Details of mandatory health insurance for Non-Imm O-A visas to be announced next week

[Parsve]

1 hour ago, Mango Bob said:

The visa is visa free for a 15 day stay for China and India.  The program would be for a year.   It has not be approved yet but goes to the Cabinet this week as I understand it.

The Chines and India people are happy onec, because they never get sick, injured or get into an accident within 15 days from they lived there countries for Thailand , or have I miss something, such as the boat exident in Phuket?

[geisha]

Where are the statistics concerning who has run up this 3 billion debt ? Does it include tourists and expats, does it include workers from neighbouring countries ? Is it a total of 1 year, or how many years ? Are Thais included ? 

 

 

 

[Tony125]

On 8/18/2019 at 8:44 AM, tracker1 said:

I would have thought with the millions of tourists flooding Thailand that they would be more of a medical problem then a few hundred expats living here !

Travel insurance vs. trip protection: What's the difference?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tips/travel-insurance-vs-trip-protection-whats-the-difference/ar-AAFTpfR?li=BBnb7Kz

[Traubert]

45 minutes ago, Tropposurfer said:

That would cover a hell of a lot your right. Wasn't the skipped med-bills amount a tad over 300 million last year not 200 ? It's interesting that resident foreigners are being forced to pay, and by far the bulk of bill skippers are tourists and are not mandated to have insurance. More Thai govt. poor management, lack of insight, and bungling?

Neither are they said to be western expats or tourists. Bill skippers could be any nationality and in Thailand for any reason. That seems to have escaped a lot of people, as does the fact that the Burmese for instance and Cambodians, who far outnumber westerners also have to do TM30.

 

I guess it's the white centric nature of the board that makes everybody believe its a witch-hunt against whitey but in the overall immigration and tourist stats, westerners are very much a minority.

[Con Peoples Fund]

Wonder if it sufficent to be covered by Thai SSO already or still have to buy another insurance? 

[Oww]

8 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

I would be very interested to see who are new shareholders in these health insurance companies.  Especially since just before this was first announced??

Let's see if Ping An Insurance is behind all this. Would make perfect sense. If you live in Thailand you live in his domain, period. Google it.

[sawadee1947]

1 hour ago, DNPBC0 said:

Great.  Name the companies,

Cigna from UK, not Thailand 

[garyk]

First the banks, now the insurance company's. 

Kinda curious what is next.

[mommysboy]

In truth, anyone staying here without the ability to cover at least 500k medical expenses is already walking on thin ice, which isn't good in a hot country!

 

Many expats, perhaps the majority, especially retirees, shouldn't be here unless they really are sure they can endure a bad ending.

 

I'm in a vulnerable position I must admit, hence I'm planning an out for me and close family.  

 

Single people really need at least 50k monthly, and a couple of million baht in savings.

 

 

[dcnx]

1 hour ago, ianf said:

So those of us who have been refused health insurance will just get kicked out? Is that the plan?

Yep. And you can’t act like no one warned you about it. This has been coming for a while.

 

After all the visas are squeezed and squeezed some more, what’s left of you will get hit with some absurd insurance nonsense. Everyone should have it but you can’t count on the Thais methods and opinions of what counts as valid insurance will once again be open to some idiot with a stamp and his interpretation of it all.

 

It doesn’t hurt to have an exit plan regardless of your current status here. Everything will be great until the day it’s not.

[Huckenfell]

Why the discrimination. I have been living here for 12 years, always return to my home country annually for med check ups and pay cash at govt hospital or doctor if necessary. Looks like yet another PAYING resident will have to leave, and spend my pensions elsewhere.  How stupid can they get.

 

[emptypockets]

10 hours ago, bluesea said:

Just another Nail in your Coffin, it is getting more and More obvious they dont want expats here.

Correction - they don't want underfunded, uninsured expats here.  What country would? 

[Huckenfell]

A friend who has just done a visa run to Vietnam tells me that he met 4 long term retirees(pensioners) over there who are looking for another country to retire to because of the uncertainty of retirement in Thailand. This will only be the tip of the iceberg i am sure.

