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US Embassy issues advisory on medical care for tourists, long-stay expats


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1 hour ago, mike787 said:

THat's fine, I'll take care of it.  Cash is king, it can do wonders with an "agent" and a thick brown envelope.  Look at Red dull boy, still on the loose after killing a Thai cop. 

i know a guy who knows a guy

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1 minute ago, Kurtf said:

I'm 79 years old and in almost perfect health. But try and buy health insurance. The costs are out of this world. I'd rather die than pay exorbitant prices like that.

 

Agreed.

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These smug, probably younger, well-insured loved to preach that everyone should just buy insurance, but realize TV and other Thai commercial insurance is medically underwritten, meaning they don’t sell policies to sick  people, premiums increase with age, and they are not guaranteed renewable unless you buy an expensive “international “ policy when young

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2 hours ago, MRToMRT said:

I have similar from another BIG company. I doubt the card will be enough but if I go to the website of my insurance company theres a form letter that I can download stating the amount of coverage. I am hoping that will be enough and that Imm will not create a new form of their own that the insurance company must validate.

 

I am on an extension of stay so still have to wait and see if 400k all year in a bank account would negate the need for insurance coverage validation letters or not. Fingers crossed as I cant take much more beaurocracy needs - enough is enough.

MRToMRT

Hi there and yes posted this on other forums and also on facebook Thai visa in Thailand.
You are the only one who has mentioned this and I indeed had the same thoughts.
Yes I have an extension of stay based on Retirement and as we all know there is huge confusion on this OA visa, but this is the one whereby one gets a visa from home Thai Embassies and when one stays here then by means of funds in monies in the bank then it is an extension of stay and nowhere does the stamp say visa.  Purely retirement.
Yes my thoughts echo yours and was asking it is purely coincidental but I have to have this 800K and after 1st March one cannot touch it at all, but after that one must leave 400K in the Thai Bank account and this, of course, is the amount for a cover inpatient at a Thai government hospital. 
Maybe, it is coincidental, but before one (and thankfully never touched it) but people used to withdraw all of  it and maybe for an emergency but this keeping half in the bank is, of course, new from March 1st this year.
I am holding out for the minute and awaiting clarification and got my 90 day reporting this week and will not be mentioning it, but see if anything is mentioned.
I have my new passport and take it they transfer the existing stamp or details from the old one into the new one.
Will let you know how it goes and yes did my last extension (not visa) on 27th February so won't have to show my balance this year.
Yes wondered why no one else noticed this but got a reply earlier that what a good post.
Maybe we need both but at the moment the vast majority of postings are stating that an extension of stay is not a visa, though stamped in on the visa page in the passport, but let's face it the pages all marked visa.
Holding fire at the moment and the month of July is being branded about.
Also interesting that they were quoting the number of unclaimed bills and the number of claimants and it was obvious they were quoting those who had been to Thailand for a holiday and no insurance whatsoever.
thoughts and been told do not panic!!!  We all worry of course thoughts anyone but thinks we hold fire.


 

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6 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

How can you "guess" that? :ermm:. They apparently are studying how to manage foreign insurances. From a previous TV thread: “We are going to discuss with relevant authorities on to how to check the validity of health insurance bought from overseas,”

Meaning that the foreigner already knows that it cannot be used here, and there are already certain policies that would be a no brainer for the Embassy and immigration to know don't work. Like Medicare etc. So the foreigner gets stuck with another whammy. There might be also an inclusion written that states not applicable outside of the country it is from. 

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14 hours ago, asiaexpat said:

How wrong you are. The US State Department frequently provides 'friendly advice." They even have a web site for it. Their latest bit of advice is true for anyone anywhere and does not mean the Embassy has any special knowledge. 

I really don’t understand the timing of this advice though. If it had been issued any time before the last month, I could understand it because (American) expats had a choice on whether to take out insurance or not. So perhaps advice would be useful.

 

but the Thai Government has already announced that it will be compulsory for long term expats to have insurance come 1st July. So at this point the advice is superfluous. It’s akin to saying it’s a good idea to have a visa. Well, duh, it’s the law, isn’t it.

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21 minutes ago, ThaiBunny said:

The Thai government (and the hospitals) don't collect statistics with sufficient granularity to determine what proportion of those who don't pay their bills are retirees. It's just an exercise in scapegoating

manufacture consent to back up policy.

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5 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

There might be also an inclusion written that states not applicable outside of the country it is from. 

Uh? I was talking about expats who have a foreign health insurance valid in Thailand of course. I would bet the huge majority of expats.

Who would go live in a foreign country without an health insurance ?! (I guess only those who really can't get one)

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2 hours ago, Alan Michael said:

I have recently questioned many Thai people and asked if they have medical insurance. None said yes.

