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Mandatory health insurance for non-immigrant O-A retirement visa holders likely to take effect in July


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On 5/18/2019 at 12:14 PM, jak2002003 said:

Sorry to sound harsh but why did you not think about your Thai family a few year earlier then?

 

What are you thinking will happen when you do become ill and need hospital treatment?  You don't have enough money... are you thinking they will do it for free. or perhaps you will get your Thai family to pay?  What was your plan?  

 

 

Yes you are "Smugly "harsh . But to get the O-A one has to show proof of 800.000 bht. Now does this satisfy your question. Last christmas i went back to oz to have an operation for kidney cancer and do you know what, My Thai family did'nt have to pay for that either. Bet that makes you happy. Actually, i plan to get on with life, not that it is any business of yours. Meanwhile you just stay happy and contented being a 'keyboard warrior' picking on easy targets to pull to pieces. Good luck !

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On 5/19/2019 at 5:51 PM, jaffas21 said:

Can someone tell me how this applies to teachers generally our insurance is with a designated hospital but the amounts of actual insurance are so low in some cases you have to pay it all yourself and then of course. If you don't have the money what happens then.  i reckon the government just figures we are all covered but frankly its rubbish my outpatients cover is 800 baht a day so i had to spend 3000 baht myself on anti biotics ... its frankly a waste of time

 

On 5/19/2019 at 5:51 PM, jaffas21 said:

Can someone tell me how this applies to teachers generally our insurance is with a designated hospital but the amounts of actual insurance are so low in some cases you have to pay it all yourself and then of course. If you don't have the money what happens then.  i reckon the government just figures we are all covered but frankly its rubbish my outpatients cover is 800 baht a day so i had to spend 3000 baht myself on anti biotics ... its frankly a waste of time

Teachers are not repeat not on O-A visas. So it does not affect them.

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On 5/20/2019 at 7:42 AM, brianthainess said:

Absolutely when i was wrongly diagnosed with bowel cancer i was asked for a deposit of 30,000 baht  wifey got it down to 10,000 incase i died on the table the next morning. Next morning i was told its O K you only have an intestine infection. Thanks Trat government hospital for really good treatment and returning unspent deposit.   These Stats are complete B S.  In a country rife with corruption something stinks ????. 38 million my ass 

See my post. Yes something Stinks !

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15 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:


That error was cleared up, the 38 million were actual visitors in 2018, number of OA visa holders in 2018 was 80,950 .

 

14 hours ago, FredGallaher said:

Is ThaiVisa in the health insurance market (ThaiVisa Protect)? I just want to know.

 

14 hours ago, FredGallaher said:

Is ThaiVisa in the health insurance market (ThaiVisa Protect)? I just want to know.

 

15 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:


That error was cleared up, the 38 million were actual visitors in 2018, number of OA visa holders in 2018 was 80,950 .

But they claim that of that  80,950  there are 42.2 visits to hospital each year. And that each patient leaves 8.2 bills unpaid. ? All this and we have to report every 90 days. Something wrong here. 

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36 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:


Wish i had an answer for you, but I don’t.

Another option for you is to do an extension based on retirement, of course there’s the financial requirements to fulfill but I don’t see any other options.

You’re currently on an OA right ?, are you on the 1st year ( i.e. before its expiry date ) of it or have you left the country and are on the 2nd year permission to stay ?

This visa started in January 2019.

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This visa started in January 2019.
If the insurance requirement is confirmed for O-A visas it will only affect you when you apply for your next one. As you know, you can get 2 years out of the visa you got in January. Who knows what the situation will be in 2021! If you're living in Thailand permanently, the O-A visa is not really the best option especially if it is going to require insurance; you've got lots of time to check out alternatives.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

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This visa started in January 2019.

As Brewster has stated you have plenty of time to look at your options.
At your age, in almost 2 years , health insurance will be extremely expensive if to be found at all.
Going to retirement extensions seems like the better option, of course nobody knows what the future will bring, worrying times for many of us !!
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On 5/16/2019 at 4:28 PM, DUNROAMIN said:

Would somebody like to explain to me what a long stay O-A visa is??

