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Health insurance with med evac

Last activity 07 March 2019 by expatfamilybkk

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New and improved

Can anyone recommend long term health or travel insurance for Cambodia? Thanks!

JoeKhmer

Hello.

Here is a site that compares quotes for expats, of course what is good for one is not necesarily good for another.
Have a look.

https://www.nowcompare.com/internationa … DqEALw_wcB

Joe

james1963

Sorry Joe,

That like gives horrible prices 3000$ per year and more.
There are hugh price differances in Health care insurances. The first who pop up in goggle are the most expansive.

a few weeks ago Health Insurance was also a topic and I gave some better options.
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=754357

JoeKhmer

james1963 wrote:

Sorry Joe,

That like gives horrible prices 3000$ per year and more.
There are hugh price differances in Health care insurances. The first who pop up in goggle are the most expansive.

a few weeks ago Health Insurance was also a topic and I gave some better options.
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=754357


James, you don't do me justice. I did not say anything about the quality of the site, just that they compare quotes, and that is what they do. I see 2.300 which is a good price. There are more expensive ones too, that's why I said have a look, they compare.

I'm not shocked by the first series of prices, for me it would come to 4.000 which is lower than I have been quoted before, that came to around 6.000.

And James, your insurance forces you to live in Germany. Who wants that? Not me for sure.

I gave an instrument to compare quotes, ok?

Thanks.

Joe

james1963

Sorry did not want to offent you. The uk insurance is quite good and affordable. The german is cheaper. But than you have to move every 5 years shortly to germany. Only possible for eu!

4000 is in my opinion ridiculous expensive. Healthcare international is about 800 to 1000 and is uk

JoeKhmer

James.

You obviously have no idea what the real costs are of a health insurance for expats older than 67, the age that most insurance companies stop being nice [if at all].

I challenge you to come up with quotes for let's say a 68 year old man living in Cambodia, just the hospital treatment.

I have in the past searched all possibilities but I won't get quotes under $4,000 a year.
Add to that that pre-existing conditions are not covered, that consults by general practitioners plus specialist are not covered, that dental care is not covered, and that there is a part of the covered costs for your own account, and you can admit with me that it is way too expensive to have a health insurance at a later age than 67. Since 30 years I use a hearing aid, will not be covered and every 5-10 year I need to renew it, costs $1,000.
I have decided years ago to not have a health insurance, as I'm not willing to put $500 or more aside per month to accommodate insurance companies.

In the 11 years that I live in SE Asia I have paid for health care around $3,000, including 2x hospital stay of 5 days [one minor surgery and one venom check after snake bite] and a new hearing aid last year.
So that makes $275 per year. Even with insurance I would have had to pay $1,600 myself as not covered. So effectively insurance would have reimbursed me $1,400 in 11 years, to a cost of let's take your quote James  of $800 a year x 11 = $8,800. If I calculate the costs that I have been quoted I would have paid in 11 years $44,000 for insurance and received back $1,400. I refuse to go for that.

Cheers.

Joe

james1963

Dear Joe,

Since the moment I decided to move to Cambodia, health insurance is on my mind, and I am a little struggling with it. In my opinion insurance companies and banks are bigger crooks than small criminals and hookers. So I only deal with them when absolutely necessary. They are one of the many reasons I want to move to Cambodia. I have had it with the overkill of regulations and paperwork here in Europe. Lawyers, tax office, car inspections, labor regulations .etc etc etc... Ppppff I don't want to fight it anymore.
I know Cambodia is getting more regulated than before, but still  .....

So, again like in many other subjects, I agree again with your idea of life (I just don't want to be single ;) )

I am 55 and pretty healthy. I think I my health care costs in the last 30 years were not more than 5000, here in Europe! But, my dad of 79, also with no healthcare issues till 65, had in the last 14 years: heart attack, small stroke and many other issues. He is taking many meds now. I believe that 80% of his meds and hospital visits are overkill, but still. Would have been costly without health insurance and potential dangerous in Cambodia.

So, I am considering taking no health insurance and save up money of later days.
Small issues - pay my doctor myself
Larger issues - if necessary go to Bangkok and pay myself.
Heaving very serious disease, like cancer - if necessary move back to Europe for the health system
Having heavy accident or severe heart attack - hoping for the best. It is the risk of life. I don't intent to live dangerous. I know the roads in SE Asia and will behave accordingly. Will not drive drunk or without helmet on a motorcycle. Will not take drugs and try to be a very moderate drinker. Will (hope so en intent to) have far much less stress than here in the rat race.

So in serious circumstances I hope I have time enough to travel or I just have to accept that is it bad luck. It is a risk of life. Life is, without any doubt, the most dangerous thing to do, 100% sure it will get you killed!
I realize that it is not very moral to take the health system in my home country as last resort without paying for it. But I have contributed enough to the white collar greedy society.

I reacted on the link to the comparing site because in my opinion they represent the bad white collar culture, They offer the same health insurance, some company for double the price as directly at the health insurance company! I found that site at the start of my search.

The only option I consider is moving to Germany (lived there before for a couple of years) at 64 for a short while, register and take the German health insurance for 59,00 a month. I can have that for 5 years for that price. I think that is worth the effort. But that is in 10 years, who knows how the world looks in 10 years. But if I were 64 now, that is what I think I would do.

