Health Insurance in Thailand

[ALANPEN 0]

I am planning to move to Bangkok in about a year or so. Who can tell me about healthcare (companies) in Thailand? I would just need a standard package as I am 32 and healthy.

 

Thanks.

[jacko 8,699]

Would be better under Expat Issues forum. Well discussed there. Try a search on the subject. I recall 1 BM had a good policy, I think it was 'Gary'. I have just taken out one in Pattaya on the 'Expats Club' group plan through AA Insurance brokers.

Edited June 18, 2007 by jacko

[w3bmast3r 0]

I just moved to Bangkok myself, and am trying to sort something out.

 

I have been deeling with a guy I found on www.ajarn.com

 

think his name is TOny Dabbs from www.e-insurethailand.com

 

Prices seem very competitive and not too expensive circa 30K

[davethailand 91]

I have AIA worldwide cover which i did in pattaya but i also know the chief rep for AXA here in pattaya also as he does my fire/ public liabilty insurance on the house and bar.

[torrenova 644]

Prices vary enormously. Take the Pattaya Expats one mentioned above. Standard rate for al which means that if you are below median age group you will be paying more as the older participants will be skewing it in their favour.

 

Good to know that this plan has increased in cost significantly due to its popularity and most likely claims history whilst offering somewhat limited benefits.

[Eneukman 1]

I was going to start new thread but I'll ask the question here.

 

Many people in the older age bracket have a pre-existing medical condition, which will not be coverd if you were to take ill in the future. However, I believe that there must be some sort of group insurance policy available that will cover such conditions, albeit for a considerably higher premium. Anyone ghave any sugestions here?

 

Alan

[Gary 4,096]

I have my health insurance with a company called Liberty Mutual Group. The company may often be referred to as LMG Pacific. I have had it for about four years now and must stay with that company because they promise not to drop me after a certain age. The earlier you start the better off you are as far as premiums. I pay about 22,000 baht per year. That covers hospital bills and no outpatient care. The maximum payout per occurrence is 1,250,000 baht. They do NOT cover preexisting conditions. I take medication for hypertension and anything relating to high blood pressure will not be covered. That's the way it is, take it or leave it. I have used it one. I had appendicitis and the bill was about 49,000 baht. They paid all except 15 baht. I didn't complain.

[galt67 2]

Try this link--scroll down and their are three Thai based insurers.

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~galt1967/id22.html

[Tel 0]

I am in the process of taking out health insurance for me and the family.

 

I looked at the group insurance offered through the Pattaya Expats Club. You have to be a member. New members have to be less than 60 and do not cover after 65. I think it is about 12,000 baht for a year. The amount covered in each category is limited and I am going for more extensive cover. It is better than nothing.

 

I am looking at BUPA, LMG Pacific and NZI. The costs are similar. For 32 year old LMG Pacific would be about 40,000 baht for 5 million baht cover. This include outpatient. Without outpatient it would be 32,000 baht.

 

So you see for good cover the costs go up.

 

I recommend you talk to AAS Insurance if you are in Pattaya. Thye have a new office near Big C. For insurance brokers in Bangkok I cannot help you.

 

All the insurance companies do costs by age. They exclude pre-existing conditions. Thus the conditions should not effect the costs.

 

I believe you will not be able to get an insurance company to cover pre-existing conditions. They may remove the exclusion of a condition after a few years if you have not had need for treatment for it.

[Owen` 2]

I believe you will not be able to get an insurance company to cover pre-existing conditions. They may remove the exclusion of a condition after a few years if you have not had need for treatment for it.

 

 

I am in South America typing this. It is part of my overall investigations of where to be as the years accumulate.

 

Blood pressure as a pre-ex condition is one of the worst to have because the insurance company excluding it can exclude heart attack, stroke, kidney failure -- pretty much anything serious you are likely to endure.

 

In the context of anything being available for a price, it would be useful to discuss these things NOT with a broker but with the companies directly. They are trying to limit their liabilities, of course, but the one thing Thailand has going for it is low cost. A policy covering you in Thailand should not burden that company with all that much of a liability. You should be able to negotiate something for an elevated premium.

 

More ominously, guys, in general insurance companies know a lot more about this stuff than we do. If they won't cover something, it means it is very likely to be in your future. Start with the weight loss regimens, and frequent exercise, and don't start forgetting to take your pills. Do everything you can to be above average.

Edited June 22, 2007 by Owen`

[dacah 0]

Assume all heath insurance is tax deductable ?????

[Owen` 2]

Health insurance is not tax deductible right now for most who are in the category of this thread. Besides which, guys should understand what deductible means.

 

It just means your taxable income for a given year is reduced by the amount in question. If your income is low (like most retirees), the the tax rate is also low and the amount of money "saved" is tiny.

 

Tax deductibility is always best viewed as a percentage subsidy of a cost. If an expenditure (cost) is deductible, then the tax rate you pay (a percentage) is the amount of price reduction of that expenditure.

[Emil 0]

Health insurance is not tax deductible right now for most who are in the category of this thread. Besides which, guys should understand what deductible means.