12 month visa for retirees over 50 with unlimited entries and if one leaves just before it expires and returns one will get stamped in for a further 12 months. This visa can only be got in the country of passport origin. Funds of 800.000 must be proven. I think that this is all correct,i have been using it for some year now. I usually pop down to KL for the weekend. As has been said "Up to you"

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Hi Everyone,

 

Re posting to this thread.

 

I work for Pacific Cross/Thai Visa Protect.

 

Sorry I am unable to reply to every post.  That is impossible currently, the announcement took us by surprise and was overwhelming with the amount of calls and emails that came in.  To compound matters many people thought this applied to them when in fact not.  If you have got in touch please be patient and everyone will be responded to in due course.

 

Firstly, a point I made earlier that some may have not seen.  We have a plan that meets the visa requirement for NON O A and NON O X.  If you are on a marriage VIsa or NON O yearly extension the mandated insurance does NOT apply to you.  I can't say that the government over time will not roll this out to all visas, I suspect they may, as we all may agree its difficult to say what is around the corner legislation wise.

 

Let me be very clear, we more than anyone realise what a bad initiative this is in terms of coverage.  The plans available to not provide anywhere near the same value and coverage that the former products Thai Visa Protect plans or PCHI plans can provide.

 

May I address the difference in premiums and coverage.  The underwriters and actuaries know that because this product is only applicable to over 50's the expected claims histories and loss ratios will be much higher than the historic products available.  Therefore they have priced accordingly (FYI my understanding is that of the 6 approved vendors we are more competitive than the competition).   That is why the coverage for the premium is less value than the historic plans that can insure from 0-75yrs as a new applicant.  It's a completely different risk profile.  Though on face value I would also question why the differences in ratings. 

 

We would like, more than anyone, that the government allows ANY plan, ours or not, that meets or exceeds the mandated amount to be suffice to obtain the visa.  We are not comfortable selling these designated Long Stay visa plans, not only are they terrible cover, the premiums are expensive when comparing to historic plans.  At this juncture if you need the insurance to meet the requirement we have the approved plan to facilitate that.  That is not to say this is a good plan coverage or value wise!  

 

On a more general note, as I have seen so much misinformation being posted, we can accept new applicants up to 75yrs, over 65's are required to complete a physical exam.  Unlike moratorium plans we fully underwrite each policy, SO BEFORE you decide to accept the offer or not the coverage terms will be in black and white on the offer letter, any exclusions or wait periods will be laid out on the offer letter.  We renew up to 99yrs of age.  As long as an applicant has truthfully and correctly declared everything on the application your policy cannot be terminated.   We are one of the very few onshore companies that can consider some pre existing conditions, we may load a premium to accommodate it, apply a wait period or flat out exclude it.  Each application is looked at on a case by case basis.

 

We do not impose routine inflationary increases, our base rates haven't changed since 2015.  We individually experience rate each renewal.  What does this mean?

 

This will appear 'salesy' to some but I am again trying to be as informative as possible. Most companies typically apply 8-15% year on year, irrespective of your claims history whether large small or none.  Some companies may increase less and some certainly more.  With Thai Visa protect and Pacific Cross plans, if you have made no claims we have discounts rising to 20%, if you have moderate claims (i.e. approx <80% of premium paid) we will hold rates the following year.  If you have claimed around or over the premium paid the company reserves the right to load the premium renewal, whether you have claimed 100,000, 1,000,000 or 10,000,000 the maximum loading that can apply to the renewal premium is 25%.  If the following year the condition has no re-occurrence we can remove that 25% loading at the next renewal.  Contrary to some online experts, this does NOT mean we would just load each year until someone is priced out to continue.  We are capped at 3 consecutive loadings.  If you premium has been loaded for 3 years that is IT.  Personally I would prefer to have an increase in the event of high claims as opposed to yearly increases irrespective of claims history.  But of course that is my opinion, and most of you would expect me to say that.

 

I feel awfully sorry for people on this visa type, and concerned about people who are not able to purchase insurance whether they are over 75 or un-insurable,   Again I hope the relevant parties can come to a proper well thought out structure and outcome.


Below is all the info we have to date on this requirement and who it is aimed towards at this moment:

 

To Business Partners,
The purpose of writing to you is to update you on the status of the above visa requirements for foreigners.  
 
