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

[brd]

very welcome to know in advance what is required to farangs for health protection.

However the country does need to put better order in its behaviour deadly free for all, too much ways relying selfishly on karma to gamble their own life and risking others life when public security is concerned.

Prevention is well overdue here all over the country.

 

 

[malagateddy]

Maybe best to wind down this thread and get on with our lives.
Why not just wait and see if the powers that be make some kind of definate announcement in the future??

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[Melbun]

10 hours ago, malagateddy said:

Maybe best to wind down this thread and get on with our lives.
Why not just wait and see if the powers that be make some kind of definate announcement in the future??

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I think it already has by attrition. And I'm told the purchase of incontinence nappies has soared in Thailand - almost enough to partly make the healthcare industry buoyant again ????

[gearbox]

13 hours ago, malagateddy said:

Maybe best to wind down this thread and get on with our lives.
Why not just wait and see if the powers that be make some kind of definate announcement in the future??

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For me it was very useful thread to read on a topic I rarely think about. I'm mid fifties and stay in Thailand so far with travel insurance.

 

No matter what the outcome for the mandatory O-A visa health insurance is, my conclusion is that after age 75+ it is difficult for a foreigner to get insured in a foreign country, and difficult to use the national health systems when you are not citizen.

 

I see a few options for myself after 75 if I want to stay in warm places:

 

* Move back to Oz in NE, SE Queensland  - warm throughout the year. Additionally if I run out of money may be able to get an OAP.

* Self insure if allowed to stay in Thailand without insurance. From what I've seen in the forums 4 million baht should cover most major issues.

* Split the time 50/50 between Thailand and Oz and come here on travel insurance.

* Find a dumb enough insurance company to insure me without outrageous premiums and co payments.

* Die before 75. Problem solved. 

 

 

[looplaw]

12 minutes ago, gearbox said:

 

For me it was very useful thread to read on a topic I rarely think about. I'm mid fifties and stay in Thailand so far with travel insurance.

 

No matter what the outcome for the mandatory O-A visa health insurance is, my conclusion is that after age 75+ it is difficult for a foreigner to get insured in a foreign country, and difficult to use the national health systems when you are not citizen.

 

I see a few options for myself after 75 if I want to stay in warm places:

 

* Move back to Oz in NE, SE Queensland  - warm throughout the year. Additionally if I run out of money may be able to get an OAP.

* Self insure if allowed to stay in Thailand without insurance. From what I've seen in the forums 4 million baht should cover most major issues.

* Split the time 50/50 between Thailand and Oz and come here on travel insurance.

* Find a dumb enough insurance company to insure me without outrageous premiums and co payments.

* Die before 75. Problem solved. 

 

 

Good sense of humor .

[Melbun]

15 minutes ago, looplaw said:

Good sense of humor .

Makes sense splitting your time between countries. Never burn your bridges behind you. Travel insurance is the way to go and don't drop anchor in a foreign country. Especially never disown your country  - especially one that provides free health insurance viz Australia & Britain and your old age pension. Don't worry fellows there are women and there is beer everywhere.

[sumrit]

According to a report in the UK today, the NHS is owed over £150 million in unpaid bills by 'Health Tourists' and are trying to find ways of recovering the debt.

 

Perhaps we should send them a blueprint of the Thai insurance plans..........AND a link to this thread as well????

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7396707/Health-tourists-cost-NHS-150M-unpaid-bills.html

[nong38]

So long as its always going to be announced "next week" I think most will go along with that, keep it coming but never to arrive.

[Melbun]

2 minutes ago, nong38 said:

So long as its always going to be announced "next week" I think most will go along with that, keep it coming but never to arrive.

Oh it WILL come - like a thief in the night. They are giving everyone food for thought.Then one day kapowwwww !!

[Skallywag]

5 minutes ago, Melbun said:

Makes sense splitting your time between countries. Never burn your bridges behind you. Travel insurance is the way to go and don't drop anchor in a foreign country. Especially never disown your country  - especially one that provides free health insurance viz Australia & Britain and your old age pension. Don't worry fellows there are women and there is beer everywhere.

