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buksida wrote:we're relatively young and in good health with no pre-conditions so can't work out why it costs so much.
You must not look at it case by case. Look at the big picture. The system only works if the quote "relatively young and in good health with no pre-conditions" pay for the unfortunate (often old) not in good health and many with pre-conditions. That is the concept of insurance whereby the insurance company pay nothing, only re-directing funds and making a profit in the process.
One thing to keep in mind if you choose to build up your own health fund with regular deposits is that in the future you might have a problem. People like Matt can of course give you professional advice on this, but as far as I know in Europe it is customary that once you are in you are in for life. So you get insured at age 40 and you hardly need them for the next 20 years. Then you are 60 and you do. No problem because you were with them for 20 years. Scenario 2: you turn 60 and desperately need insurance. What insurance company will happily welcome you as a new customer and start paying the bills? IF they accept you at all there will be exclusions, special conditions, policy excess etc.
We are all living in 'the good old days' of the future.
buksida wrote: we're relatively young and in good health with no pre-conditions so can't work out why it costs so much.
Because even young, healthy people can require medical care up to the lifetime limits of the policy. Insurance companies attempt to set rates that allow them to stay in business.
buksida wrote:Think I might be better off just putting some money into a savings account every month!
That should work unless something catastrophically expensive happens. Then what?
I don't know you or your situation. But all my adult life I've had friends who could afford new trucks but said they couldn't afford health insurance. What they meant was they'd rather live the lifestyle they wanted in an area with one of the nation's higher living costs rather than pay insurance premiums.
Ouch!! My problem is not that I'm not willing to pay for health insurance. I object to paying an excessive amount that won't give any protection due to pre-existing conditions. My preference would be to pay a regular monthly amount to enable me to budget, but after analysing my discussion with Matt, I'd be paying top dollar for minimal cover.
The good thing about Matt and AA Insurance is that they tell it as it is - no bull to make a quick sale.
If they forced cover on us, I'd personally choose the cheapest cover available because they wouldn't pay out anyway.
Of note to us expats (especially the one year retirees or marriage non imm visa holders) is the following recently published Bangkok Post article. Note the bold underlined text...
"Compulsory insurance for expats and tourists?
Published: 18/04/2013 at 10:32 AM
Bangkok Post Online news:
The government is considering forcing foreigners to buy health insurance before traveling to Thailand.
Public health minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said that 2.5 million foreigners out of a total of 22 million visitors appeared at Thai hospitals last year, but a significant minority were unable to pay which resulted in a financial burden for local hospitals. He explained that the main problems concerned foreigners hospitalized in emergencies, especially traffic accidents and heart attacks, and the costs associated with taking care of corpses, particularly autopsies and cold storage.
The situation is particularly acute in tourist-dominated resorts. The state-run Banglamung Hospital, near Pattaya, estimated that unpaid bills from foreigners amounted to 2 million baht in 2012. The government Vachira Phuket Hospital claims that free treatment for foreigners is costing them 3 million baht a year. Total costs nationwide are in the region of 70 million baht annually.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents’ president, Sisivachr Cheewarattanporn, noted that most foreigners visiting the country in a group or through travel agencies generally have insurance, but many stand-alone tourists and expats do not. In particular, older expats on one year visas are finding that the cost of medical insurance is rising dramatically. Some may not be able to obtain medical insurance at all because of pre-existing conditions or gigantic exclusion clauses.
A Pattaya insurance agent told Pattaya Today, “Our advice to expats is to obtain cover on arrival, and certainly below the age of 60. The private hospitals won’t show much interest without valid insurance or a sizeable cash deposit by friends or relatives. This throws the burden on the government sector hospitals which also are not in the business of free medical care for aliens.”
Foreign embassies these days usually wash their hands of hospital bills. The British embassy, for example, will contact friends and relatives but will not pay for any medical treatment under any circumstances. This even applies to cremation costs, which again throws the problem to the local authorities or to voluntary organizations such as the Sawangboriboon Foundation.
The problem is what to do about this state of affairs. In the short term, Thai authorities will resort to exhorting overseas visitors to buy travel or health insurance. But a combination of rising numbers of tourists and the ageing profile of the Thai population means that a regulatory framework is in the offing.
One idea is to collect hospital fees through embassies, but they are likely to decline any participation fearing with great justification they will be out of pocket. Another proposal is to introduce a “health” tax on airfares or hotel accommodation, but the complexities of implementing such a scheme are truly awesome.
As regards older expats on one year visas, the most likely outcome is that applications will need to be accompanied by valid medical insurance or proof of a greater income or cash deposits than is currently required (800,000 baht for a retiree visa and 400,000 for a farang with a Thai spouse).
A spokesperson for the Immigration Bureau said there were no imminent financial changes to the one-year visa rules, but the matter is under review. In the 1990s, he explained, there was a requirement to provide a certificate of good health before a long-stay visa was granted. “The rule was dropped because the letters were often issued after a very cursory medical examination or no examination at all.”
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Homer wrote:
I don't know you or your situation. But all my adult life I've had friends who could afford new trucks but said they couldn't afford health insurance. What they meant was they'd rather live the lifestyle they wanted in an area with one of the nation's higher living costs rather than pay insurance premiums.
Dont worry, I cant afford a new truck either!
What I want is basic accident and in-patient cover, what I don't want is another huge monthly bill - the school fees are bad enough.
I've heard the Thai banks offer insurance combined with savings plans at reasonable rates, will check them out.
Regarding the compulsory insurance, to get a work permit I already have to take a health check and have the Thai National Insurance (though for some reason this doesnt work with our company). Can't see too many expats staying if they're forced to pay hundreds of dollars per month for 'farang insurance'.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
