Jump to content

Would you risk being abroad (Thailand or Non EU Countries) without Medical Insurance?


john luke

Medical Insurance  

25 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you risk being abroad (Thailand or Non EU Countries) without adequate Medical Insurance?

    • Yes I would be prepared to risk being abroad without medical insurance?
      8
    • No I would not be prepared to risk being abroad without medical insurance
      16
    • Don't know
      1


Recommended Posts

For a short 2 / 3 / 4 week holiday, then it's no problem to get insurance at a very reasonable price and yes i would do so.

But when one lives abroad and you reach the age of around 70, the price for medical insurance then goes through the roof, a few years after being 70 and it's almost impossible to get such cover and if you are able to find it then the cost would be FAR beyond most peoples budget.....So i suspect that most people are the same as myself and relying on not getting any serious illness. I do have accident insurance, which includes whilst riding or being a passenger on a motorbike, and the cost is surprisingly low......

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I live in Thailand nearly 14 years. The first 7 years a had a Dutch medical insurance. But because 7 years ago I emigrate from the The Netherlands I have no insurance for the last 7 years, but i have enough money in the bank. A few years back i had an eye operation in Pattaya Bangkok hospital. They did a very good job. Including a new lens the cost was 300000 Baht. I just paid cash. I good international medical insurance would cost me now (64 years old) about 350 Euro per month. When I am 74 it will be 550 Euro per month. Those expenses i save now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are elderly and in Thailand for a long period, in practice, you have no choice but to be uninsured.

The small amount of cover that is obtainable doesn't warrant the premiums. Decent cover is far too expensive to contemplate. 

 

  • Like 1
  • Great Info 1
  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Bazle said:

If you are elderly and in Thailand for a long period, in practice, you have no choice but to be uninsured.

The small amount of cover that is obtainable doesn't warrant the premiums. Decent cover is far too expensive to contemplate. 

 

In my wife's village every time somebody dies they collect 500 baht from every household to have the funeral. Don't even need insurance to cover funeral expenses. Includes foreigners married to Thais. 

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm going through the process of getting quotes, etc. as I'm looking to come back and live in Thailand full time.

As @frankholland has said, once you get to late 60's the pricing becomes ridiculous. As a fit 67 year old with no pre-existing conditions and not having been to a GP (other than to get Covid jabs) for donkey's years I'm going to take the risk and self insure. Can't justify £600 or thereabouts a month for what might be years.

I'll have cover for the first few months on a general travel/medical insurance (one has to anyway to get the Thai Pass) but after that I'll take the risk.

  • Like 2
  • Thumbs Up 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, I buy insurance almost automatically whenever I'm going to be away from home.  When Covid hit and my holiday insurance timed out I bought a local Thai health policy which also covers me for some travel overseas.  For now I wouldn't be without it but who knows how I'll see it as I get older.

I think the term Self Insurance is a myth in many cases and means no insurance worth talking about.  If I ever go that route the money will be ring fenced in a seperate bank account to try and make sure it's there when/if required.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, KWA said:

I think the term Self Insurance is a myth in many cases and means no insurance worth talking about.  If I ever go that route the money will be ring fenced in a seperate bank account to try and make sure it's there when/if required.

That is exactly it! You pay yourself the premiums, and set aside the money. Unless, of course, you are sufficiently well heeled to regard a big medical bill as petty cash! 🙂

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Bazle said:

That is exactly it! You pay yourself the premiums, and set aside the money. Unless, of course, you are sufficiently well heeled to regard a big medical bill as petty cash! 🙂

It depends when you start saving if you have no insurance. Even being able to save 10000 a month for a couple of years would be no good if you have a heart attack or major accident. You are chancing it from day 1 when you have no insurance. I know of one guy who did indeed pay for his hip surgery and believed the money he had not spent on insurance was the amount he had to pay himself for the surgery so he was happy; that is all good but the day after he had the surgery he could have been knocked down by a bus or fallen off his bike and ended up back in hospital. Thankfully he didn't have an accident and is no longer in Thailand.

Everybody needs to do their own risk assessment.

Some here are saying that they have never had a health issue and they are in good shape for their age and body type.

I was that guy as well but one day I noticed I was unable to jog without being near to fainting.  Blood tests, x rays and an ECG determined there was nothing wrong with me but thankfully being in the UK and changing my surgery I was offered a heart ultrasound which determined I had to have my Aortic Valve replaced, my prognosis was imminent death at anytime or definitely dead with 12 months if I did not have open heart surgery. On the surface there was nothing visibly wrong with me but I had a severe heart defect (probably occurred at birth) which became an issue with age. In medical terms I had severe stenosis of the heart valve, not nice.

Pacific Cross offer a chart of some of the average costs associated with some of the surgeries/procedures that might cross our paths living in Thailand with no insurance. In the chart below I see my operation would have cost roughly 595000 baht. I would have needed to save 10000 baht every month for 5 years to afford that. Some can do, I would think the majority couldn't. 

Pacific Cross 1.png

Pacific Cross 2.png

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Great Info 1
  • Thumbs Up 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For Dengue fever I can give you the actual costs in Thailand. I have had 3 times Dengue infection.

First time in 1996, when I came back from my first visit to Thailand with high fever. No cost in the Netherlands because of my insurance.

Second time in 2013. I went to the local hospital. 4 days with infuse and every 4 hours blood test to check pellet count. The girlfriend slept under my bed to take care of my needs. Total cost (including food) 4000 Baht (the bed costs were 300 baht a day).

Third time in I went to Korat bangkok Hospital in 2020. In 2 days I could leave because my pellet count went up. total cost of 2 days 43000 baht.

So costs can vary a lot.

