Job Discussion Forums

[mep3]

When you teach for a university in Thailand that "provides health insurance" -- does that usually mean they give you a stipend for health insurance and you have to go out and apply for private insurance yourself -- or do they actually give you the insurance and you are covered under a group plan by their school? Thanks .... mep

[roguegrafix]

For government unis, you get free medical treatment at a designated government hospital near the university (maybe even two hospitals) for illnesses-accidents that are work related. They don't give you a stipend. If you go to a doctor/clinic, I think you can claim your expenses but you'd be paying up front. If you want to go to private hospitals etc, you'll pay for everything--I may be wrtong but I'd doubt the uni would pay for you.

I don't know what the set up is with private unis.

[mep3]

So you are only covered for things that are work-related, nothing else?

[tedkarma]

Just my personal opinion, but most employer-provided insurance while working overseas is minimal coverage at best. The one exception in the five countries where I have worked was Taiwan. But that was in the early days of a national health care plan that has probably bogged down by now.

My recommendation if you intend to be overseas for more than a few years and/or are older than about 28 - is to pick up a private policy. I've carried one since 1996 that covers me almost everywhere (US and Canada excepted).

If you have any serious health issues (curious why you are asking specifically this question) get private coverage.

A relative has insurance coverage at a great company - but once when seriously ill and hospitalized for two weeks - the employer's coverage picked up maybe only a tenth of the expense. Thank goodness for the private coverage.

Even semi-decent employer insurance may limit who you can see and where you can be treated - things I like to decide for myself if I am seriously ill - and rarely will cover you outside the country.

Just my opinion.

[oxfordstu]

Yeah, if you get hurt or injured, or contract any sickness, you're pretty much screwed, even if you have the insurance bought over there. The health insurance provided by my uni in Thailand sucked. I went to the hospital and they didn't even accept the card. I later bought BUPA insurance for about 4,000 baht - it was good for a year and covered 100,000 in hospital costs. But I still didn't trust it.
The thing is, as a foreigner, when you step foot in a hospital in Thailand, you're going to get screwed, no matter what. You will be paying 10 times the price for everything. I once visited a hospital after I had a motorbike accident. All they did was change my bandages and give me some minor meds. 1200 baht. My Thai g/f went to the hospital one time for some meds and to see the doctor about an injury --- 40 baht. Just be careful and don't get hurt.

[cafecafe]

I agree. Private hospitals are good but cannot be trusted. Some overcharge foreigners. Example: Sri Siam Hospital on Sukapiban 1.

Some private hospitals are kind of ok, though. For example, Bangkok General Hospital, Bamrungrad, Camilian or BNS. Incredibly expensive but I don't think they overcharge foreigners... so it all depends.

I was once told that I had to go for emergency surgery for my apendix at Ramkamheang Hospital. Became suspicious and walked out and went to a government hospital where I was told that I was suffering from some cramps! But the funny thing was that at that same hospital, "Ramkamheang", a different doctor on a diferent visit was able to diagnose an ilness which I had been suffering from for years.

In Thailand: USE YOUR OWN JUDGMENT when visiting doctors and hospitals. For more serious stuff, the best are government hospitals imo because they won't screw you for money...

[tedkarma]

I have received consistently good care at different clinics at Bumrungrad, Bangkok, Phuket International, and Bangkok-Phuket hospitals over the last six years. My experience also includes several hospitalizations of a family member and one of those was of a very serious nature.

Personally, I feel the care received was superior to the factory-line care HMOs offered back in the USA. Doctors here take the time to talk to you, to LISTEN to you and work cooperatively with you.

My experience has possibly been different from the others, as I have not felt cheated or over-charged by the doctors or dentists I have seen here.

I have had the good fortune - as cafecafe noted above too - to find a physician or two who was willing to spend the time and help problem solve a couple different long-term ailments.

All these services, even at the "expensive" international hospitals were usually at a 1/10 to 1/4 of what I might have expected to pay in my home country.

So . . . no complaints here. I like the service and care I have received.