Submitted: Health insurance for Belgians in Thailand
Dear readers,
Occasionally it is good to update certain articles on the blog, such as the questions related to health insurance coverage abroad (in my case for Belgians).
From experience I know that the Christian Mutualities have no agreement with Thailand. This in turn means that the "outpatient costs" (doctor, dentist, ... so without hospitalization) are only covered if they exceed EUR 200. For files of more than EUR 200, almost all urgent medical costs are reimbursed. A deductible of 60 euros applies per file and per entitled party.
The assistance is guaranteed for three months from the first day of care abroad. There is also a lack of clarity about that “first day of care”. I inquired with several local employees. One says that you are only covered for a 3-month stay abroad because the provision of care effectively means the insured period, the other says that the 3-month period starts the moment you are admitted for care. However, they can request a copy of your flight tickets to prove the travel time. Although they themselves do not agree, I will therefore stick to the former. You are covered during a 3-month stay abroad. Officially, it reads: “The assistance is guaranteed for three months from the first day of care abroad.”
Moreover, this only applies to foreign stays “for recreational reasons”. It is therefore best to pretend that your nose is bleeding and not to report that you live there regularly or almost permanently. The “Mutas card” for foreign travel assistance is valid for one year, so you don't have to report that you are staying in Thailand anymore, until they ask for your tickets, of course.
I only saw comments dating back to 2013, which is why I am providing you with this information.
Regards,
Patrick
Specific case Railwaymen… The Medical Care Fund of the NMBS (Railways, compulsory health insurance fund for railway employees) also has no bilateral agreements with Thailand. So take an annual travel assistance with Ethias online or Touring, respectively about 50 or 100 euros for the whole family, worldwide. You hand in your outpatient care bills to the NMBS after your trip and they issue a certificate that they do not reimburse anything due to no bilateral agreements, then hand in the bills together with the certificate to your travel assistance and they will reimburse without deductible within the three weeks. This only concerns outpatient care. Please note that if you spend too much, you are a “bad customer” and you will be thrown out, that is also stated in every insurance contract in the small letters, i.e. a unilateral cancellation of the insurance…
Really happened.
A motorcycle accident in Thailand with several stays in 3 hospitals with an apartment even for the wife or spouse and repatriation in first class and ambulance to Ghent (BEL) at home, I can't say anything bad about Ethias, everything paid and only declaration information about the accident was given to them by email, every day by telephone contact with an Ethias employee who provides information and advice on bills and ambulance transport, care, etc. But one year later it was thrown out because it was too expensive (they use the expression "bad customer", we have never informed Mutas because they still refer to your additional travel insurance and you can only claim one insurance at a time... Not a thing paid for in Thailand except for the first field hospital where first aid was administered... Unfortunately, we had to switch to a new travel assistance insurance that is more expensive then Ethias... too bad because our hospital insurance for BEL is also with Ethias... Now with Touring full family worldwide assurance. After all, you're not asking for an accident...
The Socialist Mutualities of Brabant inform me that from 01.01.2014 there is no longer any intervention for medical assistance in Thailand, among others. I went to the dentist in Bangkok at the beginning of this year, so I get € 0 back. They recommend that I take out travel insurance (which I luckily have). Beware travel insurance is also only valid for three months, but it can be extended for an additional contribution.
This is indeed true, but only applies to the Socialist Mutuality Brabant.
Maybe it pays to change mutuality.
https://www.fsmb.be/mutas-bijstand-in-het-buitenland
The refunds of the other SocMut are still the same.
You can read them here as well as the statutes with Mutas.
http://www.devoorzorg.be/antwerpen/voordelen-advies/terugbetalingen-uitkeringen/In-het-buitenland/op-reis/Medische-zorgen-in-het-buitenland/Reisbijstand-Mutas/Pages/default.aspx
You might also want to check out CM
http://www.cm.be/diensten-en-voordelen/vakantie-en-vrije-tijd/reisbijstand/tegemoetkoming.jsp
or look in the Dossier Woonadres Thailand -Be.
There is a brief description of the differences between the mutualities.
(At least according to the info I could find about it)
Eric
I read further and found the following on the website of the Socialite Mutuality Brabant
https://www.fsmb.be/dringende-zorg
OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION
Countries without an agreement with Belgium
You can only obtain a refund according to the Belgian rate in the event of an emergency admission to the hospital, if you send the original invoices to your health insurance fund after your return.