I know many (potential) expats have questions about Health Insurance and I have researched it quite a bit. Some of the whidely recommended is of World nomads, but have read many bad reviews too,

Cheers - Red wines seems to be very good medicin! :joking:

New and improved

Thank you, Joe, and thank you, James. Your dialogue probably ended up being more enlightening than the links themselves. A lot to ponder here. I have completely covered Medicare back in the US for major illnesses. I don't do much that's very risk-oriented, like ride motor scooters or long distance buses or take long walks at night or get drunk. All of the above makes me no doubt very boring but also tends to remove a lot of health drama. Beyond that bad luck is universal. I would want to be med evac'ed to Bangkok if necessary. I will study these links and make some decisions. You were both very helpful and I appreciate it.

JoeKhmer

James.

To start with your last sentence, indeed red wine is very healthy because of loads of antioxidants in it, mainly resveratrol. It's the only alcohol I drink now after 3  years of no alcohol and 45 years of drinking everything :D Drinking wine is relaxing and a pleasure :D

Quote: "I realize that it is not very moral to take the health system in my home country as last resort without paying for it."
Indeed. I am too proud to cheat my home country, I have signed out 11 years ago when I left which means I won't be depending on the health care system. I think that is fair and I hate cheating, so this was my decision.
Many Germans here in SHV still have an address in Germany and still "live" there, go back once a year, visit doctors and dentist for free and then back to Cambodia. These are in my eyes not expats, they are long term holiday makers, or call them nomads. Expats change their home country for another country to live permanently.

As I mentioned before no need to medevac to Bangkok, the Thai hospital in PP is very well equipped and the staff very professional. Their helicopter medevac service is state of the art and equipped with all emergency equipment and an emergency team on board.
Their hospital provides hemodialysis, dottering, neuro surgery, MRI scan, CT scan and many more.
So for me it is Royal PP hospital in case of emergency. They also arrange air transport to their Bangkok facility when needed.

The medical mafia will not earn a lot from me, insurance companies are a part of it and I stay away from them. I live a life based on natural products and remedies and although the human race has lost contact with nature I still hear the language of nature and follow up on it. Many "meds" can easily be replaced by nature products and some illnesses can be cured easily. I myself had kidney or bladder stones last year, I cured it with only watermelon, pomme granate, pine apple. It was cured in a week time and never returned.... I have on top raised the intake of Kalium [Potassium] in order to get rid of a surplus of Natrium [Sodium] in the kidneys. Luckily I can buy Himalayan salt in PP, so no need to use the horrible processed salt.

I can talk hours about healthy life style, but I will stop here.

Cheers

Joe

New and improved

Joe, you are a wonderful role model. Very glad you are there to help everyone and share your knowledge. Well done and much appreciated.

JoeKhmer

The medical mafia has originated in the USA and brought prices to an unacceptable level, hence everybody needs insurance there. It is by far the country with the highest health care costs and not necessarily the best. The corporations that dictate the government have two goals: keep the population overmedicated and undereducated. They do well, as a little child I received 4 vaccinations, babies in the US now get more than 50 vaccinations that take away the natural build up of resistance.
Don't let me start on flu shots and other trash invented by the mafia, don't let me start on mind-altering meds, the main reason for mass shootings, all killers were on these meds. They give millions of children under 10 these horrible mind-altering meds with their scary side effects. They destroy the natural Dopamine in the brain, the "feel good" chemical, so after using these meds you will never feel good anymore, unless you take the meds. The US is sick! Luckily Nature has a cure....

So be glad to be in Cambodia or SE Asia, costs of health care are very low, I had a minor surgery in Thailand, stayed 5 days in a VIP room and paid a total of $700. Don't worry, be happy! ;)

Cheers.

Joe

Col The Teacher

Hi Guys.
Read this thread with great Interest. I  contacted  a similar type of comparison site via an on line link and was promptly contacted by telephone by a lovely young lady named Chelsea. I had stated in the information box  my intention to relocate to Cambodia in the near future and this is where she began.....Once she had determined my plans fully in that I wasn't splitting my time between the UK and Cambodia she informed me that to her knowledge only AIG  would consider me for life insurance given my planned destination.She then rang AIG for clarification and was told they do not provide cover for  Cambodia, And would at a bare minimum require me to reside in UK for a minimum of 3 months out of the year even to be considered. So I thought **** ** I shall have my ExPat buddies burn me on a raft and float me down the Mekong and go out Viking style.....I'm with Joe Bro....."Don't worry.......Be Apppppppy"

New and improved

Sort of a segue but this reminds me of an old cartoon in The New Yorker magazine. A man in a business suit is striding very confidently down the avenue. His thought bubbles over his head affirm that he has done everything right to be in the best of health; "eat fiber," "no sugar," "run 10 miles 2x week," "sleep 8 hours," etc. And far, far above the twenty or so thought bubbles is a heavy black safe hurtling out of a high-rise aimed right at his head.

You can only control so much.

I would also add that I have collected on a couple insurances in my life and in each case I had to sue them to get them to honour their contract, and in the interim far more damage was done than originally occurred just from the waiting. I'm not a big fan of insurance....

JoeKhmer

It is a misunderstanding that if you have paid for an "insurance" that you are insured.
Their aim is to collect as much money as possible and to pay out as little money as can be done. Hence the small letters indicating exclusions, like riding a motorbike, even as a pillion, and much much more. Health insurance is the same, they insure what has no risk or nearly no risk. If you have cases that cost them more than they receive they will throw you out. For retirees it's even worse.

If you feel in good health and check each year [blood check] you can go far if you also live healthy. Of course nobody has the music of the concert of life.

Cheers.

Joe

expatfamilybkk

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