I suppose I could rent 6 months in the USA and stay in my freehold condo 6 months in Thailand.

Yet my retirement budget is for LOS. If I were living 6 months in the USA, it would cost me 2-3 times more money living very frugally without women and beer !  

Havent burnt bridges, but are you expecting friends and family to support you for 6 months of the year back home? 

[brewsterbudgen]

Oh it WILL come - like a thief in the night. They are giving everyone food for thought.Then one day kapowwwww !!

You may be right, but seeing as it only affects a relatively low number of OA visa applications it's not exactly earth shattering.

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[Melbun]

10 minutes ago, Skallywag said:

I suppose I could rent 6 months in the USA and stay in my freehold condo 6 months in Thailand.

Yet my retirement budget is for LOS. If I were living 6 months in the USA, it would cost me 2-3 times more money living very frugally without women and beer !  

Havent burnt bridges, but are you expecting friends and family to support you for 6 months of the year back home? 

No. sorry about that. But sadly you may have partially burn you bridges. Pity you don't have a dwelling in the US to fund you in LOS. Maybe stay in the US for a shorter time being funded by your freehold in LOS.

[Bobsuruncle]

1 hour ago, Skallywag said:

I suppose I could rent 6 months in the USA and stay in my freehold condo 6 months in Thailand.

Yet my retirement budget is for LOS. If I were living 6 months in the USA, it would cost me 2-3 times more money living very frugally without women and beer !  

Havent burnt bridges, but are you expecting friends and family to support you for 6 months of the year back home? 

Here's one idea for living cheaper in the USA. Buy a used cheap class C or class B RV and set it up with solar so that you can park it on BLM land or National Forest land for free. You're allowed to stay for 14 days at a time and then you need to move to another area and stay there for 14 days. If your rig is self sufficient with it's own electric, water and propane you won't need to depend on family or friends to support you. Then when you're ready to return to Thailand for 6 months, find an inexpensive storage yard to park it for those 6 months (or possibly a friend or relative's property). Just a thought!

[mhortig]

Back to the reason for this thread. The imminent announcement of details regarding the health insurance requirements. Has anyone heard anything from there local immigration office as to when it will be announced and any details?

[Sheryl]

Back to the reason for this thread. The imminent announcement of details regarding the health insurance requirements. Has anyone heard anything from there local immigration office as to when it will be announced and any details?

Since the requirement -- if and when it comes - pertains to isduance of O-A in one's home country it will not involve immigration so no reason to expect them to hear anything. Instructions would go to Thai Embassies and consulates abroad

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[Max69xl]

10 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Since the requirement -- if and when it comes - pertains to isduance of O-A in one's home country it will not involve immigration so no reason to expect them to hear anything. Instructions would go to Thai Embassies and consulates abroad

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Last time I read about it, they said it was put on hold. Don't worry about things you can't affect. It will just give you a heart attack.

[rott]

Small point. The OP says details to be issued on 22 August. No details yet??

 

Second (pedantic) small point, the OP was dated 18 August so should have read "this week" and not "next week".

 

Still, bad that there is no announcement yet ( assuming the recent posts are correct, I have not been following daily).

 

 

 

 

 

[Max69xl]

8 minutes ago, rott said:

Small point. The OP says details to be issued on 22 August. No details yet??

 

Second (pedantic) small point, the OP was dated 18 August so should have read "this week" and not "next week".

 

Still, bad that there is no announcement yet ( assuming the recent posts are correct, I have not been following daily).

 

 

 

 

 

Last time I read about it, they said it was put on hold. The info came from a guy working at Pacific Cross.

[sumrit]

31 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Since the requirement -- if and when it comes - pertains to isduance of O-A in one's home country it will not involve immigration so no reason to expect them to hear anything. Instructions would go to Thai Embassies and consulates abroad

Yes, as you say, the O-A visa is issued from the persons home country at the Thai Embassy but, unless I misread the original info that came out, the continuance of staying in Thailand (after the O-A visa has expired) using an extension of stay would also require the continuance of the medical insurance. The Thai Immigration would then be involved.

