Cheapest insurance for O-A visa

[mlkik]

I am trying to get insurance for a Non Immigrant O-A visa that covers covid and the outpatient requirement. I have only found April health that does not have a wait period .However it is very expensive at 76 000 baht for age 53. 

Edited October 18, 2020 by mlkik

[kingofthemountain]

You should give a try to LMG insurance

usualy they are the cheapest 

Even if you are not in Thailand yet

i think you can use AA insurance brokers

they perfectly know the OA requirments

 

[ubonjoe]

Pacific cross offers a policy that meets both requirements for 53k baht and you can reduce that by 50% with a 300k baht deductible.

See: https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/visa-friendly/

[mlkik]

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Pacific cross offers a policy that meets both requirements for 53k baht and you can reduce that by 50% with a 300k baht deductible.

See: https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/visa-friendly/

Unfortunately Pacific Cross have a 15 day wait period for covid and they have told me I would not be covered if I tested positive in quarantene as the wait period begins on entry to Thailand.

April Health do not have a wait period.

[mlkik]

25 minutes ago, kingofthemountain said:

You should give a try to LMG insurance

usualy they are the cheapest 

Even if you are not in Thailand yet

i think you can use AA insurance brokers

they perfectly know the OA requirments

 

April Health is run by LMG.

[ubonjoe]

4 minutes ago, mlkik said:

Unfortunately Pacific Cross have a 15 day wait period for covid and they have told me I would not be covered if I tested positive in quarantene as the wait period begins on entry to Thailand.

April Health do not have a wait period.

You also have the option to buy insurance that meets the OA insurance requirement and a separate policy for covid 19 insurance.

TGIA officers a police for corvid 19. See: https://covid19.tgia.org/

[Peter Denis]

SafetyWing < https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance > provides on-the-fly travel-insurance which includes covid-19 as part of their 250.000 US$ accident/illness coverage.  At age 53 you would pay approx 103 US $ per 4-week period and the policy can be cancelled anytime.

Combined with the cheap 'throw-away' non Imm O-A compliant LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy (6.000 THB in your age-category, with no medical required), it would be difficult to find a better deal to return to Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa when you are not already covered by your existing foreign/international insurance.

[mlkik]

22 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

You also have the option to buy insurance that meets the OA insurance requirement and a separate policy for covid 19 insurance.

TGIA officers a police for corvid 19. See: https://covid19.tgia.org/

To apply for this there is a drop down box and as someone applying for a Non Immigrant O-A visa I am not sure which box to select .

[mlkik]

23 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

You should give a try to LMG insurance

usualy they are the cheapest 

Even if you are not in Thailand yet

i think you can use AA insurance brokers

they perfectly know the OA requirments

 

I see that I can get insurance for 6000 baht for the year but would also need covid insurance for a COE.

[mlkik]

22 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

SafetyWing < https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance > provides on-the-fly travel-insurance which includes covid-19 as part of their 250.000 US$ accident/illness coverage.  At age 53 you would pay approx 103 US $ per 4-week period and the policy can be cancelled anytime.

Combined with the cheap 'throw-away' non Imm O-A compliant LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy (6.000 THB in your age-category, with no medical required), it would be difficult to find a better deal to return to Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa when you are not already covered by your existing foreign/international insurance.

 

22 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

SafetyWing < https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance > provides on-the-fly travel-insurance which includes covid-19 as part of their 250.000 US$ accident/illness coverage.  At age 53 you would pay approx 103 US $ per 4-week period and the policy can be cancelled anytime.

Combined with the cheap 'throw-away' non Imm O-A compliant LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy (6.000 THB in your age-category, with no medical required), it would be difficult to find a better deal to return to Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa when you are not already covered by your existing foreign/international insurance.

I am just concened that the Embassy would not accept this as it is monthly and not annual.

[Max69xl]

9 minutes ago, mlkik said:

 

I am just concened that the Embassy would not accept this as it is monthly and not annual.

I don't think the way the insurance is paid for matter, as long as it's valid and fulfills the requirements. That's my personal view. 

[mlkik]

7 minutes ago, Max69xl said:

I don't think the way the insurance is paid for matter, as long as it's valid and fulfills the requirements. That's my personal view. 

The policy seems a monthly policy and not a yearly policy.So in essence you would only be insured for 1 month as opposed to the whole year that the visa application requires.

I am not sure and do not want to make a mistake.

[ubonjoe]

26 minutes ago, mlkik said:

To apply for this there is a drop down box and as someone applying for a Non Immigrant O-A visa I am not sure which box to select .

They apparently have not updated their list yet.

I think i would use this one. 