So if they need hospital treatment and can't pay, they will also be a drain on the hospitals finance.

They say that the so called farang non payers of hospitals are also a drain if they can't pay, but the difference is that we will not be allowed to leave the country until we have paid, because the hospital will report your passport details to the police, who will then contact the immigration to stop you leaving Thailand until you have paid.

So who are all these farang non payers?? It's nonsense.

I have had three operations here and was asked for my passport details for security each time.

Should I have just said thanks for the treatment and walked out of the hospital and saved my money?

 

If there was a reasonably priced health care insurance for Thai's, then the retiree expat should also be allowed the same insurance. Fair's fair. We farang  by living in Thailand are Nett financial contributors to the Thai economy

My girlfriend was quoted 40,000 baht per year by a Krungsri bank insurance which is connected to a life insurance so money will come back to her heirs if she should die. The bank said it's for Thai's only. Why?

Alan Michael
Yes, indeed and I have a wonderful Thai wife and 2 Grandchildren (or really our own as we treat them as such) and they have tried several times to put me on their medical insurance and been refused.
perhaps ask the insurance company direct why can I not have a small separate policy?  Absolutely no logic and yes we pay most of the upkeep of our Families too

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Very brazenly TV inserts a link for insurance in the article.

 

Discredits what used to be an interesting collection of newsy stuff.

 

Can it only be for the advertising revenue?

 

Some fat cat at the Nation gotta have a vested interest.

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28 minutes ago, malibukid said:

wonder what the numbers are for the foreigners that skip on their hospital bills?  how does the break down?  tourist? under 40's? expats over 50?  is the Thai government cooking the books in order to justify this new requirement?  manufactured consent and good for business. how about the lie that one needs 65k a month to live here? how was this number arrived at?  i mean why not 45k or even 95k?  does the Thai government think that all expats are drunks who chase hookers?

Of course the numbers are being cooked. They aren’t even being “massaged” they are completely fictional in the sense that numbers of long term foreign residents appear to being represented by tourist arrivals. I mean, 30 mil plus long term foreigners here? For goodness sake.

 

the type of numbers breakdown that you ask about is the bare minimum that the Thai government should be using to decide if there is a problem or not, and if there is, what should be done about it.

 

interestingly, it’s not THAT long ago the government announced that tourists would have to have health insurance. That seems to have gone nowhere and been dropped. This latest proposal vis a vis long term residents seems almost to be a fall back plan. “We can’t get the tourists, so we’ll get the long term guys” .

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8 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

Uh? I was talking about expats who have a foreign health insurance valid in Thailand of course. I would bet the huge majority of expats.

Who would go live in a foreign country without an health insurance ?! (I guess only those who really can't get one)

Yes, a classic case of hidden clauses.
When first came over 10 years ago good old Saga who are supposed to look after those who are 50 years old sold a policy and nowhere was there a clause stating one had to be in the UK say 5 months in a year and of course when the time to renew it and got tonked.
Yes, insurance is not there when you need it and also talking about life policies too.
 

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2 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

Thanks for some level headed advice. From previous postings I've read of yours I'm guessing you are involved in the medical profession, and from this one it seems like you have some working experience with some of the insurance companies offering insurance to expats residing in Thailand?

 

If this is the case, could you name a few who you believe offer a decent product?

 

I personally have April My Health International (not My Health Thailand but the international product issued out of their HQ in France). They just paid out the equivalent of 600K for me after an accident (hit by motorcycle crossing the street, 3 fractures, 2 surgeries, total of 14 days hospitalization in 2 separate admissions), direct payment to the hospital, approvals came through very fast, no issues at all, I couldn't be happier with it. I purchased it through AA brokers and also could not be happier with them both in advising me and in later assistance, they have been great throughout my hospitalization and aftermath and made sure I knew all my entitlements under the policy including for example cover for outpatient follow ups related to the hospitalization for 30 days.

 

I have had very good reports of Cigna Global from TV members also, one member had a total of almost 6 million paid out over 2 hospitalizations in a 2 year period (lung cancer, aortic aneurysm, then unfortunately pancreatic cancer) all within first few years of getting the policy and no problems at all, directly paid to hospital, no effect on his premiums. Personally I in the past had some issues with Cigna, nothing sinister just found their customer service a bit ditzy and slow and one has to always call the UK to deal with them whereas April has an office in Bangkok.

 

Seen some positive reports on Pacific Cross and David Shield as well.

 

In addition to my main health insurance I have personal accident insurance with Bangkok Insurance which covers up to 200K in medical expenses due to accidents, and unlike my main health cover covers both in and outpatient. As it happened shortly after taking out the policy I suffered a cat bite that led to a nasty cellulitis on my hand that took over a month to resolve. They paid private hospital costs directly (labs, consult with a hand specialist) and reimbursed me in full for costs at local government hospital. No problem.

