Tourists coming to Thailand - they must have enough funds to support themselves, says business leader

[Oldie]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

If I owned an extremely profitable restaurant, I wouldn't make the terms of entry so onerous that everyone stopped coming simply because 1 in 10,000 customers didn't pay their bill.

 

I'd write if off as a cost of doing business and continue reaping the vast profits.

There is a tiny problem. Hospital bills are normally much higher than a restaurant bill. Anyway - hospitals should refuse treatments if the payment cannot be guaranteed what they do in the meantime often anyway. 

[phantomfiddler]

I wonder how many Thais realize that, without us, they would still be swinging from tree to tree, with an occasional dash on the back of a buffalo ?

[Megasin1]

maybe its just me, but i always thought that a tourist who didn't have enough money to support himself was not actually a tourist but something else !!! Does this therefore mean that the thousands of financial illegal immigrants crossing the world are just tourists taking a really long holiday?

[Airalee]

17 minutes ago, surfinglife said:

Never saw the final bill, insurance paid it. Bangkok Hospital, 30 pills a day, a few drips, nothing major.

That really doesn’t say much.  30 pills of what?  Drips of what?  How many days were you in the hospital and what type of room?  The only thing I can ascertain from this is that you picked the most expensive hospital chain in Thailand (other than maybe Bumrungrad).  
 

How old are you,  what is your BMI?  Pre-existing conditions?

 

I had shoulder surgery with an overnight in the hospital (Rajavej Chiang Mai) and that bill came to ฿109,000

 

Just like I said before.  Nothing but a money grab...worldwide.

[Swimfan]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

Unfortunately yes, many cases of foreigners becoming a burden in Thailand, especially (but not only) as regards hospital bills

 

 

 

 

 

 

This happens to just about every country in the world. Its hardly exclusive to Thailand. They published the figures last year and the reality was the cost of people failing to pay hospital bills was minuscule. You don't hear of other nations always making a flap about it all the time. Most governments probably see it as a cost of tourism. But in Thailand they always like to reinforce the negatives of foreigners coming in to the country rather than the positive. 

[LivinLOS]

10 hours ago, Airalee said:

I’d be curious to know exactly how much the hospital bills have been for the Thais that have been hospitalized here for coronavirus, and if it even comes close to the US$100,000 coverage that they require foreigners to carry.

 

The ฿400,000-800,000 insurance requirement to extend my “retirement visa” now basically jumps to a ฿5,000,000 policy requirement (The ฿3,000,000 pacific prime policy won’t be sufficient according to my insurance agent) if I, as a retiree, ever want to leave and then reenter Thailand for any reason.

That isnt an 'insurance requirement' 

Edited September 14, 2020 by blackcab
Bold font removed. Please do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes or wording

[saminoz]

4 hours ago, Airalee said:

I’d be curious to know exactly how much the hospital bills have been for the Thais that have been hospitalized here for coronavirus, and if it even comes close to the US$100,000 coverage that they require foreigners to carry.

 

The ฿400,000-800,000 insurance requirement to extend my “retirement visa” now basically jumps to a ฿5,000,000 policy requirement (The ฿3,000,000 pacific prime policy won’t be sufficient according to my insurance agent) if I, as a retiree, ever want to leave and then reenter Thailand for any reason.

Exactly!

Thai hospitals will view that $100k as a target, rather than a limit!

[Chongalulu]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Can't imagine any tourists coming to Thailand under the current entry conditions.

Despite all the talk, I guess they don't really want foreign tourists any more.

Their wishes will be granted...

[johnarth]

while the army runes the country nothing will change, Flip and Flop want to marry China before China starts to move in very simple

 

[Megasin1]

Just now, Airalee said:

That really doesn’t say much.  30 pills of what?  Drips of what?  How many days were you in the hospital and what type of room?  The only thing I can ascertain from this is that you picked the most expensive hospital chain in Thailand (other than maybe Bumrungrad).  
 

How old are you,  what is your BMI?  Pre-existing conditions?

 

I had shoulder surgery with an overnight in the hospital (Rajavej Chiang Mai) and that bill came to ฿109,000

 

Just like I said before.  Nothing but a money grab...worldwide.

really ? my experience of Thai hospitals is that it has never been worth the insurance excess to claim the costs back and when my ex was forced to stay longer in Ramkhanhung it was relatively cheap and she received excellent care, maybe the costs rise relative to the insurance policy ???

[alianware]

The regulation becomes insane. How can you charge a patient to $100.000 since there is no cure to covig19  ? What does the money use to pay ? Oxygen, imune booster , vitamin , or malaria pills ?? ????

[Airalee]

3 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

That isnt an 'insurance requirement' 

If it’s necessary for me to have in order to get my next visa extension then yes...it is a “requirement”

[Chongalulu]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

Unfortunately yes, many cases of foreigners becoming a burden in Thailand, especially (but not only) as regards hospital bills

 

No, the details have not been released and probably not yet even worked out.

 

If history is any guide they will be very convoluted, poorly explained, subject to varying interpretations and very hard to implement.  A similar scheme to allow medical tourism to resume that was supposed to be in effect in July is still largely dysfunctional.

 

 

While you are of course correct,do you think anyone has done a calculation of those costs vs the total contribution from foreign tourists and examined it as a cost of doing business equation? I think they are certainly discovering the loss from a lack of tourism which will be dwarfing the odd cost of a tourist becoming a liability for Thailand. 

[Airalee]

6 minutes ago, Megasin1 said:

really ? my experience of Thai hospitals is that it has never been worth the insurance excess to claim the costs back and when my ex was forced to stay longer in Ramkhanhung it was relatively cheap and she received excellent care, maybe the costs rise relative to the insurance policy ???

