International Health Insurance In Thailand
International Health Insurance is available for tourists and expats alike who are headed to Thailand. These private health insurance plans offer a range of benefits, have different lengths of coverage, and have riders available for select additional medical needs like maternity coverage.
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Are you planning a trip to Thailand? Perhaps you’re beginning a new job or assignment in Thailand?
Whatever your situation is, there’s an international health insurance option for you and any family members who need coverage! We’ll discuss the options in this article so that when you’re ready to compare free quotes, you’ll have a better idea of what options you want to filter for.
What Does International Health Insurance Cover In Thailand?
All of Pacific Prime’s international health insurance plans cover inpatient care, emergency evacuation, and emergency repatriation. Additional benefits to cover outpatient care, maternity, and dental care are available.
The benefit of using a private international health insurance plan in Thailand is being able to access affordable healthcare options at state-of-the-art international hospitals in Thailand. Expats who rely on the Social Security Scheme will only have coverage at public hospitals.
You can find more information about the Best Private Hospitals in Thailand here.
International Health Insurance: Inpatient Care
Inpatient care is included with all of Pacific Prime’s plans. This basic insurance covers hospitals’ fees for care. You can reduce your premiums by choosing a higher deductible (also called excess). This is the amount you pay for care before insurance pays.
To cover any other medical expenses while abroad, you’ll need to include outpatient coverage.
International Health Insurance: Emergency Evacuation And Repatriation
Emergency evacuation and emergency repatriation are benefits that help cover the cost of medically necessary transport. Emergency evacuation will transport you to the nearest quality medical facility. Emergency repatriation helps pay for the expense of getting you home for medical care when needed.
These benefits, especially the emergency repatriation look a little bit different depending on whether you are living as an expat in Thailand or there for tourism and travel.
It’s also important to note that emergency evacuation must be requested by a doctor and agreed to by the insurance company. It’s not something that the patient can determine is medically necessary on their own.
International Health Insurance: Outpatient Care
Not all expensive emergencies require inpatient care, so selecting outpatient coverage on your international health insurance plan for Thailand can save you from catastrophic medical bills. Without the right insurance plan, you’ll be fully responsible for medical costs abroad.
International Health Insurance: Maternity
For women who would like to grow their families while in Thailand or abroad, maternity coverage is a rider that is added to an existing international health insurance policy. These policies have a waiting period of 10 to 12 months where you must pay premiums before filing claims to receive benefits.
For maximum benefit, add the maternity rider to your international health insurance plan before becoming pregnant. That way, all of your prenatal visits and testing will be covered by insurance as well as the delivery.
Many maternity riders on international health insurance also offer newborn coverage. If you have additional questions about maternity or newborn coverage, you can speak with an insurance expert at Pacific Prime.
For additional reading about maternity coverage, you can read through a Maternity Coverage Q&A and a Maternity Insurance blog post.
International Health Insurance: Dental
Dental insurance can cover routine or preventative care and treatment like tooth cleanings, consultations, and x-rays. The insurance can also cover expensive care like emergencies and other treatment options.
Dental insurance is more likely to cover pre-existing conditions than medical plans because fillings and other pre-existing conditions are so common.
Here is a list of some of the things you could expect an international dental plan to cover:
- Tooth Cleaning
- X-rays
- Dental exams and consults
- Local anesthesia
- Fillings
- Root canals
- Emergency treatments
- Occlusion bar
- Root scaling
- Periodontal treatment
- Gingivitis treatment
- Tooth adjustment
- Crowns: temporary, porcelain, or gold
- Bridgework and repairs
- Membrane treatments
Supplemental International Health Insurance Plans In Thailand
Health Insurance Plans are available for expats who have some coverage from their employer but not enough. Pacific Prime offers top-up plans that can cover things like maternity, dental, and optical. These plans are designed to supplement the coverage from your employer.
International Health Insurance: Pre-existing Conditions
When you have a current or past medical problem that’s significant, insurance plans call this a pre-existing condition. The insurance plan for Thailand will decide how to approach the condition. If you’re part of a group policy, coverage for the pre-existing condition is available.
If you are not part of a group policy, the most likely course of action will be to exclude any medical costs related to the condition from coverage on the policy. Sometimes, this decision may be reviewed after two years.