 

[johndudorn]

12 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

In at least two hospitals I've been in, unless you are personally conducted to the cashier (which didn't happen to me), you just walk out

Same here, I was in a major bus accident, some serious injuries. Me and two of my grandchildren were traveling back form Bangkok when the bus trying to avoid an accident flipped the bus on its side at 70+ MPH. I fell of the broken window glass and required stitches, after treatment we just left and continued our return trip to Udorn... 

[Huckenfell]

12 hours ago, ThaiBunny said:

In at least two hospitals I've been in, unless you are personally conducted to the cashier (which didn't happen to me), you just walk out

Definitely NOT the fact at Koh Samui govt hospital. Everything must be paid at set rate first. I was there recently and can guarantee when you walk out of that hospital, you owe nothing. So perhaps there are some very lazy hospital staff around.

[Parsve]

35 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

In truth, anyone staying here without the ability to cover at least 500k medical expenses is already walking on thin ice, which isn't good in a hot country!

 

Many expats, perhaps the majority, especially retirees, shouldn't be here unless they really are sure they can endure a bad ending.

 

I'm in a vulnerable position I must admit, hence I'm planning an out for me and close family.  

 

Single people really need at least 50k monthly, and a couple of million baht in savings.

And from what kind of evidence, regarding to all farangs are you talking about?

[garyk]

I have been in the hospital several times in Thailand. It is stupid cheap!  I had to spend the night in a hospital after an accident and the next morning I was feeling better. I walked out of the room and went outside to get some sun. The nurses and a couple of guys had a major breakdown thinking I had left the hospital and not paid the bill. It was almost comical. I took the bill and paid it happily as most every one does. 

This is not a hospital thing it is a business thing with the insurance company's.  Same as the money in the bank thing with a retirement visa. 

A way to part you from you money. 

Actually the only thing I find comical on TV, are the people the defend these rules..  Only people to put up with Thailand, and these rules are the people that are stuck here, IMHO. 

No one else would have a second thought to bypass Thailand.

[Huckenfell]

11 hours ago, Briggsy said:

The Thai government will just create some minimal health insurance with unbreakable low caps on payouts as stated. It will be similar to the compulsory vehicle insurance in that aspect. It will be regulated by the government in terms of price and format. If you want and can find much better other insurance, you will buy that on top just as you do with your vehicle insurance.

 

I imagine it will lead to a significant drop in O-A visa applications which is not a very popular visa anyway. 

 

Will this lead to it being introduced for retirement extension holders. That is the key question. I have a suspicion that within say 3 or 4 years, it will.

 

11 hours ago, mercman24 said:

40,000 is a rediculous sum of money,  i have said this before, but worth repeating a friend had 2 operations for skin cancer, his bill was 6000.  i went in to the gov hospital, had the works, tests  etc x ray,  got tablets, my bill 1200 baht, they are taking the piss. talk about insurance scam, yes they are the scammers, anyhow i am too old for this crap, i can self finance, but it looks like they want your money full stop. any other country is looking good for me at this moment in time

 

11 hours ago, Briggsy said:

The Thai government will just create some minimal health insurance with unbreakable low caps on payouts as stated. It will be similar to the compulsory vehicle insurance in that aspect. It will be regulated by the government in terms of price and format. If you want and can find much better other insurance, you will buy that on top just as you do with your vehicle insurance.

 

I imagine it will lead to a significant drop in O-A visa applications which is not a very popular visa anyway. 

 

Will this lead to it being introduced for retirement extension holders. That is the key question. I have a suspicion that within say 3 or 4 years, it will.

O-A is not a popular visa ?   Please what do you mean by this.

[totally thaied up]

23 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Correction - they don't want underfunded, uninsured expats here.  What country would? 

I hate to say it but it is true in so many ways. I have only got two friends that have the funds to cover themselves if something went catastrophically wrong. The rest in my wide circle of friends just say 'mai bpen rai', I will just die instead if something serious happened or I will go home. Problem is they don't care about that cost because as far as they are concerned, they will be dead. Worse would be if it was a slow end because I do not know what they could do. I think a lot of cost comes from these people. Sometimes you cannot go home as you are just too sick to travel. What do you do then.

