Private hospitals overcharging: 30-300 percent

[robblok]

11 minutes ago, KiChakayan said:

Well, go to public hospitals if you want to get treat like cattle. I let my insurance to pay Burmrungrad to get treated like, and ripped off like, a human being.

But at least I can control, ask for second opinions, and influence treatment decisions. Try to do that in a government hospital where you are competing for resources with hundreds of other patients.

That is the point, you got a choice. If the private hospitals had a monopoly on healthcare then I would understand why the government would have to step in.

[Zack61]

I would like to see a listing of the hospitals and their standings on a price gouging list so people could make a considered choice regarding health care. 

This would be one way of coercing the hospitals into providing a more competitive price structure and not have them prey on the sick and elderly. Whether or not this investigation will report to this extent is an unknown but if they are looking to provide affordable health care and ease the burden on the public health sector it should be done otherwise it’s a pointless exercise. 

[madmitch]

2 hours ago, Sealbash said:

You are correct about the insurance. And if the chosen private hospital charges are excessive, the insurance company ( also in business to show a profit) will remove that hospital from its list of approved vendors. Again resulting in allowing the free market to determine costs. As mentioned, if a customer does not agree with private hospital prices, they can always go to a government run establishment.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

I wish you were right but if insurers moved, for example, the Bangkok Hospital Group from their approved hospital list they would lose customers as well.

 

Insurance companies are ripped off by the hospitals even more than private individuals. If you have insurance the bill is more expensive than if you don't! And because the patient has insurance they don't argue about the bill.

 

I have no idea why the insurance companies continually allow the hospitals to get away with this but, unfortunately, the losers are us, the public who purchase insurance whose premiums are increased to take into account the expected overcharging.

[Chrisswe]

3 hours ago, Sealbash said:

These are private hospitals. In business to earn profit. They are not charitable or government run. They will charge what the market can bear. If they price themselves out of the market, they will not make profit due to reduced clientele. If Airbus or Burger King would sell their products at a price the market could not bear, they would soon be out of business. There are alternatives available to any of these products if the purchaser chooses a more economical route.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

FOR SURE I PAY FOR QUALITY TREATMENT like ISO certified hospitals like BunRunGrad hospital NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT !!! Only Pharmacy costs are to high even if they use the orginal (not Thai copy)l have been wrong treated at government hospital nearly cost my life !!!!

[snowgard]

5 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

The Hospital I used to use, St Louis, Bangkok, started to have separate billing for Thais and foreigners. The foreigners prices for everything, went through the roof. How on earth do they get away with it ?

No one bring it to court!!! If you do it your chances are very big to get a lot of money back.

 

[fruitman]

5 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

How on earth do they get away with it ?

How not?? Do you think anybody in Thailand cares?

[bluesofa]

4 hours ago, Sealbash said:

These are private hospitals. In business to earn profit. They are not charitable or government run. They will charge what the market can bear. If they price themselves out of the market, they will not make profit due to reduced clientele. If Airbus or Burger King would sell their products at a price the market could not bear, they would soon be out of business. There are alternatives available to any of these products if the purchaser chooses a more economical route.

Following on from your post, I wonder if someone has ever produced a "Good Hospital Guide", listing facilities and prices?

 

[Sealbash]

I wish you were right but if insurers moved, for example, the Bangkok Hospital Group from their approved hospital list they would lose customers as well.
 
Insurance companies are ripped off by the hospitals even more than private individuals. If you have insurance the bill is more expensive than if you don't! And because the patient has insurance they don't argue about the bill.
 
I have no idea why the insurance companies continually allow the hospitals to get away with this but, unfortunately, the losers are us, the public who purchase insurance whose premiums are increased to take into account the expected overcharging.

I agree with everything you say. But I also believe the free enterprise system is superior to government regulations on business. Government agencies determining the cost of consumer goods and services results in reduced efficiency. Industries providing goods and services are very capable of self
regulation through supply and demand.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Jonnapat]

5 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

The Hospital I used to use, St Louis, Bangkok, started to have separate billing for Thais and foreigners. The foreigners prices for everything, went through the roof. How on earth do they get away with it ?

