Mandatory health insurance

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Gaybutton
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Gaybutton »

Dodger wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:28 pm I was informed by the Manager of AA Insurance Brokers/Pattaya last month that the newly released Longstay Visa Health Policies will only be approving care in State hospitals and will not be approving care in the more expensive private hospitals.
Perhaps that applies to AA, but maybe it doesn't apply to all the insurance companies. I would certainly check.

Dodger wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:28 pm The same holds true for car insurance in Thailand. You pay more for a policy (with any insurance company) if you want the policy to include the provision to have your car repaired at an "authorized dealer" versus some shop that the insurance company selects for you.
A bit off topic, but my car insurance company, Viriyah, never offered a choice. When I've needed a repair covered by my insurance, they send me to Mongkol Garage. The one in Pattaya is on the southbound side of Sukhumvit just south of the tunnel. They do an outstanding job. I highly recommend them for any service your car may need.

Their number is 038 423 136 and they do have people who speak English.

See: https://www.google.co.th/search?source= ... :1,lf_ui:2
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Undaunted »

Dodger you are getting a bit obsessive over this!
Here is a sample of a Thai private hospital Healthcare directive/living will:

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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:01 pm Here is a sample of a Thai private hospital Healthcare directive/living will:
Who/where in the hospital do you get this?
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Undaunted »

Gaybutton wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:42 pm
Undaunted wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 4:01 pm Here is a sample of a Thai private hospital Healthcare directive/living will:
Who/where in the hospital do you get this?
This is available at customer service in the lobby of the main building at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Dodger »

Dodger wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:28 pm I was informed by the Manager of AA Insurance Brokers/Pattaya last month that the newly released Longstay Visa Health Policies will only be approving care in State hospitals and will not be approving care in the more expensive private hospitals.
Gaybutton wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 2:02 pmPerhaps that applies to AA, but maybe it doesn't apply to all the insurance companies. I would certainly check.
AA is a Brokerage, not an insurance company. They deal with many insurance companies (domestic and international). The Manager was referring to all of the new Longstay Visa Policies being offered by all of the Thai insurance company's appearing on the Longstay Visa website when he remarked about them using State hospitals for Longstay policies - not private hospitals. I don't doubt him a bit. Others may.

It was this reason that I opted out of getting one of these policies and went with a Standard Pacific Cross policy which provides 780,000 coverage, plenty of outpatient, and free choice of hospitals. I selected a 40,000 deductible option which lowered the price to less than any of these rip off Longstay policies.

If anyone was considering one of these Thai Longstay policies I would strongly suggest that you ask them if the policy includes coverage in private hospitals or not before signing on the dotted line.
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

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Gaybutton wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:26 pm If anyone was considering one of these Thai Longstay policies I would strongly suggest that you ask them if the policy includes coverage in private hospitals or not before signing on the dotted line.
Meanwhile I'm still looking for a medical insurance company that offers outpatient-only coverage. Keeping 40,000 baht in a separate, untouched account may or may not be acceptable to immigration. That's something else we don't know.

If anyone knows where an outpatient-only policy can be had, please post.
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:26 pm Meanwhile I'm still looking for a medical insurance company that offers outpatient-only coverage. Keeping 40,000 baht in a separate, untouched account may or may not be acceptable to immigration. That's something else we don't know.
At least one thing seems clear. The roll out out this new requirement will only involve holders of O-A Visa's during the pilot phase in 2019. This gives holders of O Visa's a lot of time to sit back and wait for the dust to settle. I would imagine by the time they roll out phase two - the options for handling outpatient coverage will be clear...well, murky anyway.

The question regarding O-A Visa extensions has yet to be clarified by the Health Ministry or Immigration, but I believe all O-A Visa holders will be required to show proof of insurance starting in July regardless if they are first time applications or long stay extensions. This is just my opinion.
Up2u

Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Up2u »

Dodger wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:29 am but I believe all O-A Visa holders will be required to show proof of insurance starting in July regardless if they are first time applications or long stay extensions. This is just my opinion.
I hope that never comes to pass as it is simply unfair to change the rules midstream. Some posters may be unaware that there are longstay extension holders who must meet the financial 400k requirement (not 800k) because those were the rules when they got their first extension many years ago.