 

I am fully covered with international insurance but if they extended this to Marriage Extensions and you had to be covered under a Thai insurance company, I would be well out of here with the wife in tow. It is just expensive enough as it all is and this would be the last drop in the bucket for me.  

[Huckenfell]

A small medical levy on all incoming would more than cover any unpaid medical bills. What in the hell is wrong with their thinking. Long term spenders are going to leave because of this. I was in the process of planning to build a house in Isaan to see out my days. But bugger that, i think i would be better off in Vietnam.

[gearbox]

40 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Correction - they don't want underfunded, uninsured expats here.  What country would? 

I'm not underfunded and neither uninsured - my travel insurance is more than adequate for me. In case of any issues the hospitals here won't be shortchanged. Why should I pay for another insurance which I don't need?

[Maestro]

32 minutes ago, johndudorn said:

Same here, I was in a major bus accident, some serious injuries. Me and two of my grandchildren were traveling back form Bangkok when the bus trying to avoid an accident flipped the bus on its side at 70+ MPH. I fell of the broken window glass and required stitches, after treatment we just left and continued our return trip to Udorn... 

 

Did the bus company pay for your medical treatment?

[ttrd]

1 minute ago, Huckenfell said:

A small medical levy on all incoming would more than cover any unpaid medical bills. What in the hell is wrong with their thinking. Long term spenders are going to leave because of this. I was in the process of planning to build a house in Isaan to see out my days. But bugger that, i think i would be better off in Vietnam.

So you are used to a process With a small Medical levy covering all guests in Your country - what planet are you living on btw? ????

 

Wish you good Luck in Vietnam where proper Health treatment blinks With its absence and no one will ever consider to start any treatment prior to get paid or at least assured to get paid - it's all about doing proper survey prior to act anywhere and anytime … 

[ThePioneer]

5 minutes ago, gearbox said:

I'm not underfunded and neither uninsured - my travel insurance is more than adequate for me. In case of any issues the hospitals here won't be shortchanged. Why should I pay for another insurance which I don't need?

Maybe because a travel insurance will not cover expats who live in Thailand

[totally thaied up]

8 minutes ago, gearbox said:

I'm not underfunded and neither uninsured - my travel insurance is more than adequate for me. In case of any issues the hospitals here won't be shortchanged. Why should I pay for another insurance which I don't need?

We have a lot of people that are responsible like you, but I know personally of a lot of people that are not responsible, and this is were lies the problem. The sins of a few effecting everyone. No, you should not need additional Thai Insurance that is in most cases, is poor value. Until I see in writing what they have planned, I have no answers to this question. 

[Huckenfell]

10 hours ago, LawrenceN said:

You're way off. There are hundreds of thousands of expats living in Thailand. The US Consulate in Chiang Mai has 20,000 registered expats (not tourists). That's just Americans, and just in the North.

With such numbers one would think it a very viable proposition for visa holder to join the government health scheme at a higher rate.

[emptypockets]

I can feel another petition coming on. Yay thisters!!

[totally thaied up]

1 minute ago, Huckenfell said:

With such numbers one would think it a very viable proposition for visa holder to join the government health scheme at a higher rate.

Have you been to a public hospital and seen how stressed the system is. We would need to pay in a hell of a lot to be given such privilege, even in the public system. Last time I was in a public ward, it was 8 to a open room and the staff were run off their feet. I had a friend stay in for 30 days in the public system last month. He could not get a private room and it still cost him 80,000 baht for treatment. It was not very nice at all.

[madmen]

6 hours ago, mhortig said:

Two weeks ago my immigration officer who I have had for several years, told me that the new requirements would not apply to expats who have lived here over five years.-More rumors-for what its worth.

why? Getting sick doesn't make any difference 5 years or 5 minutes

[meand]

5 hours ago, Jumbo1968 said:

ArrivalDeparture Tax would mean people they think on a long term Visas don’t arrive and leave many times so we need too ‘sting’ them another way.

You are applying actual logic to taxation. Yet, I won't get all into examples, but as we all know there are many examples of taxes that make absolutely no sense. Amazon did not pay tax last year supposedly, that is a good one. 

 

Anyway, you could put the tax on extensions and in out visa runs.