Thailand to introduce compulsory travel insurance/tourist tax

[Korkenzieher]

I had the same / similar problem with my parents. My dad was taken ill shortly before a cruise so they had to cancel the whole thing and claim back on the (otherwise very cheap) travel insurance. After the stay in hospital, it was effectively impossible for them to leave the country - even though my dad fell ill inside the UK. In effect now, it is pointless my mother looking for insurance - it is more than the holiday. She is seen as a risk, even though the cancellation was because of my father's illness.

[Chromeman]

According to story presented in The Nation and repeated in Coconuts Bangkok, the Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong are thinking about charging tourists a separate fee for entering the country at 30 baht for stays less than 3 days, and 500 baht for stays from 3 to 30 days.

[PeteC]

Stayed tuned in the AM for news that a 500 Baht entry fee for all foreigners is likely in the new year. Apparently to cover health insurance while in the kingdom. It's on the TV/Radio news, but I can't find it in print yet. Pete

[PeteC]

Posts crossed CM. Mods moved yours here as already a thread in progress on the subject. Pete

[Chromeman]

Could use a few cold Changs to keep up with the moving of posts...

But I guess that has to wait until I get down there in March...

[Chromeman]

Wonder how much they might end up charge for those of us on 60 days tourist visa?

[Pleng]

Does that mean it won't be necessary to get travel insurance when coming to Thailand on holiday? If so, 30bt/500bt sounds like a bit of a bargain!

[Gregjam]

This kind of links up with the national insurance thread for many of us on non O visas. Would the card need to be shown when we enter (if we can get one). That thread seems to have dried up although if Hua Hin hospital does do the card for foreigners it might affect the income of one of the sponsors.

Many tourists have insurance as part of their bank account package so would not need compulsory insurance. I foresee a return of the departure tax albeit in a new disguise and lots of jobs for the boys deciding who gets what is left of the pot after the usual "administration" losses.

Very easy to pick on the motorcycle rental places but I was able to hire a car from a major international rental company without producing an international driving permit so technically I was illegally on the road just as much as most of the motorcyclist without licenses, helmets and similarly car drivers.

It would be good if every tourist had insurance but to implement a fair system rather than just another money making scam albeit government led would take a lot of planning which is highly unlikely. Pity the poor soul who has need of this once it is enforced. Might bre useful to have the phone number of their properly arranged reputable insurance cover (if such a thing exists).

[PeteC]

Reading the below from the Bangkok Post I'm now not sure at all this has anything to do with medical coverage insurance for tourists. They make it sound like it's simply a tax with no direct benefit of any kind for the arriving person. We may need a new thread on this. Pete

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... -entry-fee

[Korkenzieher]

Well, if they offered a (compulsory) comprehensive health care insurance for say 500 Baht, I'd probably be happy to pay it - getting extended period coverage is in general pretty difficult. However, it seems more like 'convenient excuse to tax' than anything else. I guess that if it were to be introduced, we would only find out as evidence that peoples health costs were being covered mounted up. But would we get some kind of statement of what exactly is covered, from the government, in return for the payment? It seems unlikely.

[Chromeman]

It does not look like this 30/500 baht fee is in any way related to any medical insurance scheme. It just looks like an extra tax on the tourists.

[STEVE G]

They make it sound like it's simply a tax with no direct benefit of any kind for the arriving person. We may need a new thread on this.

Yes, it's a bit odd but that article quotes the Health Minister and so you'd hope it has something to do with medical costs otherwise surely it would have nothing to do with him if it was purely an entry fee.

[Chromeman]

I posted my initial post about these fees with links to the sources in a separate thread, but a moderator moved it into this thread probably believing the topic was related.

[PeteC]

I posted my initial post about these fees with links to the sources in a separate thread, but a moderator moved it into this thread probably believing the topic was related.

It was related and perhaps still is. When I posted yesterday the wife had heard on the radio that it was "a tourist health insurance initiative". The Nation link you referenced contains; "Since Thailand gets up to 23 million visitors a year, the country could earn as much as Bt10 billion from the extra fee, he said. This money could be sent to the Finance Ministry and a specially assigned committee could allocate it to related agencies including the Public Health Ministry, which spends up to Bt300 million for tourists' healthcare per year."

It's the Bangkok Post article this morning that seems to muddy the water. In any event, time will tell when the scheme is presented to the Cabinet. Pete

[Lev]

Topics on the same subject get merged, this is forum policy.

If new subject material arises and a thread goes off topic we will split it - as yet this is not the case.