If there have been no significant treatment or medical expenses related to the pre-existing condition after two years on the policy, you may be eligible for coverage.
Who Does International Health Insurance Cover In Thailand?
International Health Insurance in Thailand is available for individuals, families, and businesses/corporations. Plans and coverage options will vary between group plans issued to a company and plans that are sold to individuals and families.
For example, corporations that select a group policy can provide additional benefits like coverage for pre-existing conditions. For more information on corporate benefits, plans, and pricing, see Pacific Prime’s Corporate website.
To see quotes for international health insurance that covers family members, you can add up to six family members in Pacific Prime’s online tool for free quotes.
How Long Can International Health Insurance Cover You In Thailand?
When you run quotes for international health insurance, you’ll have options to select coverage options for one year, two years, indefinite, or travel insurance plans. That means you can find international health insurance in Thailand and abroad for any length of time you require.
Long-Term International Health Insurance In Thailand
When expats seeking health insurance in Thailand obtain a quote for international health insurance in Thailand, they’ll be able to pick coverage for one year, two years, or indefinitely. That means there’s a lot of flexibility for long-term health insurance.
For more reading about International Health Insurance for Expats in Thailand, read this article.
To find out more information about whether or not you have coverage with one of Thailand’s universal health insurance plans, read this article. The article has more information about who is covered and the pros and cons of relying on universal coverage as an expat in Thailand.
International Health Insurance For Travel To Thailand
Travel insurance plans for Thailand and other countries have options about the length of time you need or want coverage. Some plans will cover you for a period of time over multiple trips, and other plans will cover you for a single trip.
When you get a quote from Pacific Prime’s partners, you’ll be able to select the plan that best reflects your travel needs.
Direct Billing with International Health Insurance Plans
If you would like an international health insurance plan that medical facilities can bill directly, you can ask Pacific Prime about plans with direct billing networks and gather more information about how to utilize these plans without having to pay for treatments upfront.
Where In The World Does International Health Insurance Cover?
International health insurance plans can provide worldwide or regional coverage. International health insurance plans also have the option to exclude the USA since it’s one of the most expensive countries to get coverage for.
This option is perfect for American tourists with domestic coverage already who only need coverage in other countries. It’s also perfect for expats from other regions of the world who don’t need any coverage in the United States.
When you are ready to get a quote, you can customize your options for countries of coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does health insurance for expats cost in Thailand?
Health insurance premiums for an individual in Thailand are about 25% of the cost of premiums in the US on average. For a family, the premiums are 33% percent of the cost in Thailand on average. The best way to know the costs for your situation is to compare free insurance quotes.
What are the monthly premiums for health insurance in Thailand for expats?
Monthly premiums for health insurance depend on how many people are insured, what coverage options are selected, locations included in the international health insurance plan, deductibles, and more. The best way to know is to compare free quotes from multiple insurance companies.
Does Thailand accept Medicare from expats?
US Medicare only covers medical care within the United States. There is no coverage for travel or living abroad. You will need alternative insurance to live or retire in Thailand.
Can you get free healthcare while visiting Thailand?
Tourists and travelers in Thailand may use public hospitals for care, but they will be responsible for all medical bills. Thailand’s universal health insurance schemes only cover citizens and legally working expats who pay social security fees in Thailand.
Conclusion
To enjoy the beautiful country of Thailand to its fullest, make sure you’re covered by a quality international health insurance plan. You can compare quotes from multiple insurers at no cost to you before selecting the coverage option that best fits your needs.
If you still have questions about international health insurance for your needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to an expert at Pacific Prime.
There’s so much to plan before a big move to Thailand! Check out our following guides for expats headed to Thailand:
For expats and tourists headed to Chiang Mai, Thailand, we have another article about Health Insurance in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Jantra curates and reports on the results of Pacific Prime’s monthly newsletters, as well as manages Pacific Prime’s Deputy Global CEO’s LinkedIn posts. Complemented by her background in business writing, Jantra’s passion for health, insurance, and employee benefits helps her create engaging content - no matter how complex the subject is.
Growing up as a third-culture kid has given her a multicultural perspective that helps her relate to expats and their families while 8 years of working remotely have given her unique insight into hybrid work arrangements and enthusiasm for employee benefits.
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