Pacific Cross has approval from the Immigration Department office to provide products in support of a "long stay" visa applicant for both types 1 year O-A, and 10 Year O-X.  However at this stage only the O-X 10 Year Visa minimum insurance requirements have been determined and a copy of these rules are shown below.
 
In line with this Pacific Cross has developed three "Long Stay" insurance plans to support the O-X 10 Year Visa applications.  These plans are know as Platinum 1, Platinum 2, Platinum 3, please note that only these plans from Pacific Cross are accepted by the Immigration Department at this point in time.
 
As previously intimated the insurance requirements for the O-A (1 Year Visa) have not yet been determined therefore please reassure your clients not to panic unnecessarily.  Policy holders may need to upgrade their plans so for us Pacific Cross Health Insurance we are working on how such changes will be accommodated.
 

 

Non-Immigrant Visa “O-X” (Long Stay)

On 22 November 2016, the Cabinet of Thailand approved new scheme which allows nationals from 14 countries to stay in Thailand for the maximum period of 10 years. In order to enjoy this new scheme, the applicants must apply for Non-Immigrant Visa “O-X” (Long Stay) or so called Non-O-X Visa at the Royal Thai Embassy/Royal Thai Consulate-General (when applying outside Thailand) or the Immigration Bureau (when applying in Thailand). 

The purpose of this type of visa is to promote long stay for foreign traveler to Thailand. Nationals from 14 countries with the age of 50 years old or over can apply for a multiple-entry Non-O-X visa and stay in the Kingdom for the maximum period of 10 years
(5 years according to visa validity plus an extension for another 5 years). The visa fee is 10,000 Baht (or local currency equivalent if applying outside Thailand).

In accordance with the Notification of the Ministry of Interior Re: Authorization for Certain Groups of Aliens to Enter the Kingdom on an exceptional case on Long-Stay Purpose in accordance with the Cabinet Resolution, dated 22 November B.E. 2559 (2016) (effective from 11 August 2017), foreigners with the following qualifications and supporting documents may apply for a multiple-entry Non-O-X visa:                       

Applicants’ qualifications

               1. Age of 50 years old or over

               2. Applicants must hold passport and nationality of (1) Japan (2) Australia (3) Denmark (4) Finland (5) France (6) Germany (7) Italy (8) Netherlands (9) Norway (10) Sweden (11) Switzerland (12) United Kingdom (13) Canada (14) United States of America 

               3. Financial qualifications

(a) Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 3 million Baht; or

(b) Applicants must have money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand with the amount of not less than 1.8 million Baht and have income with the amount of not less than 1.2 million Baht per year. Once the applicants enter Thailand, they must have accumulated money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand not less than 3 million Baht within 1 year.

The money in (a) and (b) must be kept in bank account at least 1 year before withdrawing and, within another next year, the money must be left in the account with the amount of not less than 1.5 million Baht and can only be spent in Thailand. 

              4. Applicants must have no forbidden diseases according to the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E. 2535) which include Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addiction and third stage of Syphilis. 

              5. Applicants must have Thai medical insurance during their stay in Thailand (per the approval of the Office of Insurance Commission) and medical claims for outpatient must not be less than 40,000 Baht, for inpatient must not be less than 400,000 Baht.

 

Required Documentation

     1. Passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of travel.

     2. Three (3) application forms and 3 photographs (size 4 X 6 cm. taken within the last 6 months) 

     3. One (1) biography

     4. Financial evidence

                        4.1 Certificate of bank deposit stating bank contact information, copy of bank book and bank statement which shows fixed deposit with the amount of not less than 3 million Baht deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand;

                        OR

                        4.2 Certificate of bank deposit stating bank contact information, copy of bank book and bank statement which shows fixed deposit with the amount of not less than 1.8 million Baht deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand and certificate of annual income with the amount of not less than 1.2 million Baht (local currency equivalent) per year. (Once the applicants enter Thailand, they must have accumulated money deposited in Thai bank located in Thailand not less than 3 million Baht within 1 year.)

    5. Certificate of criminal record clearance from the country of nationality. In case the applicants have permanent residence in other country, they must provide the aforementioned document from both country of nationality and country of permanent residence. 

