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What Is The Best health insurance For Expats?
August 26, 2023

What Is The Best health insurance For Expats?

Discover Thailand’s top health insurance companies that offer comprehensive health coverage plans specifically tailored for expats.

Expats have several different options when it comes to health insurance in Thailand. Below are some of the options you can consider:

Private Insurance
Private insurance, also known as local insurance, provides coverage that is restricted in the following ways: the amount covered is relatively small in comparison to western countries. Your age, meaning insurers will not accept you if you are 75 years old or older. and motorcycle accidents are not covered.

One major advantage of getting private local insurance is that hospitals negotiate with local insurers on a daily basis. When you file for a claim, you simply show your card and the hospital and insurance provider will take care of the rest.

Private Offshore Insurance
Private offshore insurance is a common choice among expats in Thailand, especially for those who do not intend to stay in the country for a long period of time. They normally come with worldwide coverage except for some countries, you may also want to continue the same plan when relocating to a new country.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is the way to go if you’re looking for a short-term plan that can last anywhere from a few weeks to a coup;e of years. Travel insurance is only available if you apply from your home country, not when in Thailand.

Short-term insurance coverage is less costly than long-term insurance coverage, however, bear in mind that because travel insurance providers do not have to deal with costly long-term care, they will usually only provide emergency healthcare coverage.

Social Security
Social security will protect you by Social Security benefits if you work legally in Thailand. Your employer will deduct 5% of your gross salary for Social Security per month, but no more than 750 baht. Social Security will provide you with free medical care and prescription. Free treatment will also be provided by social security, but it comes at a cost in the form of long lines, limited drugs, and rushed doctor visits. You’re also limited to one hospital for a year.

Group Insurance
Group health insurance can give you a discount on medical cost if you have a family member of three or more people when visiting Thailand.

Key Points

  • Foreigners can select from a variety of insurance options that cover health benefits.
  • Choose the health insurance that best suits your needs, as well as the amount of time you expect your policy coverage to last.
  • Having health insurance will allow access to more medical treatment options.

How to Identify Your Healthcare Needs

Prior to purchasing health insurance, it’s important that you first find out how much healthcare you will be needing, do you want to including inpatient or outpatient coverages? If you or a member of your family wants to see a doctor often, having outpatient services that cover treatment that does not include an overnight stay in the hospital can be perfect. However, if you only fall ill only once in a while and don’t have any major medical conditions, you may want to consider a simpler package for inpatient-only coverage, this option will save you more money.

Do you have pre-existing conditions?
One thing to be mindful of is pre-existing conditions, as critical illnesses or any previous accidents that you had are not covered by health insurance. Life Insurance with Pre-existing conditions coverage, on the other hand, can be negotiated with a small number of insurers, and extra premiums and waiting times are normally added.

Do you have a preferred specialist?
You might want to include a specific doctor or expert in your policy as well. Because the doctor you see on a regular basis may or may not be included in a plan’s network of providers, this is an important point to discuss with the insurer or broker. You can still see doctors and specialists who aren’t in your insurance plan’s provider network, but your insurance will only cover a portion of the costs if any at all.

What To Look Out For When Choosing Health Insurance

Don’t fall for the cheapest insurance package while searching for insurance, instead, consider the following:

Coverage limits
What are the coverage limits of the plan? What are the benefits’ limitations? Are they sufficient for your requirements?

Area of coverage
Is your plan coverage valid in Thailand and other countries as well? This is important for those who often move or migrate to new countries.

Guaranteed renewal
Are you going to terminate your plan if you have a chronic condition, file too many cases, or make too many claims?

Exclusions
Is there anything you should be mindful of in terms of exclusions? Do you have a chronic illness or engage in non-covered activities?

Company credentials
Is it comfortable to communicate with the insurance company? Do they lift premiums by a significant amount every year? What are people’s opinions on them?

The most expensive plan doesn’t always mean the best, but it’s better to pay a little more than having a plan that doesn’t have enough coverage when you need it. Reading the terms and conditions, looking at consumer feedback, and speaking with a good broker can all help.

It’s better to pay a little more than having a plan that doesn’t have enough coverage when you need it.

How Do Expats Apply For Health Insurance in Thailand?

In Thailand, applying for insurance is the same as applying for insurance in any other country. To get the process started, you must first receive a call from a representative of an insurance company. Each insurance company conducts its own survey, in which you will be asked on your health and previous illnesses. After you’ve completed all of the steps required by the insurance company, you’ll need to sign the contract and pay for the policy. Finally, you can choose to have your policy mailed to your address or receive an electronic copy.

Plan ahead and get health insurance.

What Are the Top Health Insurance Companies in Thailand?

In Thailand, health insurance is not very common, particularly among Thais who are covered by the government’s Social Security system. However, a growing number of people, especially visitors and foreigners are seeing the benefits of having private health insurance, which is easier to use and offers much better benefits than the Social Security system. Health insurance is now becoming a requirement due to rising medical costs. Here’s a list of the top health insurance company in Thailand.

Bupa
Bupa is a well-known brand for their health insurance in Thailand; The majority of people prefer Bupa because they have a 24-hour English-speaking team who will look out for you. Bupa Thailand is different, they have a larger hospital network and benefits the customer because they can go to any hospital in Thailand and make a cashless transaction.

AXA
Since Axa is a big multinational organization, it’s no wonder that people choose to be covered by their health insurance. They offer a range of options to fit multiple budgets. AXA health plans are more costly than most insurance providers but they have more benefits. For example, unlike most insurance companies, they do not provide a waiting period for medical claims.

Pacific Cross
Pacific Cross is one of Thailand’s fastest-growing insurance companies, they’ve been competing with Bupa and succeeding. They offer more options than any other health insurance company, as well as lower prices than the market. The good news is that the Pacific Cross has an Expat department that caters to clients who can only communicate in English. Over 300 hospitals of Pacific Cross are based in Thailand, with a few more distributed outlets across Southeast Asia.

LMG
LMG is a newcomer to the market, but they already established a great reputation and they have a range of interesting and affordable plans. LMG’s advantage is that they review the application as quickly as possible, but they can only accept applicants up to the age of 60. They have five budget plans and two full-coverage plans for inpatient and outpatient care. The five budget plans are known as the “Universal Package,” while the full coverage plans are known as the “Elite Series.” Their hospital network list is almost identical to Pacific Cross’s, making them equally competitive.

MSH
MSH have a good reputation among expats. If you’re looking for the gold standard of insurance, MSH is a great choice. They have a reputation to uphold as a multinational corporation. They have a variety of language speakers who can assist you regardless of your country of origin. There are two types of plans available: Asia Care First, which is more premium and expensive, and Asia Care Plus, which is more cost-effective.

Do Local Banks in Thailand Offer Health Insurance For Expats?

In addition to non-health insurance, which includes home, automobile, and travel insurance, all Thai banks offer a diverse range of health plans. Their short-term travel insurance plans come in handy for trips abroad to places where insurance is required, such as when applying for a Schengen visa. The benefits of having Thai health insurance through a Thai bank for expats include the fact that it is affordable, simple to sign up for, simple to make claims at the hospital, approved in many countries, does not always require an interview when applying, and some even have foreign coverage.

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