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What is the best option for obtaining local medical insurance for motorcycle accidents in Thailand?

Medical Insurance Motorcycle Insurance Expat Insurance Thailand Health Coverage Driving License Requirements

Feb 26, 2020

6 years ago

Kyle ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

What is the best option for obtaining local medical insurance?

My biggest concern is making sure I have good quality cover in the event of a motorcycle accident.

Is local insurance even worth it? 

What kind of driving license do local insurers require? Is a foreign motorcycle license + IDP acceptable or do they require a local Thai license? Happy to get the latter anyway as the IDP is a pain to carry around.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The discussion centers around the best options for obtaining medical insurance in Thailand, especially in the context of motorcycle accidents. There are differing opinions on the necessity of local insurance versus travel insurance. Some contribute their experiences, highlighting the low coverage provided by mandatory insurance linked to motorbikes. Recommendations include considering travel insurance such as SafetyWing for comprehensive coverage against serious medical expenses. Concerns are also raised about the adequacy and speed of claims with local insurance compared to travel insurance.

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Noel *****************

Local insurance will pay up a lot quicker .

6 years ago

Dianne *****

A young man from my hometown had a serious motorbike accident in Koh Samui in 2018, he required multiple surgeries and ICU care. His bills in 4 days amounted to 54K Australian dollars. The final bill would have been considerably more than this had he not been airlifted back to Australia courtesy of a gofundme organised by his family and friends. Having travel insurance or expat health insurance is considerably less than an amount like this. I would wager that not many people would have this sort of cash lying around to pay those sort of bills upfront

6 years ago

John *********

You can get SafetyWing travel insurance for about $38/month.

I have it specifically for motorcycle accidents. I want top quality care should something happen. It could be a relatively affordable surgery at 100,000-200,000฿ or worse case be In ICU. Either way I’m covered.

The mandatory minimum insurance that comes with your bike is two-thirds of fuck all. It’ll cover a scrape or simple fracture.

I’m not looking for trouble but trouble may be looking for me.

6 years ago

Kyle ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

Do you know what their requirements are? Their FAQ is limited. Local license or license from home country?

6 years ago

Reply to

Kyle ********

Garrett ***********

Travel insurance really depends on what company you choose. I personally have never taken any out and wouldn't recommend it to most people.

As for local health insurance, in my opinion it's nor worth it. All motorbikes have mandatory minimum insurance which covers a small amount of medical expenses if you're in an accident. Some rental companies offer 3rd party accident insurance with their bikes (I've been offered it once for 100 baht a day). The cost of healthcare is pretty cheap here if you go to a public hospital.

6 years ago

Steven ***************

Kyle Gawley. Check the fine print. A lot of overseas travel/health insurance companies dont cover motorcycle accidents, for obvious reasons.

6 years ago

Kyle ********

ORIGINAL POSTER

Riding a motorbike is dangerous, regardless of which country. If I have an accident I want to know I'm getting immediate high quality medical care with no ambiguity with insurance companies or waiting to raise money via GoFundMe. I've seen WAAAY too many horror stories in the last few years about people having accidents in Thailand without insurance.

6 years ago

Rob ******

@Garrette ***********

the ICU bills add up quick. You haven't seen all the GoFundMe pages set up to pay for medical bills by foreigners coming off of bikes in the time you've been here? I'm sure it's an unpleasant experience being in a position where you're unable to pay for the lifesaving treatment required... And that seems to happen often. I don't agree with your advice, it's unsound. Some may choose going without after careful consideration, but it's not something you should recommend to people. The risk and consequences can be dire.

6 years ago

Reply to

Rob ******

Garrett ***********

Sharon was removed from the group for advertising. She's been kicked out before, looks like she made a new profile.

6 years ago

Reply to

Garrett ***********

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