Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

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odd

Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by odd »

Just heard from Pacific Prime that they do not offer 'Thailand only' insurance to those over 75. I am 79. As Cigna passed me on I can only surmise they have a similar rule
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Dodger »

After reading about the insurance coverage that some of you have Travelerjim's would probably be the best fit for me.

His policy only costs 6,750 THB/Month after he modified the policy to add the 40,000 THB deductible and exclude out-patient which sounds reasonable. I like the sound of a higher deductible - lower premium cost.

Jim would you mind sharing with us how much coverage you have for in-patient with your policy and the name of your insurance company.

GB, I don't know how much in-patient coverage your policy provides but you're paying more than Undaunted and he receives around 36 million baht coverage per incident (after converting Euros to Baht) with no deductible. It appears as if you could get a no-deductible policy for 18,000 THB less per year.

The policy I canceled last year only cost me 32,000 THB/year (2,660 THB/month) but only provided 1 million baht coverage for in-patient. If that policy would have covered Queen Sirikit Hospital I would still have it today because if your charges went up to 1 million baht for in-patient care there you would already be dead.
fountainhall

Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by fountainhall »

One issue to check on policies is length - does it offer lifetime cover? There are some out there that terminate at 75 and it is then up to the insurance company to decide if they will cover you thereafter or not.

If the Thai authorities are really going to get into insisting on medical insurance (which I believe is not unreasonable), then I am pretty sure they are going to get their knickers in a real twist with deductibles, Also, some expats will no doubt be covered under plans which they took out in their home countries long before they decided to retire here. If they are over 65 to 70, how can they switch to a local policy? If they cannot, how will Immigration determine the value of that policy since it will be written in English or another non-Thai language? Sounds like it will be the visa mess all over again!
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Gaybutton »

odd wrote:Just heard from Pacific Prime that they do not offer 'Thailand only' insurance to those over 75.
My Cigna policy covers me anywhere in the world except my home country.

Dodger wrote:GB, I don't know how much in-patient coverage your policy provides but you're paying more than Undaunted and he receives around 36 million baht coverage per incident (after converting Euros to Baht) with no deductible.
There are, of course, many different types of policies and options. My policy choice was US$375 deductible and US$1-million per year coverage.

I like not having to lay out more than my deductible. Undaunted will have tell us about his policy's deductible is and whether he has to lay out the money and wait to be reimbursed.

Between what Undaunted has and what I have, those seem like the two best to me, depending on individual needs. In any case, no matter what people choose and find themselves eligible for, at least get something. If you're living in a foreign country without any medical insurance, I'd say you're taking quite a serious risk. As I said earlier, as we age sooner or later something is going to happen.
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Undaunted »

My Policy is with April Ins.it is one of France’s largest Insurers, I have already had a claim before with them, they pay the hospital direct in this case it was Bangkok Pattaya Hospital most private hospitals such as Bumungrad hospital in BKK are part of the plan, the hospital was paid directly by April, there is no deductible and each hospitalization is covered to 1 million euros there is no age cut off my premium is $3,517 per year.
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote:My Policy is with April Ins.
Are you covered anywhere in the world or only Thailand?
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Undaunted »

Gaybutton wrote:Are you covered anywhere in the world or only Thailand?
Coverage is only for Asia. I have no plans to leave Asia dead or alive :!:
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Gaybutton »

Undaunted wrote:
Gaybutton wrote:Are you covered anywhere in the world or only Thailand?
Coverage is only for Asia. I have no plans to leave Asia dead or alive :!:
That is the major difference between your policy and mine. Ok, if people are looking for a zero deductible policy, less expensive than Cigna, and covers you only in Asia, then the insurance company to try first is Undaunted's.

If you are looking for a policy with various deductible options, more expensive than Undaunted's, but covers you anywhere in the world other than your home country, than Cigna seems to be the way to go.

Of course, there are many other insurance companies out there, but these two are the best I've heard about for expats.
odd

Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by odd »

I doubt if any of the premiums quoted here refer to people over the age of 80-this is where the problem starts. If you are living full time in Thailand why would anyone want to pay for Worldwide cover? Surely, I know this is a dangerous word, Thailand only cover must be cheaper than Worldwide cover? It seems from my experience yesterday that Thailand only cover cannot be obtained after 75 years of age.
Let's hope someone can correct me?!
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Re: Mandatory medical insurance for retirement visa - maybe

Post by Gaybutton »

odd wrote:If you are living full time in Thailand why would anyone want to pay for Worldwide cover?
In my case, two reasons:

1. I didn't know about Undaunted's insurance until he posted.

2. I still like to travel. If something happens to me outside of Thailand, I'm covered. Also, if for some reason and at some point I decide to live in a country other than Thailand, I'm covered. However, if I had known about Undaunted's insurance before buying my current policy, I probably would have opted for that and just bought travel insurance when going somewhere outside of Thailand.

I wish I could help you about solving your own insurance problem, but the only suggestion I can give you is to shop around for insurance and hope you can find something.

Maybe someone reading these posts has suggestions for you.
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