They were grandfathered and so should the current group of O-A holders as it is only fair.

New O-A applicants (after July) will know what the requirements are; before making one of life's most important decisions, retirement . I am a Non O holder but I have many friends who are original non O-A holders, so for now I speak for them.
fountainhall

Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by fountainhall »

Up2u wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 8:35 am I hope that never comes to pass as it is simply unfair to change the rules midstream.
In your comment re hoping this will never come to pass, am I reading the post correctly in suggesting you consider it unfair to change the rules midstream for O-A holders? If so, then surely O-A visas only last a maximum of two years after which either a new O-A has to be issued outside Thailand or the O-A is then converted into what we call on this Board an annual retirement visa. Some change of the rules in such short-term cases is surely unlikely to be a major issue.

I also think it is not wholly unfair to introduce some change of conditions to the O retirement visa requirements - provided these are done over a period of years to permit individuals to adjust to them or, if necessary, to make alternative arrangements. Other countries do it. As a UK citizen resident overseas for many years, I have seen several of my rights reduced unilaterally with no appeal. The key one re this debate is that I am no longer permitted to use the National Health Service unless I return to live in the UK for a minimum of 6 months per year - despite my having paid my National Insurance taxes to the government for the full 40 years (most whilst overseas). I was never informed of this change by any government department even as I continued to pay my monthly contributions. So I as a citizen who has paid the relevant taxes am treated worse than a refugeee or a citizen retired to Spain or France where - at least until Brexit - the EEC's reciprocal health service arrangements apply.

Here in Thailand we know that some have knowingly abused the Thai medical service and this is plain not fair. So introducing some way to prevent this continuing is, in my view, far from unreasonable. But new regulations need to be properly thought through over time with lots of specialist advice and not rammed through with a sledgehammer. And their introduction should be coupled with a fair and reasonable appeals process. That is one area where Thailand has it all wrong.

I realise that if you change one regulation for long-term stayers, then the door is open to change others. But surely again there has to be some flexibility for the government. How long have the Bt. 65K/Bt. 800K limits been in place? I don't know but I am assuming at least 20 years or more. What is the level of Thai inflation during that time? What will it be over the next 10 years? With some people taking early retirement, their monthly/annual payments could continue for 30 years. Is it actually reasonable to assume that there should be no change in those amounts over a 20 to 30 year period? I have a difficulty with that question because I based my retirement decisions on the Bt. 800K regulation and will start to have difficulties if that is increased. But I can see the argument that - eventually - it should be increased.

That clearly opens up another can of worms. Why is it that the limits are identical for those who own apartments and those who rent? I have written to the Immigration Department about this and of course have received no reply! I know a retired gay couple in central Bangkok who pay Bt. 50K in monthly rent. I know another individual who lives much farther out and pays Bt. 17K. I happen to own my apartment and pay way less than that in management and annual maintenance fees. Why am I and most other owners not subject to a lower monthly/annual limit?

I only use this as an example of why I believe the entire retirement system is mess. I doubt if anyone in the government decades ago realised that some retirees would actually purchase apartments. Likewise that they would not have enough cash to pay for the much lower hospital fees in those days.
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Re: Mandatory health insurance

Post by Dodger »

fountainhall wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:12 am ...But new regulations need to be properly thought through over time with lots of specialist advice and not rammed through with a sledgehammer. And their introduction should be coupled with a fair and reasonable appeals process. That is one area where Thailand has it all wrong.
Well stated and spot on!

The Thais seem to lack even a basic knowledge of Project Management which is evident every time there's a new policy being introduced or an existing policy revised. The very last thing they should be doing is broadcasting information to the public until after the policy has left the draft stage and has been agreed upon by all interested pirates and ready for implementation. They do this exactly backwards which results in total chaos every time.

Now I'm seeing information regarding "Mandatory Health Insurance for Tourists" which is another policy which hasn't been formalized yet, although a consortium of 3 Thai insurance company's has already developed tailored "tourist" policies and advertising them on the internet.

https://onemileatatime.com/thailand-man ... -tourists/

http://thailandtravelshield.tourismthailand.org/
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