Is it common to pay the first year's premium upfront for Thai health insurance, and how does the reimbursement process work?

Question

I am looking at thai life+health insurance policies with wide private hospital coverage and would like to hear comments on:

Is it commonly expected to pay the first full year premium up front? (I have always used employer offered plans before and they always started with monthy premiums.)

How common is it in plans for the insurer to have the discrepancy whether to require me to pay for an incident up front and then get reimbursement?

Ask Thailand · Answer

In Thailand, it's common for life and health insurance policies to require the first year's premium to be paid upfront, especially for expatriates, although some insurers may offer quarterly or monthly payment options. Most insurance providers, including local insurers, typically require upfront payments for outpatient expenses, followed by reimbursement, while inpatient treatments often involve direct billing with no out-of-pocket fees at the time of care. It's advisable to consult with insurance brokers for the best options available.

Rolf ********* · Answer

My friend and countryman has AIA and he pays around 35k baht every year, covers him and his 2 Thai kids. He had an bike accident few years back and first Bangkok hospital didn’t accept his insurance and wanted cash payment upfront, one call to the agent and she came to the hospital, then they accepted and AIA covered his stay + surgery no reimbursement.

Shane ******** · Answer

Have you considered the international options available for expats for both life and health insurance? Can highly recommend speaking to someone at [mention redacted] they are the leading expat insurance broker in SE Asia [url redacted]

Ashley ********** · Answer

Hi there Alan Price, a friend on mine spoke to Richard Yates from Health Cover Now and got advice on this topic. I recommend speaking to a professional broker like Richard who knows all the details about getting insurance in Thailand. Here is his website [url redacted]

Samuel ******* · Answer

[mention redacted] International insurers allow monthly, quarterly and semi annual payments as well as annual, I think most local Thai insurers are only annual. All inpatient policies are direct billing where no cash is needed to pay for treatment. Have a chat to Tenzing Pacific for some free quotes [url redacted]

John ********** · Answer

Check WR Life. Pd up front. Depending upon your policy you may have to pay upfront and get reimbursed. For my surgeries they paid for all beforehand

Geoff ********** · Answer

Most agents insist on full year payment up front for expats (they only get paid when you make your payments and the worry you will abandon the policy and they wont get paid).  For AIA you can get quarterly payments or even monthly depending on your agent.  I have AIA and have always paid monthly, but my wife is an agent and was able to arrange if.

Larry ******** · Answer

We just  got AIA health insurance 3 days ago had to pay the whole year up front.

Myles ******* · Answer

Most Thai insurers are full policy payment but some accept quarterly.

Nearly all(not just Thai) insurers will require you pay for outpatient(I guess this is what you mean by ‘incident’) costs first and then reimburse if covered under policy.

Is it common to pay the first year's premium upfront for Thai health insurance, and how does the reimbursement process work?

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