Everything You Need to Know About Expat Health Insurance In Thailand
Looking for health insurance as an Expat in Thailand? learn everything you need to know about health insurance in Thailand.
What To Keep In Mind Before Buying Health Insurance in Thailand?
There are a few essential things that everyone should consider before making a decision on purchasing insurance, these include:
Identify your medical requirements
Consider what kind of medical coverage you’ll require if you plan to live or retire abroad. Here are some questions you might want to consider asking your self, are you only thinking about inpatient emergency coverage, or will you also require outpatient coverage, such as dental and vision? If you’re expecting a child, do you need maternity coverage? In order to choose the best health insurance, you must first determine the benefits of your policy.
Area of coverage & Cover Limits
As an expat, you may travel abroad a lot, at least between your home country and Thailand. Therefore, it is important that you make sure if the health insurance will only cover you while you are in Thailand or in other areas around the world as well. Find out what the limitations are. Some health insurance will cover you worldwide.
As for cover limits in Thailand, insurance contracts have three types of limits: the overall plan’s limitations, benefit caps and limits that are specific to the procedure
Limits are given in terms of a year However, benefit limits or procedure-specific limits in the in-patient department, or IPD, are either per year, per illness, or for the duration of the contract.
Policy limits
To ensure you’re adequately protected make sure the package you’re considering has acceptable policy maximums. As an Expat living in another country, you want to know that if you need costly care in the middle your coverage will not expire.
Key points
- In Thailand health insurance needed for specific visa forms, such as retirement visa.
- Expat health insurance offers you access to high-quality healthcare anywhere in Thailand.
- Health insurance policies for Expats are generally very flexible and customisable, allowing you to tailor your coverage to your particular medical needs.
Types of Health Insurance For Expats In Thailand
There are many main types of health insurance for expats in Thailand, however, these are the most popular ones.
Personal Health Insurance
Personal health insurance is the type of insurance you buy for yourself. With personal health insurance, you are in full control of the coverage your receive. Having a lifetime renewal guarantee means that you can always renew your policy, so you don’t have to worry about losing your coverage due to any illness.
Employee Health Insurance/Social Security
Employee health insurance is a type of insurance provided by your employer. The company pays all or most of the premiums, so it’ll be cheaper for you. However, you don’t have the option to customise the policy according to your needs, and you’ll lose the coverage if you leave your job.
Travel Insurance
Short-term travel insurance can last anywhere from a few weeks to several years. Travel insurance is only available if you apply from your home country, not while in Thailand. Their rates are significantly lower than what you’d pay for long-term coverage.
Group Insurance
Group insurance applies to any family or group of 3 or above, this also includes company owners who wish to get their employees health insurance.
With personal health insurance, you are in full control of the coverage your receive.
Age Restrictions
The general rule is that if you sign up for health insurance before the age of sixty, you can get lifetime coverage. It becomes more difficult to obtain comprehensive health insurance for retirees once they reach the age of 65.
You will not be able to find affordable insurance coverage if you are over the age of sixty. In Thailand, insurance plans do not subsidise older age groups by collecting premiums from younger members. It’s critical to remember that your insurance can’t cancel or refuse to renew your coverage, as stated in the Conditions section and the premium rate for 55 year old males starts at 70,000 baht a year.
If you plan to stay in Thailand for an extended period of time you should consider getting personal health insurance, which will provide you with more extensive coverage for common diseases, medical visits and preventive treatments among other things, regardless of your employment status.
What Health Insurance Add-Ons Are Available For Expats in Thailand?
To further protect yourself, you can include add-ons to your health insurance. Below are some of the most common health insurance add-ons for expats in Thailand:
OPD (outpatient department)
Your OPD expenses would be smaller if you went to a less costly hospital with no free juice and a hotel-lobby-style waiting room. If you don’t live in Bangkok, the OPD facilities you’ll need will be much less expensive. The paperwork is a near second reason why you do not want to bother with OPD insurance. Many people despise filling out forms, mailing statements and disputing rejections. When it comes to costly long-term OPD treatment for diabetes or kidney failure, the price you pay for health coverage greatly exceeds the sums you’re likely to receive. You should also be aware that some insurance providers can consider such procedures as OPD even though you will be in the hospital for several days.
Dental
Dental coverage varies and some insurance providers demand a co-pay or only cover one regular checkup per year. Most insurance policies in Thailand cover dental work, but since dental treatment is less costly in Thailand, you shouldn’t be worried.
Medical evacuation
Medical evacuation is an add-on service provided by several insurance companies. The utility varies according to where you live in Thailand and many low-cost plans would fly you to the nearest appropriate hospital rather than to your home country. It’s feasible that flying your home would be less expensive for the insurance provider than paying for an extended stay in a top-tier Thai hospital.
Health insurance for smokers
The effects of smoking on health insurance premiums are linked, and the former influences the latter. While insurance companies offer the same types of health insurance plans to smokers and non-smokers, the premiums for smokers are slightly higher.
Self-employed health insurance
If you’re self-employed, you can enrol in flexible, high-quality health coverage through individual Health Insurance, which is designed specifically for people who own their own businesses.
If you own a business that generates revenue but has no employees, you should be considered self-employed health insurance.
Other Terms and Conditions
When purchasing insurance, you must consider the amount of paperwork involved. Here are 3 main things you must consider:
Application Form
In Thailand, applying for insurance is similar to applying in other countries. Each insurance firm conducts its own poll.
Insurers will ask you questions about your previous health and illnesses. Some employers inquire whether you have been rejected by other employers.
Authorizations in Advance
Insurance firms can require prior authorization before receiving hospital treatment in some cases. This is a common procedure for any non-emergency hospital visit. Prior authorization is also required by some insurance providers for more expensive OPD procedures such as MRIs.
Denials of Claims.
Health claims that have been made and processed by the payer but have been identified as unpayable are known as denied claims. These “unpayable” claims usually have a mistake or a lack of prior authorization that was discovered after the claim was processed.