Really what?  
 

I’m a cash pay patient and the bill was ฿109k.  Even when I finally sign up for one of their ridiculous insurance policies here, I will still be a cash pay patient and only use insurance if something truly catastrophic (and expensive) happens. 

[GAZZPA]

4 hours ago, rott said:

Is there any history of foreigners becoming a burden on Thailand.?

 

Have the full rules been published yet so that these potential troublemakers know what it is they are required to comply with,? Those that are selected that is. 

Never, there is no funding available to locals, yet alone foreigners. There is no welfare system to burden. This is Thailand trying to punch above their weight again,,, if someone from a developing country goes to a developed country it is legitimate to ask for proof of funds because they often travel as tourists to then work illegaly. Who in their right mind would travel from the west to illegally work in Thailand? Total load of nonsense and yet another reason why people wont bother with Thailand. You cant make this stupidity up,, you really cant.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Poet said:

We may regard death stoicly but who knows what state our minds will be in towards the end, how diminished we might be. The problem is that, as soon as someone changes his mind and pleads to live, society is more-or-less obliged to help us.

And in Thailand they'll help you at 10x the price they charge locals.

Thailand owes me poop ..... same as I owe them.

[sawadee1947]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

And that tourists who get the much vaunted Special Tourist Visa (for stays of up to 270 days) must follow all the rules and quarantine for 14 days. 

Why not say it frankly: we don't want to have neither Tourists nor any Western farangs. ????

[cardinalblue]

I wonder if the Thai gov ever looked in the mirror and asked are there more foreigners taking care of Thais/Thai families or more Thais taking care of foreigners?
 

 

 

 

[GAZZPA]

2 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Why not say it frankly: we don't want to have neither Tourists nor any Western farangs. ????

Seems that way. I am not a conspiracy theory nutcase but I read a post last week about plans to make Thailand/ Pattaya into a Thai/Chinese playground. They do seem to be jumping on any opportunity to turn tourists off so it does make you wonder because Thai people cannot be that stupid to make statements in the press such as this, and not realise what it does to their already decimated tourist industry.

[FIRSTAGOGO]

What these people come out with is BEYOND BELIEF !

[xerostar]

Message to the government:

 

FOR GOD'S SAKE !!

JUST OPEN THE <deleted> BORDERS AND LET"S GET BACK TO NORMAL !!

 

 

[Benmart]

The indigenous, self gratifying Hi-So, talking-heads spout off in an attempt to stay relevant, oblivious that their rhetoric is damaging an already pathetic and chaotic situation. The best thing that they could contribute is silence and lending a hand to help those in need. Small chance of that happening.

[PEE TEE]

5 hours ago, jeffandgop said:

So they're going to force tourists to deposit 800,000 baht in a Thai bank and stipulate it must remain untouched and nothing withdrawn during their stay in Thailand?   

i do not think you can open a Thai bank account on a tourist visa ?

[PEE TEE]

4 minutes ago, FIRSTAGOGO said:

What these people come out with is BEYOND BELIEF !

Not really after a long time here you get use it 

[natway09]

I will say it again, I know of 5 or 6 Farangs that will come for 5/6 months & gladly do 14 days in quarantine befor going to their own apartments or long leased apartments.  All have retirement visa extensions. Just get it organized

[bkk6060]

 

13 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

I wonder if the Thai gov ever looked in the mirror and asked are there more foreigners taking care of Thais/Thai families or more Thais taking care of foreigners?
 

 

 

 

And they made the choice to do that.  Yet, continually seem to try to use it as a tool like they deserve something in return.

[SupermarineS6B]

"Burden on Thailand" ?  Have you ever heard so much verbal Horse Sh&^ coming out of this lot ?   Westerners brought Thailand out of the third world pit it was when i first turned up here, and now listen to this........ Oooooh, roll on the coup........  That's the only way out of all this ....... Ungrateful bunch of buffalo whackers....... 

[spidermike007]

Suphan is just another in an usually long line of ridiculous Thais, who are living in dreamland. Let's put even more restrictions on foreign tourists, and they will want to come even more? Silly man. You are so out it touch it boggles the mind. 

 

I think in the long run, the industry is pretty much done here. The longer they wait, the more restrictive they are, the harder tourists will search for alternatives. 

 

Dumb and dumber. 

[VBF]

1 hour ago, Enzian said:

No one can take the body to a temple and cremate it without the right Thai paperwork filed with the right Thai authorities. At some point, soon I hope, the relative or the embassy will put in motion the means to resolve this, but it's not going to be simple. I don't think this will end up being left to the hospital, but we'll see. And of course the hospital will want their money before letting it go, it's like they're holding it for ransom, but I'm not saying anything to disparage them.

OK - I don't know Thai law - in this instance, i don't know what would happen in my own country (UK) either except that this points to the answer: 

 https://www.yourfuneralchoice.com/what-happens-someone-dies-family/

 

But I would think that there is a time limit in which to claim a body - after that, the State could step in and perform a "Pauper's Funeral" (see link)

In that instance the hospital would have no say - in UK, even if a private hospital,  they would be TOLD to release the body, but I don't know about Thailand.

 

As for their money...tough!  But that takes us back to the situation where most Thai hospitals want evidence of funds before offering treatment.

[dutchberliner]

They got a weird definition of a burden.

Thailand would be as poor as laos, myanmar and cambodia if it wasn't for the capitalist western countries needing a strong hold in SE asia during the cold war.