What are the options and considerations for insurance when living or traveling in Thailand?

I'm 75 with pre-existing health conditions. So difficult to find a Company to provide cover and those that do are very, very expensive.

Difficult topic to get good advice for your scenario. I went thru cigna and have top inpatient coverage with private room, etc for $325/mo. Could have chosen $250/mo without all the extras. Also provides coverage for travel except the US. People from UK take very minimal coverage, if any, and will go back home if there's anything serious. No need for outpatient coverage.

Part time Safety Wing, Full time Pacific Cross

Try your Bank, if in the U.k. HSBC are very good!

They either get it or they don't

I got a great insurance. It's a must if you want good healthcare. Remember, they do do pre-existing condition exclusion so the faster you get on a plan the more it'll cover.

Can't get it over 70😕

A friend age in Taco Bell in Bangkok and that night came down with a violent case of diarrhea and had to go to the hospital at 3 am. Testing showed it was norovirus and was defecating uncontrollably just about hourly for 3 days. Had to wear pampers and was on an IV. It was only on day 4 did he start to improve. Cost him 200,000+ baht. Luckily he had access to the cash to pay as he had no Thai insurance.

I think, repeat think, if you get a non-OA from a Thai embassy, insurance is mandatory. If you get a non-O after arriving in country, it is not. Others will help on that.

Unless you have a fairly large pension income, no insurance can be ruinous.

I don't have insurance, never have. I just go to government hospital and pay out of pocket.

You can not use medicare in Thailand, as I am sure many people have told you. You can not submit a claim from Thailand to Medicare for reimbursement of medical costs in Thailand.

If you do not buy insurance, you will pay all expenses out of pocket.

If I plan on getting Thai Retirement Visa OA, but will still keep my US Medicare, is there an in-Thailand “Catastrophic Only” Plan that’s will cover unexpected hospitalization like in case of injury due to injury from accident?

Thank you Umer! 🙏🤠🇨🇦

Thanks everyone. Has anyone heard of pacific?? Insurance company.

Buy it?

Best insurance out thete is staysure and avanti.

Perfect and covers everything!!!

I use

@AIA *****************************

… one of the top providers in Thailand. they dont take short term visa though only 1 year or longer. Never had a problem with any claims ,,my agent took care of me and all my claim, and brought me gifts in the hospital. and they actually pay me if i have to stay in the hospital…..

Post office

Research.

Have a look at Cigna’s “Close Care Policy”.

Contact Cigna in Dubai or UK.

Be advised that Cigna no longer have offices inside Thailand. You can however apply through any of their overseas offices.





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If you are over 55 you can easily buy insurance but if you have a major expensive claim I can guaranty a you a 100% that they will find a loop hole not to pay .By verify your medical record and claiming that it is pre existing health problème .

8 years living in chaingmai , Thailand.

Self insured, saved a bundle. Before you criticize me I have $98,000 available credit on cc. And plenty of cash in the investment accounts. 😀 Insurance companies laugh all the way to the bank. United healthcare two hundred and fifteen billion dollars in profits. Health insurance companies take your premiums and invest them in the stock market making a fortune. That's what you should be doing with your money. Investing it and making it grow so that when you have a health care emergency, you have money to pay.

Research then buy obviously

Check with your Thai bank. It may help.

I use Safety Wing, but they sent me an email this morning, canceling my plan at the end of the month, and updated their policy which has a lot more exclusions. I read through it today. The price was raised to $ weeks.

I found AXA sawadee to give me the best price. Depends on your age.

Buy it

Speak with

@Peter ******

fully qualified financial advisor dealing with health insurance in Thailand.

Has access to 100's of providers so can compare all and find you the best cover and prices.

Totally free consultation

The ensure

Self insure if you have the money...at the end of the day these insurance companies are there to make money....you could always just stay at home if it's free.

luckily i have a identical twin brother and only need one policy between us

I go to 7 11 and buy beer on the money I supposed to spend on it

Safewing. 60 bucks a month

It really depends on your circumstances and what you are wanting to insure. Is it long term or short term holiday? do you want local Thai company or one from your home? have an existing conditions? It all factors into the equation and is not a simple answer since no two people have the exact same circumstances.

Health/Medical insurance can be cost prohibitive if you over a certain age or have an already existing condition. If financially stable some people get a policy with a high deductible like $10,000 and keep it for a catastrophe medical event, like heart attck, cancer, kidney failure, etc. They self insure everything else... so your financial situation is a factor.

You should work out the cost of insurance, the deductible you have to pay and potential of payout in a claim vs the cost to pay out of pocket. Also read the wording to ensure it will actually cover what you want, read the exclusions.... you fall down and smack your head and are over the legal alcohol limit, your claim will be denied, can't go over a certain elevations, etc. Know what you are buying. And disclosure existing conditions... insurance companies can easily determine if you lied on the application, especially with medical conditions.

Self insurance often cheaper. Put say $50k to one side for emergencies. No premium to pay. If nothing bad happens you saved money.

Many insurances policies don't pay out for immediate medical cover. You gotta find the money and pay upfront then see reimbursement under the policy so initially you're effectively self insured but trying to get your money repaid. Claims get denied all the time. I'd definitely prefer a policy underwritten in UK than from Bangkok firm.

Self insure

That's a big question as there are many types of insurance. But I won't mind addressing a few.

