Worried about the Costs of Health Insurance while you live in Thailand?

It depends on which angle you are looking at from.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

What is the most important asset you have right now?  Is it your vehicle, your house, your motorcycle?

What about the “vehicle” that you were born with.  Yes, your body and all its wonderful working organs.

Ok, as we get older, some of those organs are not working as they used to when they were a “newer model”.

People are very quick to open their wallets to “maintain” their livelihood, status of lifestyle, gadgets, food habits, yet when it comes down to the most important asset that they have, are reluctant to care and maintain.
Remember those days when you bought your first car? How you spent so much time washing, polishing your car, putting a great stereo system with possibly BIG speakers to listen to your music, wide tyres, flashy rims and trims and other bells and whistles. You gave your car so much attention and got upset when people disrespected your car.

The car you loved and cared for, I am sure gave you many great memories and lots of trips.

Car V Health as an asset

Should have seen me when I was young!

This would not have been possible had you also, not taken good care of YOURSELF. Eating good foods, drinking considerable amounts of, well hopefully water, and including some exercise to build those muscles and enable you to do the activities you did, as well as perform your job.

As we get older, I understand that you are not as young nor fit and agile as you used to be. We are still getting around in our born with vehicle (body) and hopefully, still have many years with.

Are you doing any exercise to keep flexible?

How about your food? Personally, I think using the word “diet” is an insult. Are you eating portions in moderation, enough vegetables and fruit. Yes, I do have a VERY sweet tooth, even though I have a lot of fruit in my fridge.

We need to provide good nutrition for our bodies and care for it as we did for our first car.

Unfortunately, we can’t just go to the local spares shop and buy a replacement part for our body, as we used to do for our cars.

Yes, there are some “parts / organs” that we can replace eg heart valves, metal, plastic, or ceramic implants for limbs, and socket joints for our knees and hips, etc or we need to be on the waiting list for a donor organ. Not that easy now is it in our latter years.

Would you buy a car that has a long list of potential parts that need to be replaced? It can be done, but it will cost.

Similarly, our health. As we get older, many of our body parts age from wear and tear. Possibly from accidents or physical work load, yet, they are not so easy to replace or at times, to repair.

You need to look after the only vehicle you have, to maintain your mobility and strength.

I read an article today about “sarcopenia”.

The more “inactive” you are, the more muscle you lose.

Sarcopenia

A gradual loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with aging. It’s a type of muscle atrophy, which is the wasting away of muscle tissue

  • Physical inactivity
couch potato v med health

couch potato v med health

A lack of regular physical activity can contribute to sarcopenia. Inactivity can also lead to other health problems, such as reduced balance and coordination, and decreased joint flexibility.

  • Exercise

Exercise is the most important way to prevent and treat sarcopenia. It can help reverse or modify the development of the condition

Other factors

  • Aging: The natural aging process is a major cause of sarcopenia.
  • Unhealthy diet: Eating an unhealthy diet can contribute to sarcopenia.
  • Bedrest: Periods of enforced bedrest due to illness can accelerate muscle loss.

Why are you so reluctant to have your “vehicle” serviced? Go for regular check-ups, exercise, eat healthily, have a sufficient night’s sleep?

A good walk around the neighborhoodHealth as an asset

or beach does you plenty good.

To maintain your aging car, the costs do increase with the “limited availability” of spare parts.

The same is for your body. Having a specialist or doctor perform the necessary “maintenance” on you, medical technology, medications and procedures, the costs increase annually. This also depends on what needs to be “fixed” eg cancer and similar chronic diseases.

Here in Thailand, we are fortunate to have a wide option of professional specialists, doctors and hospitals to go to.

The increase costs are not directed solely at you, but it affects us all, irrespective of age, sex, race.

Having your personal health insurance policy helps you to bear those costs and keep your body in good order or very close to that.

Would you want to have a cheap part placed in your body with limited durability by a back street “mechanic”, or do you want the best for your body?

As we get older, we are prone to have more “go wrong” with us, hence procedures and more so, complex procedures get more expensive. We won’t talk about which hospital to go to, as that will be a topic for another time.

There are many of us already are taking medication for certain ailments or have had “some repairs” done to our body. These are called pre-existing medical conditions. There are not that many companies that will cover Pre-existing Medical Conditions. Some conditions one can maintain, though it is the other unexpected ones that we need the protection of a good Health Insurance Policy.

Give your body the care and attention that it deserves. It has brought you thus far and hopefully, still have many more years ahead. I hope that you have not finished your bucket list yet and that your list is getting longer.

medical Insurance help for expats

medical Insurance help for expats

Investments fluctuate and many have lost a tidy sum on the markets. Your insurance policy helps for when you need it most with the attentive personal to assist you.

Is insurance a money grabbing industry?  It is an industry providing you with that safety net when you need it most and unfortunately, it is not always cheap.

I am not saying to not buy a cheap policy, but to purchase one that will fulfill your needs and requirements when it matters most.

It is well known that exercise increases muscle mass and, conversely, that immobility or a decrease in physical activity reduces it. Moreover, the decline in exercise capacity that accompanies a loss of muscle mass leads to a reduction in daily physical activity and consequent further muscle loss.

Would you like some help with your enquiry?

You can contact me here with no obligation at all.

Expat Med Health consultant Thailand

Expat Medical Health consultant Thailand

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