it would be about 150'000 Baht per year compared with Cigna of only 60'000 Baht. And Swiss even would have a deductible of about 10'000 Baht per year. So if you not have any preexisting conditions or only small ones which not give you a big exclusion list.. I would recommend to go of course for an international one. But at least if you already have problems, this could be an advantage even when it is expensive ????

[sammieuk1]

With those pre existing conditions don't come to Chiang Mai you wont make it to the first payment in this disgusting smog soup????

[BestB]

David shield insurance covers preexisting conditions but very little known about the company with very few reviews or feedback but Is offered by AA brokers 

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, BestB said:

David shield insurance covers preexisting conditions but very little known about the company with very few reviews or feedback but Is offered by AA brokers 

 

it has a good reputation AFAIK.

 

Has been around a long time but was originally just for Israeli expats, recently branched out globally.

 

It does not routinely cover pre-existing ocnditions but on a case by case basis may do so at a higher premium.

[Dooball]

22 hours ago, Bang Bang said:

AA Insurance brokers have a good reputation. Ask for Jenny if she still works there.

 

20 hours ago, Sheryl said:

+1 re AA brokers.

 

Jenny is still there.

[email protected]

Thanks, will contact AA brokers then.

[Dooball]

9 hours ago, HampiK said:

It also depends where you from. For example if you from swiss.. and you have the correct swiss insurance already you could keep that one also when you leave Switzerland. Therefore the preexisting conditions would be covered. As swiss insurance can not reject any preexisting coverage for basic health insurance. They only can deny for additional coverage.

Check with your country how it is handled there. For the example of the swiss on of course they are very expensive. For my case it would be about 150'000 Baht per year compared with Cigna of only 60'000 Baht. And Swiss even would have a deductible of about 10'000 Baht per year. So if you not have any preexisting conditions or only small ones which not give you a big exclusion list.. I would recommend to go of course for an international one. But at least if you already have problems, this could be an advantage even when it is expensive ????

Thanks for the tip. I actually already investigated the possibility of bringing my current health insurance to Thailand. Until 8 years ago or so that was indeed possible for my acountry, but not any longer.

Over the years i have learned a lot about my conditions to a point i know how to deal with it. I'm not worried about those.
What i do worry about is contracting cancer, heart attack, stroke, etc. things like that. If fate strikes i don't want to end up with a bill of millions of baht.

[Dooball]

9 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

With those pre existing conditions don't come to Chiang Mai you wont make it to the first payment in this disgusting smog soup????

Yeah i'm not planning to :) You can keep Chiang mai and Bangkok.
Been to Chiang mai only once, but Bangkok always gets me! Instant bronchitis and worsening of asthma.

[Dooball]

Out of curiosity, is anyone willing to share their premium? How much do you pay?
I pay around 5500 THB in my country for full cover, no exclusions and access to any medication. No co-pay or very little.
I guess in Thailand premiums are double that amount?
 

[Peterw42]

How do these companies define a pre-existing condition given there is no medical ? Or is that the rabbit they pull out of the hat at claim time?

I realise some things are obviously pre-existing but are they going to say "based on the size of your tumour, we consider it a pre-existing condition" ?

[Dooball]

Peterw42, i just had exacty the same question on mind.

What if i end up with an IBD flare in Bangkok hospital, how will they know it's not something new? I can just say it's the first time it ever happened to me. Same for the Asthma, after a year i could go to the pulmunologist and say i have breathing problems.

It's unfair, but so are the insurance companies.

[Peterw42]

9 minutes ago, Dooball said:

Out of curiosity, is anyone willing to share their premium? How much do you pay?
I pay around 5500 THB in my country for full cover, no exclusions and access to any medication. No co-pay or very little.
I guess in Thailand premiums are double that amount?
 

Recent price PDF fro AA brokers

 

Comparison 14-01-2019.pdf

[Dooball]

7 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Recent price PDF fro AA brokers

 

Comparison 14-01-2019.pdf 46.01 kB · 1 download

Thanks. The cheapest one would be 20.633 THB for me, the most expensive on that list 72.048. Something in the middle around 35k, that makes almost 3k/month. Is that correct? We're talking about yearly prices right? ????

It's inpatient only. Is there no coverage for outpatient? Or is outpatient in Thailand so cheap no coverage is needed?

[simon43]

I recently changed to Davidshield, just under 5,000 baht per month at 60 years old, with zero excess and copay, 33 million baht annual coverage.

[Dooball]

5 minutes ago, simon43 said:

I recently changed to Davidshield, just under 5,000 baht per month at 60 years old, with zero excess and copay, 33 million baht annual coverage.

Excellent, good for you. It certainly is affordable even at your age.

There i was worrying the prices would be USA-like, 500 ~ 1000 USD / month or so.

[Peterw42]

3 minutes ago, Dooball said:

Thanks. The cheapest one would be 20.633 THB for me, the most expensive on that list 72.048. Something in the middle around 35k, that makes almost 3k/month. Is that correct? We're talking about yearly prices right? ????

It's inpatient only. Is there no coverage for outpatient? Or is outpatient in Thailand so cheap no coverage is needed?

Yes, yearly and inpatient only.

