{"id":14119,"date":"2021-11-29T01:00:08","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T00:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/?p=14119"},"modified":"2022-09-08T14:24:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T13:24:07","slug":"travelers-health-insurance-thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/travelers-health-insurance-thailand\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Insurance for Thailand – Tips and Recommended Insurance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Travel<\/p>\n

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  1. Why do I need health insurance when traveling in Thailand?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. The healthcare system in Thailand<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Hospitals in Thailand<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. What insurance policy do we recommend?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. What should a good health insurance policy cover?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

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    IMPORTANT: Currently, travelers are NOT required to possess health or travel insurance to enter Thailand<\/strong><\/p>\n

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    What travel insurance do we recommend for Thailand?<\/h2>\n
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    \"WorldWorld Nomads<\/a><\/strong>: Comprehensive low-cost health insurance. Currently not available for residents of the European Union.<\/p>\n

    \"SafetySafety Wing<\/a><\/strong>: Basic, very cheap health insurance with comprehensive medical coverage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    If you come from Europe or a country with a free universal healthcare system, it\u2019s important that you read the first part of this article, as the freeness and quality of the public health care system in Europe make many people forget how expensive medical treatment can be. If you come from a country like the United States, you will already be aware of the importance of having a good health insurance policy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Why do I need health insurance when traveling in Thailand?<\/h2>\n

    Currently, having health insurance or traveler assistance insurance is not a mandatory requirement for traveling to Thailand. However, unless you have tons of money to spare, you better don’t catch Covid-19,\u00a0get sick, and much less become the victim of an accident.<\/p>\n

    Hospitals in Thailand \u2013 like the majority of countries \u2013 are not NGOs and will not help you unless you can pay upfront or are covered by adequate health insurance. <\/strong><\/p>\n

    When I say that if you don\u2019t pay, nobody will assist you, I\u2019m not talking about spare change. The international hospitals in Thailand (the only ones where doctors and nurses can speak some English) tend to be very expensive. We are talking about more than 150 to 350 USD for a single day of hospitalization (without including treatments), several hundred for having your stomach pumped, or tens of thousands of USD for a simple surgery.<\/p>\n

    If you do a bit of research online, I\u2019m sure that you will find multiple horror stories of foreign tourists whose families have gone bankrupt simply because they weren\u2019t covered by health insurance.<\/p>\n

    I don\u2019t think that when you travel, you set aside 10,000 USD in case something happens to you, so I suggest that you take out a quality travel insurance policy<\/a> before going to Thailand or wherever you\u2019re going.<\/p>\n

    The healthcare system in Thailand<\/h2>\n

    Since 2001, Thailand has had a public health care system that is universal and practically free. Nonetheless, this system can only be accessed by citizens and foreigners that work legally in the country and therefore have public health coverage. This means that unless you are working in Thailand if you go to the hospital, you have to pay for the complete cost of your treatment.<\/p>\n

    The public health care system has more than 1,000 hospitals and more than 9,000 clinics distributed across the country. On the private level, there are more than 300 hospitals. For a complete list of hospitals in Thailand, you can click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Hospitals in Thailand<\/h2>\n

    In Thailand, like in the majority of Asian countries, there are two main types of hospitals:<\/p>\n

    Public hospitals<\/h3>\n

    Although treatments at public hospitals in Thailand tend to be much cheaper than at private hospitals, these hospitals have various problems. Public hospitals in Thailand have facilities, sanitary conditions, and equipment that are greatly inferior to private hospitals. Another big problem is that the majority of doctors and the entirety of nurses are incapable of speaking a single word of English.<\/p>\n

    In addition, in Thailand, public hospitals tend to be completely overwhelmed, and it\u2019s normal to have a complete lack of privacy. This situation is much worse outside of large cities.<\/p>\n

    Private international hospitals<\/h3>\n

    The majority of, albeit not all, international hospitals in Thailand meet international quality standards and offer services comparable to what you can find in the West. At these hospitals, doctors and nurses are capable of speaking English and many of their staff members have been trained abroad.<\/p>\n

    The other advantage of international hospitals is that you won\u2019t have to wait in line for a long time to be attended to.<\/p>\n

    Thailand is a famous medical destination for the low price of certain treatments (plastic surgery, eye surgery, etc.), but despite this, routine treatments can be very expensive.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s worth noting that as opposed to what happens in other Asian countries, Thailand has a large network of international hospitals distributed across the entire territory, especially in tourist areas.<\/p>\n

    To conclude, if you don\u2019t speak Thai, you probably want to end up at an international hospital, especially if you are seriously ill. Considering the price of treatments at these hospitals, you are best off having health insurance.<\/p>\n

    Main international hospitals<\/h3>\n

    Bangkok<\/strong><\/p>\n