Coming to Thailand? Check your insurance and ASQ fine print.

[rooster59]

Coming to Thailand? Check your insurance and ASQ fine print.

By The Thaiger

 

 

A concerned reader sent us this information, based on his experiences in the ASQ when he arrived in Thailand. We publish them with good faith but would urge everyone to check their insurance situation, whether they’re currently in ASQ or might be in the near future, to check your individual circumstances. The comments made about the ‘system’ are those of the writer…

 

“Under current Thai ASQ rules, anyone who fails the RT-PCR test in quarantine is sent to hospital, even if they have no symptoms. The ASQ quarantine fee (paid in advance to the hotel) does not cover the hospital costs. So insurance is required.

 

1. I checked with AXA Thailand, as they offer an insurance policy for US$100,000 to meet the Covid-19 insurance laws. They told me this does NOT cover hospitalisation without symptoms, even after failing the covid-19 tests that are required in quarantine. I believe the odds of anyone who fails the test in quarantine having no symptoms are at least 50% and in this case their insurance will be invalid. The policy is not fit for purpose!

 

2. Most UK insurers offer travel insurance cover for “Emergency Medical Care”. As being sent to hospital merely for failing a test is not an emergency, then they do not cover being sent to hospital from ASQ.

 

3. Some UK insurers invalidate all of the medical cover, as any visitor to Thailand is “awaiting tests for an undiagnosed condition”, because they require RT-PCR tests.”

 

The bottomline on all this is ask questions, check your insurance coverage and get everything in writing.

 

Source: https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/coming-to-thailand-check-your-insurance-and-asq-fine-print

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2020-11-22

 

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[smedly]

scam

 

[madmitch]

I thought the whole reason for taking the cover with a Thai Government approved company was because they do cover non-symptomatic hospitalisation, whereas foreign insurers almost certainly would not. I don't know where AXA-Thailand falls.

 

I know the ceo of one of the apporved insurers so I'll try to check.

[brucegoniners]

The cost is 100K or the coverage is 100K?

 

[Salerno]

26 minutes ago, brucegoniners said:

coverage is 100K

 

^ This (minimum cover required - that's US$100K).

Edited November 22, 2020 by Salerno

[Bluetongue]

Better find some symptoms pretty quick, get a headache, lose your sense of smell and bung on a cough and a sniffle

[richard_smith237]

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 while not presenting symptoms should demand a second test. 

 

There is a possibility of a false positive; 0.8 to 4% - according to the Lancet) and possibly higher according to ‘other’ sources. 

 

 

The ‘insurance’ issue is good to know about. Anyone going into quarantine needs to receive in writing confirmation that any hospitalisation based on test results will be covered by there insurance - thats the whole objective of having the insurance which covers Covid-19. 

[alianware]

The most stupid thing of thai insurance. It is just to fraud people.  Not symtom make someone sick , but the test result. 

Cancer has also no symtom !

[pokerface1]

The fine print will get you in the end so read it!!

[Thomas J]

This insurance was a lobbying effort by the insurance companies.  Ridiculous.  If Thailand was or is worried about foreigners being admitted to hospitals and not paying their expenses a simple fee could be imposed for entering Thailand for each tourist.  Assuming a normal year of 38 million million tourists a fee of as little as 100 baht would provide a fund of 3.8 billion.  Even a modest fee of 1,000 baht would provide a fund of 38 million.  Almost enough to buy two submarines. ????    I am certain that tourists visiting Thailand would prefer to have a fee assessed than go through the necessary hurdles to get an insurance policy and as this article so accurately describes they still might find they are not covered. 

[Kadilo]

Thai Insurance that doesnt really Insure you. Add that as another reason to avoid the place until the lunacy ends. 

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, Kadilo said:

Thai Insurance that doesnt really Insure you. Add that as another reason to avoid the place until the lunacy ends. 

 

My Thai Insurance Policy is about to pay for 170,000 baht treatment.

 

That said: I’m not sure if it will pay for Covid-19 hospitalisation based on a test result only and without symptoms. 

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 while not presenting symptoms should demand a second test. 

 

 

 

Done routinely. A result is nto considered positive until a second test is positive.

 

This is why so many of the announced positive cases give a day 4-5 days after arrival. It is the date the result of the second test is known.

 

The tgia policies will cover hospitalization for asymptpmatic cases.

 

AXA is not one of those.

 

 

[VBF]

Big thanks to @rooster59 for posting this. ????

 

I've been saying for a while, "Oh it's OK, my UK travel insurance includes well over $100K Covid cover".....but haven't even thought to check the details in this thread!

@richard_smith237 sums it up nicely "and get everything in writing" seems more essential than ever.

 

Sadly, I think what @Kadilo  said about "avoiding the place until the lunacy ends" is what most tourists should be planning (myself included ????)

 

IMO, if and when vaccination takes off, various governments will consider relaxing some entry requirements and if recent news is accurate that may not be too long.

Of course whether Thailand is included remains to be seen.

Edited November 22, 2020 by VBF

[cerox]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 while not presenting symptoms should demand a second test. 

 

There is a possibility of a false positive; 0.8 to 4% - according to the Lancet) and possibly higher according to ‘other’ sources. 

 

 

The ‘insurance’ issue is good to know about. Anyone going into quarantine needs to receive in writing confirmation that any hospitalisation based on test results will be covered by there insurance - thats the whole objective of having the insurance which covers Covid-19. 

 

Not sure whether you can "demand" a second test.

They will make their decision. Not you.