    6. Medical certificate from the country where the applicants apply visa stating that applicants don’t have any prohibited diseases according to the Ministerial Regulation No. 14 (B.E.2535) which include Leprosy, Tuberculosis, Elephantiasis, drug addiction, third stage of Syphilis. The medical certificate must not be issued over 3 months. 

    7. Copy of evidence stating that applicants have insurance as per stipulated by the  Office of Insurance Commission and health insurance of Thailand which has insurance money for outpatient not less than 40,000 Baht and for inpatient not less than 400,000 Baht.
Please check < http://longstay.tgia.org > for more information regarding the insurance requirement.

    8. Visa fee: 10,000 Baht (local currency equivalent)

 

Spouse and child, age under 20 years old, can apply for Non-O-X visa and must have the following required documents

    9.  Spouse (no age restriction) must show a copy of marriage certificate together with documents
stated in 1-8.

    10. Child age under 20 years old must show a copy of birth certificate or proof of legitimate child and also have to submit documents number 1-3, 7 and 8

How to Apply for Non-O-X Visa (in case of applying outside Thailand)

1.      Foreigners who have the required qualifications and supporting documents as stated above may apply for Non-O-X Visa at the Royal Thai Embassy/Royal Thai Consulate-General in the country of their nationality or where they have permanent residence.

2.      The Royal Thai Embassy/Royal Thai Consulate-General examines the qualifications and supporting documents and informs the result to the applicants.

3.      In case that the visa is approved, foreigners (main applicant, spouse, and lawful child under 20 years old) will obtain a multiple-entry Non-O-X visa with visa validity of 5 years

4.      Upon arrival in Thailand, the immigration officer will grant the Non-O-X visa holders the stay permit in the Kingdom for the period of not exceeding 5 years according to visa validity.

Other Useful Information

            - Benefits of the Non-O-X visa holders

                        1) Can work as a volunteer (in accordance with the list of volunteer work as stipulated by the Department of Employment).

                        2) Can purchase vehicle (under the provision of laws on motor vehicles).

                        3) Can purchase condominium (proceed in accordance with the Condominium Act).

- Foreigners who enter Thailand with other type of Visa/Visa Exemption may contact the Immigration Bureau and apply for Non-O-X visa.

- Foreigners who enter Thailand with Non-O-X visa may change from Non-O-X to other type of Visa by submitting request to the Immigration Bureau. Spouse and child’s visa approval will be changed according to status of the main applicant. However, spouse can apply for Non-O-X by himself/ herself if he/she meets the qualifications.

            - Spouse/child who does not qualify for Non-O-X visa may apply for other type of non-immigrant visa in order to stay in Thailand with the Non-O-X visa holder.

            - Upon the completion of 90 days stay period in Thailand, foreigners must notify the Immigration Bureau of their residence in Thailand and shall repeat at every 90 days interval.

            - Foreigners must report, in person, to the immigration officer every 1 year for the examination of the qualifications and supporting documents.

            - Stay permit of the Non-O-X visa holders may be revoked due to following conditions:

                        1) Foreigners do not have financial evidence as per stipulated by above qualifications such as:

                                    - The sum of money in the bank account is less than 3 million Baht at the end of the first year of stay period in Thailand.

                                    - the sum of money in the bank account is less than 1.5 million Baht at the end of the second year of stay period in Thailand, and/or the money in said account was spent outside Thailand.

                        2) Foreigners do not have insurance as per stipulated by above qualifications.

                        3) Foreigners pose threat to peace and security of Thailand.

                        4) Foreigners work without permission.

Hopefully this information is helpful to you. I have also enclosed copies of our products: Long stay visa and application for your consideration.
 

We will keep you informed of developments as they become known to us.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any additional information.

 

Regards

 

Tom

 

Tom Thomson

Chief Executive Officer

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8 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

If the insurance requirement is confirmed for O-A visas it will only affect you when you apply for your next one. As you know, you can get 2 years out of the visa you got in January. Who knows what the situation will be in 2021! If you're living in Thailand permanently, the O-A visa is not really the best option especially if it is going to require insurance; you've got lots of time to check out alternatives.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

yes i definately do. And i have no intention of leaving if i can find the way to stay.

 

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"The requirement was introduced because foreign expats have piled up unpaid medical bills of more than Bt300 million since 2016."

