Thailand medical insurance is incredible.

Years ago, i decided that I wanted to have health insurance. Medical care in Thailand is inexpensive when compared to the rest of the world, but there are certain procedures that are still going to cost more than you have to spend and well, that is the whole reason why we have medical insurance right?

I'm not trying to get into a debate about government-sponsored medical care because honestly that horse is extremely dead, no need to beat it anymore. However, Thailand is actually one of those countries that has a real good mix of freedom as far as medical care is concerned. If you have very little money you can be seen and treated for next to nothing, if you have a bit of money and / or insurance, you can go to world-class hospitals and have a pretty amazing experience.

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I have insurance with FWD, which at least in this country, used to be ING, which is one of the largest insurance companies in the world. I don't know why they changed names and I don't care - the coverage remained the same. I got involved when I was in my mid 30's and now I am in my early 40's. I have only claimed a couple of times and from that perspective, I am an ideal customer for the insurance company. However, I really only got the insurance to cover the costs of something major. I actually didn't even know that minor things would be covered also.

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The Bangkok hospital company is well-known over here for being the go-to hospital for very high-quality medical care and since I knew my insurance was valid there. There was loads of staff and everyone spoke English and was very polite (although i CAN speak Thai, i am far from fluent and I didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing and end up missing a toe or something afterwards.)

Anyway, that hospital provided me with basically as good an experience as one can have in a hospital, which I am sure that ideally we would rather avoid altogether. This article is not about the hospital though, it is about the insurance.

I know from my friends and family in the United States, that generally speaking people hate insurance companies because their primary objective seems to be to NOT pay as often as possible. Over here, I would say it is quite the opposite. My agent worked it out with the doctor on the phone to insure the fact that I would receive only procedures that were covered by my insurance and this is precisely what they did. It was effortless on my part and in the end I received a bill for zero baht.

I have heard horror stories in the states about people paying hundreds of dollars a month only to use the insurance and find out there is something called a "co-pay" or "deductible" which means your insurance doesn't actually pay any of the bill until you reach a certain threshold of expenses>

For example

Let's say you break a minor bone like something in your foot, as I suspected I had today. You get admitted, talk to a nurse who does all the blood pressure checks and fills out paperwork, the doctor comes by, you need x-rays, you get wheeled around on a gurney, find out you need a cast for a micro-fracture and also a bunch of prescription drugs on your way out the door. The total bill ends up being $1,417 (which sadly, is likely not an exaggeration for a price scheme in a USA hospital.) You have insurance so you are not worried only to discover that you have a $1,000 annual co-pay. Therefore the insurance only covers $417 of the bill.

The above scenario is particularly frustrating to my USA pals because insurance likely costs hundreds of dollars per month. I have heard of plans that cost my friends upwards of a thousand a month. Now get ready to be jealous.

I have full coverage, first-class insurance meaning that I can go for the hospital for almost any reason and provided I am admitted (and the agents make certain that you are, even if you don't need to be) I will always receive a bill for zero, nada, zilch, nuttin! There is no co-pay or deductible. I haven't even heard of such a plan ever being offered.

How much do i pay for this luxury? Around 16,000 baht a YEAR. This is less than $500.

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Here is my advice to anyone out there (outside of the USA) that is in their late 20's or early 30's. Get insurance while you are young. The rate that i am paying now, i have been paying for nearly 10 years. The rate that I am quoted when I start paying my insurance premiums is guaranteed to NEVER go up provided that I never miss my annual payments. Had I waited until i was in my 40's to get this insurance it would be significantly more expensive to purchase this plan. When I see my friends around Thailand that are around my age or older and I find out that they don't have insurance, i think it is just foolish. Despite the fact that medical care over here is relatively inexpensive (despite the high level of quality and service) there are still things that could happen to you that would devastate your financial situation in life.

Sorry that was so long, but i feel as though it is very important. I have seen several people's lives financially ruined because they were foolish enough to believe that tragedy only occurs to other people. Did I think that I would ever be running in the jungle and nearly fall to my death in a ravine? Of course not... but it happened.