What do you imagine when you think of Thailand? Many of us think about beautiful beaches and memorable vacations, while Thailand is also one of the world’s most popular destinations for “medical tourism”, where individuals travel to undergo what is usually a cosmetic treatment due to the cheaper costs available in the country.
Thailand is also an increasingly popular destination to move to, with many global citizens seeking employment opportunities in the country, often after spending some time there while travelling through South East Asia or having spent a longer vacation there.
Whatever your reason for being in Thailand, you should ensure you are covered with international health insurance.
Healthcare in Thailand is provided via a universal healthcare system, which is overseen by the country’s Ministry of Public Health in conjunction with other government agencies. This healthcare is delivered via three separate schemes, with the scheme citizens use depending on their employment status and circumstances.
Thailand’s privately operated hospitals and clinics are not often used to deliver public sector healthcare services. While Thailand’s public healthcare system delivers a high-quality level of treatment and care, private facilities do provide a popular alternative for residents given that public facilities can often be busy, while accessing healthcare in rural areas can still be difficult.
Citizens living in Thailand will need to fund treatment themselves or have private medical and health insurance in order to access these facilities.
Ensure you’re able to get treatment quicker when living in Thailand with an international health insurance package from Now Health International.
If you are living in Thailand due to your employment, you will immediately be able to access the country’s public healthcare system upon taking residence in Thailand. There is no cost for attending a clinic or hospital or for any treatment you require, except for Saturdays when you will have to pay a small charge.
If you have retired to Thailand or moved to the country for another reason not directly related to employment, you may not be eligible to join the universal coverage scheme if you are not a Thai national.
In these circumstances, you will be reliant exclusively on the private sector, meaning you will need international health insurance to ensure you can access a clinic or hospital, whether you need to attend for a check-up or require urgent attention for something more serious.
Although public healthcare standards in Thailand are good, if you have moved to the country to work it may still be worth taking out private medical and health insurance to ensure you can quickly access treatment when you need it.
Our health and medical insurance plans start from as little as USD 112 per month for our WorldCare Essential Plan.
This plan will cover you for any in-patient and day-patient care you require while living in Thailand, while our other healthcare plans cover other treatment types including out-patient care, dental cover, and specialist maternity care.
You can also get our more affordable SimpleCare plan that gives cover for big medical events. Prices start at USD 112 per month.
While you will be able to access public healthcare if you’re working in Thailand, private health cover could help you avoid lengthy waiting times and get the treatment you need quicker.
Join thousands of Now Health International members and choose one of our international health insurance plans to keep yourself covered when living in Thailand.
“I am so grateful to the Now Health Team for everything they did for me and my family. My rare condition was completely unexpected and it was distressing to discover this while I was pregnant. However from the initial diagnosis all the way through to my kidney transplant, the team were nothing but supportive and ensured I could access the best care when I needed it most. Having the reassurance that my mother’s transplant donor costs would be covered was also a real relief. Thank you Now Health!”