New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

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Gaybutton
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Gaybutton »

2lz2p wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 10:05 am
Gaybutton wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 9:47 am Am I understanding this correctly?
What Up2u is saying is correct
That did not really answer my question. Here is an example of what I mean: A person already had an O-A visa. The expiration date of the visa is July, 2020. If that person was out of Thailand, and then returned in November, 2019 either with a multiple entry or a reentry permit, is his visa still valid until July, 2020 or is it now invalid unless he has the TGIA insurance?
Up2u

Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Up2u »

I belong to the FB group Thai visa advice, which is well moderated and trolling is not tolerated unlike TV. FB has other Thai visa groups and if anyone knows the good ones then please share. TV also says (without substantiating) TI had a meeting at BKK early on the 7th and now people are being stamped in properly. Person that was stamped in as 30 day visa exempt went to local Imm office and they changed the Suvarnaphumi stamp to the proper expiration date without medical insurance. So now it appears as of the 7th Suvarnaphumi has go its act together and are doing it right. This is one big mess and the saga continues.
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Bob
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Bob »

Up2u wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 9:11 am ...There were several reports. For those that rec'd their OA Visa before October 31, but made their entry after that date. They were told...
I don't disagree at all that there have been several posts about people receiving 0-A visas prior to 11/1/19 (some even years before, having annually extended based on retirement) and who have entered on or after 11/1/19 and who've said they've run into the insurance issue; however, you posted something that likely (as you said) was posted yesterday but involved a guy who obtained is O-A prior to September 12, 2019, and entered Thailand on September 12, 2019 (and wasn't claiming at all that he entered or attempted to extend after October 31, 2019). That's why the quoted story really has no bearing at all on the issue at hand.
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Bob »

Gaybutton wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 11:57 am That did not really answer my question. Here is an example of what I mean: A person already had an O-A visa. The expiration date of the visa is July, 2020. If that person was out of Thailand, and then returned in November, 2019 either with a multiple entry or a reentry permit, is his visa still valid until July, 2020 or is it now invalid unless he has the TGIA insurance?
Based on the reports I'm reading, that person isn't allowed in without the insurance certificate (or is given only a 30-day stamp which represents giving the person some time to get the insurance and then go to Immigration to get the rest of his normal visa or extension time).

What's really unfair is people who came here 5-20 years ago on an O-A visa, have extended for many years based on the usual retirement method, and all of a sudden are sucked into the insurance mess. And it's horribly unfair to those same people who happen to be older and can't under any circumstances get the damn insurance.
Up2u

Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Up2u »

Just posted in the FB group by a real person about one hour ago,

"Info...just came through Nong Khai border on my pre October
31 issued OA Retirement Visa. No hassles no insurance asked for. Although did have a long look and asked the guy in adjoining booth some questions Stamped in to 11 th Nov 2020.
Cheers", so another success story.
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Gaybutton »

Bob wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 1:01 pm What's really unfair . . .
This whole thing is unfair, at least in the way it is being done. Now, apparently a person could have paid for a 1 year O-A extension and obeyed all the rules, only to be told sorry, you left the country for a while, but now your visa is invalid because you didn't buy Thai medical insurance. And even if you did, if it wasn't purchased from one of the TGIA companies, your visa is still invalid.

I have a feeling at some point this whole mess is going to end up in court - not that I expect fair play to be the result.

Meanwhile, as usual, based on Up2u's post above, instead of a standard procedure it rests on the whim of the immigration agent you happen to be dealing with. Whether O-A visa holders have to buy TGIA insurance boils down to a question of luck?

And all this because a few foreigners skipped out on their medical bills.
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by 2lz2p »

Up2u wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 1:28 pm Just posted in the FB group
You keep referring to a FB group - can you share the Group's name? Also, what was the source of the report that Immigration met and made some changes? Can you copy & paste the post that made that claim?
Up2u

Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Up2u »

2lz2p wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 2:49 pm You keep referring to a FB group - can you share the Group's name?
FB = Thai visa advice
Re Immigration changes see the long thread on TV thread O/A visa and insurance experience today (64 pages and counting).
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Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by Gaybutton »

Bob wrote: Tue Nov 12, 2019 1:01 pm it's horribly unfair to those same people who happen to be older and can't under any circumstances get the damn insurance.
Do we know that? Considering these rules apply primarily to aging retirees, do we know there are age limits for this mandatory insurance? If the insurance is mandatory, it wouldn't make much sense to make it impossible to get for the very people who it's mandatory for.

Of course, making sense and Thai immigration rules - that just about qualifies as an oxymoron . . .
traveller123

Re: New Health Insurance Requirements Announced O-A

Post by traveller123 »

My Pacific Cross insurance policy is due for renewal at the end of this month and of course being aged 72 it is painful.
The net premium is 80,741 (after no claims discount etc) baht conditional upon no out patient cover, I pay the first 40,000 baht of any claim + 20% of any residual costs.
Although I believe my visa is an "O" I asked how much would 40,000 baht of out patient cover increase my premium and was told 33,500 baht - what is the sense in this?
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