Health Insurance for Expats in Thailand
I enjoyed the movies series “The Highlander “with Duncan McLeod, but I have never met anyone like him in real life
This is reality. We are not getting any younger and there is no crystal ball “guiding “us . We just do not know what will be thrown at us in this life we lead as an Expat.
Having a Health Insurance policy for yourself and or family, backed by an International Health Insurance Company, provides you with:
Peace of mind: Not having to be concerned about the financial implications for medical care. A scratch from a rusty nail, a dog bite or scratch from a street cat, swallowing a fish bone, could manifest into something more serious.
Choice : Throughout Thailand and in many areas in SE Asia, the availability of up-to-date medical and diagnostic equipment, level of care and standards of cleanliness, varies from Institution to Institution, Country to Country. Having a Health Insurance policy gives you the option of choosing the medical Institution and care, that you require and desire for your medical condition / emergency.
Eliminating risk: Not many of us have the financial resources to be able to cover the treatment of an serious illness or accident, that could potentially run in to very high figures. With a Health Insurance policy, this risk is then borne by the Insurance Company. This enables you access to the best medical and treatment that is available.
There are many whom have previously had a Health Insurance policy and had been fortunate not to have used it, and would consider it to have been a waste of money.
Sensible planning is having an Insurance policy in place, that should you require costly Medical treatment in the future, you would not have to pay for the treatment yourself.
It is better to have something in place, than nothing at all.
Did you know that high Medical Treatment costs is one of the major causes for people having financial difficulties?
A recent study undertaken by National Legislative Assembly (NLA) panel , 50 patients at different State (3) and Private (6) hospitals in the Bangkok area, were interviewed to obtain an insight into how much people have to pay for treatment, and learned that:
– Treatment for a heart attack costs between Bt89,376 and Bt158,680 at state hospitals, while prices for the same treatment at general private hospitals are between Bt164,870 and Bt422,058. “Five-star” facilities, though, could charge up to Bt1.15 million for treatment, which may possibly include balloon heart valve surgery or emergency operations;
– An appendectomy can cost between Bt16,841 and Bt42,631 at state hospitals, while at general private hospitals prices could run from Bt57,683 to Bt102,150. Five-star facilities, meanwhile, can charge up to Bt211,765, with treatment possibly including additional CT scan and treatments for complications;
– Cataract surgery goes for between Bt19,468 and Bt44,740 at state hospitals, while general private hospitals charge between Bt59,263 and Bt113,238, though some five-star places charge up to Bt656,030;
– Knee surgery at state hospitals costs between Bt115,990 and Bt170,244, while at general private hospitals it costs from Bt182,542 to Bt295,727, though some five-star places charge up to Bt536,416.
– Treatment for flu costs between Bt490 to Bt1,252 at state hospitals, from Bt1,712 to Bt3,050 at general private hospitals and up to Bt3,940 at five-star facilities.
Source THE SUNDAY NATION 24 May 2015
For a no-obligation proposal , contact info@tigonconsultancy.com and put your mind at ease .
