Travel Insurance

I realise this has probably been answered before here but I've done a search and not come up with anything terribly useful.

What companies provide decent travel insurance at reasonable prices? I am not looking for a years worth, just a month or two and effectively hospital/medical insurance. Any assistance greatly appreciated.

And are there any Thai companies who provide travel insurance for Farangs on holiday in Thailand?

Thanks.

[Smiles]

You might try this site: http://www.bupathailand.com/personal.asp .
Also, a PM to Sawatdee member TravelerJim might help as well ( http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/fo ... ber44.html (http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/member44.html) ). He's a travel insurance dude I believe.

Cheers ...

do travel insurance, its actually really cheap now, you can get cover for 12 months annual insurance on the internet for around 70 UK pounds. An AX is fairly well respected, but like any insurance you should check the fine print, i.e. "is it for you".

Not sure where you from (shouldnt make any difference), AX are in every country.

Many travel insurances have a lot of exemptions for anything from bungee jumping to parasailing, go karts and horse riding; if you need the "normal" I agree with BUPA / Blue Cross / Amex, etc; for anything out of the ordinary try the British Mountaineering Association who provide a wide variety of packages to cover virtually every eventuality. If interested I can give anyone interested more details (no commission!).

[Marsha-old]

There is a really nice south African guy, runs the inter net shop at Big C, 2nd Road. His name is Tom.

He can get you quotes on all your insurance policies.

Because I am over 65 and have had health problems no company will insure me!.

for short trips, on the basis that i never (touch wood) need to use insurance i always go for a cheap option quoted on www.moneysupermarket.com (http://www.moneysupermarket.com) (a UK based site that compares various insurance options)

caveat: i have always had insurance but have never thankfully needed to use it so i cannot vouch for the ease of any claims process

(the site compares hundreds of policies and gives u the option to check the small print for all and get the cover most applicable to your individual circumstances)

[francois]

do travel insurance, its actually really cheap now, you can get cover for 12 months annual insurance on the internet for around 70 UK pounds. An AX is fairly well respected, but like any insurance you should check the fine print, i.e. "is it for you".

Not sure where you from (shouldnt make any difference), AX are in every country.

American Express offers travel/medical insurance which covers members for 45 days when traveling anywhere 500 miles from their home. Cost is about $10 USD/month and one must subscribe on a yearly basis. I was informed by American Express that they do not offer extended coverage. But who knows for sure?

And are there any Thai companies who provide travel insurance for Farangs on holiday in Thailand?Bupa Thailand have a "Sunshine" policy which is for up-to-6-month trips. As I understand it, if you leave the country (even for a visa run) that terminates the policy but you should check the fine print - http://www.bupathailand.com/sunshine.asp

There's a worldwide insurance company - IAG - that offers travel insurance policies in many countries for travellers overseas, and some of them are annual policies. Generally there's a limited time away per trip, but this varies by country. In New Zealand, for example, I think it's four months away, but the Australian offering is only three months. They're also quite good about insuring Old Farts - this is the AIG Australia site and as you can see they have a "Mature Travellers" option - https://quote.aig.com.au/travel/60000065/default.aspx

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International Medical Insurance ----img.com offer nice package for a few weeks to a few months. Look them up on line. I have found their prices are good, and I'm happy to say, while I have used them often, I have never had to use their policy for an illness. But if you are far away from home and need a $25,000.00 ride to your hospital, it will happen if you are covered. Scraping up the jack when flat on your back, might prove to be a problem. It is a good investment if peace of mind is important to you as a traveling person of considerable age. I should also add I have no financial ties to this insurance group. Happily I have added to their profit, by using them for many trips and not ever needing their assistance.

Hi people,

Thanks for all the advice. I have done a bit of research online and the prices vary dramatically. In the end I went with an australian company called 'worldcare' who are underwritten by IAG (thanks Hommie).

Had I a gold credit card of some sort I would have received free travel insurance .

Cheers

Because I am over 65 and have had health problems no company will insure me!.
I have the same problem with 'pre-existing conditions' (high BP and a history of cancer in the last 5 years).

Try RIAS ('Insurance for the over 50s'). http://www.rias.co.uk/

I use them and ask for and get a travel insurance which excludes pre-existing conditions. Should the pre-existing conditions cause problems for your health whilst abroad or those conditions add to or affect the treatment you receive as the result of an accident (e.g. broken limb or vehicular accident) or other ailment, that cause or part of the treatment will not be covered - it's the chance you take. I had a fall and suffered two broken bones as a result and they paid out in full on my claim for hospital costs/treatment. It usually costs me around ┬г100 for a 21 day trip or slightly less for 28 days and covers all eventualities like delay, lost baggage/money/passport etc, accidents, hospitalization, repatriation and third party insurance.

They will even insure me including the pre-existing conditions but the premium for the same period of time is between ┬г500 and ┬г600 which even so is far below what other insurers demand as a premium (I have in the past been quoted well over ┬г1000 for a single trip 28 day insurance covering all eventualities).

[thaiworthy-old]

I am diabetic, but it is under control. My main concern is not with insurance while traveling, but with insurance after age 65. In short, there are none that would include covering my diabetes. Therefore, I can never actually live in Thailand at age 65+, I would have to maintain my residence here in Texas and receive Medicare. (Medicare is not available outside the US).

