Thailand - Elderly expats dazed and confused over insurance, ‘retirement visas’ and COVID

A new policy concerning insurance for so called ‘retirement visas’, as well as the requirements needed for anyone entering Thailand have sparked concern, confusion and even panic amongst elderly expats.

A recent article by the Pattaya Mail revealed how some older expats now felt “trapped” in Thailand due to new rules recently rolled out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The new rules which are in accordance with the Thailand Pass system, launched on November 1, state that foreigners who enter Thailand need to provide health insurance with a minimum treatment coverage of 50,000 USD or equivalent in any other currencies.

The concerns raised by the expats who spoke to the Pattaya Mail are that if they were to leave Thailand and visit their home country, they would have difficulty meeting the insurance requirements needed for them to re-enter the country.

The concern mainly comes from elderly expats who due to their age or having pre-existing health conditions means that obtaining insurance is at best expensive or at worst impossible.

For others, they simply can not afford to purchase the insurance one currently needs to visit Thailand.

Pattaya Mail’s article raises some valid points, particularly for elderly expats who wish to return home to visit friends and relatives, which for many has not been possible for almost two years.

However, a short time after the article was published online, a thread started on ASEAN NOW, the comments of which highlighted the confusion among some expats regarding a number of issues related to insurance for so-called ‘retirement visas’ and the current requirements for people wishing to enter Thailand.

Non-Immigrant “O-A” visa vs Non Immigrant O extension

The confusion is predominantly caused by a separate change to the policy for anyone wishing to apply for a Non-Immigrant “O-A” visa.

Non-Immigrant “O-A” visas are available to people aged over 50 who wish to stay in Thailand for 1 year.

Since October 1, applicants are required to have health insurance which offers minimum coverage up to 3 million baht for inpatient care.

However, it is important to note that this requirement only applies to O-A visas.

Most expats in Thailand will have a Non Immigrant O extension, which is normally based on ‘retirement’, which is granted to those aged over 50.

One of the main differences between an O-A visa and Non-Imm O extension is that Non Immigrant O extensions are obtained from an immigration office within Thailand.

A Non-Immigrant “O-A” Visa is obtained by applying at a Thai embassy or consulate overseas.

However, confusion occurs as both the Non Immigrant O and Non-Immigrant “O-A” are often and incorrectly referred to as ‘retirement visas’ – which is used as a kind of catch-all term for both, by everyone from expats to immigration officials themselves.

But when a change in policy specifically applies to one and not the other it is important that people understand the differences between the two.

There is currently no requirement for anyone on a Non Immigrant O extension to have health insurance - apart from if they wish to re-enter Thailand, which is a requirement for all foreigners, regardless of their visa status.

However, those with a work permit can show a valid social security card or certified letter from their employer.

Whether the requirement will be introduced at some point in the future is impossible to say and any mention of such is pure speculation at this stage.

Thailand Pass and insurance

What is also not known is how long the Thailand Pass system - and consequently - the mandatory insurance for foreigners entering Thailand will be required.

While the Thai authorities have previously revealed the issue that unpaid medical bills from uninsured foreign tourists have on the Thai health care system (and state coffers), if the current insurance requirement was to be implemented long term it could potentially put off millions of foereign tourists from visiting Thailand altogether.

 Source - ASIAN NOW

VISA AGENT  /  How to register for: THAI PASS

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#Bangkok - Health, pollution top social media discussion topics

Online channels being increasingly used for complaints about hospital services.

STROKES AND dust were the two most-discussed topics among Thai netizens last year, a recent survey has revealed. 

Conducted by the data company, Backyard Co Ltd, the survey found that Thais were particularly interested in the quality of private hospital services, strokes, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and facilities for elderly care during their time online.

Net users often “talked” about hospitals in relation to their services (54.94 per cent), Backyard’s co-founder Kittipong Kitithawornkul said. This was followed by topics like complaints, scamming, lack of medical ethics and hype (22.75 per cent), hospitals’ environment (11.80 per cent), fees (7.30 per cent), location (1.72 per cent) and facilities (1.50 per cent). 

Interestingly, data also showed that people are turning to online channels to submit complaints about hospitals, up from 16 per cent in 2017 to 22 per cent last year, reflecting the growing importance of online comments, he said. 

Data also pointed to Thai people’s growing interest in certain diseases. Strokes, for example, ranked No 1, with people discussing the topic 111.42 per cent more than the year earlier, followed by CRDs (59.88 per cent) and chronic kidney disease (34.91 per cent). 

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Researchers believe the move to ban trans or unsaturated fat by the Thai food agency may have inspired more discussions about strokes. 

In terms of online conversations related to medical check-up packages, data showed that Thai netizens “talked” more about packages for chronic respiratory diseases, 233.33 per cent more from the year earlier, chronic kidney disease (163.76 per cent) and strokes (89.32 per cent). 

Interestingly, as Bangkok struggles to cope with smog and fine PM2.5 dust particles, conversations about smog-related diseases such as allergy, heart disease, asthma and lung cancer are also on the rise.

In addition, online conversations regarding the wellness industry grew 75 per cent compared to the year earlier, though real estate topped the list. 

Meanwhile, online conversations about elderly care facilities rose as much as 180 per cent from the year earlier. 

People seem to be less interested in yoga, with 58 per cent fewer conversations about the subject compared to the year earlier. Now people seem to be more interested in healthy diets, with 128 per cent more discussions compared to 2017. This has been attributed to the popularity of intermittent fasting and the keto diet. 

Thai netizens also talked less about low-fat and low-calorie diets, and showed more interest in gluten-free (179.02 per cent up from 2017) and vegan diets (166.05 per cent). Unsurprisingly, there was also more discussion about protein alternatives. 

In order to combat office syndrome, researchers found that people were most interested in manipulative and body-based methods, with acupuncture and cupping therapy at the top of the list. 

“Online data shows that the healthcare and wellness business is very attractive, especially because online conversations related to this business grew as much as 85 per cent from 2017 to 2018,” Kittipong said.

Sourse - TheNation