To cope with therising medical expenses of foreigners in Thailand, the Thai government is introducing new health insurance rules for Thailand. Since April 1, 2019, insurance is compulsory for over-50s residing in Thailand. For tourists traveling to Thailand,travel insurance in Thailand is highly recommended but not normally compulsory. It became compulsory in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Who needs to take out compulsory health insurance in Thailand?
Thailand is synonymous with adventure, travel experiences and golden retirement, but is sadly one of the countries with the highest number of road accidents, as well as numerous health accidents, for foreign tourists and foreign retirees living in Thailand. Faced with an explosion in unpaid hospital bills in Thailand, the Thai government is now making it compulsory for people over 50 to take out international health insurance to obtain or renew an O-A visa.
Tourists are not obliged to take out travel insurance, but are offered the “TravelShield” by the Thai Tourist Board, which provides a minimum level of travel insurance cover. Given that the ceilings are lower than those offered byyour bank card’s travel insurance, or even lower than those offered by Mondassur’s travel insurance, this is not much health protection if something should happen to you abroad. We strongly advise you to take outTravelPass travel insurance, which will cover you not only for your trip to Thailand, but also for other Asian countries if you happen to visit them during the same trip. You can also take out Horizon365 year-round travel insurance , which covers you for all your trips of less than 90 consecutive days.
What are the criteria for compulsory insurance in Thailand?
The insurance must have a minimum cover of 40,000 baht for routine medical care and 400,000 baht for hospitalization, with disability and provident cover.
Compulsory travel insurance for Thailand in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic requires a minimum cover of 100,000 USD and coverage for Covid-19-related care. so there are no specific criteria in this case, apart from being able to take out insurance with a minimum level of cover (ideally at least €150,000 for healthcare costs). Given the growing number of tourists and the medical costs involved in providing medical care for tourists in Thailand, the country requires travel medical insurance, as is the case in Russia, China and Cuba.
How do I take out insurance for Thailand?
Mondassur can advise you on the best insurance for Thailand. You can request an international insurance quote online. We recommend that you contact us by email or telephone regardinginsurance for long-term foreign residents in Thailand, to help you make the best choice from among our various health insurance plans in Thailand.
Mondassur offers a range of travel insurances for Thailand and for residents in Thailand. Our GoldExpat contract with health cover in Thailand and the GoldExpat Access or Goldexpat Hospitalisation packages in particular offer good cover at the most economical rates.
