Answered5 years ago
What should I do if my insurance won't cover my hospitel quarantine bill in Thailand?
Alright guys, today is my last day in quarantine and things are still not settled with the insurance company.
When I called them they asked me to tell the hospitel to call them (which probably means they don't mind paying) but the hospitel staff doesn't have the patience to go through their call center waiting time or they straight up don't care because they think I'll pay them anyway but I'm not paying for this scam unless I ABSOLUTELY have to.
I'll be checking out tomorrow and will do a last attempt to call the insurance company and hand the phone to the hospitel staff and hopefully they get to an agreement.
My question is, if we couldn't get to the insurance company or they refused to pay and I too refused to pay, what's the hospitel can do to escalate things? Can they get the police involved?
They have my debit card number and expiration date but they neither have the pin number nor the CVC number. As far as I know they don't have enough information to charge my card and if they do I believe I can call my bank and restore the money. Hell, I can deactivate the card right now but I need it for my duration here.
Last question... Was anyone able to get Tune insurance to pay their hospitel quarantine?
P.S I'll keep you guys updated with what's going to happen tomorrow.
update: Called the insurance company and let them talk with the hospitel staff. Did everything I can to get them to pay but they refused as they only cover hospital quarantine.
At this point I had no choice but to pay. I told them I'll only pay the fair price as they are giving me almost triple thier price in Agoda.
They start negotiating and tell me stuff like this's a quarantine room and not a normal room, we leave it for 3 days after you leave without renting it, we pay the government!!
I insist on paying the fair price, they threaten to call the police and I say go ahead. They didn't call it tho and came back to negotiate again.
At the end I paid the fair price plus 200 usd. I believe I I could have saved those 200 but I was so sick of this BS after 3 hours arguing with the insurance company and the hospitel staff and it's not a big deal after all.
When I called them they asked me to tell the hospitel to call them (which probably means they don't mind paying) but the hospitel staff doesn't have the patience to go through their call center waiting time or they straight up don't care because they think I'll pay them anyway but I'm not paying for this scam unless I ABSOLUTELY have to.
I'll be checking out tomorrow and will do a last attempt to call the insurance company and hand the phone to the hospitel staff and hopefully they get to an agreement.
My question is, if we couldn't get to the insurance company or they refused to pay and I too refused to pay, what's the hospitel can do to escalate things? Can they get the police involved?
They have my debit card number and expiration date but they neither have the pin number nor the CVC number. As far as I know they don't have enough information to charge my card and if they do I believe I can call my bank and restore the money. Hell, I can deactivate the card right now but I need it for my duration here.
Last question... Was anyone able to get Tune insurance to pay their hospitel quarantine?
P.S I'll keep you guys updated with what's going to happen tomorrow.
update: Called the insurance company and let them talk with the hospitel staff. Did everything I can to get them to pay but they refused as they only cover hospital quarantine.
At this point I had no choice but to pay. I told them I'll only pay the fair price as they are giving me almost triple thier price in Agoda.
They start negotiating and tell me stuff like this's a quarantine room and not a normal room, we leave it for 3 days after you leave without renting it, we pay the government!!
I insist on paying the fair price, they threaten to call the police and I say go ahead. They didn't call it tho and came back to negotiate again.
At the end I paid the fair price plus 200 usd. I believe I I could have saved those 200 but I was so sick of this BS after 3 hours arguing with the insurance company and the hospitel staff and it's not a big deal after all.
Answer summary
The user shares their experience dealing with a hospitel in Thailand after testing positive for COVID-19. They faced difficulties with their insurance, Tune, which refused to cover hospitel charges, insisting only on hospital coverage. Despite the hospitel threatening to involve the police, the user negotiated and ultimately paid a reduced amount after arguing over inflated charges. The community offers advice on handling such situations, emphasizing the importance of knowing the insurance policy and suggesting that patients stand their ground during negotiations.
62 repliesnewest first
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Stephen **********
Why when you were on the phone to the insurance company did you not let the hospital talk to them. This would have saved a lot of hassle
Brian ********
What’s the name of your insurance Company?
Ahmed ********
OPTune
Mike ********
Enjoy your holiday ,..not,. f@#k this for a game of soldiers,.
Ahmed ********
OPUpdate: Called the insurance company and let them talk with the hospitel staff. Did everything I can to get them to pay but they refused as they only cover hospital quarantine.