Maybe this will help you
A travel insurance is not intended for going to the dentist abroad. The health insurance fund intervenes for certain treatments in Belgium, such as the sealing of teeth if you go for an annual check-up with the treating dentist. Beauty treatments such as lasering the teeth are not covered if at a certain age one can get money back up to a certain amount for eg a false prayer up to a maximum of 1000 euros intervention.
With medical treatment that is supposedly not urgent because of cheaper in Thailand, the Belgian insurer will not intervene in the event of medical errors and Thai hospitals will therefore have you sign a contract that they are also not legally liable for medical errors, which is also the downside of the medal.
@ Geert: Am an almost retired railway man. I will be living in Thailand permanently from January 2015. I learned about our own health insurance and Ethias (hospitalization insurance). So far I've heard different versions each time in terms of coverage. Is there someone who can give a clear explanation please?
One thing is certain: with a travel insurance you are covered for three months. So be careful if you stay away longer.
What do you mean by pension? The Belgian bridging pension or early retirement if yes, you may stay abroad for a maximum of 4 weeks per year because the bridging pension partly consists of unemployment compensation up to the statutory pension and if you settle in another country then one has to apply for unemployment compensation in Thailand so nil.
And the joke of not deregistering in order to still enjoy certain benefits in Belgium is now also strictly followed by the municipality and if necessary they will deregister you with all the consequences that entails.
Patrick
You write – “Once in a while it is good to update certain articles on the blog, such as the questions related to health insurance coverage abroad (in my case for Belgians).”
Can you say exactly how your information differs from what is in the Dossier Woonadres Thailand-Be?
Ronny
in the Dossier Woonadres Thailand.be, at least the abbreviated version because the PDF document seems to be damaged according to my browser, it says that CM provides cover for 3 months from the first day of care. This is contradicted and so would be 3 months from the first day of stay abroad (they can request your tickets, what else is that good for???). In addition, it states that CM covers all costs, but cover is only provided for claims above EUR 200. A consultation with a doctor in an international hospital for which you pay roughly EUR 130 (as I have had before), is not reimbursed by CM for a penny.
@Patrick Try this link: https://www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/Verblijf-in-Thailand-woonadres-in-Belgi%C3%AB-Volledig-artikel.pdf
Patrick,
That discussion about the three months has already been had before.
Several people have also inquired at their CM office and always the same answer came for “first day of care”.
By the way, I just changed mutuality for that reason.
These three months apply for the duration of one year, so if you were already taken out earlier in the year, this will be deducted from your three-month credit.
So I'm not going to have that discussion again with or without requesting tickets.
Nowhere does it say that it can be requested or that you must keep it as evidence.
What CM writes is clear – “The service is guaranteed for three months and starts on the first day of care”.
This is clearly stated in their statutes and they are valid.
http://www.cm.be/binaries/Statuten-reisbijstand-2014_tcm375-132183.pdf
see paragraph 3
What SocMut writes is also clear
http://www.devoorzorg.be/SiteCollectionDocuments/Formulieren/300/StatutenMutas.pdf
see paragraph 2.2
“the temporary stay abroad has a recreational character and does not last more than three months.
So here it is clear that it starts counting from your departure.
I'm just going to stick with this one or I'm writing my file again, but those are the big differences between CM and SocMut.
About the file
I write for the questions
“I will first list the most common questions that I receive on a regular basis, with a short answer of what I have found about them. For a detailed explanation, I refer to the complete article Residence in Thailand, residential address in Belgium?, which can be downloaded as a PDF.”
In the file you can read about the 200 Euro, so maybe you should have waited and first reported that you could not open the file….
I don't claim that this file is complete, and I do have a new version, but at the moment I don't have the time.
Everyone is allowed to comment, but do so on the basis of the entire file and not on half of it.
You must also have a domicile in Belgium, otherwise you will continue to pay the mandatory contribution to the health insurance fund but you cannot withdraw anything. Understand who can.
I have traveled for 1 year. I am with the independent health insurance fund and I had taken out additional travel accident insurance with Allianz Global.
I have needed outpatient care 3 times. All treatments did take place within a period of 3 months, but by then I had already left Belgium for six months. My insurance broker first had me submit all invoices to my health insurance fund.
The health insurance fund knew that I had already been abroad for six months, because the start date of the trip was stated on the declaration to the insurer, which was also submitted to the health insurance fund.
At the health insurance fund I got everything back with an exemption of 200 euros per “claim case”.
Allianz then reimbursed what the health insurance fund did not reimburse afterwards.
The 3 months apparently only start from the first treatment abroad.