 

Expats on holiday, or expats on long term extensions? And lets see an accurate age grouping and country of origin(s) of the expats that that did runners.

 

This will never happen, as it's so much easier to just make a blanket statement & penalize those of us that spend quite a bit of cash here monthly/annually.

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On 5/22/2019 at 11:09 PM, Huckenfell said:

This has been on my mind ever since i first read about it. Having lived in Thailand for the past 12 years and during that time , made 3 hospital visits, i just cannot imagine how anybody can leave a hospital without paying the bill. I think that it is impossible !  However having deeply thought about it,  the fact that corruption in Thailand is rife just about everywhere i am asking the question. Perhaps those bills were all paid but pocketed and recorded as "Unpaid"   In this light i suggest that all these so called unpaid bills are seriously investigated one by one with some authority. It is not at all difficult to find the reported non payer as we all have to do 90 day reporting.  Just a thought.

Actually it's easy, just walk out the door while waiting to pay the bill. Of course, they have your personal info but it may be difficult to follow up. In truth, 300M baht is a drop in the bucket, $10m. They loose that much in highway tolls every time it rains.

 

But anyway, yeah, blame the Thai. lol

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On 5/23/2019 at 3:35 PM, Huckenfell said:

12 month visa for retirees over 50 with unlimited entries and if one leaves just before it expires and returns one will get stamped in for a further 12 months. This visa can only be got in the country of passport origin. Funds of 800.000 must be proven. I think that this is all correct,i have been using it for some year now. I usually pop down to KL for the weekend. As has been said "Up to you"

OK Thanks for that.

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In terms of the numbers it seems too low to me per visit. 680,000 visits (not patients) divided by the THB305,000,000 = THB 311 per visit.  Assuming the cost of the clinical staff, the cost of pathology and imaging, pharmacy, blood and other consumables for a spectrum of cardiac, stroke and accident catastrophies along with lesser medical conditions it is a low not high figure.  After all some private hospitals charge THB40k per night in intensive care.  The cost in a government hospital is probably half per night.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/22/2019 at 10:53 AM, RPCVguy said:

955874527_THAIMedicalSavingsAccounts.jpg.50c53c6f03d5b192af5918e00831009e.jpg

Complaining won't change the existing situation, but offering options might help improve the details of the final law. If you like this proposal, share it! Get people looking at it...

 

Seen elsewhere, the initial post was rearranged with translation of each paragraph into Thai ???? It was shared with the comment that "It is still my hope that someone with a sufficient latitude for review might look at the proposal, take it, massage it as needed, and include it in what seems ahead for us older expats." In the discussion, there was also acknowledgement that for the moment, "The issue looks to have been resolved - so much of the past month's discussions have been due to lack of precision in the early announcements...
" The requirement for mandatory health insurance does not affect those people who stay in Thailand on a Non O extension of stay based on retirement.
The
requirement also does not apply to those staying in Thailand on a marriage extension or an extension of stay based on being a parent to a Thai child."
"
Since I shared the original post, I'm appreciating this follow through - in case it still becomes needed.

First the rearrangement:
Thai authorities can do better than to enrich insurance companies while not helping hospitals be assured of many payments. I hope the authorities will read this and consider creating an effective THAI MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNT SYSTEM. If adopted, a newly defined THAI version of a MEDICAL SAVINGS PLAN encourages individuals to take care of their behavior choices so as to not overly draw down their savings beyond what they can replenish before applying to stay another year in Thailand.

WHAT ALTERNATIVES ARE THERE? The concept of Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) – that individuals save and pay for their own medical needs – emerged in response to concerns of healthcare costs. The appeal of enlisting consumers in reducing costs as well as mobilizing additional funds for healthcare led to implementation of this mechanism in countries as diverse as Singapore, China, the United States, and South Africa over the last 20 years. The plan needed here is NOT for all Thai, but is a viable way to cover stated goals of coverage without overly increasing expenses to long-stay expats.

Medical savings accounts are accounts used for paying medical bills. Plans and their details vary from country to country. In Thailand, there is a desire to assure all long term foreign residents have at least ฿400,000 that can be used to cover hospital bills.

