Government wants foreign visitors to be insured

[gotlost]

Government wants foreign visitors to be insured

Pradit mulls including health cover in visa fees
Published: 28 Jun 2013 at 00.48
Online news: Local News

Various state agencies have agreed in principle with the Public Health Ministry’s proposal to require foreign tourists to buy travel and health insurance before arriving in Thailand.
The ministry on Wednesday made the proposal at a meeting with representatives from the Airports of Thailand (AoT), the Royal Thai Police and various other government ministries.
Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong, who chaired the meeting, said the ministry proposed the cost of health insurance coverage might be included in visa fees.
 Pradit Sinthawanarong, Public Health Minister: State hospitals bear tourist burden

He said non-visa tourists might have to pay for their health insurance coverage at immigration checkpoints or the fees could be added to the cost of airline tickets.
Every tour agency would have to tell their foreign customers about the insurance requirements before they travel to Thailand, Dr Pradit said. He said the method of payment for the insurance would be decided at the next meeting.
Dr Pradit said the meeting agreed on setting up a sub-committee to work on the issue and decide on the level and type of insurance coverage that would be required for tourists in cases of emergency care and the return of dead bodies.
The ministry called the meeting with state agencies after the cabinet in January asked it to set up a health care system for foreigners who are not members of universal health care schemes.
The government was concerned about the financial burden on the country’s state hospitals which are having to provide free medical services to foreign tourists, Dr Pradit said.
State hospitals in popular tourist areas were shouldering much of the burden, he said.
Jetsada Jongpaiboonpattana, director of the state-owned Vachira Phuket Hospital, said the hospital spent 3 million baht last year to provide free services to foreign tourists who received medication but later claimed they had no money to pay for it.
In some cases, the AoT had to provide free flights to send sick tourists home.
The meeting also discussed health care for migrant workers and marginalised people.
Each adult migrant worker is currently required to pay 1,300 baht for one year of health insurance, he said.
The price may increase to cover additional benefits, the health promotion programme, anti-retroviral therapy and other chronic disease treatments, he said.
The ministry will seek funding to provide health care for stateless people living here, illegal migrants and displaced people, he said.
Dr Pradit said his ministry also plans to help neighbouring countries set up their own universal health care systems.
He said helping neighbours develop their own health care systems would help improve medical care in the border areas and reduce the strain on Thai hospitals located near the borders.
Representatives of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Labour Ministry, Interior Ministry, Transport Ministry, Finance Ministry and the Tourism and Sports Ministry also attended the meeting on Wednesday.
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[Somnat]

Why (although i am sure some do) would anybody travel out of their own country as a tourist without medical / medivac insurance?

[Antonio]

Why (although i am sure some do) would anybody travel out of their own country as a tourist without medical / medivac insurance?

Been here for 11 years never once have i had medical insurance when leaving the U.K.

[Eric2012]

Somnat,agree with you 100%,but Antonio's response explains in a nutshell exactly why the Thai gvt.is considering this proposal.

[Antonio]

Somnat,agree with you 100%,but Antonio's response explains in a nutshell exactly why the Thai gvt.is considering this proposal.

There are 101 way to avoid this,just let them dream on.

[nookiebear]

AoT HAVE NEVER & WILL NEVER BEAR THE COST OF SENDING 'SICK' PEOPLE HOME.....IT COMES DOWN TO THEIR EMBASSIES

[nookiebear]

Just a little footnote ........if you happened to be travelling back to the UK for example on a B747 & it had to divert because you were taken ill & didn't have travel/medical insurance do you realize how much this costs,,,,,,,,,,just for the aircraft diversion without any additional hospital bills...........around 55,000 GBP

[Somnat]

AoT HAVE NEVER & WILL NEVER BEAR THE COST OF SENDING 'SICK' PEOPLE HOME.....IT COMES DOWN TO THEIR EMBASSIES

And even then you would be pushing shit uphill.

[Eric2012]

Maybe a govt.insurance scheme could actually be a good thing for most expats.At the moment I know of many living here who have difficulty getting decent health insurance.Under this scheme it would probably be cheaper and surely better than nothing IMHO

[gotlost]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/poll/1932/do-you-agree-with-the-public-health-ministry-s-proposal-to-require-foreign-tourists-to-buy-travel-and-health-insurance-before-arriving-in-thailand

[Ahab]

How about just accepting my insurance from the United States instead of making me buy insurance for a short visit to Thailand. Is this really a big issue for short stay tourists?

[nookiebear]

Maybe a govt.insurance scheme could actually be a good thing for most expats.At the moment I know of many living here who have difficulty getting decent health insurance.Under this scheme it would probably be cheaper and surely better than nothing IMHO

Age is the big problem regarding health insurance out here is the cost once you hit the 60 mark.

[nookiebear]

How about just accepting my insurance from the United States instead of making me buy insurance for a short visit to Thailand. Is this really a big issue for short stay tourists?

It is the short stay tourists that are the problem, often ending up in hospital with little or no funds to pay for the treatment