Every year, many people move to Thailand for its exceptional weather, beautiful natural surroundings, and low cost of living. However, making the move is not as easy as just hopping on a plane and shipping your possessions. It’s also important to plan ahead for problems, which is why getting reliable health insurance should be high on any long-term visitor or expat’s list of priorities. The following five straightforward tips will help you choose the right policy.
1. Determine Your Coverage Needs
International health insurance in Thailand comes in various packages. They range in scope from emergency-only policies to full-service ones that will cover outpatient visits, diagnostics, eye checkups, and much more. Some will also only cover Thailand, while others will continue to cover you all around Southeast Asia or even during trips back home. Therefore, it’s important to start by assessing your own needs. For example, if you don’t travel much, you only need to look at Thailand-only packages.
2. Compare Insurers with Experience
International insurers don’t always operate the same way in every country. That’s why it’s important to make sure that the provider you choose has a proven presence in Thailand, which is to say that they have a customer service department you can contact based in the country, along with local representatives who can help you with paperwork and claims. Find out if they are included on the recommendation lists of reputable hospitals.
3. Review Network Access and Billing
Some insurers will only cover you for visits to hospitals or clinics within their network. Taking coverage from these can help you save money, but it means that you need to make sure some of the chosen healthcare providers are close to you. Reputable insurers will provide you with a list of providers in their network. You should also make sure that your provider offers direct billing, as this means you won’t need to make large out-of-pocket payments.
4. Understand Policy Exclusions
All healthcare policies have some exclusions. They may exclude certain types of care, such as dental care, or they may exclude injuries sustained during certain high-risk activities. Motorcycle riding is a common exclusion, for example, yet it is many people’s chosen form of transport in Thailand. That’s why you must read the fine print. You will often be able to get coverage for some of the excluded items by paying an additional cost.
5. Review Costs
Health insurance is something that, hopefully, you’ll never need, so you’ll want to pay a fair price for it. Different providers will offer different cost structures, so make sure you find one which suits your financial situation. You’ll often find that there’s a tradeoff between the premium and the deductible, so don’t necessarily choose the one with the lowest premium. You may also be able to save money by paying upfront for the year instead of paying each month.
Conclusion
International health insurance in Thailand is essential to access to health services as a foreign worker or long-term visitor. By choosing your policy with these tips in mind, you’ll get guaranteed emergency care if you need it, and you’ll enjoy true peace of mind if you don’t.