Let's do health first as I have a few words to share. I went for health insurance from my home country, looking for quality. Didn't want to expose myself to the risk of having to put up a juridical fight here in Thailand. It was also convenient that some travel related items were covered under one and the same policy (think of a relative for whom you urgently need to get back, or you get an accident and need to get back yourself). What I overlooked is that Thai insurances have a few perks over foreign ones. My insurance premium was subject to 21% tax for instance, which would have looked better in Thailand. Also: insurance premium in Thailand is deductable from your income tax. I don't know why that's kept a secret; online sources all do mention that this holds for life insurance but to know it also holds for health you have to actually file a tax return once. The two are nicely listed below each other but websites stubbornly leave the health one out. Anyway. The deciding factor to go with a Dutch insurance is the structure of it. I didn't care if the insurance covers a few scratches or bandaids every now and then. What I do care about is if I turn out to have, you name something, jaw cancer or the like, that there would not be any ceiling to the coverage. Thai insurances pretty much all have that ceiling. So although my premium came out disproportionally high, the insurance structure would be a lot more suitable (and didn't end up getting something that serious, luckily).

Travel insurance. My expat insurance covered a few things that I found nice. Valuable items for instance (at an extra premium, but it turned out great to have with the various cameras that died in accidents). I've already mentioned flying to home country which was also nice coverage, but whether you need that also depends on e.g. how many relatives you have at high age or in bad health. If you don't have any of your grandparents still alive, and your parents aren't expected to leave yet, you may not need it. In the exceptional case that you still need that urgent flight home, it isn't gonna bankrupt you. Also factor in the premium. I've switched from having this covered (when the premium was fine) to excluding it (when there was no longer a choice to cover just myself and the threefold premium was not worth it as the coverage was only relevant for me).

Vehicle insurance is mandatory and I can't advice much. You obviously can only get that in Thailand. I'd prefer coverage over premium and would advice accordingly.

Property insurance: can maybe also be included in expat insurance if you go with that but if you don't, just leave it. Rental condos come with furniture, fire safety is on par with western standards, smoke detectors everywhere, risk of theft of stuff from your home is negligible.

Life insurance: I've always found this a stupid one unless your own a house, have a mortgage, and earn the family's income, and find that your family should stay in that house if you leave unexpectedly. In all other cases, don't get this nonsense.

Dental insurance used to be viable but today only people who are nearly certain that they claim the maximum amount buy it. It is thanks to a few ignorant donators that they still offer you a maximum coverage of about $500 at a premium of $450, so if you are indeed certain to spend the amount, you could grab the $50. If it's not be certain, don't buy. Dental accident insurance can be good though, that's a different thing.

Juridical insurance: I had it but to my discomfort it excluded labor conflicts. Now that would have been one of the major coverages for me. I'd try to get one covering that if it's relevant to you as it was for me.

Liability insurance: that's a do. Premium usually very low, and the type of thing they cover could get you bankrupt if you don't have it insured. Get this.

Contact

@Napawadee *************

She speaks great English and can help you out with various options

if you stay in Asia WITHOUT insurance, please do not set up a Gofundme

That is a great question. For general insurance advise, I recommend talking to an insurance broker. AA Insurance Brokers is a Thai licensed company offering local plans and we have many offices throughout the country. Reach out to us, and we will get back to you in a flash

From my experience, I can tell you if you or we don’t start paying into the Thai system. You’re not gonna get insured they’re not gonna let you come over here get health insurance for cheap and they’re the ones out of pocket. You have to start with a good company stick with them and pay into the system to get good service. The comments about not paying, that could be for multiple reasons I can tell you I’ve been here for seven years pay into the system. I receive first class service.

I have insurance from my home country in the Netherlands that will cover me while I am in Thailand

What type of insurance?

Either purchase it or not, that is what most people do. If you want a question answered be more specific.

No free healthcare here, so buy some!

Think about it.

Idiots don't have it

Talk to one of the team from

@Tenzing ********

, they are the leading expat health insurance broker in Thailand

They either have one of their don't. Like everything else in life

Depends how serious it is. If it's something small we go down to the local pharmacy or the public hospital and the bill is probably 100-200. If it's serious, we're going into a private hospital in Bangkok for sure!

Let work pay for the crappiest one they can find which makes me pay for everything up front and claim back over a 3-6 week period...

Troll

If your over 55 don't get insurance I just lost 3000 to a company, either get the visa while holidaying no insurance needed. Or get travel insurance for your non o visa time then get retirement visa in thailand no insurance needed

Buying it is easy, getting them to pay out is another storey

Health?

I have premium here

2000 per year I’m 56

I’m USA citizen

My wife sells

Pm for info

break the bank but for something serious it expensive to provides piece of mind, if you are coming here to live different discussion there a numerous policies avail for long term expats most of which can be tailored to your needs

If you are traveling on vacation it is sensible to take out travel insurance , a hospital visit won’t break the h

What sort of visa are you coming in on?

Some people have one.

Some don't

Make sure you have it and it’s from a proven reputable company

Depending longterm or vacation

Smart people book it. Smarter people book it (reputable travel insurance) in their home country before departure.

For what, a tourist or an expat?

Is your post fate

Those that don't buy it end up with GoFund Me accounts.

Find a travel insurance policy on line that covers flight, money, passport, medical, repatriation etc.

Buy a Bhuddist amulet

Choose to buy it or dont choose to but it 🤷🏻‍♂️