Insurance Alternative?

[Hurricane51]

I have paid for trips to the doctor/hospital out of my own pocket since I turned 60, since at that point the premiums increased significantly. I have substantial savings that I saved over time for this very purpose, way more than the minimum requirements for the new law. Is there something like a "health escrow" account, where you could earmark a lump sum to be used only for medical bills, just like insurance? I don't feel like paying for elevated insurance premiums when I already have a backup health plan. 

[DrJack54]

You have not stated what your extensions are based on. Even if an O-A personally I don't think you will require health insurance. Many will disagree. 

Your suggestion of bank AC for health insurance won't happen. If worst happens with insurance requirement then start afresh with non O.

Edited November 21, 2019 by DrJack54

[jacko45k]

Even if there was, there is nothing to suggest it would be acceptable to the MFA or immigration to support a Visa or Extension application in lieu of insurance. 

[scubascuba3]

Having money available for hospital costs makes sense to us but not to Immigration it seems

[Hurricane51]

It's an O-A and I am unmarried. Getting health insurance is preferable to changing my visa status. But it was just an idea. DrJack54 -- what do you base your assumption on? I think I'm exactly who the requirement is aimed at, namely elderly (hate that word now that I am one of them) foreigners who have a far greater likelihood of needing extended medical care.

[LivinLOS]

1 minute ago, Hurricane51 said:

It's an O-A and I am unmarried. Getting health insurance is preferable to changing my visa status. But it was just an idea. DrJack54 -- what do you base your assumption on? I think I'm exactly who the requirement is aimed at, namely elderly (hate that word now that I am one of them) foreigners who have a far greater likelihood of needing extended medical care.

Getting poor value health insurance with cut off dates, dubious levels of cover and cost.. Is preferable to simply re-establishing your visa status on a non imm O generated permission of stay ?? 

[DrJack54]

38 minutes ago, Hurricane51 said:

It's an O-A and I am unmarried. Getting health insurance is preferable to changing my visa status. But it was just an idea. DrJack54 -- what do you base your assumption on? I think I'm exactly who the requirement is aimed at, namely elderly (hate that word now that I am one of them) foreigners who have a far greater likelihood of needing extended medical care.

I did say many will disagree. Fact is apart from one imm office Nonthaburi, I have not seen reports from big office such as CW, insisting upon insurance for extensions. The "extension of stay" based on whatever..,. retirement, marriage etc even if the long ago entry was a non O-A (now expired). Time will tell.

 

[Puchaiyank]

IMHO...it is less about your ability to afford Thai healthcare...more about greasing the palms of insurance companies and increasing profits at Thai hospitals.  

 

Will be interesting for those who purchase Thai healthcare insurance...how much hassle to get the insurance company to pay an expensive claim...

[gk10002000]

Sadly, some countries are now requiring health insurance or tried to mandate it.  Look at the USA and Obamacare that was forced down everybody's throats.  I was paying $126  a month in 2013for a fine and perfectly adequate for me catasrophic medical insurance plan.  I had high deductibles but I did not care.  I was insuring against a big ticket medical issue if one arose.  I have no chronic issues and literally never used insurance since I left the US Air Force back in 1992!  Obamacare drove my costs up to $565 in 2015 and would have been over $800 in 2016!  So as an independent contractor things were getting out of hand.  I took a direct employ salary job at an OK pay rate but with medical costs of only $95 a month.  So things worked out OK for me.  Now the US president got the penalty for not having insurance waived, but the costs of the medical would still be ridiculous.  Luckily I am approaching 63, and at 65 can get US Medicare which will probably cost me about $200 a month two years from now, give or take as an estimate

 

   So one can only guess what drives countries to mandate how one should need medical insurance.  Obviously some health care industries love having people mandated to need insurance. 

[UKresonant]

I think the  compulsory insurance specification they have enacted is not very practical for the purchaser, and certainly a linked bank account would be a good idea for the OPD element, instead of including it on a policy, and elevating the policy premium. It could also double as the deductible for a IPD policy.