The rational is that outpatient is cheap.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Long time ago in a country far away I worked for a company which compared about 40 private health insurances. There were, and I am pretty sure still are, big differences about what the companies ask in their application forms.

Many companies ask something like "have you ever had this and that". Other companies ask only 5 years back. If you didn't have any treatment for 5 years you can truthfully answer those questions and you won't have any problems.

There are also companies which make it public that they will not check back further than x years. I.e. if you had the last treatment 6 years ago it won't be a problem.

And pre existing conditions are handled in multiple ways. One is to deny you any coverage, one option is to deny any coverage with possible connection to your preexisting condition. Another option is that you pay an extra amount and you will get 100% cover.

 

A broker is obviously a good idea. But be aware that some brokers are more interested in their commission than in your health. I find an effective way to learn the truth is to have a personal meeting with the broker and ask him if you can record the meeting (to be sure you don't forget any details). If the broker gives you 100% truthful advice then that should be no problem. If the broker is not willing to do that then maybe he has a good reason for that.

And if you and/or a broker found the perfect insurance for you then read the small print - all of it. That might be a lot of work but better you do it up front then later when you have problems.

 

[Sheryl]

Out of curiosity, is anyone willing to share their premium? How much do you pay?
I pay around 5500 THB in my country for full cover, no exclusions and access to any medication. No co-pay or very little.
I guess in Thailand premiums are double that amount?
 

Is that per month?

Premiums for people aged 65-75 generally run $3000-$4000 annually. Over 75, about $4000 - $5000.

That's without deductible. Less with one. I paid $2800 at last renewal ($750 deductible).

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

[Sheryl]

Peterw42, i just had exacty the same question on mind.
What if i end up with an IBD flare in Bangkok hospital, how will they know it's not something new? I can just say it's the first time it ever happened to me. Same for the Asthma, after a year i could go to the pulmunologist and say i have breathing problems.
It's unfair, but so are the insurance companies.

Insurance companies are not stupid. They know what conditions are of a chronic nature. A claim for a chronic disease in say the first year of your policy which was not declared on your application will get extra scrutiny.

Note that if it is found you lied on the application form, it invalidates the whole policy.

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

[Dooball]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Is that per month?

Premiums for people aged 65-75 generally run $3000-$4000 annually. Over 75, about $4000 - $5000.

That's without deductible. Less with one. I paid $2800 at last renewal ($750 deductible).

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

Yes, that's per month. Also including any outpatient cost and GP.

I see why some older folk don't have health insurance in Thailand. $5000 is quite steep for some. Almost half of their pension.

[Sheryl]

14 hours ago, Dooball said:

Yes, that's per month. Also including any outpatient cost and GP.

I see why some older folk don't have health insurance in Thailand. $5000 is quite steep for some. Almost half of their pension.

 

If they have a pension of only $10,000 a year they cannot afford to live in Thailand. (And managing to pay the rent and get by for food, but completely unable to pay for any major medical care = cannot afford to live here IMO).  Note that Immigration requires a minimum income of 65K baht a month i.e. around $25,000 a year for a retirement extension.

 

With the require minimum of 25,000 a year, $4-$5,000 for health insurance is possible with still enough left for a comfortable reasonable standard of living and even putting a little aside each month.

 

Problem is that cost of living in Thailand has gone up dramatically in the past 10-15 years (and medical costs even more so).  Some people retired here long ago on fixed incomes that were adequate at the time (though perhaps just barely)  but no longer are.

 

And some people newly come here based on an outdated perception of what it costs.

 

[MAGA 2020]

On 3/17/2019 at 6:35 PM, Dooball said:

Out of curiosity, is anyone willing to share their premium? How much do you pay?
I pay around 5500 THB in my country for full cover, no exclusions and access to any medication. No co-pay or very little.
I guess in Thailand premiums are double that amount?
 

I pay 6,000b a month AIA is the company 

[JimmyJ]

On 3/17/2019 at 5:37 AM, Sheryl said:

Insurance companies are not stupid. They know what conditions are of a chronic nature. A claim for a chronic disease in say the first year of your policy which was not declared on your application will get extra scrutiny.

Note that if it is found you lied on the application form, it invalidates the whole policy.

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

Do the Thai and international insurance companies obtain medical records from one's citizenship country?

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, JimmyJ said:

Do the Thai and international insurance companies obtain medical records from one's citizenship country?

Normally you sign that they have the rights to get those records.

And normally the insurance company will do nothing until they have to pay (a lot).

And then, if they have any doubt that this could be based on a preexisting condition, then they will dig...

[BestB]

44 minutes ago, MAGA 2020 said:

I pay 6,000b a month AIA is the company 

I pay 48000 per year, all in patient covered and I am early 40”s

 

No problems with claim, had 1 and fully approved within 24 hours , with a follow phone call to see how I was doing after the surgery 

[BestB]

22 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Normally you sign that they have the rights to get those records.

And normally the insurance company will do nothing until they have to pay (a lot).

And then, if they have any doubt that this could be based on a preexisting condition, then they will dig...

To be fair. A lot of questions specify time frame of having illness. So a good company will not be digging . One that plans to knock you back , would ask more questions and demand blood tests and xrays before giving premium price.