I never had an IDP. I think you are OK for up to 3 months. They accepted my California drivers license when getting a Thai license.

I have Pacific Cross and have been pleased with the customer service

You should talk to a tax lawyer. If you have been paying taxes when you shouldn't have been you may be able to recover taxes from some past years.

"An individual domiciled outside Hawaii is considered a Hawaii resident if they spend more than 200 days in Hawaii during the tax year."

this is some of the kind of information you are looking for though I doubt that this is the whole story and why you should consult an attorney

I have used it as a residency certificate when purchasing a motorbike and I recently used it to open a bank account.

Which state?

You are not obligated to pay tax in any state in which you are not a tax resident. Somewhere your state tax board lists the criteria they consider when determining whether you are tax resident. If you have a home and/or business in the state then you are very likely a tax resident.

I stopped paying California taxes in 2019. This year the CA Franchise Tax Board sent me a letter saying that they noticed that I had not filed CA taxes in 2019 and that they estimated that I owed them $6,000. I sent them a copy of my Thai drivers license, My Thai pink ID card, and a copy of my passport showing that I had not been in the US more than a few weeks in the past 4 years. They sent me another letter saying they no longer considered me a tax resident.

I'm not sure if you consider yourself to have left that state but that is my recent experience.

@Greg *******

I was expecting the worst and was pleasantly surprised.

Long term visas are cheaper. That’s about it . . .

@Roger ******

If you have some kind of private Medicare supplement then it is likely they will cover you on a reimbursement basis.

There is no simple answer to insurance costs. It will depend on your age, health status, amount of coverage, and the deductible.

I am 68 and my policy costs about $2,300 per year with $300,000 coverage and a $1,200 deductible. This is probably excessive coverage considering costs in Thailand.

@Tomasz *******

I have Pacific Cross. Their website is very good for showing their range of plans and deductibles and estimated costs. They have great customer service but I’ve never made a claim so I can’t comment on that.

I’m aware that there are international insurance plans out there because there are plenty of people that have worked internationally all their lives.

One thing for sure is that whenever a particular company is mentioned you will hear from people that like that company or hate that company. Insurance is a triggering topic for many people.

Look for a policy with a large(ish) deductible. This will lower the cost. Pay for routine care out of pocket. Get enough coverage for a catastrophic event.

I’ve been here 7 years. My policy has a 40,000 baht deductible. The highest medical bill I ever had was 20,000 baht and that was once earlier this year.