Thailand Expats

seafox · #1 12-06-2006, 23:28

To all the expats and anyone who has stayed in LOS for a year or more,

A friend of mine asked me what an expat does for health insurance and I said that the subject had not been brought up that often on the forum.

Do you get health insurance in LOS or does your policy that you had in your native country cover you while you live in LOS?

What is everybody doing for health insurance? Is there any form of health coverage that is offered in LOS similar to what is offered in farang land?

dawsey · #2 13-06-2006, 00:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by seafox

To all the expats and anyone who has stayed in LOS for a year or more,

A friend of mine asked me what an expat does for health insurance and I said that the subject had not been brought up that often on the forum.

Do you get health insurance in LOS or does your policy that you had in your native country cover you while you live in LOS?

What is everybody doing for health insurance? Is there any form of health coverage that is offered in LOS similar to what is offered in farang land?

Did you see this thread Chris?
http://www.phuket-info.com/forums/ex...alth+insurance

seafox · #3 13-06-2006, 00:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsey

Did you see this thread Chris?
http://www.phuket-info.com/forums/ex...alth+insurance

Thanks for that thread Dawsey but not much there.

Really looking for some definitive answers as to whether anybody from Europe or US knows exactly what they can and can't do.

Will US or Europe based insurance companies cover someone living in LOS permanently?

Coolhand · #4 13-06-2006, 03:25

When I was living in the UK I used to buy annual travel insurance but it only covered me for trips of upto 90 days from home, so I don't think that would work.

There is BUPA health insurance in Thailand, so I suppose that that would be the sort of thing you need if living there.

stevem · #5 13-06-2006, 03:29

You can get health insurance in LOS, as CH has said travel insurance only covers you a max of 90 days away from home. Rates vary from around 12K to 25K per year, and some companies you need a WP to qualify for coverage. Once you get there you can shop around, as your travel insurance will cover you initially.

Nicke · #6 13-06-2006, 03:36

When I moved to Thailand my "home" insurance only covered for 3 months and I could buy additional time for very expensive amount. However, the year after they introduced a new insurance for Swedes abroad, with a good price and was able to use for maximum 5 years in a row.

However, I use BUPA now. The Swedish ones is better as they dont have a book with exceptions but BUPA is a pretty common choice here among foreigners. They dont allow dangerous sports and lot of other exceptions thought.

I pay about 12,000 baht/year but does not cover outpatient, for that is maybe 4-5k more. It also depends on your age what fee you have to pay.

tonyd · #7 05-07-2006, 18:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by seafox

Do you get health insurance in LOS or does your policy that you had in your native country cover you while you live in LOS??

If you plan to stay a year or more, good coverage is much cheaper in LOS.

Quote:

What is everybody doing for health insurance? Is there any form of health coverage that is offered in LOS similar to what is offered in farang land?

There are 5 "non-life" health insurers in Thailand, Thai Health Insurance (THI), AXA, BUPA, LMG and IAG/NZI. If you want to pay the price for coverage similar to "farang land", look at LMG or IAG/NZI. If you want good value for your money go with THI. If you need low cost family coverage go with AXA. BUPA is good. It competes with THI and is very professional, but many expats complain about their dealings with BUPA. Insurance from all 5 companies can be purchased in English through E-InsureThailand.com and they will deal with the insurance companies for you, at no additional cost to you.

tonyd · #8 05-07-2006, 18:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevem

You can get health insurance in LOS, as CH has said travel insurance only covers you a max of 90 days away from home. Rates vary from around 12K to 25K per year, and some companies you need a WP to qualify for coverage. Once you get there you can shop around, as your travel insurance will cover you initially.

