@David *******

residence certificate just cost me 200 THB in Bangkok, not free. What you mean is TM-30, it's not the same. Of course, 2.000 by the agent is ridiculous. Regarding the spend/earn money thing, I try to remember my hourly wage when I was still trading time for money. If some coach or agent without formal qualification wants to earn a lot more than me per hour, I prefer do to it myself. At least I know it will be done properly then.

@Dany *******

Agents know which embassy is best for your route. They can recommend cost-effective soft power courses that are accepted by the respective embassy. I sometimes think Thailand creates this mess on purpose so agents stay in business.

If money isn't an issue, get an agent to deal with it.

It's a combination that is unfortunately no longer available.

I was chatting with them and found them very reliable and honest. I went for a cheaper course and still got accepted, so it's a game of managing your embassy and the course providers...

@Seun *********

sorry, not sorry. If you have money to blow, go for Thai Elite visa. DTV is inherently a budget conscious option and your friends should rethink the pricing of their courses.

It's funny how we peck at each other instead of focusing on the areas we agree.

I also recommend prioritising living with family over health insurance worries.

Our differences lie in the cost that is to be expected. Geratric care, if taken seriously is very expensive, in any country. Imagine

@Ra**

has to sell her car to pay for some cardiac procedure or a hip replacement. I think it's stupid to do that, because she has her life ahead of her and if selling the car means she has to ride a motorcycle which is way more deadly, nobody wins.

You may be correct that government hospitals may not even suggest certain procedures for a 79 year old patient. But that doesn't mean they could not be performed in a state of the art private hospital with a reasonable chance of prolonging life a few months or even years.

That's why I recommend having a sincere conversation with your mom before she comes here without insurance, not to feel guilty about a potential lack of funds for some possibly life-prolonging treatment later on.

@Joseph ******

sorry, what do you know? I checked prices in Bangkok private hospitals last November and some stuff was twice as expensive as in my home country, highly detailed lab work for example. Thai prices in restaurants have gone up as well, or are they still what they were 10 years ago?

You cannot use 2006's prices with today's exchange rate and assume that's what it's going to cost now.

It'll probably go for at around 10k USD, assuming no complications - which could easily happen if your patient is 79. For some people 10k is already "a lot of money". So maybe she could only afford injections against the pain or some other less expensive treatment and be okay with that.

I did not make a specific statement about thai healthcare or thai public hospitals. It's just common sense that certain health procedures don't come for cheap in Thailand. If you don't have insurance or are prepared to pay out of pocket, you should be aware that you won't get the best possible healthcare.

Those health insurances available for visitors to Thailand are businesses, not charities.

A few people have already pointed it out: it will be near-impossible to start a policy at 79, and if you find one, it will be horrendously expensive.

So your best bet is to have a talk with your mom about her current state of health and how she feels about something happening and having to pay a lot of money herself or getting not the best possible healthcare.

Many reasonable people would prefer to live 4 more years with family and die happy than to suffer 8 years in loneliness with some amazing free healthcare system in their home country.