 

40k min in a bank account, which could be linked to their new insurance database. Then just add to it as and when, to keep elevating the provision (repayable request possible remotely, if leaving or not returning to Thailand)

 

A cash component would be most sensible, to give multi year continuity, and the ability to pay for some treatment, should the insurance not.

 

I've always paid for outpatient treatments I've had in Thailand, food poisoning, dressing changes and the like probably have not topped 40k in total.

(There was one OP treatment I declined, as I estimated that they were charging 3x the price for the medicine alone, and planned home for it. It was cheaper for two airfares! the deal breaker was the unavailability of medical complication insurance as I was not resident in Thailand)

 

Lets hope the strange imposition they have come up for the O-X & O-A visas, will evolve into something useful. 

Such as;-

1. Include a conditionally refundable bank account element. great idea! 

2. Make Thai policies available, without having to be in the country 180 days.

3. The Thai insurance would have to be crystal clear that it will be the first to pay, for a claim in Thailand (rather than your deposit or other overseas cover)! Excepting perhaps for the medical insurance cover incorporated into a Thai vehicle policy. 

 

Your Bank account Idea is good, but not for everything if there is an option to also add an insurance component at reasonable cost. It would also be useful for Thai nationals that use private medical insurance, if the account facility was operated by the main banks. 

[steve187]

14 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

I did say many will disagree. Fact is apart from one imm office Nonthaburi, I have not seen reports from big office such as CW, insisting upon insurance for extensions. The "extension of stay" based on whatever..,. retirement, marriage etc even if the long ago entry was a non O-A (now expired). Time will tell.

 

rayong want insurance

[DrJack54]

13 minutes ago, steve187 said:

rayong want insurance

When CW want insurance for extensions based on long ago expired O-A I will say writing is on the wall. There has always been rogue imm offices. Not related to topic but it never ceases to amaze me why all the imm offices are not pulled into line when they decide to "do their own thing".

[ubonjoe]

Some off topic posts meant to deflect the topic and the expected replies to them have been removed.

[TheAppletons]

2 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

When CW want insurance for extensions based on long ago expired O-A I will say writing is on the wall. There has always been rogue imm offices. Not related to topic but it never ceases to amaze me why all the imm offices are not pulled into line when they decide to "do their own thing".

  So far the "rogue" immigration offices are Rayong, Jomtien, Nonthaburi, and Chiang Mai.  The evidence appears to be mounting toward "the writing on the wall".  

[Sheryl]

IF you are subject to the Insurance requirement (a hotly debated issue and may Immigration interpretation may vary by office) there is currently  no provision for an alternative.

 

This is true even if covered by Thai Social Security.

 

May (and hopefully will) change with time, especially since many people cannot get insurance due to age or pre-existing conditions (among the approved companies none will issue a new policy with lifetime renewal to someone over age 75).

[DrJack54]

5 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

  So far the "rogue" immigration offices are Rayong, Jomtien, Nonthaburi, and Chiang Mai.  The evidence appears to be mounting toward "the writing on the wall".  

Haven't been on TV much lately. Have there been first hand accounts from all these imm offices? Meaning people actually applying for extension of stay.

Not the reports of "I was told by io ...."

Even guys applying for extensions based on marriage or parent of Thai etc?

[DrJack54]

3 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

  So far the "rogue" immigration offices are Rayong, Jomtien, Nonthaburi, and Chiang Mai.  The evidence appears to be mounting toward "the writing on the wall".  

Still looking for first hand report from offices you mention. 

One along lines..."I attended ### imm office today for annual extension. It was rejected due to fact I did not have medical insurance. I entered Los on O-A several years ago"

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Still looking for first hand report from offices you mention. 

One along lines..."I attended ### imm office today for annual extension. It was rejected due to fact I did not have medical insurance. I entered Los on O-A several years ago"

I posted on another thread that Jomtien rejected a friend (not a friend of a friend of a friend)

[Sheryl]

Suggest you search the forum yourself. There have been a number of reports re Jomtien and CM.  CM Imm is handing out a notice stating all OA extensions and extensions if dependents piggy backed onto an OA require it.