[GeoMill]

Good to know. So is there a list or from experience of others which insurer will cover asymptomatic hospitalization? I'm orientating since we (wife, kid and I) plan to head to Thailand in Januari so it'd be good to know which insurers to aim for! ????

 

4 hours ago, alianware said:

The most stupid thing of thai insurance. It is just to fraud people.  Not symtom make someone sick , but the test result. 

Cancer has also no symtom !

 

Cancer has no symptoms? You're joking right?

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, cerox said:

 

Not sure whether you can "demand" a second test.

They will make their decision. Not you.

 

I’m not sure either. But, If a person is paying for a second test my guess would be that the ASQ Staff or Hospital would not refuse.

 

 

[ronaldo0]

Just something I found yesterday while checking if everyone needed test before using any Emirates flight . On their site it says if you fly with them they will cover you insurance wise for 31 days from flight date . They will pay any Covid related hospital treatment if you are taken there be the test positive or not if tested positive in ASQ or coming off the flight . 

[Scot123]

2 hours ago, Kadilo said:

Thai Insurance that doesnt really Insure you. Add that as another reason to avoid the place until the lunacy ends. 

I personally think is there will be great residue's from all this "Covid" visa demands carried forward well after what people perceive to be an end or vaccine day. Mandatory insurance has been talked about for a long time in thailand as has tagging all non thai people.

[bigmac1]

If anyone books any foreign holiday, let alone to Thailand during this pandemic, they must be out of their minds. I think you will find any travel advice, from any country, is "DO NOT TRAVEL" unless it's essential. Basically STAY AT HOME until we come out of this crisis. End of !!!!

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

I’m not sure either. But, If a person is paying for a second test my guess would be that the ASQ Staff or Hospital would not refuse.

 

 

As explained, second test is routine when there is a positive result. No need to demand anything, it is always done. in Thailand and elsewhere. normal medical practice.

[UB40]

What scares me ... healthy people (negative test) start to Thailand. 3 days in luxury quarantine hotels there are suddenly positive.

Seems to be a good additional $$$ business idea for Thailand. 

It's just one more reason to stay away. If I wanna visit Thailand, I burn a incense candle and look youTube

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, GeoMill said:

Good to know. So is there a list or from experience of others which insurer will cover asymptomatic hospitalization?

All the ones on the tgia COVID list will.

https://covid19.tgia.org/

These are Thai companies and automatic hospitalization if positive is assumed.

 

 

Note that we don't have any actual reports of anyone's coverage being denied because they were asymptomatic and the usual level of detail supplied by Thai hospitals to insurance companies is sketchy in the extreme, usually just diagnosis and proposed treatment. Presence/absence of symptoms would thus not be flagged and would come to light only if the insurance company probed into the matter. Which might or  might not occur.

 

 

[Letseng]

7 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 while not presenting symptoms should demand a second test. 

 

There is a possibility of a false positive; 0.8 to 4% - according to the Lancet) and possibly higher according to ‘other’ sources. 

 

 

The ‘insurance’ issue is good to know about. Anyone going into quarantine needs to receive in writing confirmation that any hospitalisation based on test results will be covered by there insurance - thats the whole objective of having the insurance which covers Covid-19. 

Who is "other"?

Btw, while you may start of asymptomatic you well feel rather ill a few days down the line. There goes your false positive out of the window.

[pantsonfire]

So is the best bet for a tr visa to go via emirates and have another insurance to cover the other cases?

[UB40]

8 hours ago, Thomas J said:

This insurance was a lobbying effort by the insurance companies.  Ridiculous.  If Thailand was or is worried about foreigners being admitted to hospitals and not paying their expenses a simple fee could be imposed for entering Thailand for each tourist.  Assuming a normal year of 38 million million tourists a fee of as little as 100 baht would provide a fund of 3.8 billion.  Even a modest fee of 1,000 baht would provide a fund of 38 million.  Almost enough to buy two submarines. ????    I am certain that tourists visiting Thailand would prefer to have a fee assessed than go through the necessary hurdles to get an insurance policy and as this article so accurately describes they still might find they are not covered. 

Some people have several credit cards. I recommend to have multiple insurances and very deep pockets too, when entering Thailand. There will be or find reasons to collect as much as possible. 

[SCOTT FITZGERSLD]

13 hours ago, Thomas J said:

Assuming a normal year of 38 million million tourists a fee of as little as 100 baht would provide a fund of 3.8 billion

but this is not a normal year, and even if thailand will open doors wide open tomorrow - with no need for any test not quarantine, the way it is in mexico and brazil - still  even 5% of the tourist will not come

[farang51]

12 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Note that we don't have any actual reports of anyone's coverage being denied because they were asymptomatic

I can't imagine that they would or could deny coverage of an asymptomatic case. You have COVID and should be covered.

 

It is much more important to know who pays if you get a false positive. As far as I understand, they move you to the hospital immediately after a positive test, and even if they test you again the same day, you will have to stay at the hospital 1-2 days until they get the result of the second test. If it is negative, do the insurance cover when you did not have COVID?

 

[Blumpie]

What a gamble you are taking going to Thailand.  

That is why nobody is going there!  Or anywhere.  

You're getting on a plane full of Thais that don't take a test to get on!  

[Thomas J]

7 hours ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

but this is not a normal year, and even if thailand will open doors wide open tomorrow - with no need for any test not quarantine, the way it is in mexico and brazil - still  even 5% of the tourist will not come

Scott Fitzgersld

No this is not a "typical year"  Only that much more reason not to add any additional hurdles to coming.  If there are fewer tourists than there will be fewer who potentially would come into the hospital DUH