Thread: Claim centres to track down tourists who skip hospital bills

FOREIGN TOURISTS failed to pay a combined Bt300 million in medical bills after receiving treatment in state hospitals last year, prompting the government to set up “claim centres” to collect what’s due.


“These problems mostly hit tourist cities,” Health Service Support Department (HSSD) director-general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong said last week.


He said the HSSD had established claim centres in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani to help state hospitals collect what’s owed them by foreigners they treated.


“The centres will work with relevant parties and follow up on payments,” Nattawuth said.


A public-health official speaking on condition of anonymity said foreigners often run out of cash during long stays in Thailand. “And when they need medical services, they simply don’t pay.”



In some cases, the official said, foreigners have been hospitalised for months without paying a single baht.



Debt collection a problem


“We’ve tried asking their consulates and embassies for help, but not all cases can be solved this way,” he said.


Natthawuth said he had heard about hospitals requiring foreign tourists to sign agreements to pay later, but it was difficult to collect after they had left hospital.


“This is partly because state hospitals don’t have expertise in debt collection. So we hope the claim centres will be the solution.”


The HSSD aims to establish “many” more claim centres this year, he said.


It has also discussed with various organisations about offering foreign visitors cheap travel insurance.


Natthawuth said he hoped travel insurance would become mandatory for all foreign visitors to save state hospitals from having to shoulder the extra burden.


“For now, at least we believe all tour operators bringing people into Thailand should require that their customers have travel insurance,” he said.


In the longer term, he would like to see long-stay tourists be required to buy life insurance, accident insurance and health insurance.


“We’re also thinking about making insurance mandatory for elderly foreigners who retire to Thailand. Otherwise the state hospitals will again be carrying the burden.”


Because health naturally declines as people age and seniors require more medical help.


“So we need to address the fact there are many foreign retirees in Chiang Mai. We have to prepare proper measures to ensure they do not become a burden on the public healthcare system,” Nattawuth said.


Thailand’s medical-hub committee last year approved in principle a plan to require newly arrived long-stay immigrants to purchase health insurance for their first year here. They and other foreigners planning to stay in Thailand for one year would be able to buy up to Bt40,000 worth of outpatient coverage and Bt400,000 of inpatient coverage.


A source in Chiang Mai suggested the authorities also consider the medical costs of stateless people and migrants from neighbouring nations. They often can’t pay for treatment received at state hospitals.


“We hope the relevant organisations will provide funds to take care of these people,” the source said.

Claim centres to track down tourists who skip hospital bills

Originally Posted by misskit

prompting the government to set up “claim centres” to collect what’s due.

good.

but at the same time, good luck with that....i would think that most of those that skipped out without paying wouldn't try coming back.

where's dj pat when you need him?

Busy stealing the keys of hotels he stays in for souvenirs. Despite knowing lowly paid staff like cleaners and security guards might get their salaries docked to pay for them.

“We hope the relevant organisations will provide funds to take care of these people,” the source said.

"So do we" howled the balloon chasers.

This is what prompted the change in immigration rules and extension of stay. Thailand is OK with ripping off tourists and long-stay residents, but when the tables are turned, it is absolutely unacceptable.

Tourists are sources of income only.

Originally Posted by Texpat

This is what prompted the change in immigration rules and extension of stay. Thailand is OK with ripping off tourists and long-stay residents, but when the tables are turned, it is absolutely unacceptable.

Tourists are sources of income only.

Well if you read the small print, there are not "long-stay residents".... it specifically says "long-stay tourists".

Damn Foreigners.....

WELL WELL WELL how long has it took for these so called health ministers to work out its mainly the tourists that are a BURDEN ON THE HOSPITALS not as whats been spouted about,[LONG TERM RETIRERED EXPATS] are the cause.
also throw in the hat,UNINSURED DRIVERS WHO ARE THE BIGEST cause of hospital costs.

jobs for the boys in BLACK.

Originally Posted by headhunter

jobs for the boys in BLACK

what company got this govt contract

The alleged 300 million baht is of course nonsense and reflects their penchant for padding bills when it comes to discriminating against farang. But even then, it is a piddling amount compared to the revenue extracted from the expat population overall and their contribution to the Thai economy amounting to the several billions of baht - there are an estimated 200,000 westerners currently residing in Thailand but in truth that figure is dwarfed by the 1.8 million Burmese, Lao and Cambodians living here.
The Thai are stupid people, we know that, but their approach to the problem of health care among expats is probably a better example of this.
The point is, if they gave retirees and spouse residents the opportunity to join a hybrid social health insurance plan from the outset then there would not be this problem. But they won't because they are greedy and want to suck as much as they can from the hundreds who pay privately every day, every week, every year.
Contributing, say, £1000 a year into a social fund for hospital care and making it a condition of any extension as a retiree or spouse would solve the problem. But they won't because they are stupid and greedy.

