medical insurance

[tomo1854 0]

hi all could anybody give me a rough idea how much medical insurance costs per month or year, iknow this can vary due to age ailments etc just a rough idea would help ,is there a web site for info?

[midlifecrisis 4,030]

In addition, what are the better insurance carriers for expats?

 

Web links would be nice.

[jacko 8,766]

hi all could anybody give me a rough idea how much medical insurance costs per month or year, iknow this can vary due to age ailments etc just a rough idea would help ,is there a web site for info?

This has a lot to do with your age. Beyond 60 it gets hard to find insurance, or expensive and you might consider self insurance.

 

The 'piece of string' answer...Expats Club offer a group plan of 1Million baht cover , about 16k/year....

 

BUPA are here and when I last asked good cover was above 60k/annum.

 

http://www.pattayaexpatsclub.com/ExpatsAAInsurancePlan.doc

Edited July 3, 2008 by jacko

[hybrid 1]

there seem to be 3 main ones

bupa,

thai insurance via expats club or thaivisa, the group model,

thai insurance independant cover for over 60's,

and Axa

 

a lot depends on your age and budget.

i recently had a meeting with an insurance advisor on this and the best budget cover was with AXA.

to get reasonable cover i had to go for Axa's smartcare exec+ policy on the +4 or +5 level.

premiums were. (i was going to type them in , but i'll try attachign the cover sheets, i'll leave them big or they will be unreadable)

i was told this cover give a level the same as expats/thaivisa insurance , at the same sort of price but withthout so many restictions. also there claim limit was worked out differently so worked out better

 

[midlifecrisis 4,030]

What do people do after age 65?

[hybrid 1]

What do people do after age 65?

 

after 65

if you are already covered most plans will continue after 65.

the thaivisa/expats group cover is for under 60's (or under 65's) then they will put you on indivdual cover instead of group.

like everyhting though it will cost more and they quote on case by case i think

[ginseng 0]

I have BUPA I got inpatient and outpatient coverage but after living here and seeing how inexpensive outpatient coverage is I will only get inpatient emergency coverage when it's time to renew.

[Eneukman 1]

I have BUPA I got inpatient and outpatient coverage but after living here and seeing how inexpensive outpatient coverage is I will only get inpatient emergency coverage when it's time to renew.

 

I only have in-patient coverage for that very reason.

 

In 3 years, my out-patient costs have only come to a total of 10,000 baht - if that. Half of that was for an eye infection 2 1/2 years ago!

 

Alan

[tomo1854 0]

thanks folks we are under sixty so will have a shop about another thing i am trying to find out is prescription medicines in thailand i take tablets for blood pressure and choleseterol are these easy to come by and what costs?

[hybrid 1]

thanks folks we are under sixty so will have a shop about another thing i am trying to find out is prescription medicines in thailand i take tablets for blood pressure and choleseterol are these easy to come by and what costs?

 

bllod pressure i have no idea .. choleseterol simvastin are cheap though .. about 100baht for a box of 24 i think (generic brand)

[tomo1854 0]

that sounds cheap enough for cholesterol tablets would have to look into it about bp meds i presume you dont need a prescription for these type of meds?

[jacko 8,766]

BP meds (particularly generic or Thai made equivalents) are cheaply available without prescription.

[Eneukman 1]

thanks folks we are under sixty so will have a shop about another thing i am trying to find out is prescription medicines in thailand i take tablets for blood pressure and choleseterol are these easy to come by and what costs?

 

What tablets do you take for your blood pressure? A Thai version of atenolol is available here - 2 or 3 baht per table. They don't have the 25 mg version so I have to cut a 50 mg one in half, which reduces the effective cost.

 

Bendrofluazide isn't available here but I was recommended to take dichlotride instead. They too are around 2 or 3 baht per tablet.

 

My blood pressure is kept well under control with them.

 

Alan

[bigdelta 46]

thanks folks we are under sixty so will have a shop about another thing i am trying to find out is prescription medicines in thailand i take tablets for blood pressure and choleseterol are these easy to come by and what costs?

Norvasc 5mg is USD 29 for 30 day supply at Boot's IIRC.Wish I had kept the receipt.I bought a 3 month supply to tide me over until my move in Sept.

[nidnoyham 30]

There was a law passed this month, in the UK, about discrimination in the work place. One of the items covered in this law was ' Ageism' I am sure they mentioned that Insurance companies will not be allowed to charge more, because of age alone. It may mean going for a medical to get cover, but that will suit many. It's about time we oldies got a look in on all this PC stuff.

 

My mates dad ,who was 79 at the time, snapped His Archillies tendon in Rayong. He had insurance arranged by Age Concern. Had all expenses, including business class flight home for him and my mate to accompany him.