[Peter Denis]

22 minutes ago, mlkik said:

I am just concerned that the Embassy would not accept this as it is monthly and not annual.

22 hours ago, Peter Denis said:

SafetyWing < https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance > provides on-the-fly travel-insurance which includes covid-19 as part of their 250.000 US$ accident/illness coverage.  At age 53 you would pay approx 103 US $ per 4-week period and the policy can be cancelled anytime.

Combined with the cheap 'throw-away' non Imm O-A compliant LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy (6.000 THB in your age-category, with no medical required), it would be difficult to find a better deal to return to Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa when you are not already covered by your existing foreign/international insurance.

> You could contact them and ask whether they can provide a certificate or insurance policy for a defined period of time.  On their website you can indicate the requested period so normally should be possible.  The fact that you only need to pay 4-weekly would be an advantage as it would allow you to stop paying (and thus cancel the policy) once you are in Thailand.

[Adelphi]

4 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

They apparently have not updated their list yet.

I think i would use this one. 

That it the one that I used to get my Certificate of Entry from the London Embassy.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, mlkik said:

 

I am just concened that the Embassy would not accept this as it is monthly and not annual.

You can buy it for a year. 

 

[daviddunham]

Pacific cross is 39'000 baht for inpatient / outpatient.

for covid insurance use "dip insure" - can pa online and receive certificate same day (about 5000 baht)

[Peter Denis]

23 minutes ago, daviddunham said:

Pacific cross is 39'000 baht for inpatient / outpatient.

for covid insurance use "dip insure" - can pa online and receive certificate same day (about 5000 baht)

1 - You are quoting Pacific Cross for the 400K/40K in/out patient coverage but need to be aware that:

a) The annual premium will be dependent upon your AGE and the chosen DEDUCTIBLE

b) Pacific Cross policies do not provide coverage for covid-19 during the first 15 days of entry in th country

c) You can buy a 400K/40K insurance policy for a fraction of the annual premium that PC charges by opting for the LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy.

2 - The TIP insurance you quote < https://covid19.tgia.org/ > is for a 1 MONTH premium only and will vary according to your NATIONALITY.  E.g. US citizens pay 3 times more than Australian citizens.

That 100.000 US $ covid-19 only insurance premium, is not AGE dependent (which is crazy from an insurers point of view - charging same for a 20 or 85 year old applicant)

For far better deals (surely when only middle-aged) check out the 'on the fly' covid-19 inclusive full travel-insurance package provided by https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/

Edited October 19, 2020 by Peter Denis

[pj123]

The LMG Policy will not cover sickness within 30 days of the start of the policy: "The Company will not pay the benefits for any sickness during the first 30 days, from the first policy commencement date." So should you purchase 30 days before your date of departure?

[Peter Denis]

17 minutes ago, pj123 said:

The LMG Policy will not cover sickness within 30 days of the start of the policy: "The Company will not pay the benefits for any sickness during the first 30 days, from the first policy commencement date." So should you purchase 30 days before your date of departure?

The cheap throw-away LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy is NOT to be confused with a regular health-insurance policy to cover you in case of catastrophic accident/illness.

The ONLY reason for subscribing to that cheap policy is that it meets the criteria for a Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance policy as imposed by IO (and it does not require an expensive medical to subscribe to it).  So you can use that policy to meet the health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country of when already in Thailand to apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.  The money you save by subscribing to that cheap throw-away policy, can then be used to take a REAL health-insurance policy e.g. provided by a foreign/international insurer that meets your actual health-care needs (and will often provide more value at a lower premium than the Thai health-insurance policies).

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by Peter Denis

[pj123]

1 hour ago, Peter Denis said:

The cheap throw-away LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy is NOT to be confused with a regular health-insurance policy to cover you in case of catastrophic accident/illness.

The ONLY reason for subscribing to that cheap policy is that it meets the criteria for a Non Imm O-A compliant health-insurance policy as imposed by IO (and it does not require an expensive medical to subscribe to it).  So you can use that policy to meet the health-insurance requirement when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country of when already in Thailand to apply for the 1-year extension of stay based on your original Non Imm O-A Visa for reason of retirement.  The money you save by subscribing to that cheap throw-away policy, can then be used to take a REAL health-insurance policy e.g. provided by a foreign/international insurer that meets your actual health-care needs (and will often provide more value at a lower premium than the Thai health-insurance policies).

 

Would this also be sufficient for a Certificate of Entry?

[Sheryl]

On 10/18/2020 at 2:37 PM, mlkik said:

April Health is run by LMG.

Not quite.