You only need a Work Permit if you purchase health insurance through a life insurance company. Then you need to attach the coverage to a life insurance policy. You can get better value not purchasing health insurance through a life insurance company.

hgl · #9 07-07-2006, 00:04

As I quite like the idea myself to spend some considerable time in Phuket and will do so once my house in the UK is sold and that soon I hope if the estate agent gets a move on! And hell, I can work from anywhere so why not from there...oooops, as long as ADSL works of course. So I had a quick look at the insurance issue. It appears there are a number of Insurers that will provide cover for "long-term-ers" of up to 18 months.....that may be enough to find an alternative after....here is one of the links.....

http://staysure.co.uk/travelinsurance/longstay.php

Sirgezza · #10 07-07-2006, 04:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by hgl

As I quite like the idea myself to spend some considerable time in Phuket and will do so once my house in the UK is sold and that soon I hope if the estate agent gets a move on!. And hell, I can work from anywhere so why not from there...oooops, as long as ADSL works of course. So I had a quick look at the insurance issue. It appears there are a number of provers that will provide cover for "long-term-ers" of up to 18 months.....that may be enough to find an alternative after....here is one of the links.....

http://staysure.co.uk/travelinsurance/longstay.php

Hi hgl and welcome to the board.

Good link - 3 months for me is £101, so I'll compare to others.

tonyd · #11 09-07-2006, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by hgl

So I had a quick look at the insurance issue. It appears there are a number of Insurers that will provide cover for "long-term-ers" of up to 18 months.....that may be enough to find an alternative after..

Hi hgl, I have another link for you to consider below: E-InsureThailand is a Thailand based service to assist expats in the purchase of all types of insurance. In particular, they are specialists in assisting expats with their health insurance needs.

People from all over the world who are planning to live in Thailand contact them for coverage that starts upon arrival in Thailand. It's a very simple process. It can be done by e-mail, fax or airmail. Normally, they arrive here with their health insurance card in their wallet. The card will admit them to most hospitals in Thailand without charge.

It's simpler and much cheaper than travel insurance. It automatically renews every year. The premium is annual pay, but if you leave Thailand after a few months you can get back partial refund of premium. Example: Leave in 6 months you get back 35% of premium. Normally, they will place you with Thai Health Insurance (THI), but, if you want BUPA, they will place you with BUPA. They offer a very wide selection of companies to choose from.

They work for you, but are paid by the insurance company they place you with. There is no better insurance service for expats in Thailand. I know, because I created E-InsureThailand and I work very hard to make sure our service is the best. www.e-insurethailand.com

faultytowers · #12 09-07-2006, 14:57

Tony , perhaps it would have been better to post a brief intro about yourself and your company so that people would know you had a "vested interest" in selling insurance. I am sure you are upfront about what you do , but a little bit of background would prevent it looking like you were just trying to "plug" your company.

dawsey · #13 09-07-2006, 16:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyd

There is no better insurance service for expats in Thailand. I know, because I created E-InsureThailand and I work very hard to make sure our service is the best. www.e-insurethailand.com

Tony,as FT has said in the above post,a little background info would be nice.
We have let you post a link to your company on a couple of occasions,and I'm sure expats and people thinking of moving to LOS may be interested in your services.

However,there is a strict rule on here regarding advertising,and as such any further links to your site will be deleted.

tonyd · #14 09-07-2006, 16:16

Thanks, faulty. Your point is well taken. But, in a sense, I think that I have just done that now.

Except for the brief brag about our service at the end of my reply, no bias has been involved in any of my responses. Any responses I give have been well researched and are easily defendable.

We provide a free service to expats living in Thailand or coming to Thailand. The insurance they buy from us doesn't cost them any more than if they bought directly from BUPA or Thai Health Insurance or BUPA International or IHI Danmark. It's our large inventory of health insurers, our Expat to Expat service in English and our lack of product bias that makes us worth considering when buying health insurance. Yes, we do lead with THI, because, as a rule, we find them to be one of the best health insurance values in Thailand. But we also currently have applications being processed by BUPA, LMG, AXA and 2 international insurers.

Faulty, I do agree with you. I'll change my forum identity to identify what I do.

tonyd · #15 09-07-2006, 16:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsey

Tony,as FT has said in the above post,a little background info would be nice.
We have let you post a link to your company on a couple of occasions,and I'm sure expats and people thinking of moving to LOS may be interested in your services.

However,there is a strict rule on here regarding advertising,and as such any further links to your site will be deleted.

Agreed. That's fair. No more links. In fact, I will respond to health questions from time to time, but will no longer mention E-InsureThailand.