Another Hurdle?????

I have information that serious consideration is being considered, to include the requirement for Visa applicants to have adequate Medical insurance when applying for a Visa.

RALPHCUSENS wrote:I have information that serious consideration is being considered, to include the requirement for Visa applicants to have adequate Medical insurance when applying for a Visa.

Good Idea.

OK Ralph, give it up. You can't just drop this big smoking turd in the middle of the table and then walk out of the room. Please tell us your source so that we can then evaluate it, as only the UM forum members can. Did your TW/TG hear it from a neighbor who was told it by her cousin who overhead it at the beauty shop? Or do you have access to the power structure of the Thai government? This issue begs a lot of questions, that I'm sure we can use to generate a monumental thread discussion on the forum. Some questions come to mind:

What is considered "adequate" medical insurance? Great minds of the century have wrestled with this question and have failed to come up with an answer.

What about the old geezers who couldn't possibly get insurance at any price? Are they to be shuffled off with their walkers and oxygen tanks back to their home country, taking their pensions with them and leaving their young TW in the lurch?

Will the new Obamacare plan be considered adequate insurance for the Yanks? Oh, wait, strike that. Nobody knows what the current Obamacare plan consists of.

What about the Yanks who are currently enrolled in the US Medicare plan but can't use it because they are out of the country? Ditto for the Brits who can't use their "free" medical coverage under the NHS? Would they be considered "adequately" covered?

But, not to worry, I'm sure that if this were to come to fruition, all sorts of insurance plans for ex-pats would suddenly materialize. At a nominal cost of course.

So please Ralph, tell us the source of your information and any other details you may be privileged to.

jackspratt wrote:Let's wait before we start panicking.

Rumours in, and about, Thailand are a dime a dozen.

Jack, who is panicking, I posted this information as a heads up, it certainty is not a rumour,I said " IT IS BEING CONSIDERED", which it is.

I personally agree with Bob. It would be very difficult to administer, But this being the LOS, who knows

Jimbo LV,

The source of this information was from a meeting that I attended, comments about second third and fourth hand I will ignore, I would not have posted if it were, I am not privy to any further information. ONLY THAT IT IS BEING CONSIDERED.

BobHelm wrote:

trubrit wrote:Good Idea.

Can I ask why you believe this to be the case TB?? Especially as neither the OP nor you suggest a reason???

Bob,

As I have just posted, this was a heads up posting, I'm not in any way suggesting that I know the reasoning behind this idea, but, consider the following HYPOTHETICAL situation;

An elderly farang gentleman collapses, an ambulance is called, he is taken to the nearest hospital, and after tests, it is ascertained, that he has suffered a cerebral haemorrhage, resulting in severe brain damage. resulting in possibly brain surgery and intensive nursing!

After extensive inquiries he is found to be a holidaymaker, without any travel insurance, no savings, and no family who are able to or willing to pay the hospital bill, or to repatriate him, who picks up the bill ???

I suppose the question is.

Did the meeting have it presented to them from the appropriate and responsible government agency, ie Immigration etc

Or was it a brain storming session and a recomendation to come from that meeting.

It is a knee jerk reaction to an Expat who has been hospitalised and cant pay the bill, do the private hospitals have a hidden agenda ??

Many countries certainly require evidence of financial security when issuing extended visas, for study, temp or perm residency etc as free health care isnt provided to many of these people if they present to a public hopsital , eg Australia, whilst there is a free public sector hospital system, its not free for tourists etc....

Even if it was to ever be implemented, how much could it actually cost, VS., Falangs, paying cash money up front, for any medical emergency to simple treatments, on site? Sounds like generated HYPE, and hokus pokus, to me, like most issues here.

Also, if a program was to ever start towards this endeavor, it will be based on Thai time, so we all have at least five more years minimum to even think of such a worry.

I see zero mention on the rest of the other forums, as well as the major Thai news sites. Cash is always preferred here, but I could be wrong. Eh!?

let's wait and see

agree, no need to panic....................yet..............though i wouldn't be surprised if a reality, as so many older folks are eventually having health problems, but didn't know or realize, if they are being care for at gov't's expense, in which case, i would be good to ensure insurance coverage is already paid for. though for me, if that was a requirement for extended visa, i would no longer have one, as i have no intention of paying for real coverage, way too expensive, or simply paying 10k baht or what ever sh*t policy, simply to satisfy a requirement. i would simply play the tourist visa game and spend the money on visits to laos a few times a year.

i would think if, like USA, politicians were invested in the insurance industry, it would be a reality

Why would anyone in their right mind be living here in Thailand WITHOUT adequate medical insurance.

Surely it is more important than virtually any other budgeted expense.

Hardly a hurdle, more an enforcement of common sense.

If you want to retire in Malasia, you will need to show that you have adequate health insurance. It seems natural that Thailand would take up a similar requirement. Regrettable, but natural.

In the (slightly) distant past, I received care at government hospitals at no cost to me. I would think that the government would not want to subsidize foreigners who stay in the kingdom, even though they pay their share in value added tax, etc.

Health insurance is not expensive here (of course it depends on the eventual definition of "adequate"). Consider who might behind such a move...

Malaysia also give you this if you retire there.





You will get a 10-year Visit Pass and Multiple-Entry Visa (renewable every ten years) which will eventually give you a lifetime easy access to the country (perpetual visa).
You can import your car or purchase a new car, tax-free and enjoy other tax incentives.
You can invest and own businesses in Malaysia. This is like owning a second passport, or a second citizenship in Malaysia.