Ravipas Chaloenchansa,
CFA, CFP®
Thailand
Finance & Retirement
Health insurance in
Thailand is
not only
about the premium.
It is about what the cover will still do for you when you actually need it.
What it comes down to
Cost, cover, hospital access, geography, age, continuity and claims.
Choosing health insurance in Thailand
Behind every plan sit the same
few decisions. The premium is
only one of them.
This page sets out what to weigh when you choose cover for a life in Thailand, the questions each choice raises, and where our guidance on it lives. It is a place to start, not advice for your own case. Thailand Ready is not licensed as an insurance agent or broker, and does not sell, recommend or arrange insurance.
Thailand-only vs international coverage
Start with the map.
The first choice is geographic: cover that works in Thailand only, or cover that travels with you.
Thailand only
Cover that applies while you are in Thailand.
13°45′ N 100°30′ E
- Would you return home for major treatment?
- How much time do you spend outside Thailand?
- What happens when you travel?
or
International
Cover that follows you across borders.
- Which countries are included, and which are not?
- Do you need cover in your home country?
- What does the wider area add to the price?
How much cover do you need?
Enough for a bad year,
not an average one.
An annual limit only matters in the year you need it. Set it against what serious care costs where you would be treated.
The cost
What would a serious stay cost at the hospitals you would use?
- The limitIs the limit per year, per condition or for life?
- The small printWhat sits inside the limit, and what is capped?
Hospital access and direct billing
Where you can be treated, and who settles the bill.
Your hospitals
Are the hospitals you would use on the insurer’s list?
Direct billing
Can the hospital bill the insurer, or do you pay first?
Pay and claim
If you pay first, how and when are you repaid?
Premiums, age and long-term affordability
Price it for the age you will be, not only the age you are.
Two questions that are easy to answer separately and hard to answer together.
Now
- What can you pay comfortably today?
- What does an excess or deductible change?
Later
- How does the price change as you get older?
- Can the plan be renewed for life?
- What if you need to switch at 70?
Pre-existing conditions and underwriting
What you already have, and what the policy will do about it.
Your medical history is part of the decision. Understand how a plan treats it before you apply.
- What do you have to declare?
- Will it be covered, excluded or covered later?
- Can an exclusion be reviewed?
- What happens if something is left out?
Before you applyFour things to understand firstMedical historyWhat you are asked to declareExisting conditionsCovered, excluded or covered laterWaiting periodsWhat applies, and for how longRenewalWhether terms can change over timeThailand Ready
Visa and insurance considerations
Does the route you stay on set its own insurance conditions?
Check the route before you choose the plan. The two decisions are easier to make together.
Visa hubLocal vs international insurance
Who stands
behind the
policy.
Compare a Thai insurer and an international one on the same points, not only on price.
What to compare before you choose
- RegulationWhere is the insurer licensed, and who do you complain to?
- ClaimsWho handles them, in which language, and how fast?
- Hospital networkWhich hospitals in Thailand bill them directly?
- Price over timeHow have premiums moved for older members?
- PortabilityWhat happens if you leave Thailand?
- RenewalCan they decline to renew, or change the terms?
Our experts
Our experts contribute to Thailand Ready content and guidance within their respective areas of experience and professional background.
Ravipas Chaloenchansa,
Noppakun Sasipibool
Thailand
Insurance
Ravinun Poovatanakul
Thailand
Tax & International Tax
Lattapon Chaloenchansa
Thailand
Visa & Relocation
CFA®, Chartered Financial Analyst®, CIPM®, and GIPS® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute.
CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ are trademarks owned outside the U.S. by Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. Thai Financial Planning Association is the marks licensing authority for the CFP marks in Thailand, through agreement with FPSB.
Where to start
Three guides to read next, and the hubs that sit beside this one.
Choose cover for the day you actually need it.
Start with what matters to you. Our guides set out the rest.