 

It just means your taxable income for a given year is reduced by the amount in question. If your income is low (like most retirees), the the tax rate is also low and the amount of money "saved" is tiny.

 

Tax deductibility is always best viewed as a percentage subsidy of a cost. If an expenditure (cost) is deductible, then the tax rate you pay (a percentage) is the amount of price reduction of that expenditure.

 

Even if your income is high its difficult to deduct as I believe you can only deduct medical expenses that are in excess of 7.5% of your taxable income. So if your taxable income is 100k, then you only get to deduct those costs over $7500.

 

This doesn't help the OP, but I have an HMO which I pay about 1/3 of the premium and the feds pay the rest. I'm covered while on vacation and out of the service area. I stopped in and talk to the customer service people at my HMO and asked them would I still be covered if I was on an 11 month vacation every year since I'm retired and they told me yes but only for emergencies which is fine with me.

[Owen` 2]

This doesn't help the OP, but I have an HMO which I pay about 1/3 of the premium and the feds pay the rest. I'm covered while on vacation and out of the service area. I stopped in and talk to the customer service people at my HMO and asked them would I still be covered if I was on an 11 month vacation every year since I'm retired and they told me yes but only for emergencies which is fine with me.

 

Get that in writing before you presume it is true. Talk is cheap and "emergencies" can be re-interpreted at will. For example, they might pay to stop the bleeding, but not for the effort of setting broken bones. They will certainly not cover you "in network".

 

This stuff is a subject EVERYONE hates to study. Whenever you get an answer that looks easy and seems like good news, dig deeper. There is no good news in this field, even for government employees. There are always caveats.

[Shilo 371]

How are pre-ex conditions determined?

 

I have never had to go out an buy an insurance policy. I have always been covered by a workplace policy as part of my employment benefits.

 

When you sign up for a policy, do you have a physical or do they ask for your old medical records?

 

.

[Eneukman 1]

How are pre-ex conditions determined?

 

I have never had to go out an buy an insurance policy. I have always been covered by a workplace policy as part of my employment benefits.

 

When you sign up for a policy, do you have a physical or do they ask for your old medical records?

 

.

 

They ask you in the application form.

 

If you lie and say no, the policy could be invalidated should you ever need to make a claim, even if it's for something totally unrelated to yuor pre-existing condition.

 

Alan

[Owen` 2]

How are pre-ex conditions determined?

 

I have never had to go out an buy an insurance policy. I have always been covered by a workplace policy as part of my employment benefits.

 

When you sign up for a policy, do you have a physical or do they ask for your old medical records?

 

.

 

 

They ask you in the application form.

 

If you lie and say no, the policy could be invalidated should you ever need to make a claim, even if it's for something totally unrelated to yuor pre-existing condition.

 

 

Eneukman is correct. The ramification of this is . . . they will quietly collect your premiums and say nothing at all about the matter until you file a claim. Then they will refuse to pay.

 

All your years on a group plan, as government worker or corporation worker, are in a database. All your treatments and medical visits are in records and that data is available to an insurance company faced with a big claim. You have no chance of ducking this. If a claim is big enough, the insurance companies have a process in place to easily and cheaply check up on you. It is not to their benefit to trigger that process until you file a claim.

 

And that's how it works.

[torrenova 644]

You do not have to disclose things which you know but which are not on record, under your name (use a different name to get checked out).

 

The principle is uberrimae fidae.

[Owen` 2]

The different name idea is a good one. You'd probably need to do this in a different country than the US, but that is certainly possible. In the US, the pricing is so high for a doctor's visit that a credit card comes into play, and your name is on it.

 

It's a good idea though and maybe folks can figure out a way to dodge the database.

[jackcorbett 2]

First off, here's what happened to me in the U.S. The company that's most widely known and perhaps most respected for health insurance is Blue Cross Blue Shield. However, many companies, some of them pretty large companies offered similar policies with similar pricing and some of these heath plans were a bit cheaper. I went with one company that offered a good program, but after a couple of years it got out of the health insurance business. Then I signed on with Mutual of Omaha which is a huge insurance company and was with them for a few years. However. Mutual of Omaha decided to get out of the health insurance business while keeping its other insurance lines intact. In the U.S. insurance laws provide that when a company gets out of the medical insurance business another company must offer all of the first company's insureds a similar plan to what they had before. So with Mutual of Omaha getting out of the health insurance business I was invited to sign on with a company called John Alden. The problem was that after I was with this new company for a couple of years I found out that I could have a similar policy with Blue Cross--Blue Shield that would cost me substantially less money. But by that time because of a DWI charge against me that occurred ten years previously I could not get on with Blue Cross--Blue Shield. What all that amounted to is that Illinois residents in the U.S. who are found guilty of driving while intoxicated are required to take so many hours of counseling as part of their penalty. So the fact that I had to undergo this state mandated counseling 10 years earlier meant that I was permanently labeled as a man with an alcohol problem so whenever I'd fill out a health insurance application while seeking new coverage there would always be a question pertaining to counseling sessions for alcohol and drug related problems and you'd have to say yes to it------"I did undergo counseling." And of course if you are rejected for health insurance by any company you have to admit to it while providing the reason. So I waited two years and went online to fill out another Blue Cross application. Went like this. "Yes, I was rejected by your company two years ago and it was on account of that DWI ten years ago. However two years ago I quit drinking." Once again I was rejected and the reason went something like this..."You are rejected because you quit drinking 2 years ago." Whatever the hell that means.