^ Got to agree with the gent on this. There is a perfectly good social health scheme here in Thailand. Allowing foreign residents to buy into the scheme would solve a lot of problems.

This isn't the kind of story that often makes the news regarding farangs and hospital bills.

First time ever in my memory.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

There is a perfectly good social health scheme here in Thailand. Allowing foreign residents to buy into the scheme would solve a lot of problems.

Yeah, I can just imagine the average hypertension-threatened elderly farang sitting in a waiting room for three hours to get a cheap local copy of a drug thanks to this 'perfectly good social health scheme'.

It'd be just the ticket for the gent..

They wait many hours in line ... to get an appointment ... for which they will wait several more hours or possibly days.

Originally Posted by misskit

He said the HSSD had established claim centres in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani to help state hospitals collect what’s owed them by foreigners they treated.

We're talking 'foreigners' here, not farangs. In proportion to the amount of Chinese visitors over farang visitors it's more likely the 'kitchen sinks' are the biggest defaulters.

I wonder how much of that 300m breaks down to proper farangs vs Chinese and other locals, those that cannot afford to pay vs those that can afford but don't, and emergency admissions prompted by degenerate Thai drivers, aggression and safety standards.

Doesn't really matter, the Thai way is to provide a few genuine examples of abuse and use that to penalise an entire group.

Originally Posted by jabir

the Thai way is to provide a few genuine examples of abuse and use that to penalise an entire group.

You'd advocate no action being taken if foreigners without the right to stay permanently in the UK were scarpering with bills like this unpaid, of course.

the average hypertension-threatened elderly farang sitting in a waiting room for three hours to get a cheap local copy of a drug thanks to this 'perfectly good social health scheme'.

government hospitals have a queue jumping service, it costs around 200b, and you go straight to the head of the line.

Originally Posted by Texpat

They wait many hours in line ... to get an appointment ... for which they will wait several more hours or possibly days.

I have cards for 3 gov hospitals in my area. Like many gov places, they vary in degree of wait time and bureaucratic nonesense. Smaller gov hospitals tend to have far shorter wait times. Main provincial hospitals are as you say a nighmare.

Originally Posted by cyrille

You'd advocate no action being taken if foreigners without the right to stay permanently in the UK were scarpering with bills like this unpaid, of course.

Interesting point, but fairly sure Thais have to have travel insurance to get a visa to UK.

Originally Posted by cyrille

Yeah, I can just imagine the average hypertension-threatened elderly farang sitting in a waiting room for three hours to get a cheap local copy of a drug thanks to this 'perfectly good social health scheme'.

It'd be just the ticket for the gent..

I have had all my treatment in that system (heart attack and afterwards). For some parts, service has been outstanding. For other parts, indeed it has been pretty dire - several hours to see the doc and get the meds. But for essentially free - it is still not bad. And those who do not want to spend the time - there are other, more expensive alternatives. Nobody would force farangs to actually use the system.

I will try and find a way to keep my coverage going after I retire, if possible.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Interesting point, but fairly sure Thais have to have travel insurance to get a visa to UK.

Not so. Took my missus and it wasn't compulsory. Whilst there she got a fish bone stuck in the throat. The hospital treated her for free even though I offered to pay.

why has this only came to light NOW.its been well published in the BKK.BUSSINESS suplement that the health dept.has been in dire straights.
the medical hub second annual meeting held on sunday 23rd.dec.gave no mention of this,wether the HSSD DIRECTOR GENERAL DR.NATTAWUTH was not at that meeting but there was some big names there but they put the problem of unpaid hospital bills firmally at the feet of,LONG THERM RETIREMENT EXPATS.that is why they called for mandatory ins.to be introduced.
so lets have this in some perspective and we should be at the bottom of the list.
and while they sort out who is a tourist and who is classed as a LONG TERM EXPAT of more than 12months,and include ALL NATIONALITIES.[visitors or tourists] if there is a difference.

Whilst there she got a fish bone stuck in the throat. The hospital treated her for free even though I offered to pay.

a and e visits and associated medication are free, anything other than that is chargeable.