martinsen Posted May 14, 2019 Posted May 14, 2019 If this news article from the Phuket paper is correct then many of us will have to pack our bags and leave Thailand. https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1100302-health-insurance-mandatory-for-long-stay-foreigners-in-thailand/page/37/?tab=comments#comment-14137759 Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 14, 2019 Posted May 14, 2019 It would be rather foolish for people to be living in a foreign country without adequate health insurance. If it makes you feel any better, I just renewed my retirement visa this past Friday, May 10. I was not asked to produce any proof of medical insurance. The immigration officer didn't even mention anything about insurance at all. Nobody else renewing their retirement visa at the same time I was there was asked about medical insurance either. So unless I happened to renew on the very last day when there was no medical insurance requirement, then there is no requirement - not yet anyway. (PS: please spare me the lectures about how you're not renewing, you're extending.) DivineMadman and reader 2 Quote
anddy Posted May 14, 2019 Posted May 14, 2019 yeah whatever.... 1. "the cabinet approved" the new rule. That doesn't mean it will ever come into effect or be enforced (TiT, after all) 2. there was a big hype recently about the altered 800k bank deposit requirement, in particular that the deposit now needs to be at least 800k for at least 3 months AFTER the extension. Well, I also renewed/extended about a couple of weeks ago, and nobody even mentioned anything at all about that. That in and of itself doesn't mean much either, that new rule may or may not be looked at then the next renewal is due in a years time.... 3. there was also some drama posts in a facebook group about immigration now asking for TM30 from the applicant (even though TM30 is technically an obligation of the landlord, not the tenant/applicant, but again TiT) and a big deal was made out of the fact that they have a separate setion at Immi for filing TM30, woohaa! Well, upon my renewal, that was also a complete non-event. My whole renewal went completely identical as last year (except this time it took much longer lol, ostensibly due to an internal meeting). I'm with Gaybutton here, such news are best ignored. But thanks anyway for sharing! Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 14, 2019 Posted May 14, 2019 1 hour ago, anddy said: "the cabinet approved" the new rule. That doesn't mean it will ever come into effect or be enforced (TiT, after all) Sometimes rules that are in effect are not enforced. There are also plenty of instances where various immigration offices, and even individual immigration officers, make up their own rules. I think many of us have heard plenty of those stories. I can understand why Thailand would want farang retirees to have medical insurance that covers inpatient. But outpatient - for 40,000 baht, which is less than US $1300 for a full year? In my opinion that is asinine. Why not simply require 40,000 baht to be held in a Thai bank account, just like that 800,000 baht? If they ever do put this rule into effect, maybe that will be an option. The bottom line is we simply don't know yet what to expect or how this will play out. I have no idea if this rule is actually in effect and being enforced. If it is being enforced, how? What would immigration require as proof of insurance? All I know is when I renewed my retirement visa this past Friday, nothing was even mentioned about medical insurance. That means either nothing about this is being enforced or I just happened to renew my visa on the last day it could be done without showing proof of insurance. At the time of this post, so far all we have is a couple confusing news articles and a lot of people talking without having any idea what the hell they're talking about. I'm a believer in "Don't worry until you have something to worry about." If my visa renewal experience is any indication, then at least for now there is nothing to worry about. If anyone wants to worry, then if you are living in Thailand without medical insurance, unless you are independently wealthy that's what to worry about - rule or no rule. In my opinion people in the retirement age bracket are taking much too great a risk if they're here without decent medical insurance. I'm an example. About 2 years ago I ended up in a hospital for 7 days - pneumonia. If I wanted to stay in a semi-private room, then all I would have had to pay would be the deductible - and for me that is US $375 - around 12,000 baht. But I decided to pay the difference to stay in a private room. For the week, the total out-of-pocket I ended up paying was 42,000 baht - a little over US $1,300. Meanwhile the total bill was over 400,000 baht - almost US $13,000. You're not gonna catch me without good medical insurance - again rule or no rule . . . anddy 1 Quote
Bob Posted May 14, 2019 Posted May 14, 2019 10 hours ago, Gaybutton said: It would be rather foolish for people to be living in a foreign country without adequate health insurance. If it makes you feel any better, I just renewed my retirement visa this past Friday, May 10. I was not asked to produce any proof of medical insurance. The immigration officer didn't even mention anything about insurance at all. Nobody else renewing their retirement visa at the same time I was there was asked about medical insurance either. Agree about the foolishness part. And feel sympathetic toward those who can't afford reasonable coverage (or have so many pre-existing conditions that having health insurance which excludes pre-existing conditions is pretty much a waste of time and money). As to the alleged new medical insurance requirement: (1) Since the new policy wasn't announced until after you renewed last Friday, not surprising that the Immigration officer didn't say anything about it. (2) Ubonjoe (typically very accurate) indicates the new medical insurance requirement at the moment (things could change) only applies to those applying for an 0-A visa in their home country (which, of course, is the only place you can get an 0-A visa based on retirement). DivineMadman 1 Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 15, 2019 Posted May 15, 2019 5 hours ago, Bob said: (2) Ubonjoe (typically very accurate) indicates the new medical insurance requirement at the moment (things could change) only applies to those applying for an 0-A visa in their home country (which, of course, is the only place you can get an 0-A visa based on retirement). I wish whoever wrote the article in the first place would have clarified exactly who this would apply to. The sentence that has me the most confused is "According to Nattawuth, the new rule applies to both new applicants for the non-immigrant visa (O-A), which offers a stay of up to one year, and those wishing to renew their visa. Each renewal is valid for one year." I don't know quite what to make of that. "Those wishing to renew their visa." Who does that apply to? Isn't renewing our retirement visa the same thing? We can quibble all we want about whether we are renewing or extending, but the only thing that counts is how immigration will see it. It doesn't make sense to me that people applying for an O-A visa would be required to prove health insurance, but those actually living in Thailand under the retirement visa would not have to meet the same requirement. Once again, we have confusion. "What we have here is failure to communicate." - Strother Martin (Captain), 'Cool Hand Luke' Quote
Patanawet Posted May 15, 2019 Posted May 15, 2019 21 hours ago, Gaybutton said: It would be rather foolish for people to be living in a foreign country without adequate health insurance. I wonder what your opinion will be when you reach 70 years and cannot get or afford health insurance here. Most insurance companies refuse applicants over the age of 70. floridarob 1 Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 15, 2019 Posted May 15, 2019 1 hour ago, Patanawet said: I wonder what your opinion will be when you reach 70 years and cannot get or afford health insurance here. As much as I hate to disappoint you, I'm with Cigna Global. As long as I pay the premium, it's good for life. Quote
Patanawet Posted May 15, 2019 Posted May 15, 2019 4 minutes ago, Gaybutton said: As much as I hate to disappoint you, I'm with Cigna Global. As long as I pay the premium, it's good for life. No you don't disappoint or surprise me. I hope you realise that there are many who did not have the forethought that you have had. Many others have been with companies that cancel policies after 70. Good on you for finding one that doesn't. I wonder what your premiums will rise to at 70. Quote
Gaybutton Posted May 15, 2019 Posted May 15, 2019 51 minutes ago, Patanawet said: I hope you realise that there are many who did not have the forethought that you have had. Of course I do, but your post said, "I wonder what your opinion will be when you reach 70 years and cannot get or afford health insurance here." Maybe I'm wrong, but that comes across as directed toward me. At age 70 my annual premium will likely be somewhere between US $4500 to $4700 based on the rate at which the premium has risen annually. Quote