 

One point to keep in mind is that the quality of an individual hospital's finance/insurance department plays a role in how well things go in terms of getting pre-approvals and direct payment from an insurer. There are paperwork requirements and if a hospital is not efficient with it, it will delay things. Government hospitals generally can't do this at all meaning one may have to pay first and be reimbursed, and getting the necessary detailed bills and medical summaries for reimbursement can be a bit of a headache.

 

Another point is that I find that private Thai hospital staff  will soemtimes try to persuade a patient to pre-pay and claim from insurance later, or at least make a pre-payment of their own funds pending receipt of guarantee of payment from insurance company "to save time".  There are occasional circumstances where it may make sense to do this, e.g. if immediate surgery is needed and a delay of even an hour or two would have negative consequences, but most of the time they are wanting you to do this to save them work, and once they have your payment or agreement to pay they will be, shall we say, less than diligent in following up with the insurer. So unless there is a compelling medical reason to do otherwise, insist on waiting for the insurance company's GOP (Guarantee of Payment) and don't agree to pay upfront yourself.

 

With the aforementioned PA insurance, after seeing specialist at the private hospital (I was concerned about possible nerve damage as hand function was still affected weeks after the bite, which had been very deep at the wrist) the hospital cashier tried very hard to get me to pay and claim later.  They told me the insurance company was slow in getting back to them and I might have to wait hours.  I said fine, I'll go have lunch and come back. But first let me call them myself to see what the issue is....and as soon as I pulled out my phone suddenly there was no problem, just sign here and be on your way. The hospital had not even called the insurer, they were just trying to save themselves work. As soon as they saw I wasn't going to fall for this the whole thing was settled in minutes. So watch out for that sort of thing.

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22 hours ago, Wilsonandson said:

 

Why would I need medical evacuation if Thailand has world-class hospitals and doctors?

To go to home country if you need its health coverage to pay the bill.

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17 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Okay, did the US Embassy Bangkok issue this advisory or not? If not, somebody needs to explain why this up on TVF? If yes, where is it on the embassy website?

Good question, it does not appear to be on their website.

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6 minutes ago, Mac98 said:

To go to home country if you need its health coverage to pay the bill.

Or you just spent some of your 800K on medical bills and are being denied an extension and have to leave.

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Solution is for one's home country to pick up the bill to the extent they would any citizen. Cheaper health care here, so why not? I pay every month for Medicare. Four days in government hospital here cost me $500 without insurance. Three days in hospital at home in USA for same level of treatment came to $37,000. The hospital and Medicare are still fighting (3 years) over how much I will pay, saying this or that not covered or not needed. 

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26 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I personally have April My Health International (not My Health Thailand but the international product issued out of their HQ in France). They just paid out the equivalent of 600K for me after an accident (hit by motorcycle crossing the street, 3 fractures, 2 surgeries, total of 14 days hospitalization in 2 separate admissions), direct payment to the hospital, approvals came through very fast, no issues at all, I couldn't be happier with it. I purchased it through AA brokers and also could not be happier with them both in advising me and in later assistance, they have been great throughout my hospitalization and aftermath and made sure I knew all my entitlements under the policy including for example cover for outpatient follow ups related to the hospitalization for 30 days.

 

I have had very good reports of Cigna Global from TV members also, one member had a total of almost 6 million paid out over 2 hospitalizations in a 2 year period (lung cancer, aortic aneurysm, then unfortunately pancreatic cancer) all within first few years of getting the policy and no problems at all, directly paid to hospital, no effect on his premiums. Personally I in the past had some issues with Cigna, nothing sinister just found their customer service a bit ditzy and slow and one has to always call the UK to deal with them whereas April has an office in Bangkok.

 

Seen some positive reports on Pacific Cross and David Shield as well.

 

In addition to my main health insurance I have personal accident insurance with Bangkok Insurance which covers up to 200K in medical expenses due to accidents, and unlike my main health cover covers both in and outpatient. As it happened shortly after taking out the policy I suffered a cat bite that led to a nasty cellulitis on my hand that took over a month to resolve. They paid private hospital costs directly (labs, consult with a hand specialist) and reimbursed me in full for costs at local government hospital. No problem.

 

One point to keep in mind is that the quality of an individual hospital's finance/insurance department plays a role in how well things go in terms of getting pre-approvals and direct payment from an insurer. There are paperwork requirements and if a hospital is not efficient with it, it will delay things. Government hospitals generally can't do this at all meaning one may have to pay first and be reimbursed, and getting the necessary detailed bills and medical summaries for reimbursement can be a bit of a headache.