A good few years ago I was charged around 2000 baht for 10 antibiotic tablets at this hospital . Needless to say I didn't go back

[Jonnapat]

Not only private hospitals either. At Siriraj government hospital where I need to regularly attend, large notices were to be seen last year stating that all prices for foreigners to be increased by 25%.

[p414]

1 hour ago, vukovar77 said:

Simply true!

I got a broken collar bone in Canal st New Orleans 1992...Tulane hospital sent my girlfriend back to the hotel to check my insurance [first class]before they did anything.[I was out and remember only what my g/f told me]..I had a lousy bed ,sparse checking and they left me with a huge lump on my shoulder after the op.I also had a bad headache constantly..I decided to spend the remainder of my holiday recuperating in Florida.[2 weeks].Returning to the UK i went straight to my local government hospital and was informed that I must stay and they must break my collar bone that day  and reset it..I had 9 pins put in my shoulder and never again had any headaches and apart from some slight hard feeling in my shoulder I am 100% ok...I asked my lawyer in America to sue Tulane .His response was that there is about a 100 year waiting list for it to come before the courts...End of unsatisfactory tale re Tulane hospital...

[KiChakayan]

8 minutes ago, Chrisswe said:

FOR SURE I PAY FOR QUALITY TREATMENT like ISO certified hospitals like BunRunGrad hospital NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT !!! Only Pharmacy costs are to high even if they use the original (not Thai copy)l have been wrong treated at government hospital nearly cost my life !!!!

Pharmacy costs aren't the only problem. They will also try to sell procedures you don't need. I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer last year; my doctor recommended "definitive treatment" right away, even though all the evidence indicated a "low risk disease", for which "Active Surveillance" is now the treatment of choice.

Also, while I was there (Bumrungrad) for my prostate prostate problem, I went to see one of their ophthalmologists, as I needed a new prescription for the insurance. The little bugger just said: "oh your existing prescription is about right, but if I was you I'd get cataract surgery". Believe me this removed all second thoughts I have about "Active Surveillance" of my cancer.

[Gandtee]

Is this why insurance cover is so expensive? I would expect the insurance companies to be advising its insured not to go to those hospitals as they would not be covered. Then perhaps those hospitals would to the line and insurance premiums be lowered to be afforded.

[SuwadeeS]

Luckily I am very healthy and in excellent conditions, so I do not need any hospital,

but I have seen a loto fthis over charging and dual pricing, during helping some friends to translate at their visits.

Big bill, big money.

[moe666]

Well go to the states if you want unrealistic health care cost. A few years ago had some blood work done by my Dr. back in the states his billing was something like 24,000 dollars but of course that was ut way back by insurance only pays this amt. when it was said and done I paid 103.00 dollars the insurance paid 5,000 dollars for the same test in Thailand I paid 4,000b. As with anything medical in the US it is a rip off

[Snow Leopard]

39 minutes ago, smudger1951 said:

It's the day you realise thais rip off thais as well as us foreigners. 

I never thought any different. Brits rip off Brits. Americans Rip off Americans so on we go. I do find the whole medical profession from drug manufacturers to hospitals pretty distasteful though. Saying it is a business just doesn't quite get there to me.

[PaDavid]

I had my left hip replaced at Khon Kaen University Hospital. It cost 80,000฿ all in. Ok, I was in a large, mixed ward with 20 or 30 other patients, and no air conditioning. But, the operation and post op care were faultless. 

 

The solution: unless you have medical insurance, use the state sector

[connda]

5 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

The Hospital I used to use, St Louis, Bangkok, started to have separate billing for Thais and foreigners. The foreigners prices for everything, went through the roof. How on earth do they get away with it ?

"How on earth do they get away with it ?"

The government condones racial discrimination.  Simple as that.
There is kon Thai, or Thai people, and there are kon daang, or different people i.e., not Thai.  If you are not Thai, are there any laws that disallow explicit discrimination?  Not that I know of.  Non-Thais are all fair game for being the object of discriminatory practices including two-tiered pricing.

[cerox]

In my 2,5 years in Thailand I needed to go to the doctor 3 times.