With that being said, the best I could hope for while visiting the LOS, is a 2 or 3 month stay, returning to the US to collect mail-order prescriptions and see my regular doctor. I have had diabetes for 18 years and so far don't have the usual problems associated with it. When there is diabetic illness, with one exception, it is usually nothing that takes you by surprise, (I think) so I am speculating that if anything goes wrong while I am visiting Thailand, I can hop on a plane and see my doctor. And yes, of course, there are always those insurance policies that cover everything else BUT.

The worst imaginable scenario is low blood sugar, actually. This is remedied by a candy bar and I can always "feel" when I need that. I am a light sleeper, so I wake up when that happens at night. Unfortunately for some, a diabetic coma can kill you overnight, but that can happen anywhere.

I would be interested to know if there are any US members here who are 65+, on Medicare, travel to Thailand and have a diabetic pre-existing condition, or even some other pre-existing condition. What do you do?

With that being said, the best I could hope for while visiting the LOS, is a 2 or 3 month stay, returning to the US to collect mail-order prescriptions and see my regular doctor.Why would you not buy over-the-counter drugs in Thailand? I have a friend in a comparable situation to you; he buys all his drugs at Siam Drug, inexpensively. I asked him to give me an example and he says that the main drug for his diabetes is Glucophage (called differently by other manufacturers) and it costs him 27 baht for a strip of 10. He takes 4 per day, and says the only problem is that you can't get the slow release version here, so he has to take one with each meal, and then before going to bed. By my reckoning he'd need 12 strips per month - just over 300 baht

He gets a check-up periodically with one of the hospitals who do his blood sugar tests and so on. He also claims you can get travel insurance even if you have pre-existing diabetes provided you can show you are medically stable. Perhaps travellerjim has some thoughts?

[thaiworthy-old]

With that being said, the best I could hope for while visiting the LOS, is a 2 or 3 month stay, returning to the US to collect mail-order prescriptions and see my regular doctor.Why would you not buy over-the-counter drugs in Thailand? I have a friend in a comparable situation to you; he buys all his drugs at Siam Drug, inexpensively. I asked him to give me an example and he says that the main drug for his diabetes is Glucophage (called differently by other manufacturers) and it costs him 27 baht for a strip of 10. He takes 4 per day, and says the only problem is that you can't get the slow release version here, so he has to take one with each meal, and then before going to bed. By my reckoning he'd need 12 strips per month - just over 300 baht

He gets a check-up periodically with one of the hospitals who do his blood sugar tests and so on. He also claims you can get travel insurance even if you have pre-existing diabetes provided you can show you are medically stable. Perhaps travellerjim has some thoughts?

I do not use glucophage. I take insulin. Humalog and Lantus. I use syringes for the Lantus and pen needles for the Humulog. I also take Byetta. And all those test strips. Add to that all my other medications and my co-pay is $125 a month. But that amount is just the co-pay, I don't know what the insurance pays, although you're right, this probably would be affordable in Thailand. What I am talking about is hospitalization due to problems diabetes might cause, such as kidney failure, blindness or foot problems. I get checked for all that yearly, but I guess it just scares me. My doctor warns me constantly to take good care of myself and I do well on the diet front, but I hate exercise. And I am overweight. So the short story is if I want to spend more time in Thailand I better lose weight and exercise. I don't know if this qualifies me as "medically stable."

Where there's a will, there's a way. As for TravelerJim, I have written him already and once he gets a chance I'm sure he'll come up with some kind of suggestion. All in all, if I can spend only half the year in the LOS, then that's still not too bad. I've got a while till retirement as I'm 57. I plan at retiring at 63, so I've got 6 years to whip myself into shape.

Anybody got a whip they wanna sell cheap?

I do not use glucophage. I take insulin. Humalog and Lantus. I use syringes for the Lantus and pen needles for the Humulog. I also take Byetta. And all those test strips. Add to that all my other medications and my co-pay is $125 a month. But that amount is just the co-pay, I don't know what the insurance pays, although you're right, this probably would be affordable in Thailand. What I am talking about is hospitalization due to problems diabetes might cause, such as kidney failure, blindness or foot problems. I get checked for all that yearly, but I guess it just scares me. My doctor warns me constantly to take good care of myself and I do well on the diet front, but I hate exercise. And I am overweight. So the short story is if I want to spend more time in Thailand I better lose weight and exercise. I don't know if this qualifies me as "medically stable."Bummer. Best of luck. I'll see what I can find out about diabetes management in Thailand and PM you if I get anything useful

I have medical insurance that covers me anywhere in the world, but does not provide medical flights or escort back to the US if needed. Based upon recent experience, I am quite happy with the medical care in Thailand, but there are some surgeries, etc. I would likely prefer to have in the US. I was recently delayed in returning home from Thailand unless I had a medical escort. Any suggestions for this sort of coverage?

I have medical insurance that covers me anywhere in the world, but does not provide medical flights or escort back to the US if needed. Based upon recent experience, I am quite happy with the medical care in Thailand, but there are some surgeries, etc. I would likely prefer to have in the US. I was recently delayed in returning home from Thailand unless I had a medical escort. Any suggestions for this sort of coverage?It's standard or an add-on in many policies. Have you checked with your insurer