At this point I had no choice but to pay. I told them I'll only pay the fair price as they are giving me almost triple thier price in Agoda.
They start negotiating and tell me stuff like this's a quarantine room and not a normal room, we leave it for 3 days after you leave without renting it, we pay the government!!
I insist on paying the fair price, they threaten to call the police and I say go ahead. They didn't call it tho and came back to negotiate again.
At the end I paid the fair price plus 200 usd. I believe I I could have saved those 200 but I was so sick of this BS after 3 hours arguing with the insurance company and the hospitel staff and it's not a big deal after all.
At this point I had no choice but to pay. I told them I'll only pay the fair price as they are giving me almost triple thier price in Agoda.
They start negotiating and tell me stuff like this's a quarantine room and not a normal room, we leave it for 3 days after you leave without renting it, we pay the government!!
I insist on paying the fair price, they threaten to call the police and I say go ahead. They didn't call it tho and came back to negotiate again.
At the end I paid the fair price plus 200 usd. I believe I I could have saved those 200 but I was so sick of this BS after 3 hours arguing with the insurance company and the hospitel staff and it's not a big deal after all.
Yvonne *********
@Ahmed *******
So you were in a hotel room doing quarantine, not in a hospital as such.Ahmed ********
OP@Yvonne ********
There's a term here "hospitel" with e not hospital. That's supposed to be a government approved hotel for quarantine and a doctor can help if you need. That's where I wasMaxim ***********
Just to end on this topic, Thailand is a country where you can negotiate almost everything. if you can bargain at hospital imagine where else you can, lol. Most people who commented lack experience and use google as their source. I knew your story would end well if you stood your ground. I mean, you can literally get away with murder if you have 500k to 1M baht to pay the family of the victim. I am not joking.
Maxim ***********
@Ahmed *******
You did the right thing. Years ago I crossed Cambodia (Poipet) by land with my 5 dogs and they try to charge me $600 for bogus health test for my dogs. So your $600 reminded me of that. I stood my ground for an hour and involved the Thai side of the border. At one point they said fuck it and let me pass. I was with my Thai GF which helped, but I was not gonna pay that without a fight.Ahmed ********
OP@Maxim **********
Absolutely. I was lead on this whole thing out of ignorance of what the hell is going on in this country. Looking back now the right thing was not to go to this place and insist to stay in my hotel or book another place where I self quarantine. And as far the police getting involved they do NOT want this to happen more than I wanted. I straight up told them to call the police yet they didn't, I was talking loudly and making sure everyone in the hotel reception hear that they're scamming me and giving me triple the price. They felt relived after this was settled. You can definitely do a lot of trouble to them.Maxim ***********
@Craig *******
This is factually incorrect. You can refuse what they "choose", which will often be the most expensive option. The staff who told @Ahmed *******
that insurance was covering it had no freaking clue, they just wanted the foreigner money. I've been here since 2010, I know how Thai hospitals operate. Ahmed did the right thing by standing his ground, as I told him to do so yesterday. He paid $200 extra to not argue anymore, with more pushing it would have been $0 extra. Next time, you need to stand your ground much earlier in the process (the second you test positive).Ahmed ********
OP@Yvonne ********
The staff in both the hotel I tested positive in and the hotel I was transformed to assured me that insurance will pay. That's the only reason I accepted to go to this place. Reading the policy isn't very helpful for very specific cases it's just confusing. I tried to call them before I check in this hotel but thier call center waiting time is forever so didn't make it through
Craig ********
@Yvonne ********
thai authority don't give you a choice if they take you to a hospital or hospitel.You can't refuse what they choose.
Yvonne *********
@Ahmed *******
I know that but did you read your insurance policy before you went to the hospitel. As it seems not a lot of insurance companies don’t.Craig ********
I suppose it will depend if your insurance policy covers hospitel says as apposed to hospital says. I haven't found a policy that covers hospitel says yet.
Ronald *********
@Craig *******
Forgive my ignorance.What is the difference between hospital and hospitel, besides the spelling.
Craig ********
@Ronald ********
Hospitels are hotels transformed into field hospitals for patients with less severe symptoms.If you test positive with zero symptoms they transfer you to a hospitel.
I haven't found a policy that covers hospitel specifically. It appears up to the Insurance company if they pay.