 

Another point is that I find that private Thai hospital staff  will soemtimes try to persuade a patient to pre-pay and claim from insurance later, or at least make a pre-payment of their own funds pending receipt of guarantee of payment from insurance company "to save time".  There are occasional circumstances where it may make sense to do this, e.g. if immediate surgery is needed and a delay of even an hour or two would have negative consequences, but most of the time they are wanting you to do this to save them work, and once they have your payment or agreement to pay they will be, shall we say, less than diligent in following up with the insurer. So unless there is a compelling medical reason to do otherwise, insist on waiting for the insurance company's GOP (Guarantee of Payment) and don't agree to pay upfront yourself.

 

With the aforementioned PA insurance, after seeing specialist at the private hospital (I was concerned about possible nerve damage as hand function was still affected weeks after the bite, which had been very deep at the wrist) the hospital cashier tried very hard to get me to pay and claim later.  They told me the insurance company was slow in getting back to them and I might have to wait hours.  I said fine, I'll go have lunch and come back. But first let me call them myself to see what the issue is....and as soon as I pulled out my phone suddenly there was no problem, just sign here and be on your way. The hospital had not even called the insurer, they were just trying to save themselves work. As soon as they saw I wasn't going to fall for this the whole thing was settled in minutes. So watch out for that sort of thing.

Thank you Sheryl for this advice.

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1 hour ago, Dumbastheycome said:

I think it would be a foregone that offshore  employees of any Government are deemed eligible for home country benefits and protections.  But the question of  such  to expats is  somewhat moot.

if you have some time on your hands you can read about it.....

simply put :  double standards    

 

www.heritage.org/health-care-reform/report/congress-and-the-taxpayers-double-standard-health-care-reform

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29 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

interestingly, it’s not THAT long ago the government announced that tourists would have to have health insurance. That seems to have gone nowhere and been dropped. This latest proposal vis a vis long term residents seems almost to be a fall back plan. “We can’t get the tourists, so we’ll get the long term guys” .

 

To me, this is the most interesting part of this whole sordid affair with the proposed insurance requirement for O-A visas -- that the government seems to be ignoring the tourist population entirely.

 

Tourist travel insurance is relatively cheap because it's short-term, it's widely available, and the populations involved generally are younger and more insurable.  And from my years here, it does often seem to be the tourist folks who end up in government hospitals after various crashes and accidents who have no money for their care and go the now famous "GoFundMe" routes.

 

And yet the govt. doesn't seem to want to touch that population because, heaven forbid, requiring health insurance of incoming tourists might reduce their all precious annual tourist arrival figures and drive the Chinese, Indians and others to other destinations. And of course, we can't have THAT!
 

So, let's find a scapegoat group (the O-As), blame the government hospital finance problem on them, and let the tourist folks go on with their uninsured mayhem....

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47 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

Uh? I was talking about expats who have a foreign health insurance valid in Thailand of course. I would bet the huge majority of expats.

Who would go live in a foreign country without an health insurance ?! (I guess only those who really can't get one)

I really don't think most have valid health insurance here. I think they count on being able to return home and get the care.

 

Me for one who was young back then. Been healthy and have paid everything out of pocket like I will continue to do into the future.

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35 minutes ago, zydeco said:

Okay, did the US Embassy Bangkok issue this advisory or not? If not, somebody needs to explain why this up on TVF? If yes, where is it on the embassy website?

Yeah, I don't see it either, looks like Phuket News is either fibbing, or they should have provided a link/name to their source......because it doesn't appear to be an official advisory.

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1 hour ago, Kurtf said:

I'm 79 years old and in almost perfect health. But try and buy health insurance. The costs are out of this world. I'd rather die than pay exorbitant prices like that.

 

How much is out of this world?  The reason I ask is I assume you have not checked the latest 6 companies that were listed with the original announcement. 

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10 minutes ago, ocddave said:

Yeah, I don't see it either, looks like Phuket News is either fibbing, or they should have provided a link/name to their source......because it doesn't appear to be an official advisory.

They only changed the title.  Not too bad.  It is kinda on the same topic and the new title gets more people to read it. 

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Just now, marcusarelus said:

Of course not.  If it was an advisory all of us Americans would have it in our mailbox but we don't do we? 

News websites that are now pretending to be the official voice of US Embassy information, even using their logo.....YIKES! If the websites are based in the US, they should be shutdown.

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8 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

How much is out of this world?  The reason I ask is I assume you have not checked the latest 6 companies that were listed with the original announcement. 

Sometimes it is not the cost, it is the cost vs benefit.  Some of the plans have an asterisk which then says only if you are renewing.  At 79, the chances that he doesn't have preexisting conditions.  400K coverage minus the preexisting conditions doesn't leave much coverage.  In most of the cases for people of the age, the premiums equal the benefits in about 4 years.

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