[Sheryl]

Yes, as you say, the O-A visa is issued from the persons home country at the Thai Embassy but, unless I misread the original info that came out, the continuance of staying in Thailand (after the O-A visa has expired) using an extension of stay would also require the continuance of the medical insurance. The Thai Immigration would then be involved.

That is not at all clear. Nothing has been said about extensions of stay. Only issuance of new or subsequent visa.


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[sumrit]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

That is not at all clear. Nothing has been said about extensions of stay. Only issuance of new or subsequent visa.


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Maybe I misread it, but surely they wouldn't go to all the trouble of insisting on people having medical insurance as part of the qualification for an O-A visa application then say it's no longer required as soon as somebody applies for an extension. That doesn't make sense does it. I mean, if medical insurance is only needed during the time the O-A is 'valid', they could apply for an extension after three months and cancel the insurance. 

[Max69xl]

10 minutes ago, sumrit said:

Maybe I misread it, but surely they wouldn't go to all the trouble of insisting on people having medical insurance as part of the qualification for an O-A visa application then say it's no longer required as soon as somebody applies for an extension. That doesn't make sense does it. I mean, if medical insurance is only needed during the time the O-A is 'valid', they could apply for an extension after three months and cancel the insurance. 

An O-A Visa is still an O-A Visa when you extend it 1 year.

The insurance they are talking about, which is now put on hold, is only for the O-A Visa. No one ever mentioned Non-immigrant O with 1 year extension in the article in The Nation.

[sumrit]

20 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

No one ever mentioned Non-immigrant O with 1 year extension in the article in The Nation.

And neither did I mention a non immigrant 'O' visa.

 

An O-A visa can be extended in exactly the same way and that's what I was referring to. You don't have to convert an O-A to a non O in order to obtain a one year extension.

[Sheryl]

42 minutes ago, sumrit said:

Maybe I misread it, but surely they wouldn't go to all the trouble of insisting on people having medical insurance as part of the qualification for an O-A visa application then say it's no longer required as soon as somebody applies for an extension. That doesn't make sense does it. I mean, if medical insurance is only needed during the time the O-A is 'valid', they could apply for an extension after three months and cancel the insurance. 

 

They would not be able to get an extension after 3 months. They would have to wait until near the end of their permission to stay.

 

Many people do not get extensions of  stay for O-A visa, they just get another O-A visa. Timing entries optimally each one can allow for 2 year stay. Getting O-A visas avoids the need to deal with Imm offices (except for 90 day reporting & TM30s) and also avoids the need to show income brought into country or tie up 400-800K in a Thai bank account.

 

The rules for extensions of stay differ from those of the O-A visa in many respects including financial proofs.

 

Wouldn't make any sense to require insurance for extensions of stay for retirement based on O-A visa but not for non-O visas...but no mention, at least as yet, of an insurance requirement for that.

 

[sumrit]

5 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Wouldn't make any sense to require insurance for extensions of stay for retirement based on O-A visa

Why wouldn't it make sense???

 

If somebody chooses to extend their O-A at Immigration instead of the expense of returning to their home country (and many do exactly that) you are suggesting that would mean they no longer need medical Insurance. Now that doesn't make sense.

[Sheryl]

8 minutes ago, sumrit said:

Why wouldn't it make sense???

 

If somebody chooses to extend their O-A at Immigration instead of the expense of returning to their home country (and many do exactly that) you are suggesting that would mean they no longer need medical Insurance. Now that doesn't make sense.

 

Please read the full sentence rather than cutting it to a different meaning:

 

"Wouldn't make any sense to require insurance for extensions of stay for retirement based on O-A visa but not for non-O visas"

[sumrit]

28 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Please read the full sentence rather than cutting it to a different meaning:

 

"Wouldn't make any sense to require insurance for extensions of stay for retirement based on O-A visa but not for non-O visas"

Again, as I understand it from the original posting the requirement for insurance would only apply to new O-A applicants. People who have already extended their stay would not be subject to the new requirement. Likewise I would expect existing people who have extended using a non O visa before the new rules  come into force to be similarly excluded.

