Pradit mulls enforced insurance for tourists

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Pradit mulls enforced insurance for tourists

Ministry aims to ease burden on hospitals

Published: 13 Mar 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The Public Health Ministry is considering a measure to force foreign tourists to buy travel and health insurance before travelling to Thailand.

The move is intended to relieve the financial burden on local hospitals which have to provide medical services, sometimes without being able to recover costs.

Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said about 2.5 million foreigners visit hospitals here each year.

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boons
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Discussion 6 : 14 Mar 2013 at 03.476
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It never ceases to amaze me when tourists have motorcycle, scuba or jet ski accidents in Thailand and can't afford a couple thousand euros in medical fees. Who are these crazy people doing high risk things with zero money saved up in case things go wrong?

These people are frankly much too broke to be going on vacation at all. And yet they spend every last penny on iPhones, holidays and clothes.
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PapaGulf
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Discussion 5 : 13 Mar 2013 at 15.535
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Health insurance for tourists? May be, 10% have no insurance. The most of the europeans have one, it's around 15 euro, for 1 YEAR!

"Longer term, he said the ministry is considering measures to force them to buy health insurance, possibly including a fee on their air ticket or a hotel tax."

i'm a retiree, i've a private insurance in europe. i think, i pay every month more money, than a rich thai in one year!!! i'm looking for a thai- insurance since a long time, for my daughter(thai)
my girlfriend(thai). Can do, cheep prices, but!, not for me(farang!).
Therefore i'm proposing for this.
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pete
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Discussion 4 : 13 Mar 2013 at 10.344
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“Banglamung Hospital in Pattaya spent about 2 million baht last year on foreign patients who could not afford the fees”.

If they come to Pattaya they come for much more than sun, sand and sea. Medical insurance is essential.
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Asterix
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Discussion 3 : 13 Mar 2013 at 10.343
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To visit some counties in Europe, Thai must have an international health insurance; so why not for foreigners visiting Thailand? Most of those without health insurance are economic migrants or low-budget travellers or illegal foreign workers.
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tcr
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Discussion 2 : 13 Mar 2013 at 08.192
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Health insurance here would be fantastic. Especially needed to help with the horrible practices of the hospitals in tourist areas....overcharging for services and putting patients in jail for not paying their inflated bills.
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DonAleman
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Discussion 1 : 13 Mar 2013 at 07.571
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TAT tries, often unsucessfully, to get tourists here and, virtually every other agency relieves them of their holiday money before they get a chance to spend it ! Dual pricing, fees, penalties, fines,surcharges, occasionally "Tea money and the usual individual scams and phoney goods, exit fees, ( which I believe most tourists favor as they are leaving ! ).
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Pradit mulls enforced insurance for tourists | Bangkok Post: news