New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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odd

Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by odd »

With regard to 'walking out on hospital bill payments I have had out-patient treatment in 3 private hospitals in the past 10 days-lucky me! Two of the hospitals were in Pattaya and on each occasion I was accompanied by a member of staff from the treatment room to the cashier.
At Bumrungrad yesterday I was allowed to go to the cashier on my own.
So maybe Pattaya patients are more of a risk than those in Bangkok!
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2019 5:41 pm
Undaunted wrote: Fri Nov 15, 2019 1:41 pm Do you really think it makes a deference what you or any other farang think?

Despite how unfair this is, once again not a word from any of the embassies. Maybe we're all on their list of people not to give a shit about.
The mission of the U.S. Embassy in Thailand is to liaise with the Thai government, various organizations and individuals in Thailand to promote common values between the two countries, including personal freedom, human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Immigration's attempts to manipulate their own version of the health insurance policy, as originally drafted and approved by the Health Ministry, with the intentions of forcing foreigners to purchase policies only from a mandated insurance company, or list of mandated company's, not only compromises the democratic freedom that foreigners are intended to be provided while residing in Thailand, but also contradicts the visa application requirements as published by the Royal Thai Embassy and the U.S. State Department.

I would assume all Foreign Embassies operating in Thailand have similar missions.

An option a foreigner would have would be to contact their Embassy if they felt their rights were being violated.

U.S. Embassy Contact Information:

Peter Haymond, Charge d'Affaires
c/c Karen FitzGerald, Immigration & Citizenship Office
United States Embassy
120/22 Wireless Road
Bangkok, Thailand 10330
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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Dodger wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 10:21 am An option a foreigner would have would be to contact their Embassy if they felt their rights were being violated.
It's not a question of rights being violated. Thailand has a right to do what is being done, but they're unfair in doing it. It's a question of sheer stupidity, greed, and unfair treatment of foreigners. If it is going to completely disrupt the lives of foreign retirees and force them out of Thailand, some of whom may have lived here many years and never violated any rules, then what's the fair part? And the embassies seem perfectly willing to sit back and just let this happen. Why? Are they all afraid of ruffling the wrong feathers or they don't consider it important enough to give a damn? I don't see how it could be anything else other than either of those.

We shouldn't have to contact the embassies. Contact them and tell them what - what they already know? As far as I can tell, nobody from any of the embassies have said to any of the Thai powers-that-be that what they're doing is wrong, unfair, and harmful to perfectly innocent retirees in Thailand. Why won't they? What are they afraid of - or is it that they just don't care? People can contact the embassies about it if they want to, but I doubt they'll get anything other than a canned meaningless answer. I still see no valid reason why we can't bring proof of monthly income to the embassies and go back to issuing income affidavits, let alone do anything to deal with this latest issue.

Undaunted is probably right when he says the Thai authorities won't listen to farang retirees. But they would listen if the embassies would get involved.

And if any embassies have indeed contacted Thai authorities about this, why have they not told us? Either none of the embassies have contacted any Thai authorities on our behalf or for some reason telling us about it is a big secret. Guess which one it is . . .


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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Dodger »

Buriram Province Status:

According to what I was told this morning by several retired expats residing in Buriram, including the owner of a popular Buriram restaurant/pub, is that retirees who have Extension of Stays (Retirement Stamps) are not being required to show proof of health insurance. Based on comments made by two Buriram expats who just renewed their retirement extensions in the last two weeks, this requirement only applies to people who are either applying for, or renewing their O-A Visa's, and does not apply to those who are already retired in Thailand on Extension of Stays.

To date: I have not seen a single report coming from a retiree saying he or she was required to have health insurance when renewing a Retirement Extension. This applies to all Provinces since this conundrum started.

To date: I have not seen any reports of O-A visa applications being rejected because the visa holders were insured by a Company, other than one of those shown on the controversial (and erroneous) TGIA Approved list, as long as a valid Insurance Certificate was provided.

Anybody hear anything different lately?
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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Dodger wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:22 pm According to what I was told
I'm not clear about what you're saying. Which visa are these people holding, O or O-A?
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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Gaybutton wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 12:50 pm It's not a question of rights being violated.
I'm sorry, we'll just have to disagree on this point.

Mandating health insurance is their call. No dispute there. But mandating that foreigners only use insurance companies which the Immigration Police have endorsed (for whatever reason), is a violation of our freedom of choice which our Embassies are chartered to protect.

I don't doubt that there have been situations where foreign embassies have got involved when polices or decisions like this create a lot of turmoil, but we'd be the last ones to hear about their role is this for diplomacy reasons. Nobody loses face.

I agree that our embassies don't do enough, but if they're not informed of an issue, then there's no issue to resolve.
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Dodger »

Gaybutton wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:26 pm
Dodger wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:22 pm According to what I was told
I'm not clear about what you're saying. Which visa are these people holding, O or O-A?
Every person in the conversation had extensions of stay on an original O-A Visa, the same as the one I have.

Just to reiterate: The visa you used to enter Thailand is irrelevant once you are in the extension process.
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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Dodger wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:22 pm renewing their O-A Visa's, and does not apply to those who are already retired in Thailand on Extension of Stays.
Am I missing something? What's the difference between renewing an O-A and extending it?
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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Dodger wrote: Sat Nov 16, 2019 2:04 pm a violation of our freedom of choice which our Embassies are chartered to protect.
Two problems with that:

1. American freedom of choice applies in America. It doesn't apply in Thailand, at least not in this instance. In Thailand, under Thai law, a country in which you chose to live, there is no American jurisdiction to protect American rights. The only thing the embassies can do is help protect your rights under Thai law if you have been arrested and charged with a crime. If you feel your rights in Thailand, under Thai law, are being violated, what do you think the embassies can do, or will do, other than tell you to hire a lawyer and take it to court? That is why, since this affects all O-A visa holders and has the potential of eventually affecting O visa holders too, I would like to see the embassies lodge some sort of formal protest. That's the best chance of getting this policy changed.

2. There are many farang from different countries where freedom of choice doesn't work the way it does in America.
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by richsilver »

If you are a retiree on a retirement extension, you are renewing your extension of stay. You are not renewing your visa or extending it.
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