We’ve all seen the stories coming up on our news feeds. Another ‘falang’ has got drunk on holiday, had a motorbike accident, been admitted to the emergency room and they haven’t got any health insurance. So what do they do in order to pay their $10,000 dollar hospital bill. It seems there are only 2 viable options: Send home for financial help or start a gofundme page and hope that expats can find it in their hearts to donate. Isn’t this a little irresponsible?
I was reading a story just recently about a guy who needed a triple heart bypass to the cost of a million baht, had no insurance and couldn’t pay for it. Is it a case of ‘tough luck’ or should we help? This begs another question, Does it make a difference if you know the person? I’ve dug deep a couple of times when the person in need is somebody I know. It’s so much easier to be contemptuous when it’s somebody we don’t know.
The need for health insurance was driven home to me personally when my baby daughter was recently admitted to hospital for 4 nights with a virus. I’d initially gasped at the cost of family health insurance but 4 nights in Bangkok hospital came to 85,000 baht! Aetna health insurance were great. Handed over the card, not a penny to pay and the staff at the hospital were outstanding. Having that peace of mind is priceless.
My Thai wife used to sell insurance and because of my age and risk factors she suggested not bothering..
Christmas Day some clown in a gravel truck dropped the hook for no apparent reason, I hit the back of him on my cycle, it was a mess to say the least, after 5 surgeries plus one more I need, the bill is around 2 million.. this is being treated at Sriphat in Chiang Maix, with really top shelf surgeons
Yeah, it’s a lot of money plus the 12 days in a private room and ongoing physio.. Still cheap compare to Oz, I doubt Medibank would have coughed up on half the costs, so I reckon I broke even…
This is my experience. Im 71 year’s Old no insurance, i had a bacterial infection in my right leg. Could Not stand the pain was too much. I was due to fly abroard at the end of Two weeks. So my Doctor Said if i went in to Hospital she could fix me up so i could traval. In Hospital for 7 nights in a private room three meals a day all medication great english talking nurse’s, on a drip for 7days with blood test every day, cost for everything 12,000 baht in my Local goverment Hospital . Nong Bua Lamphu.
Never mind asking for money from where ever, without my I insurance I would have been dead 3 times by now. Dead like in gone for good, cheap but to me it’s not worth NOT having an insurance!!
Ok…. stop the jokes about being dead 3 times that’s not the point!