What a nightmare 😭
Astrid ***********************
Stay until the insurance has paid, be impatient, hang on your bed, let the staff know THEY have to settle the bill with the insurance. Once you leave the hospital, the pressure is gone and you might not get your money back. Once I spent over 6 hours like this, but eventually the bill was cleared. I do know cases where the patient left after paying by themselves (advanced, as the insurance suggested) and the insurance turned silent.........
Bobby ********
Contact your insurance broker. They will give support.. Hopefully you used one in Thailand
Jonathan *******
Check your policy, you may need to pay first and then claim back.
I live here and have a general health insurance policy, usually when I go to pay, I hand them my insurance details and they do it via their system
I live here and have a general health insurance policy, usually when I go to pay, I hand them my insurance details and they do it via their system
Peter *********
You won't be allowed to leave the country till its paid
Garrett ***********
@Peter ********
wrongMaxim ***********
@Peter ********
Factually incorrect, OP stood his ground and won. Speak from experience, not google research.
Phillip ********
nightmare ain't it,
Daniel **********
Like Julie said, they will involve the police if you don't pay.
Maxim ***********
@Dan *********
Factually incorrect, as updated by OP, he stood his ground and won, police never came. The hospital was `bluffing` as always.
Mitchell *******
I don't know your insurance specifically, but your policy should clearly state what is expected. Some expect you to claim back, while others expect the hospital to send them invoices etc for direct payment up to the insured amount.
It sounds like your insurance is expecting the hospital to bill them directly, but I would not have thought it would have been through a phone call, but online somehow. I was given an electronic card to show if needed. Does your policy state a web site to contact?
This is like a soap opera. "Thai Hospital". I look forward to the next episode. Hope it all works out well.
It sounds like your insurance is expecting the hospital to bill them directly, but I would not have thought it would have been through a phone call, but online somehow. I was given an electronic card to show if needed. Does your policy state a web site to contact?
This is like a soap opera. "Thai Hospital". I look forward to the next episode. Hope it all works out well.
Xjwhudkwhry ********
'things are still not settled with the insurance company'. Why don't you settle them then? Call the insurance company...In fact, you could do it few days already, how long have you spent in quarantine? Were you too busy to make a call?
Xjwhudkwhry ********
I see. Yes,u really have to act like a control freak when it comes to dealing with Thai people, especially the ones who have some authority, otherwise you're fucked...
Ahmed ********
OP@Xjwhudkwhry *******
Because out of my 10 days quarantine SIX days were off. 4 days weekends and 2 days CNY. Two days trying to get to them and finally they pick the phone and tell me to ask the hotel to call them and I do . The hotel wasted the other two trying to get to them. The waiting time is fucking ridiculousMaxim ***********
Do not listen to the newbies below with their "2 weeks" of life experience in Thailand. You DO NOT have to pay given the situation explained above. If the hospital refuse to speak with your insurance company with phone in hand you can at any time leave the hospital. The hospital is "testing" every foreigner resilience in such situation.
@Brian *******
is 100% correct.Maxim ***********
OP ended up paying 33.3% of the $600 ($200), after negotiating because his insurance refused to pay. He could have gone away with $0 if he had argue further, but whats the point?
Philip **********
@Maxim **********
They are trying to milk the cow from both ends. Go ahead and pay the hospital. Then once you leave. The insurance company will pay the hospital. This is one of the biggest scams in Thailand. Go for a “walk”. Leave the hospital. Do NOT pay the hospital. Ask your insurance company to send a representative to the hospital. Don’t worry about it. You bought insurance. You are covered. The hospital thinks you are a stupid farang. @Ahmed *******
Steven **********
@Philip *********
wrong if he not got the correct insurance they won’t pay he need to pay and claim back depending on what he offer on his insurance lots of insurance won’t pay !!Philip **********
@Steven *********
ask himSteven **********
@Philip *********
which insurance he withPhilip **********
@Steven *********
I’m sure he bought the correct insurance. Insurance companies are nothing but scammers. They are living pieces of shit.
Jeffrey *******
@Ma***
I think so too. There's no reason to require insurance, but only accept payment from patient.Steven **********
U need to pay first and claim back from insurance or end in police station that the way it works sorry ur going through hard time
Maxim ***********
@Steven *********
Factually incorrect, OP stood his ground and won. The cops never got involved even after the hospital threatened to do so and OP said `go ahead``. Stop getting your info from google.Steven **********
@Maxim **********
look on his message he didn’t have the right insurance there a fact show u know nothing get a life !!!