Here I am back (sorry for rambling) but it will be useful to myself and other colleagues who are or will be in the same situation:
1) I first checked with Ethias itself, they confirm to me that, as long as you pay the health insurance in Belgium (directly deducted from your pension), “The hospitalization insurance continues automatically, also in Thailand”.
2) Contacted the NMBS mutuality: "If you need to be admitted to a hospital in Thailand, no problem: pay everything, send the invoices to the GGC to which you belong and the mutuality and Ethias will pay everything back"
3) Went to the relevant office at the NMBS that manages Ethias: "It is only the supplements that the hospital insurance reimburses, it is necessary to take out separate insurance in Thailand". “Only with a hospitalization IN BELGIUM, all costs are covered…”
I am retired and live in Bangkok, I pay 20 euros every month that is deducted from my pension and I can NOT enjoy the mutuality! as well as tax there they do have an agreement with Thailand, but not for illness or accident. That's Belgium.
Greetings Gilbert
You can continue to pay your health insurance if you live in Thailand, so you have been deregistered, but only for treatment in Belgium, so you must take out health insurance there.
And luckily Belgium has no agreement with Thailand because they are quite creative with drawing up their bills apparently health insurance is still affordable in Belgium at the moment so let's keep it that way.
Some Belgian hospitalization insurers have packages for expats, but also under certain conditions, such as DKV.
Read the text carefully, the three months start from the first day of illness, so the story that you only have 3
being allowed to stay abroad for months is wrong.
EUROPE ASSISTANCE, travel insurance annual coverage with a maximum stay abroad of 6 months
family formula very affordable
I only see information about socialist and CM mutuality.
Does anyone have information about other health insurance funds?
I am affiliated with the Flemish & Neutral health insurance fund and plan several long stays in Thailand.
Paul,
I cannot find any statutes with Mutas for the Vlaams&Neutraal health insurance fund.
They don't publish it on their web.
From what I can find on their website it doesn't look good.
“From January 1, 2012 there will no longer be worldwide coverage for urgent medical costs abroad.”
Have a look here.
http://www.vnz.be/diensten/vakanties/eurocross/public
By the way, I had already written this in the Dossier Woonadres Thailand – Be
http://www.vnz.be/diensten/vakanties/eurocross/public – Those guesses
recommend to take out extra travel insurance for countries outside Europe, so no coverage there ?????
Visit your health insurance company.
Maybe it's like with the Socialistische Mutualiteit Brabant.
They also write that there is no worldwide coverage, but then add it.
OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION
Countries without an agreement with Belgium
You can only obtain a refund according to the Belgian rate in the event of an emergency admission to the hospital, if you send the original invoices to your health insurance fund after your return.
Who knows, you might have to pay for everything yourself first, but you can later get part of it back with the official papers. Don't know. Please contact your health insurance company for more details about this.
Let us know too, so that it can be included in the next edition of the Health Insurance Dossier.
Baloise travel insurance with legal assistance € 90 per year
Can you give some more details and refs. I can't find travel insurance on their website.
Hello Ronny, I have regular car insurance with Baloise, then I took out additional travel insurance and legal assistance, and if I and/or one of my family members had an accident, for example, they would be reimbursed and/or reimbursed. or repatriated to Belgium, from any country in the world, this also applies if you go on holiday with your family, so for €90 per year you are well off
greetings Martin
Martin,
I took a quick look at the policy.
Extensive Baloise Assistance Vehicle and Persons
http://legacy.baloise.be/upload/main/Algemene%20Voorwaarden/B0166.VAR.03.14%20AV%20Uitgebreide%20Baloise%20Assistance%20Voertuig%20en%20personen_22437126.pdf
This may be a solution for some.
It is actually a standard travel insurance policy as an additional policy to your car insurance
Cheap ? I don't know because you also have to add the car insurance because I don't think you will get them separately for 90 Euro.
You are also limited to 3 months again.
“travel abroad of more than 90 consecutive days:
if the insured travels abroad for more than 3 consecutive months, the insured events eligible for the benefits are exclusively those that occur before the end of the first 3 months of his stay abroad”
You would put it next to other travel insurance policies and each should see what is best for him
I even suspect that you take out such an additional policy with every car insurance policy, but I have no idea about the prices
Still, thanks for the tip
Perhaps also mention ladies and gentlemen that due to the state of siege in Thailand or other high-risk countries, the insurer will not want to give you a contract or will not want to intervene due to the so-called increased risk.
I think this is only when there is a negative travel advice. Not the case for Thailand I thought.
If you are not sure, eg Coup as in Thailand, it is of course better to inquire. This is also the advice of Foreign Affairs and can be found on the website of the Belgian Embassy.