Once I went to a government hospital for an xray and some consultation, it was really cheap (I think around 400) but I had to wait in a huge hall half a day. I also felt a bit bad about the people who have no choice and have to go there, so I figured it would be better to go to a private one next time.

 

Twice been to a private hospital, once for checking my eyes incl. drops etc. nothing else, it was about 4.000 THB. Another time for a flue with some medication, also around 4.500 THB. Both times very expensive but no waiting times. For minor things the private hospital is still better for me because I do not need to go often and it is just so much faster and efficient.

 

People can "ask" and "urge" them to lower prices, that is nice, but will not happen, so if you need to save money or a major operation, I would say go for the government hospitals. Unless you have insurance, but I think many long-term younger "guests" do not have that.

[kcpattaya]

From personal experience I can say that ESPECIALLY when 'insurance claims' are involved; They are 'cheating' and overcharging on a HUGE scale.

 

[zyphodb]

53 minutes ago, madmitch said:

I wish you were right but if insurers moved, for example, the Bangkok Hospital Group from their approved hospital list they would lose customers as well.

 

Insurance companies are ripped off by the hospitals even more than private individuals. If you have insurance the bill is more expensive than if you don't! And because the patient has insurance they don't argue about the bill.

 

I have no idea why the insurance companies continually allow the hospitals to get away with this but, unfortunately, the losers are us, the public who purchase insurance whose premiums are increased to take into account the expected overcharging.

At a guess, because quite a lot of the time it's the same people running the private hospitals as running the medical insurance...

[ZAKY]

Exorbitant but if they will have to lower their price, they will also lower the quality of the service and this is where the problem lies 

[QPRFC]

I went to Chiang Mai Ram a few weeks ago with broken ribs and the fees were:

Doctor 500 baht

X-Ray 600 baht

Hospital Services (bottle of water and a chair) 900 baht

Pharmacy (10 days of painkillers and Anti-inflammatory) 2800 baht

 

I went to the pharmacy on day 8 to get another 5 days worth of the same pills and was charged only 80 baht!! 

[QPRFC]

My Thai gf had a wisdom tooth pulled a few days ago with prescription drugs for a total of 720 baht

 

I paid at the same dentist for just a filling and cleaning 2400 baht. 

 

I should've picked up the Thai menu instead of the ferang one! 

At least the gf was quiet for a few days....I'm taking her again today to have another pulled for the peace and quiet ???? 

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

The Hospital I used to use, St Louis, Bangkok, started to have separate billing for Thais and foreigners. The foreigners prices for everything, went through the roof. How on earth do they get away with it ?

It's their country !

[cheeryble]

These are private hospitals. In business to earn profit. They are not charitable or government run. They will charge what the market can bear. If they price themselves out of the market, they will not make profit due to reduced clientele. If Airbus or Burger King would sell their products at a price the market could not bear, they would soon be out of business. There are alternatives available to any of these products if the purchaser chooses a more economical route.


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Theoretically true.......but healthcare is NOT a free market for so many reasons I'll let u work them out.



Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Gandtee]

20 minutes ago, zyphodb said:

At a guess, because quite a lot of the time it's the same people running the private hospitals as running the medical insurance...

And running the country. Look at the directors of these hospitals and quite a few of them are politicians or have been.

[Gandtee]

18 minutes ago, ZAKY said:

Exorbitant but if they will have to lower their price, they will also lower the quality of the service and this is where the problem lies 

If by service you are talking about a coffee and Bangkok Post while you are waiting and a comely wench to escort you through the checking in and so forth, I think these things we could do without and certainly get all three at a lot less cost.

[bluesofa]

19 minutes ago, QPRFC said:

My Thai gf had a wisdom tooth pulled a few days ago with prescription drugs for a total of 720 baht

 

I paid at the same dentist for just a filling and cleaning 2400 baht. 

 

I should've picked up the Thai menu instead of the ferang one! 

At least the gf was quiet for a few days....I'm taking her again today to have another pulled for the peace and quiet ???? 

She'll be down in the mouth for a while then.

[rexy2004]

I have an Australian doctor friend working in China .

Less cost and better expertise, I logo there for sure.