Jamie *******
@Stef ***********
thankyou.
Dimitri ********
@Steven *********
I heard from several others that Tune can pay the hospital directly.Ahmed ********
OP@Dimitri *******
They do if it's a hospital not hospitel or hotel quarantine
Stef ************
@Jamie ******
am from Germany. Hanse Merkur InsuranceJamie *******
@Stef ***********
hi what insurance do you have?Stef ************
@Ahmed *******
should you have thought about it beforehand my insurance covers everything including hotel quarantine up to $3000.Steven **********
@Ahmed *******
if they do pay get on the call or pay up or u end in police station u need check ur insurance see if it cover hospital most insurance doesn’t cover aslong u asked for it !Steven **********
@Dimitri *******
depends on insurance most will pay first most won’t they expect you pay and claim back all depends what insurance he cover with need to make sure everything is cover hospital quarantine COVID test hotel flight baggage cancelled etc then insurance will pay that how it is workBrian ********
This is not your problem you have played by their (Thailand) rules
Stand your ground let the hospital office staff do their job police can contact the insurance company good luck
Stand your ground let the hospital office staff do their job police can contact the insurance company good luck
Neil ***************
@Brian *******
trialfinders holiday insurance You end up in hospital u contact trialfinders and they pay the hospital
U don’t pay anything….
Paulie *********
@Brian *******
was that serious advice? “Stand your ground” against a hospital and Thai police? Good luck with that! There are two rules governing hospital insurance and payment (with admittedly some notable exceptions which are few and far between); the first states, that every insurance company stipulates in its blurb that it will pay the hospital direct, and the second is that the hospital wants the money direct from the patient And has no interest in contacting anybody. Once you have accepted those two fundamentals, life generally seems to become easier and doesn’t involve spending time in a police cell.
Pay up and claim later.
Maxim ***********
@Paulie ********
This post didn't age well. OP stood his ground and won. Stop playing the guessing game went you lack knowledge and most importantly, experience, in being in similar situations.Paulie *********
@Maxim **********
Lost in translation, mate..Brian ********
@Maxim **********
I applaud you
Julie ***********
The police will definitely be involved should you even attempt to leave without securing payment with hospital. Either pay yourself and claim back from the insurance or speak with the insurance and pass over the phone to the staff.
Maxim ***********
@Julie **********
Please stop "guessing" based on what you think. This isn't a guessing game, it's real life. I've been here since 2010 and have had many similar scammy encounters with Thai hospitals. You don't have to pay the scam and the police will very rarely be involved. In OP's case (as updated by him), they threatened to call the police but never did. It's almost always a bluff. If you stand your ground you are leaving the hospital without paying every time, as it happen to me many times. The price should NEVER be above what was mentioned at the beginning.Daniel **********
@Maxim **********
you don't know what you are talking about. I've lived here since 2007 and have seen a few people who have not been able to pay their bill upon discharge from the hospital (not Covid related). In EVERY case, the police were summoned and made sure the bill was paid one way or another.Julie ***********
@Maxim **********
get a life pal, I wasn't guessing at anything, both daughter and husband caught dengue and were seriously ill in hospital, whilst there there was another foreign patient who was refusing to pay etc etc, and the police were called and also threatened to take his passport.so I have seen first hand of what could happen.
Not that I have to explain anything to you mind you.
You are a truly an appalling person on how you speak to people and I'm amazed you've lasted that long in Thailand with the attitude you have.
Don't respond as you will be ignored your not worth the energy.
Maxim ***********
If you have been here for so long how come you were dead wrong on this one? You are giving false information to OP who is in a stressful situation. You said "The police will definitely be involved", you were factually incorrect. The police almost never get involved in such cases because hospitals are "bluffing" and in there to extract money from foreigners who are too tired to stand their ground. OP won a tough battle without paying what was ask, you were wrong. Speak from experience please and not what you read somewhere.
Julie ***********
@Maxim **********
erm get off your high horse pal...I refrained from commenting on your earlier post about 'the 2 week newbies'...
I too have lived, worked in Thailand since 2009.. so not a newbie... I'm not guessing at anything.
Troll somewhere else
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