News Forum - Still unclear if visitors to Thailand will need medical insurance in the future

[Thaiger]

The future of Thailand’s requirement for foreign arrivals to have medical insurance is up in the air. Right now, all foreigners except those with work permits are required to have US$20,000 anti-Covid cover, including hospitalisation. The price used to be US$50,000 until the CCSA lowered it in March. Now, although the Ministry of Tourism suggests that starting next month, the entire registration process for visitors could end, it’s still unclear what insurance requirements would be. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted that the insurance requirement could drop to US$10,000. No government agency, however, has explicitly stated that mandatory insurance […]

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[Cabra]

Every barrier to entry (regardless of how small) is just that, a barrier. Remove all barriers if you want people to return in force. Else loose out to those countries that do remove all barriers. Generally speaking, people don't appreciate being scammed. And these insurance schemes are widely viewed as scams by tourist.

[Ramanathan.P]

They are looking at their crystal ball to find alternative ways to extract wool from the tourists eyes. They will still find a way to milk whatever way they can as long as tourists wanted to enter the country. The only way is to totally scarp all these scams which are causing pains and burden to the tourists.

[Soidog]

It really won’t matter what the amount of cover is $50,000, $20,000 or $10,000, the cost will remain the same. It’s all about risk and little to do with the amount covered. It seems the insurance companies already pay out a fraction of the costs incurred by many patients anyway. 

[Fanta]

The government previously claimed that part of the 300baht fee soon to be applied to all tourists entering the country was earmarked for foreigner medical care. Maybe they forgot that part of their justification? 

[Grumpish]

I don't think the medical insurance is a big deal, even if it is costly for me because of my age and because I want pre-existing medical conditions covered, which means paying a substantial premium. What I do object to is having to pay out extra for the Thai insurance when I have a perfectly good annual multi-trip policy that does provide covid cover but gets rejected for the Thailand Pass because it is not worded exactly the way they want it to be.

[Poolie]

9 minutes ago, Grumpish said:

I don't think the medical insurance is a big deal, even if it is costly for me because of my age and because I want pre-existing medical conditions covered, which means paying a substantial premium. What I do object to is having to pay out extra for the Thai insurance when I have a perfectly good annual multi-trip policy that does provide covid cover but gets rejected for the Thailand Pass because it is not worded exactly the way they want it to be.

So talk to your insurance company and get them to change their wording. Easier than getting a country to change its immigration laws?

[palooka]

46 minutes ago, Fanta said:

The government previously claimed that part of the 300baht fee soon to be applied to all tourists entering the country was earmarked for foreigner medical care. Maybe they forgot that part of their justification? 

OH that 300 baht, well due to unforseen circumstances ............ blah blah we had to do the other insurance. But we will reassess the 300 baht insurance (upwards of course) when we go endemic soon. Tks for the reminder.

[Guevara]

13 minutes ago, Poolie said:

So talk to your insurance company and get them to change their wording. Easier than getting a country to change its immigration laws?

My Insurance underwriters couldn't make it any easier or simplistic to understand but I doubt when I arrive in Thailand it will be accepted. It's no more than a disgraceful and shameful scam.

[palooka]

2 minutes ago, Guevara said:

My Insurance underwriters couldn't make it any easier or simplistic to understand but I doubt when I arrive in Thailand it will be accepted. It's no more than a disgraceful and shameful scam.

Meeting on the 22nd may make it irrelevant for you, so fingers crossed.

[Poolie]

58 minutes ago, Guevara said:

My Insurance underwriters couldn't make it any easier or simplistic to understand but I doubt when I arrive in Thailand it will be accepted. It's no more than a disgraceful and shameful scam.

Ah, it's written in Thai? How obliging of them.

[PapayaBokBok]

this is the KEY imo as thais have been trying to impose INS for all tourists PRIOR to covid

IF they drop it this a SIGN to me of desperation--actions speak louder than words----time will tell

[Janneman]

As long as it is unclear if the insurance is needed it is clear that tourists will not come in large numbers 

[Thaidup]

8 hours ago, Fanta said:

The government previously claimed that part of the 300baht fee soon to be applied to all tourists entering the country was earmarked for foreigner medical care. Maybe they forgot that part of their justification? 

remember when we had to pay 500 baht to leave?

Edited April 16, 2022 by Thaidup

[Thaidup]

2 hours ago, Janneman said:

As long as it is unclear if the insurance is needed it is clear that tourists will not come in large numbers 

Anyone else curious now about the current PM's cabinet statements some years ago about Thailand becoming less reliant on tourism?

[Mazz11]

I do not travel overseas without travel/medical insurance.

I am fit and healthy but you never know what might happen, accidents or illness can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere.

The covid component of standard travel insurance should be built into all insurance policies going forward including any issues presented by a positive asymptomatic test result.  

[palooka]

3 hours ago, Thaidup said:

remember when we had to pay 500 baht to leave?

I may be wrong but think it is still there, just inclusive of your ticket price.

[Skip]

15 hours ago, Cabra said:

Every barrier to entry (regardless of how small) is just that, a barrier. Remove all barriers if you want people to return in force. Else loose out to those countries that do remove all barriers. Generally speaking, people don't appreciate being scammed. And these insurance schemes are widely viewed as scams by tourist.

Maybe a better point of view is to require that the insurance companies stop scamming and provide decent coverage that pays properly when it is needed... to allow tourists to travel to any country without health insurance is ridiculous... put the burden of your illness on the insurance companies not the tax paying citizens. 

[Skip]

12 hours ago, Grumpish said:

I don't think the medical insurance is a big deal, even if it is costly for me because of my age and because I want pre-existing medical conditions covered, which means paying a substantial premium. What I do object to is having to pay out extra for the Thai insurance when I have a perfectly good annual multi-trip policy that does provide covid cover but gets rejected for the Thailand Pass because it is not worded exactly the way they want it to be.

Thus the scam part of Thai insurance

[Skip]

10 hours ago, Poolie said:

Ah, it's written in Thai? How obliging of them.

Or Thailand could just join the rest of the 2ist century... computers can translate any language that you give them and it costs less to use a computer in the long run than the 5-10 copies they are currently demanding

[Guest1]

38 minutes ago, palooka said:

I may be wrong but think it is still there, just inclusive of your ticket price.

It is 700, it was even before it got included into the tickets. 

I always thought about that, when buying a cheap, about 1000 baht ticket, to KL or Singapore, but had to pay a lot more, for the return flight.

[Soidog]

2 hours ago, palooka said:

I may be wrong but think it is still there, just inclusive of your ticket price.

That’s correct. It was added to the airline ticket. Think it was in 2004 or around that time. That’s not enough so they need another 300. So that’s 800 multiplied by 40 million tourists. A cool $1 Billion a year. 

[Thaidup]

3 minutes ago, Soidog said:

A cool $1 Billion a year. 

That will buy a few Twitter shares.

[Thaidup]

14 hours ago, Soidog said:

It’s all about risk and little to do with the amount covered. It seems the insurance companies already pay out a fraction of the costs incurred by many patients anyway. 

There was a news story here the other week about a couple of Thai insurance companies filing bankruptcy.

[farang]

yes,drop all this uneeded crap!we never know for sure from day to day whats needed or required!!how can you plan a trip not knowing what  is going to be done  to you on arrival? maybe an expensive stay unplanned? insurance you bought that wont pay? hotels that people have to wait 4 to 6 to 8 hours for pick up?maybe?think ill keep waiting.till i see its over and done!