Many such residents are elderly/ seniors who've extended their stay in Thailand each year - qualifying for retiree, marriage or family extensions - as defined in immigration laws. Concerns exist as to increased costs as these non-citizens age. Most of these individuals are not employed and many are not insured for health coverage at the prescribed minimums currently being defined. Obtaining insurance individually is extremely disadvantageous since insurance companies refuse covering "pre-existing conditions." Even if a paper says they are covered to the limits listed on the policy, individuals and those hospitals providing treatment will quickly find claims refused - due to those exclusions.

How can Thai authorities assure availability of funds to cover the intended ฿400,000? An option that is nearly complete under current regulations would be to define that ฿400,000 of funds now required and proven available to be secured in an account that can only be drawn upon by a hospital (maybe via a pin accessed bank-card accessed only by hospitals.) EACH and EVERY account withdraw over the year could be documented with hospital receipts AND the account would need to be topped up again to ฿400,000 before going in to immigration to extend one's stay another year.

Already online are comments regarding any insurance as an excuse to party more, or get treatment that has been delayed as not important enough. Such comments highlight one of the key deficiencies of private health insurance as moral hazard and it adds to future healthcare costs. Economic theory purports that health insurance provides incentives to over-consume and over-supply.

With healthcare payments insurance, “consumers may engage in riskier behavior, increasing the likelihood to need more healthcare, and/or simply purchase more healthcare than medically needed. In addition, providers may also supply more care than necessary. Such bad behavior changes increase the quantity of healthcare consumed. It is allocatively inefficient as too much of society’s resources are directed to healthcare, creating a welfare loss." [https://www.who.int/.../healthreport/MSAsNo17FINAL.pdf]

This option will not help everyone. Those who are not using a deposit to demonstrate financial means are demonstrating monthly deposits of ฿65,000. For them, monthly insurance payments will remain the best option. How costly is insurance? I'm over 70 years of age. Only a few or the touted plans will offer me coverage, and the least expensive I found was ฿107,000/yr. in premiums.

In this instance the insurance company takes off in every 2-4 years ALL the money they are offering as the maximum of the policy, and will NOT PAY much of what is most likely to need paying. EVEN if the company does not raise its current rates, it plans to double that premium expense to me by the time I'm 90. AND ... to repeat, it will NOT COVER any issue I've already suffered with in my prior 70 years. It is a SCAM.

__________________________
My background:
Back in the early 1980s I supervised the corporate benefits operations for a large (Fortune 20) corporation. There are benefits to having a large pool of people - enough to reap the benefits of self-insuring on a cost-plus contract fee basis the medical, dental and life insurance plans for over 65,000 employees. That benefit is NOT available here. Each of us is being thrown into the market as needing an individual policy.


Then for the Thai translation, which I can't read but am told is well done:

เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจของไทยควรหาวิธีอื่นที่ไม่ใช่แค่เพิ่มกำไรให้บริษัทประกันแต่ควรจะช่วยประกันค่ารักษาให้กับโรงพยาบาลด้วย ผมหวังว่าเจ้าหน้าที่จะได้อ่านข้อความนี้และพิจารณาเกี่ยวกับบัญชีเงินฝากเพื่อประกันค่ารักษาและบริการทางการแพทย์ บัญชีนี้จะช่วยให้ชาวต่างชาติระมัดระวังในการใช้ค่ารักษาพยาบาลและเตรียมเงินในบัญชีเพียงพอสำหรับการต่อวีซ่าครั้งต่อไปอีกด้วย

อะไรคือทางเลือกของพวกเรา
บัญชีเงินฝากเพื่อประกันค่ารักษาและบริการทางการแพทย์ (Medical Savings Accounts: MSAs) จัดตั้งขึ้นเพื่อแก้ไขปัญหาค่ารักษาพยาบาล MSAs คือ บัญชีเงินฝากซึ่งผู้รับผลประโยชน์มีสิทธิ์ฝากเงินเพื่อเก็บไว้จ่ายค่ารักษาและบริการทางการแพทย์ บัญชีเงินฝากนี้สามารถช่วยลดต้นทุนค่ารักษาพยาบาลและสร้างกองทุนทางเลือกเพื่อช่วยอุดหนุนกองทุนค่ารักษาพยาบาลของแต่ละประเทศ ประเทศที่นำกองทุนลักษณะนี่ไปใช้ในช่วง 20 ปีที่ผ่านมา ได้แก่ สิงคโปร์ สาธารณรัฐประชาชนจีน สหรัฐอเมริกา และแอฟริกาใต้ กองทุนนี้ไม่จำเป็นต้องมีผลบังคับใช้สำหรับคนไทยทุกคน แต่แค่เป็นทางเลือกในการช่วยให้ประเทศไทยบรรลุผลในการอุดหนุนค่ารักษาพยาบาลให้กับประชาชน โดยไม่จำเป็นต้องเพิ่มภาระค่าใช้จ่ายให้กับชาวต่างชาติที่มาทำงานในประเทศไทย