 

April Thailand (which is different policy than April International) is underwritten by LMG, but they manage the policy themselves. 

[Peter Denis]

3 minutes ago, pj123 said:

Would this also be sufficient for a Certificate of Entry?

No, that cheap policy will only meet the 400K/40K in/out-patient policy coverage which is mandatory when applying for the Non Imm O-A Visa in your home-country.

For a COE you would - like every other applicant irrespective of type Visa on which they will enter - also need to have a 100.000 US $ covid-19 coverage insurance.  See my post #18 for a policy that will meet that requirement (and provide additional value on top).

There are also Thai policies available that meet BOTH requirements, but they are typically much more expensive than opting for 2 separate policies.  It would be difficult to find a cheaper/better solution to meet both requirements than the LMG Insurance Plan 1 policy combined with the SafetyWing travel-insurance policy.

[Sheryl]

10 minutes ago, pj123 said:

Would this also be sufficient for a Certificate of Entry?

 

No as it is only 400k baht cover and you need the equivalent of US $100k.

 

You could get this plus a separate COVID only policy...or a higher level of cover.

 

 

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, Peter Denis said:

  It would be difficult to find a cheaper/better solution to meet both requirements than the LMG Insurance Plan 1 policy combined with the SafetyWing travel-insurance policy.

 

I'd have to disagree re "better". Cheaper, yes, but if you do not already have good international insurance you need to weigh a cheaper solution that provides you no actual health cover (for anything other than COVID) vs one that costs a bit more but actually covers you. Health care in Thailand is not free, even in emergencies,  and can be quite expensive.

[Peter Denis]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I'd have to disagree re "better". Cheaper, yes, but if you do not already have good international insurance you need to weigh a cheaper solution that provides you no actual health cover (for anything other than COVID) vs one that costs a bit more but actually covers you. Health care in Thailand is not free, even in emergencies,  and can be quite expensive.

The LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy is indeed totally worthless coverage-wise but sells at approx 30-40% of the next 'cheap' policy.  However, the SafetyWing travel-insurance covers any accident/illness (including covid-19) to a max of 250.000 US $ which is quite generous for the relatively cheap premium they charge. 

Note: There is of course always 'better' > e.g. my own travel-insurance policy provides UNLIMITED coverage with a small deductible for a very low premium (less than 300 US $ annually), but unfortunately it does not cover covid-19.

Conclusion > Everybody has to look at his own situation, and decide how to BOTH meet the insurance requirements to enter Thailand, as well as being well-covered in case of catastrophic illness/accident.

 

[samsensam]

 

if you just need policy document in order to obtain another document why not take out a policy, on monthly installments, then once you it's served it's purpose simply cancel the policy, (if in europe cancel within two weeks and get a full refund) you'll still have the policy document and no one will check if the premiums have been paid.

[daviddunham]

1 hour ago, samsensam said:

once you it's served it's purpose simply cancel the policy

Can't argue with that!

Get the cheapest trash with the only purpose to jump across the hurdle, then dump it and get a proper insurance once you manage the magic trick of physically entering thailand.

Edited October 19, 2020 by daviddunham

[Polaky]

On 10/18/2020 at 6:58 PM, Peter Denis said:

SafetyWing < https://safetywing.com/nomad-insurance > provides on-the-fly travel-insurance which includes covid-19 as part of their 250.000 US$ accident/illness coverage.  At age 53 you would pay approx 103 US $ per 4-week period and the policy can be cancelled anytime.

Combined with the cheap 'throw-away' non Imm O-A compliant LMG Insurance Plan-1 policy (6.000 THB in your age-category, with no medical required), it would be difficult to find a better deal to return to Thailand on a Non Imm O-A Visa when you are not already covered by your existing foreign/international insurance.

Not real cluey on Insurance but if safetywing includes covid why do you need a second oa compliant? , isn't safetywing compliant?, and which one of those two includes the $100000 us coverage?

[5ilver]

2 hours ago, Polaky said:

Not real cluey on Insurance but if safetywing includes covid why do you need a second oa compliant? , isn't safetywing compliant?, and which one of those two includes the $100000 us coverage?

I was initially considering Safetywing as they seems the best in terms of price and value, certainly cheaper than any of the "authorized" Thai ones offered on https://longstay.tgia.org/

 

For O-A, per the guidelines on https://longstay.tgia.org/, it seems that for the first year - an insurance from a non-Thai company is OK. Screenshot below:

 

 

However, I'm concerned if Safetywing will be recognized by the Thai embassy in regards to other types of visas such as the STV.  The Helsinki Thai embassy seems to specify that a policy from an "approved" Thai provider is required...