[DrJack54]

22 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Suggest you search the forum yourself. There have been a number of reports re Jomtien and CM.  CM Imm is handing out a notice stating all OA extensions and extensions if dependents piggy backed onto an OA require it.

Was not what I posted. Post #17 asked for someone that has actually gone for an extension been rejected. Heck it's Nov 22.

An aside question. How many folk have applied for extensions who originally entered on an O-A in last 21 days? You would think quite a few. 

Surely there would be several reports. For that matter desperate reports.

[KhunBENQ]

23 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

If worst happens with insurance requirement then start afresh with non O.

I entered on Non O-A in 2011 and next extension due Oct 2020.

If it came true that Khon Kaen would force me to a useless Thai insurance, then I would take the strenuous route and get a Non O based on marriage in Laos (or elsewhere) and do extension based on marriage.

Hate the idea but even more hate to throw 70k or so for a useless Thai insurance.

 

[saengd]

+1

[DrJack54]

+2

[KhunBENQ]

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

An aside question. How many folk have applied for extensions who originally entered on an O-A in last 21 days? You would think quite a few. 

And if the requirement would apply only to Non O-A issued from Oct 31, 2019 we will probably see very few.

For me this rule change is a de-facto abolishing of the Non O-A.

Whom would you suggest it to?

 

[saengd]

5 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Was not what I posted. Post #17 asked for someone that has actually gone for an extension been rejected. Heck it's Nov 22.

An aside question. How many folk have applied for extensions who originally entered on an O-A in last 21 days? You would think quite a few. 

Surely there would be several reports. For that matter desperate reports.

Stopped by CM Immi. yesterday to update my TM30 following a trip - there are signs everywhere on the subject of O-A extensions and health insurance, reception is even handing out leaflets about it. We stopped and talked to a friendly looking senior officer who was very courteous and asked, I've been here on an O-A extension since 2004, do I really need to buy health insurance? Yes he replied, with a smile.

[saengd]

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

And if the requirement would apply only to Non O-A issued from Oct 31, 2019 we will probably see very few.

For me this rule change is a de-facto abolishing of the Non O-A.

Whom would you suggest it to?

 

Somebody I didn't like!

[ramrod711]

21 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

I entered on Non O-A in 2011 and next extension due Oct 2020.

If it came true that Khon Kaen would force me to a useless Thai insurance, then I would take the strenuous route and get a Non O based on marriage in Laos (or elsewhere) and do extension based on marriage.

Hate the idea but even more hate to throw 70k or so for a useless Thai insurance.

 

I came on a non O-A as well, in 2006. Have been extending it ever since. Married a Thai woman in 2010. I'm diabetic, couldn't even get life insurance in Canada, what reputable insurance company is going to sell me health insurance that covers heart attacks and strokes? I think that because the minimum coverage is  400,000 baht there would be no risk to the Thai medical system if 400,000 baht was deposited in a Thai bank as an assurance. I would be much happier doing that than paying for incomplete coverage.

[jacko45k]

5 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

  So far the "rogue" immigration offices are Rayong, Jomtien, Nonthaburi, and Chiang Mai.  The evidence appears to be mounting toward "the writing on the wall".  

Not Phuket too?

[saengd]

We're going to be married this week, then it's an O visa based on marriage for me.

[DrJack54]

49 minutes ago, saengd said:

Stopped by CM Immi. yesterday to update my TM30 following a trip - there are signs everywhere on the subject of O-A extensions and health insurance, reception is even handing out leaflets about it. We stopped and talked to a friendly looking senior officer who was very courteous and asked, I've been here on an O-A extension since 2004, do I really need to buy health insurance? Yes he replied, with a smile.

I give up. Surely in the last 21 days there would have been many folk applying for extensions at the many offices you refer to. Some who entered on an O-A and now obtaining extensions based on retirement or married to Thai or parent of Thai child etc. I'm just surprised after 21 days there has not been an avalanche of posts giving first hand accounts of refusal. 

Edited November 22, 2019 by DrJack54