Thai authorities to hold new talks on insurance for foreign tourists

[Up2u]

Thai authorities to hold new talks on insurance for foreign tourists
by Asian Correspondent Staff | 20th July 2016 | @ascorrespondent
THAILAND’S tourism minister says she will hold talks with relevant parties on providing insurance to foreign tourists visiting the Kingdom.

Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said this week that she will discuss the possibility with relevant parties from airport and immigration authorities.

She said the plan has met with opposition from many parties, who feel the cost of providing insurance to tourists should not come from government coffers.

“The tourism minister added that there has been a suggestion to incorporate this expense with other costs of travel, such as the visa fee or as an airfare add-on,” the National News Bureau of Thailand reported.

The minister’s announcement comes amid reports this week that a British woman has died in a Thai hospital after running up a 1.65 million baht (US$47,138) medical bill that her family could not pay.... (read more)... https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/07/ ... insurance/

[Gaybutton]

The idea of at least some sort of insurance requirement makes sense to me. If a traveler to Thailand can show documentation that proves he already has insurance that will cover him if something happens to him in Thailand, end of story.

If not, as long as it's reasonably priced I don't see why someone would want to travel to a foreign country and risk the possibility of something happening that he can't pay for and I don't see why Thailand should be burdened with the cost. I also don't see why anyone would want to risk the possibility of ending up in a Thai public hospital ward instead of a good hospital, top quality care, and in a decent room.

If you think having to spend time in a Thai public hospital ward is worth the risk, visit one and see for yourself. In Pattaya go to the Banglamung Hospital. Take a look at one of the wards. I already know just how much you'd like to be a patient there.

I did a Google photo search for Banglamung Hospital. Loads of photos - and not even 1 showing the wards. Maybe that ought to tell you something.

[Alex]

They should simply follow the Schengen area model, they cannot come up with anything better anyway. Next.

[Gaybutton]

They should simply follow the Schengen area model

For those of us who have no idea, meaning me, please explain what the Schengen model is.

[pong]

At the mo I sit in Schengen-area. I guess he means another EURopean agreement: ANYone here in any country has some form of state-regulated or state-provided form of insurance for health/hospital etc-differs per country as to how far stretching and how it is organised. One also-though one may have to ask for it, get a cr-crd-sized plastic card, whcih proves you are registered in your home-country for it. Whilst visitng in other EU/EUR countries (EUR is slightly bigger and incl NOrway, Switserland, Iceland etc. though its well known the UK is out of Schengen but in this agreement) this card will also give you access to other countries health-care IN THE FORM OF THAT COUNTRY-incl. any own payments due, limitations etc. Emergency hospital etc is always included. Here we pay for it as part of general taxes and one also has to choose an insurance every year and also pay a fixed sum (they can compete on that) for it.
It may be roughly comparable to what (as how I understand it goes) senior people in the US get from medicare-also if vacationing as NYer in Florida.
I had it once while in TH and yes indeed-I got an emergency private-hospital treatment for about 98% compensated afters-they will pay out to max amount what it would have cost here-that non-2% were miscellaneous non-refundable posts out of strict health itself.
For Europeans Its mostly a prob with the Brits-they have state-provided health care and seem to think that nothing else is needed and this will also be good anywhere else on this earth.

[pong]

Oh-now I remember-that card is named EHIC=Europ. Health Insurance Card, and I very well remember the administrative lady in that hospital knew very well about it and asked for it-she would try for direct payment, so that I would not have to pay first and reclaim.

[Alex]

They should simply follow the Schengen area model

For those of us who have no idea, meaning me, please explain what the Schengen model is.

Applying for a Schengen visa, one of the requirements for getting it is having adequate travel health insurance coverage. No health insurance, no visa. You could call that a nanny state approach.

[Rin]

Only the listed insurance companies are accepted by the Embassies of the Schengen Countries in
Bangkok. If you provide insurance from a different company based in Thailand, the policy will
not be accepted. The sum insured has to exceed 1.5 million Bath or 30.000 Euro. The choice of a
particular health insurance is up to the Visa applicant.

http://www.vfsglobal.com/italy/thailand ... 130613.pdf

[Gaybutton]

Only the listed insurance companies are accepted by the Embassies of the Schengen Countries in Bangkok.

That's interesting. I really don't understand the logic of that. My own medical insurance covers me anywhere in the world other than the USA. Not only that, but they deal directly with the hospitals. The only out-of-pocket expense for me is the deductible. I don't have to lay out the money and wait for a reimbursement. But my company is not on the list you posted. Does that mean if I want a Schengen visa I have to buy additional insurance?

By the way, if anyone is interested my medical insurance is Cigna Global. It's insurance for expats. You are eligible only if you can prove you spend at least 75% of the year outside of your home country. If you wish to discuss details of that or any other specific insurance companies, please start a new topic.

[Captain Kirk]

That newspaper report suggested a 500B insurance payment from tourists. That sounds ok by me, I'd have no objections to paying that.