EmailKid

A friend of mine who has lived in Thailand for 15 years claims he's self insured.

Maybe he is referring to the low coverage required - I know things are cheaper in Thailand, but 100K ThB probably would not go very far if admitted with something serious.

Diplomatico

When your friend says he's "self-insured" he's saying he has no insurance - he pays for his medical bills out of pocket. That's not going to be an option with this new visa set-up.

transpac

Several times during the Military Junta's reign - now three years and no end in sight - the call for compulsory health insurance for all tourists comes up. Obviously this is temporary, travel insurance rather than health insurance for special visa categories, retirees and ex-pats. The Military Junta controls the National Legislative Assembly where all bills pass unanimously. Legislators make ~ 115,000 baht/month and can have five (5) paid (family) staff.

Insurance to be compulsory for travellers to Thailand


All foreign tourists will soon be required to have travel insurance before entering Thailand under a proposal put forward by a committee of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, according to an informed source.

The plan has been proposed by a committee working on the development of Thailand as a wellness tourism hub, and will be forwarded for consideration by the national tourism policy commission.

The requirement should not be seen as a "hurdle" to visitors to Thailand, the source said on Monday.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gene...rs-to-thailand

dsquared37

That article is from June 5, two weeks ago.

Dr. HFH

I have my health insurance from Massachusetts Blue Cross & Blue Shield. Bumrungrad is a fully participating member, exactly the same status and benefits as hospitals in Massachusetts. I wonder if that would that count for my coverage?

yosithezet

Why a financial dealbreaker? How much could it cost to be insured for THB 100K?

transpac

Are you asking about the potential requirement for ~ 34 million arriving tourists to pony up for compulsory health insurance, either in their home countries when applying for a visa or at kiosks upon arrival? I would think any added cost is likely to impact some tourist arrivals?

Or are you asking about foreigners living in Thailand full time, who might be required to carry health insurance as part of some new visa scheme?? Local health insurance varies quite a bit, as you can imagine, based on age/health. For some it's not that expensive, for others it is quite expensive, or unavailable owing to age and/or pre-existing conditions.

Kalboz

Raids under way

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1271215/

Two of the best known knock-off markets in the world are among six locations being searched for pirated goods - which will be wiped out in 30 days.

Diplomatico

First, let's remember we're talking about insurance through a Thai company (that's what the new visa scheme requires.) And we're talking about retirees aged 50+, many with pre-existing conditions.

You are correct about the 100K THB inpatient coverage...it's of so little value as to be virtually pointless and wouldn't be much in the way of a cost driver. The 40K THB for outpatient coverage is what's going to drive up the premiums.

Consider that here in Chiang Mai, a doctor's consultation at a private hospital is about 300 THB....the requirement for 40K THB on an outpatient basis is absurdly high. The policy quotes I've seen (from Thai companies) either don't include outpatient coverage at all or the levels are in the 1,000 - 2,000 THB range.

yosithezet

I'm talking about the 2x5 year retirement visa which required THB 40K / THB 100K insurance coverage.

Ok, so you think that the 1-2K THB is going to be a dealbreaker for someone that wants the 2x5 year retirement visa?

transpac

I confess to not being able to find what exactly was "approved" recently re: this new 10 year visa scheme - it was proposed last November. So I'm not exactly certain if all the details are available.

On the face of it, it doesn't really seem to offer any real benefits (save "unlimited re-entries*"), other than having to re-apply annually which is not all that painful (and costs 1,900 THB) for a one-year Extension of Stay based on Retirement? The monthly income requirement is higher, 100,000 THB vs. 60,000 THB (and/or the deposit requirement of 3,000,000 THB/<1,800,000 THB "later"> vs. 800,000 THB. And you still have to report every 90 days (on-line reporting is down again, you can report by mail or have a third-party do it for you).

Just not seeing any real benefits, or if anyone will take them up on this offer? Most comments and reviewers see little benefit as well.

The insurance requirement is also a bit confusing, and seems to require coverage up to ~ 340, 000 THB ($10,000 USD), at least in some reports. Without knowing the monthly/annual cost of an acceptable policy it is challenging to determine if this might be a 'deal-breaker'?

*Unlimited entry is a benefit, as a multiple re-entry permit is 3,800 for one year. So the 10,000 THB visa fee, whether for 5 or 10 years is a bargain if you plan on several trips in/out of the country each year.

I'll stick with my annual Extension of Stay.


Some details here: 14 countries, criminal background check...full details expected "imminently".

http://news.thaivisa.com/article/469...a-for-over-50s


The visa will cost 10,000 baht and will be valid for 5 years, before being renewed for a further 5 years.

The new Non O X visa will be available from 11 August, with an official announcement expected imminently.

The Non O X visa does not replace the current annual retirement extension.

Thailand 10 year visa in brief:

- Over 50s only
- 14 nationalities eligible: Japan, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada and United States of America.
- Minimum 3 million baht in Thai bank account
- or combination of 1. 8 million in the bank and income not less than 1.2 million
- 3 million baht must be kept in account for one year, can be reduced to 1.5 million under certain conditions
- Criminal background check from country you hold passport
- Health insurance provided by Thai company, Outpatient coverage minimum 40,000 baht, Inpatient coverage not less than 100,000 thousand baht
- Not permitted to work
- Unlimited entry valid for 5 years
- Fee is 10,000 baht
- 90 day report still required.
- Visa issued in two 5 year periods

Diplomatico

No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that the requirement to obtain a Thai insurance policy that offers 40K THB in outpatient coverage (when standard policies normally offer coverage in the 1-2K THB range) will be overly expensive (particularly when many current retirees have no Thai health insurance whatsoever.)

Add that to the other requirements of the visa and I don't see it being particularly popular with retirees from a cost perspective.

Kalboz

Some tourist visa holders being asked to show 20,000 baht in CASH when entering Thailand?

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic...ring-thailand/

ft101

Under discussion here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...-thailand.html

transpac

No clue how this will work given the need to verify entry and exit criteria for foreigners; Thais have kiosks departing and special lines arriving. But any improvements are appreciated. Maybe they're referring to the survey bit on the inside?

PM seeks decision on visitor forms at airport

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Immigration Bureau to decide whether to cancel the requirement for visitors to fill the 'TM6' arrival and departure form as part of measures to improve immigration procedure at airports, reduce waiting time and long queues.

A Cabinet resolution had allowed use of the old TM6 form with two separate sections for arrival and departure to be used until September 30. This followed a request from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport's to adjust the new form in order to help the ministry to get information for analysing and planning tourism marketing strategies. The new TM6 form will have only one section for the visitor to fill, with an “automatic channel” barcode for more convenience, and would be used from October 1.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/deta...gnews/30321551