 

So okay.....here I'm in Thailand now. And I just turned sixty. Two years ago I got on with BUPA which is pretty high dollar for Thailand (but cheap compared to American insurance companies). One of the biggest reasons for going with BUPA is I felt it was the least likely out of all the companies I know of ever getting out of the health care insurance business. I viewed rightly or wrongly BUPA as being the international equivalent of Blue Cross Blue Shield. I was very concerned I'd sign on with an insurance company here in Thailand only to have it decide to terminate its health insurance lines after which it would send a letter out to all its customers saying: "Sorry but we have to leave you now. Hope you can find another company. Bye Bye." And that happens after I'm sixty or sixty-five? What to do next? Also on reading my BUPA policy, I noted that so long as I pay my premiums on time I'll be continually covered even after I turn 70.

Edited July 2, 2007 by jackcorbett

[torrenova 644]

I think that is a worry for most retirees here. Most are 50+, many 60+ and the situation with Larry has highlighted the worries. Continuing cover is often only available to those who were with the company before a certain age.

 

However, there comes a point where self iscurance is a viable option. Depending upon your age now, paying ludicrous premiums now, just so you can be covered when you are 65 or 70 is madness in some cases, especially if finances are stretched. Putting that money away and perhaps getting a more simple policy or a policy with less "bells and whistles" is the way to go.

[RWB 0]

Although moving to LOS is still about 2 1/2 yrs away I have done some research with my work insurance. I work for a county entity that has a pretty good group coverage plan. The catch comes when you are "out of the service area". I was told that LOS is defenitly "out of area". Because I am single and my kids grown I only have to carry my self at no cost to me. My insurance will continue after I retire. As I will be living "out of area" they will only cover 50 %. Considering the cost of medical in LOS this really isn't too bad. I don't know at this point whether to pick up more insurance when I move or not.

 

Until recently I had no pre-existing conditions and am not sure what will happen in the future. Because of Agent Orange exposure my liver problem may or may not resolve itself and I do not know if this will be forever considered a pre-existing condition. I have never been asked and have certainly never told any insurance company about Agent Orange as I imagine that, contrary to the gov't, the insurance companies would blame everything on it, call it pre-existing and refuse to cover anything. Aside from the liver problem and a bit of a off/on cholesteral problem I am probably healthier than most 35 year olds. Never been overweight, never smoked, and now don't drink. Now if I could just look 35 again .

[Owen` 2]

Although moving to LOS is still about 2 1/2 yrs away I have done some research with my work insurance. I work for a county entity that has a pretty good group coverage plan. The catch comes when you are "out of the service area". I was told that LOS is defenitly "out of area". Because I am single and my kids grown I only have to carry my self at no cost to me. My insurance will continue after I retire. As I will be living "out of area" they will only cover 50 %. Considering the cost of medical in LOS this really isn't too bad. I don't know at this point whether to pick up more insurance when I move or not.

 

Here's what you need to find out for sure:

 

What is the current rate of premium increase? Not just your portion. The total premium paid for by county PLUS you. If you pay it all, okay. If the county pays any of it, don't bet on them continuing to do so.

 

Will your deductible and maximum out of pocket per year change for "out of service area"? Are they changing year to year as rates go up?

 

No one needs to know anything about previous conditions if you can prevent it. When you move, see if you can get your doc to give you your records. Not a copy of them. Your records in their entirety. This is almost certain to fail, but almost is worth asking. Then when you have the, toss the previous conditions as long and mention them verbally to any future docs.

 

Lastly, the 50% coverage is something that only applies to bills they accept. If they declare that they won't accept a claim based on "some third world quack", you could be in trouble. Find out what they need to see for a claim to be funded.

[RWB 0]

Thanks, good advice Owen. The county pays 100 % of premium. I have never paid any and will not after retirement. I don't think in this case they will stop paying at some near point in the future, although that is always a consideration. I do need to check back with risk management and the insurer also to see what they will demand for them to pay a bill. If my memory serves me correctly the deductable will remain the same, but I will lose the "co-pay" part because out of area.

 

Thanks again, your advice is as usual good advice for all.

[fredcyber 0]

Try Bupa. They have an office on Sukhumwit just before you get to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, just after the turning for Pattaya Nua. Their premiums are surprisingly reasonable (15000 to 30000 per annum) depending on which plan you want and the cover looks pretty comprehensive.

 

No use to me because I am stuck with a Bupa International Uk policy or I lose cover for some pre existing conditions. Monthly premiums about the same as the annual above.