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"Thais and foreigners on long-term visas get free universal health care at government hospitals(!), some of which are pretty good" That's interesting. What typ

"Thais and foreigners on long-term visas get free universal health care at government hospitals(!), some of which are pretty good" That's interesting. What type of long-term visas qualify foreigners for universal health care? Some of the government hospitals are good as you said. I had foot surgery at Siriraj Hostpital, Thailand's oldest and biggest government hospital. While the facilities are old and tired-looking the care was excellent and the doctor was outstanding, this guy https://sites.google.com/site/ankleclinic/aboutus https://sites.google.com/site/ankleclinic/aboutus. But I went during their "special clinic hours" which is the same facilities but different hours than when the universal health care patients are treated. Unlike the regular hours, during special clinic hours you have to actually pay for services.

apatters 9y ago
What qualifies you is paying taxes, so basically if you're on a business visa you get it--if there are other visas which allow you to legally work and pay taxes, they might qualify you as well. They assign you to a particular hospital when you enter the program, and you're entitled to free care at this hospital, if you need a procedure they can't perform, they'll refer you to another government hospital which will also be free. Waiting periods sometimes are long, so it's a good idea to have private insurance as well. Foreigners in Bangkok at the moment all seem to be getting assigned to a hospital in Phrakanong which has a pretty good reputation. You can change your assignment later, I've heard the Police General Hospital on Rama I is very good. I've heard it's also possible to remain in the program after your employment ends if you pay a small monthly fee (maybe $15). There is also a Thai equivalent of the USA's social security program, though the payouts are very modest. Overall it is a good system, you just have to be aware of the limitations of Thai insurance in catastrophic cases (probably I will switch to an expensive expat health insurance plan in the next year or two because of this).

apatters 9y ago

What qualifies you is paying taxes, so basically if you're on a business visa you get it--if there are other visas which allow you to legally work and pay taxes, they might qualify you as well. They assign you to a particular hospital when you enter the program, and you're entitled to free care at this hospital, if you need a procedure they can't perform, they'll refer you to another government hospital which will also be free. Waiting periods sometimes are long, so it's a good idea to have private insurance as well. Foreigners in Bangkok at the moment all seem to be getting assigned to a hospital in Phrakanong which has a pretty good reputation. You can change your assignment later, I've heard the Police General Hospital on Rama I is very good. I've heard it's also possible to remain in the program after your employment ends if you pay a small monthly fee (maybe $15). There is also a Thai equivalent of the USA's social security program, though the payouts are very modest. Overall it is a good system, you just have to be aware of the limitations of Thai insurance in catastrophic cases (probably I will switch to an expensive expat health insurance plan in the next year or two because of this).