กองทุนที่ได้จากบัญชีที่จัดตั้งขึ้นนี้สามารถถูกนำไปใช้จ่ายค่ารักษาพยาบาล โดยแผนการและรายละเอียดของแต่ละบัญชีจะแตกต่างกันไปในแต่ละประเทศ ประเทศไทยมีแผนที่จะให้ชาวต่างชาติมีเงินในบัญชีจำนวน 400,000 บาทเพื่อเป็นหลักประกันว่าสามารถจ่ายค่ารักษาพยาบาลที่เกิดขึ้นในโรงพยาบาลในประเทศไทย

อย่างไรก็ตามชาวต่างชาติที่อยู่ในประเทศไทยส่วนใหญเป็นผู้สูงอายุซึ่งใช้ชีวิตหลังเกษียณที่ประเทศไทย หรือแต่งงานและมีครอบครัวอยู่ที่ประเทศไทยซึ่งต้องต่อวีซ่าทุกปี ชาวต่าชาติสสูงอายุเหล่านี้ส่วนใหญ่ไม่ได้ทำงาน และไม่มีประกันสุขภาพตามที่สำนักตรวจคนเข้าเมืองของไทยต้องการ การซื้อประกันสุขภาพนั้นมีผลเสียมากกว่าผลดี เนื่องจากบริษัทประกันจะไม่ครอบคลุมถึงโรคที่ผู้สูงอายุเป็นมาก่อนแล้ว และโรงพยาบาลก็อาจหาช่องโหว่ในการปฏิเสธการเบิกประกันได้อีกด้วย

เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจของไทยสามารถออกกฎเพื่อให้แน่ใจว่าชาวต่างชาติมีเงินในบัญชีถึง 400,000 บาท ด้วยการจัดตั้งบัญชีเงินฝากดังกล่าวข้างต้นสำหรับชาวต่างชาติแต่ละคน แทนที่จะผลักดันชาวต่างชาติแต่ละคนให้ซื้อประกันสุขภาพโดยไม่สมเหตุสมผล โรงพยาบาลแต่ละแห่งที่ชาวต่างชาติไปรักษาจะหักเงินผ่านทางบัญชีเงินฝาก และข้อมูลการหักบัญชีทั้งหมดควรจะนำเสนอให้เจ้าของบัญชีรับทราบเป็นรายปี ชาวต่างชาติจำเป็นต้องฝากเงินให้ยอดในบัญชีถึง 400,000 บาทอีกครั้งก่อนไปต่อวีซ่าในปีต่อไป

การซื้อประกันอาจก่อให้เกิดการรักษาที่ล่าช้า ซึ่งเป็นข้ออันตรายอย่างหนึ่งทางจริยธรรม และนี่อาจเพิ่มต้นทุนค่ารักษาพยาบาลตามมาในอนาคต ทฤษฎีทางเศรษฐศาสตร์กล่าวไว้ว่า ประกันสุขภาพนำมาซึ่งการใช้จ่ายเกินความจำเป็นและการสนับสนุนเกินความจำเป็น

การซื้อประกันอาจก่อให้เกิดการรักษาที่ล่าช้า ซึ่งเป็นข้ออันตรายอย่างหนึ่งทางจริยธรรม และนี่อาจเพิ่มต้นทุนค่ารักษาพยาบาลตามมาในอนาคต ทฤษฎีทางเศรษฐศาสตร์กล่าวไว้ว่า ประกันสุขภาพนำมาซึ่งการใช้จ่ายเกินความจำเป็นและการสนับสนุนเกินความจำเป็น

