Health Insurance

[rocky1838]

I know it's deviating off the normal track of ST v LT etc but I would like to share with you my best friend's experience last year.

He was a 40 a day smoker for years and had been staying in Thailand living the high life, drinking and shagging for quite some time.
Complaining about shortness of breath for some time until it steadily got worse and admitted Himself into Pattaya Memorial. Yes, He was having a heart attack and went straight to ICU. After six days in ICU at a cost of nearly £3000 He was due to get out. Then bang, the big one hit and nearly finished Him off. Only for the hospital staff He was dead for sure. They took Him to a Bangkok hospital and advised He needed a triple by-pass or He would die.
They wouldn't let Him travel back to the UK as He was too unstable. In the end everything cost Him £20,000 and....wait for it. He didn't have health insurance :eek:

Also, be aware the UK government is now REFUSING NHS treatment to ex-pats who have been out of the UK six Months or longer. Yes, you heard right.

Check the small print on your insurance policy. I just checked mine and it covers me for motorbike accidents...but only if the bike is 125cc or less!
What a con. I have a 400cc fireblade so I'm fucked if I have a crash.

[racker]

Rocky,

Thanks a lot for your informative post. I am an American and I wonder if my health insurance will be good in Thailand. You DONT want to be without it even in a relatively inexpensive (by American standards) health system like Thailands.
We take good health for granted, until we are sick. Boozing, smoking, drinking, and shagging are GREAT GREAT GREAT but be ready if you have to pay the piper. ;)

[rocky1838]

Rocky,

Thanks a lot for your informative post. I am an American and I wonder if my health insurance will be good in Thailand. You DONT want to be without it even in a relatively inexpensive (by American standards) health system like Thailands.
We take good health for granted, until we are sick. Boozing, smoking, drinking, and shagging are GREAT GREAT GREAT but be ready if you have to pay the piper. ;)

Yes, when wer'e home we take it for granted. Let's be honest, Thailand attracts the older gent on holiday and He goes crazy, with drinking sex and of course Viagra, which is really bad for the heart anyway.
Yes, it was a lesson to me and I got six Months insurance at a cost of $240 approx. Money well spent I reckon but you have to check the small print.

[Crackpott]

I have a Gold account with my bank that gives me free worldwide Insurance.
Its worth checking if your bank does that

[tony999]

When buying insurance and travelling to Asia check if your policy will allow you to fly (by airplane ambulance) to one of the more advanced cities like singapore or Hong Kong. When I went to vietnam 2 years ago I bought this option and it only cost me an extra $20. I didn't need it thankfully but I certainly wouldn't like to have triple bypass surgery in a Thai hospital.

[one786]

I think thailand also have good hospital. In bangkok bumrungrad hospital is very good one I had 3 stent placed there while I brought my doctor with me from usa. He was also very satisfied.
Some insurance companies reduce the coverage if it is out of country and not certified before surgery.I think that is not fair because in my care my total cost was 17,000 dollars compare to more than 100,000 in usa.

[rocky1838]

I think thailand also have good hospital. In bangkok bumrungrad hospital is very good one I had 3 stent placed there while I brought my doctor with me from usa. He was also very satisfied.
Some insurance companies reduce the coverage if it is out of country and not certified before surgery.I think that is not fair because in my care my total cost was 17,000 dollars compare to more than 100,000 in usa.

Yes, my mate got His in that hospital.
Also he got His credit cards surgicaly removed while in there too. When He got His bill in a Month later someone had spent $8000 in a Japanese dept store using His credit card. He checked the dates etc and is convinced the details were stolen while He was in that hospital :mad:

[GerhardReinke]

If one is living in Thailand, BUPA (http://www.bupathailand.com/wwt_ins.asp) (Thai Blue Cross) is a pretty good value.