 

In the past non O visas were granted to almost anybody who asked for them BUT, in recent years, the visa system has been tightened up to such an extent that (with few exceptions) non O visas are now only available to people with a Thai family (spouse, children, etc). With family involved though, it's not quite as straight forward as legislating for single people. But, although not mentioned so far, I would expect that, once the system is up and running (smoothly???), new applicants for non O visas will be brought into the mix in some form (although that, of course, is pure speculation on my part). 

[lkv]

2 hours ago, Max69xl said:

An O-A Visa is still an O-A Visa when you extend it 1 year.

The insurance they are talking about, which is now put on hold, is only for the O-A Visa. No one ever mentioned Non-immigrant O with 1 year extension in the article in The Nation.

Absolutely. And at the end of the day, a 12 month extension is still a 12 month extension, regardless of whether the original visa was a non O or a non O-A. 

 

The permission of stay gets extended anyway, not the visa.

 

It's an individual not insured for a whole 12 months.

 

Maybe not insured on non O single entry would make some sense, that's only a 90 day stay, but 12 months is a long time for one to be uninsured. So many unexpected events could happen in 12 months.

[Johnthplumb]

I am not sure if this is posted in the correct Forum, but I have seen mentioned here what the Thai government says that visitors to Thailand are costing there health service, not paying there hospital bills. 

 

This was in the Daily Mail this Tuesday morning.

 

Overseas patients have left the NHS with more than £150million in unpaid bills for treatment, a Daily Mail investigation reveals. The cash could pay for 6,000 nurses, 22,000 heart bypasses or nearly 5,500 junior doctors. Two hospitals in London are owed £28million each, including almost £500,000 from one patient alone. Priscilla (left) who was 43 at the time, went into labour shortly after landing at Heathrow airport. She had intended to fly to Chicago to have her babies, but was turned away by US officials who claimed she would be unable to afford the healthcare costs. Priscilla was returning to Nigeria via London when she started to have contractions three months before her due date. She was taken to Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in west London, part of Imperial College Hospital (inset), where she delivered the four babies. Tory MP Philip Davies (right) said: 'It is the National Health Service, not an international health service and it is essential these charges are made for overseas visitors.'

I notice that the USofA would not let her enter as she could not afford the health care.

Earlier the BMA  said all people in this country that need medical care should be treated free, as it is unjust and racist not to treat them also because of cost.

So could that be our insurance, if diagnosed with say Cancer or need a transplant, all we need do now is get on a plane to the UK, and then collapse in arrivals, ?

 

[Johnthplumb]

2 minutes ago, Johnthplumb said:

I am not sure if this is posted in the correct Forum, but I have seen mentioned here what the Thai government says that visitors to Thailand are costing there health service, not paying there hospital bills. 

 

This was in the Daily Mail this Tuesday morning.

 

Overseas patients have left the NHS with more than £150million in unpaid bills for treatment, a Daily Mail investigation reveals. The cash could pay for 6,000 nurses, 22,000 heart bypasses or nearly 5,500 junior doctors. Two hospitals in London are owed £28million each, including almost £500,000 from one patient alone. Priscilla (left) who was 43 at the time, went into labour shortly after landing at Heathrow airport. She had intended to fly to Chicago to have her babies, but was turned away by US officials who claimed she would be unable to afford the healthcare costs. Priscilla was returning to Nigeria via London when she started to have contractions three months before her due date. She was taken to Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in west London, part of Imperial College Hospital (inset), where she delivered the four babies. Tory MP Philip Davies (right) said: 'It is the National Health Service, not an international health service and it is essential these charges are made for overseas visitors.'

I notice that the USofA would not let her enter as she could not afford the health care.

Earlier the BMA  said all people in this country that need medical care should be treated free, as it is unjust and racist not to treat them also because of cost.

So could that be our insurance, if diagnosed with say Cancer or need a transplant, all we need do now is get on a plane to the UK, and then collapse in arrivals, ?

 

I am sorry I left the headline off. I will try to do better if I post again.