โดยสรุป การบังคับซื้อประกันสุขภาพนี้อาจไม่ได้มีประโยชน์สำหรับทุกคน ประกันสุขภาพยังคงเป็นตัวเลือกที่ดีสำหรับคนที่ไม่ได้แสดงเอกสารทางการเงินเป็นรายปี แต่แสดงเงินฝากรายเดือน เดือนละ 65,000 บาท แต่สำหรับผมซึ่งอายุมากกว่า 70 ปี คงไม่ได้มีแผนประกันสุขภาพอะไรให้เลือกมากมายนัก และแต่ละแผนก็คงให้ความคุ้มครองได้ไม่มาก ในขณะที่ผมต้องจ่ายอย่างมาก 107,000 บาทต่อปีสำหรับแผนประกันสุขภาพอย่างดี

บริษัทประกันจะเก็บเงินจากผมทุก 2-4ปี ในอัตราสูงสุดตามนโยบาย และไม่ได้ถูกใช้ไปค่ารักษาพยาบาลมากเท่าที่คาดการณ์ไว้แน่ๆ ถึงแม้ว่าบริษัทประกันจะไม่คิดค่าใช้จ่ายเพิ่มขึ้น แต่ค่าประกันจะเพิ่มขึ้นสองเท่าทันทีเมื่อผมอายุมากกว่า 90 และอีกครั้ง ค่าประกันที่เพิ่มจะไม่ครอบคลุมค่ารักษาพยาบาลที่โรคที่ผมเป็นอยู่แล้ว
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พื้นหลังของผม:
ช่วงปี 1980 -1990 ผมดูแลรักษาผลประโยชน์ให้กับบริษัทขนาดใหญ่ (Fortune 20) การมีพนักงานจำนวนมากกว่า 65,000กว่าคน ทำให้บริษัทต้องทำสัญญาที่มีประกันชีวิตพ่วงด้วยให้กับพนักงานซึ่งจะครอบคลุมถึงค่ารักษาพยาบาลโดยพื้นฐานและค่าทำฟัน นี่ตรงกันข้ามกับสิ่งที่ชาวต่างชาติที่อาศัยอยู่ในประเทศไทยกำลังเผชิญอยู่ในขณะนี้ พวกเราทั้งหมดกำลังถูกผลักให้รับภาระในส่วนนี้ ซึ่งแต่ละคนก็จะมีวิธีการปฏิบัติและข้อกำหนดที่แตกต่างกันออกไป

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  • 2 months later...

Question - I have Blue Cross - Blue Shield which is an international plan and am planning to apply for my first OA visa in Callie. 

 

Anyone else with this insurance and if you will you be able to show an Ins card as proof when applying for Visa.

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Question - I have Blue Cross - Blue Shield which is an international plan and am planning to apply for my first OA visa in Callie. 
 
Anyone else with this insurance and if you will you be able to show an Ins card as proof when applying for Visa.


No one knows if and when the insurance requirements will take place, and what those requirements will be. At this point everything is purely speculation.


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WOW... have seen some massaged stats before but nothing quite like these... keep up the good work!  The land of scams and here's another one being put forward openly.  I wonder who might have investments in medical insurance companies.... nuff said!!

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  • 2 months later...
On 5/23/2019 at 7:45 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

If the insurance requirement is confirmed for O-A visas it will only affect you when you apply for your next one. As you know, you can get 2 years out of the visa you got in January. Who knows what the situation will be in 2021! If you're living in Thailand permanently, the O-A visa is not really the best option especially if it is going to require insurance; you've got lots of time to check out alternatives.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

A local knowledgeable visa agent was in CM immigration this Thursday and was told that O-A visa holders all needed the insurance in effect as of Oct 31 and those that did not have it in effect would be fined at time of application for extension.  Reading the text of the government directive seems to support this conclusion.  Help!!!???

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14 minutes ago, just bob said:

A local knowledgeable visa agent was in CM immigration this Thursday and was told that O-A visa holders all needed the insurance in effect as of Oct 31 and those that did not have it in effect would be fined at time of application for extension.  Reading the text of the government directive seems to support this conclusion.  Help!!!???

That would be a fine without a receipt I guess 555

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