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Great Info 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

After 20+ years of travel and always being insured, at 76 travel insurance for a holiday has become unavailable/too expensive. I am in good health and have a very healthy bank balance so I'll be 'self-insuring' on my less frequent trips now. 

  • Thumbs Up 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I have had high blood pressure since my 30s, controlled by a daily pill, all the insurance companies here tell me they won't cover any heart or circulatory issues.  So I have to self insure.  I know an expat that had a quadruple bypass at a private hospital including several days in ICU.  Cost 1.7MBaht.

I keep several million Baht in an account that has no ATM card attached.  I also flow my incoming transfers through that account to my daily use accounts.  That has the additional benefit of allowing me to use an account that never gets anywhere near as low as 800KBaht for my retirement extensions.

In any case, I've had medical care at government and private hospitals here, including surgery at a private hospital, and the costs are significantly lower than what I was used to in the US.

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, tko said:

In any case, I've had medical care at government and private hospitals here, including surgery at a private hospital, and the costs are significantly lower than what I was used to in the US.

Same. For a number of years I could not get insurance and paid cash (in TH and US). Paid cash for several orthopedic surgeries in TH. Saved a lot ($100,000+) on paying cash in the US.

Now I have insurance in the US but haven't checked if I can use it internationally (but will before my next trip).

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The year I spent in Thailand I didn't have any insurance,or the 3 month trip a couple of years later. One's a month long or less I did.

Was early 30's on the long trips so didn't worry about health issues. Though I was renting bike's so could of easily got splattered.

In my 50's now so always would have it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No chance

Seen the consequences of it twice with two mates from home .

My first mate from home fell off a waterfall in Koh Samui in 05 and was in hospital nearly a month (had to be flown to BKK) his insurance had ran out as he ended up overstaying his original time (with a visa run)

Second mate came off a moped age 23 and ended up in a coma and permanent vegative state (I had been with him all night) 

Absolute no chance and you gotta be a prick not to have it 

  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I paid 30000 a year with Pacific Cross for IPD (inpatient) only. I was 62 and nearing 63 when I left Thailand. The cover was excellent and would cover most hospitals, all overnight stays, nurses fees etc., with full surgical/doctor cover.

I am shocked at some saying over £600 a month, either it's gone up big time or some are looking at higher standard of cover which is not needed. I paid at the time £700 a year and that included my daughter (an infant at the time). 

Edit Can't remember the rate in 2017-2018 but maybe it was nearer £650

Edited by Horizondave
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mentioned that a good european insurance will cost me 350 Euro per month. This going up to 550 Euro when I am 74 years old. Horizondave mention Pacific cross at 30000 Baht for a 62 year old. That is only 70 Euro per month. I googled Pacific cross reviews, and what I read horrified me. I am a little to heavy and take pills for diabetis 2, cholesterol and high blood pressure. Those 70 Euro probably would do me no good because many illness they would try not to cover because of pre-existing condition. Also I read that if you had a treatment once for an illness the next they not cover. So you get what you pay for.

When I lived in the Netherlands the health insurance costs me about 100 to 130 Euro per month. That is about 1500 Euro a year. The actual costs is 6000 Euro/year because the Dutch government pays the 4500 Euro a year (the Dutch budget for health costs is about 80.000.000.000 Euro). These values a from a few years back from my memory. I just checked an in 2020 the total average costs per person paid by the Dutch government, healt insurance companies and personal payments was 6660 euro per year   So the 350 Euro per month is not so bad

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, frankholland said:

I mentioned that a good european insurance will cost me 350 Euro per month. This going up to 550 Euro when I am 74 years old. Horizondave mention Pacific cross at 30000 Baht for a 62 year old. That is only 70 Euro per month. I googled Pacific cross reviews, and what I read horrified me. I am a little to heavy and take pills for diabetis 2, cholesterol and high blood pressure. Those 70 Euro probably would do me no good because many illness they would try not to cover because of pre-existing condition. Also I read that if you had a treatment once for an illness the next they not cover. So you get what you pay for.

When I lived in the Netherlands the health insurance costs me about 100 to 130 Euro per month. That is about 1500 Euro a year. The actual costs is 6000 Euro/year because the Dutch government pays the 4500 Euro a year (the Dutch budget for health costs is about 80.000.000.000 Euro). These values a from a few years back from my memory. I just checked an in 2020 the total average costs per person paid by the Dutch government, healt insurance companies and personal payments was 6660 euro per year   So the 350 Euro per month is not so bad

I admit when I lived in Thailand I did not have any existing medical issues and I was really thinking of @Britboy who was quoting a high price per month. As far as I know he said he had no pre existing conditions so I was surprised at the amount he posted even though he is 67.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends on your comfort zone. I wouldn't be happy as in my late sixties. Just the examples we have seen on the Internet videos of people being caught out is a sharp reminder that nothing is certain in life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great topic-  for me I think the answer is it depends.

As a 50 something tourist I'd always have it.- as it's dirt cheap!! But for a few replying on here who are expats or looking to stay long term it feels like a different dynamic, especially if they are a little older, and it becomes a huge expense.

They are tripping over the line where insurance companies are raising the bar so high for the over 70s as they don't really want to insure them.

If your self insurance means as @Bazle suggest you are setting the money aside yourself, then that for me would make sense.

Realise many can't or won't be disciplined but if you are mature and a long terrm stayer with discipline in LOS then it might be value to lay the risk, tuck money away, rather than paying outrageous insurance.

Taking monthly health insurance premiums quoted on here as £600  pcm (for a 67 year old), 25k baht a month. I couldn't afford that for sure

 

Edited by Lemondropkid
  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...