 

This was holiday insurance, but it may be worth having a look in this direction.

 

What tablets do you take for your blood pressure? A Thai version of atenolol is available here - 2 or 3 baht per table. They don't have the 25 mg version so I have to cut a 50 mg one in half, which reduces the effective cost.

 

Bendrofluazide isn't available here but I was recommended to take dichlotride instead. They too are around 2 or 3 baht per tablet.

 

My blood pressure is kept well under control with them.

 

Alan

 

 

Alan, just out of curiosity. Have you tried laying off these pills since living in LOS ? Having a more relaxed lifestyle ( shagging excepted ) may be doing what you are giving them credit for. If you need a contact for cheap Khamagra, let me know

[Tel 0]

We have insurance for the family in Pattaya. Me, wife and 2 children.

 

It depends on what cover you need. The Expats is OK for basic cover but the limits are not high.

 

I dealt with AA Insurance (next to Big C on Sirkhumvit Road). The owner sets up the Expats insurance. He also speaks at the Expat meeting on Insurance. He is English. I suggest you contact him to give you advice.

 

We looked at BUPA and LMG Insurance. Not much between them in price. We chose LMG because of the flexibility of options.

 

From what I discovered, is that the rate is based only on age. All the things already wrong with you are listed as pre-existing exclusions (either permanent or for a period). It is pointless not declaring pre-existing conditions because the hospital will soon know and the insurance company will not pay.

 

The above means that you want an insurance company that will stay around and do not plan to switch around. Any new illness during your your time with the first company will be excluded by the company you switch to.

 

On 65 you need to be insured by a reputable company before that age and then you can continue. The premiums get expensive though. Trying to get new insurance after 65 is very difficult and you would then be left to do self insurance (i.e. pay yourself).

 

Blood pressure usually leads to exclusions of related illnesses.

 

While on Blood Pressure I cannot get my UK medicine in Thailand (and some other countries I visit). I have had to switch to another medicine.

 

On outpatients cover in the insurance, it is purely a financial calculation. Outpatient is cheap here and so we have been selective - some of the family have it some not.

 

You can save on the premium by excluding USA and Europe. Then you need to get travel insurance when you visit them. This works out cheaper if you do not travel there much. Also I am told that the cover included for these areas is not high enough anyway (USA medical costs!!!).

 

If you have a Thai wife/GF then they tend not to believe in insurance. Now my wife does.

[Dr Mick 111]

As I come to live in Thailand in 8 days this was a very good thread for me to read.

 

Now I think I will only get cover for inpatient, but what confusing me is what should

I be looking for for IE overall maximum limit which I should have.????????

 

I will be 55 when in Thailand so insurance should be ok for me to purchase

 

Some examples I have found on the web are

 

Crystal Plan 3 from BUPA, at cost of 27439 bhts year max cover is 600000 bhts

 

BUPA personal Diamond Care cost 28739 bhts year max cover 600000 bhts

 

AXA classic plan cost 40362 bhts year max cover is 5 millon bhts

 

AA insurance Maxi Care cost 63000 bhts year can be reduced 20% excluding out patient and

anther 20% if only want for Thailand Area thus cost 37800 bhts year for 5 million

 

Do I realy need cover for up to 5 million bhts a year or is 600000 bhts ok ???????

[joekicker 53]

600,000 baht is not a lot of money in a top hospital if you have something seriously wrong such as a stroke or serious accident injuries that requires serious surgery. And of course inflation is pushing everything up right now, sometimes dramatically.

 

I would be looking at a million minimum - and above. And do check the part about surgery carefully, you may well need a lot more than a bed and a pert nurse.

[jacko 8,766]

I am surprised at the BUPA plans limit to 600,000 baht, which as Joe says is not very much these times. You would need to be taken to Queen Sirikit rather than the Bangkok Pattaya for it to go very far! Anything requiring a bit of surgery and a month's inpatient aftercare might wave off a million baht!

 

As I have said here before, the devil is in the detail. The 'up to 5 million baht' sounds great, but you must compare. One million with few strings and limits, may prove better than 5, where 100,000 max on surgical procedures, 100,000 max on room charges and 4.8 million on kleenex tissues is the reality.

 

Check for a post by 'Gary' who detailed his plan, which sounded good and has been put to the test.

Edited August 16, 2008 by jacko

[ingo67 8]

I can give competitive quotes on Health Insurance from an reputable international healthcare company. New policies accepted upto the age of 74 and guaranteed renewable for whole of your lfe. Even basic scheme maximum cover is $500k.

For more details please call me on 08 9605 3204 or Paul@pfm-international.net

Edited October 10, 2008 by ingo67

[Davyson 1]

I can also give competitve quotes on Health cover - please feel free to PM me if appropriate.

 

Cheers

 

Davyson