Ot Mean Loi wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:51 pm And if you are totally incapacitated or comatose or on life support what good is your Visa card under these circumstances?

It is the same with all medical insurance/medical evacuation insurance: a third party needs to be authorised and empowered to activate your insurance policy/ies on your behalf when you are not in a position to do so yourself.

OML

Well there you go, if your fucked your fucked and what’s the good of any of it.
In the meantime, I won’t be paying any hefty insurance premiums

Maybe that's what my sister was on about a" power of attorney" anyway typical didn't listen

pauloxleyisland wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 11:57 am I know this isn’t what the OP asked but it is topic related. I’d like to share what my theory is and so far what works for me. Being a 60 yo Aussie I could not believe the the massive amount they wanted to insure me, it almost put my retirement plans out of the question. So I thought it out
1: Insurance Premiums are expensive
2: Health services in Cambodia are basic at best
3: Health services in Cambodia are cheap
So my theory is I’m not wanting to get treatment in Cambodia for anything other then an emergency, anything else I’ll fly back to Australia for free treatment. In case of emergency you will need the Khmer health system to save your life and get you stable enough to fly out. Your going to fly out anyway. So as my backstop, I have a Visa credit card with a large limit on it. I don’t use the card , I only have it for emergency use when I’m in Cambodia. That way I have access to the Emergency services but pay no insurance premiums. So far it works for me.

Those are all reasons to get a high deductible inpatient insurance plan. Any standard illness or non-serious injury you just pay out of pocket at a local place.

"You're going to fly out anyway." When I had to be airlifted from Cambodia to Thailand I was closer to being unconscious than booking flights on priceline. If you have an emergency where you must get treated outside of Cambodia you won't be booking flights and flying in coach, they won't even allow you to fly if you're too messed up.

In reality, it is that you are 60 and don't want to pay high premiums so you're taking that chance that nothing happens. Nothing wrong with that, it is your risk to take. Just saying that you aren't going to fly out anyway, especially if you don't have insurance you won't be flying anywhere in an emergency.

btw, my flights and surgeries in Bangkok were $100K+

Doc67 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:47 am

clutchcargo wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:21 pm

pauloxleyisland wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 11:57 am I know this isn’t what the OP asked but it is topic related. I’d like to share what my theory is and so far what works for me. Being a 60 yo Aussie I could not believe the the massive amount they wanted to insure me, it almost put my retirement plans out of the question. So I thought it out
1: Insurance Premiums are expensive
2: Health services in Cambodia are basic at best
3: Health services in Cambodia are cheap
So my theory is I’m not wanting to get treatment in Cambodia for anything other then an emergency, anything else I’ll fly back to Australia for free treatment. In case of emergency you will need the Khmer health system to save your life and get you stable enough to fly out. Your going to fly out anyway. So as my backstop, I have a Visa credit card with a large limit on it. I don’t use the card , I only have it for emergency use when I’m in Cambodia. That way I have access to the Emergency services but pay no insurance premiums. So far it works for me.

Sounds reasonable however I can envisage a situation where in an emergency you may need repatriation where the local health system may not be able to keep you stable/save you in a critical situation. My policy includes repatriation and they are more than likely to send me to a hospital in Thailand than Australia given the travel times involved. With no direct flights to Australia, you're looking at possibly 11+ hrs depending on which city and the layover in transit. Whereas you could be in Bangkok a hell of a lot quicker and when you're critical time is of the essence.

Having said that, I don't know how emergency repatriation works with covid border restrictions?

I read many times of the importance of medical evacuation, especially when you're in a place like here. But... if you have one of the 3 most likely life threatening conditions; heart attack, stroke and traffic accident, the chances of you being in any fit state to fly is small. Airlines are a bit nervous of taking passengers with drips hanging out of their arm and being wheeled on board on a gurney.

'Med evac' is a nice thing, and good for peace of mind but when they say you are covered for $$$$$$$$$$ of coverage for it, I am not sure how you would ever really get the chance to take advantage of it. It is like saying you are covered for $10,000,000 in medical bills. In reality, if your bill goes much above $100,000 here and you are still sick, you are probably fucked anyway.

Interestingly, I see on my premium invoice that medical expenses and repatriation (evacuation) are dissected separately with the latter being 12% of the total.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:47 am

clutchcargo wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:21 pm

pauloxleyisland wrote: ↑Mon Nov 16, 2020 11:57 am I know this isn’t what the OP asked but it is topic related. I’d like to share what my theory is and so far what works for me. Being a 60 yo Aussie I could not believe the the massive amount they wanted to insure me, it almost put my retirement plans out of the question. So I thought it out
1: Insurance Premiums are expensive
2: Health services in Cambodia are basic at best
3: Health services in Cambodia are cheap
So my theory is I’m not wanting to get treatment in Cambodia for anything other then an emergency, anything else I’ll fly back to Australia for free treatment. In case of emergency you will need the Khmer health system to save your life and get you stable enough to fly out. Your going to fly out anyway. So as my backstop, I have a Visa credit card with a large limit on it. I don’t use the card , I only have it for emergency use when I’m in Cambodia. That way I have access to the Emergency services but pay no insurance premiums. So far it works for me.

Sounds reasonable however I can envisage a situation where in an emergency you may need repatriation where the local health system may not be able to keep you stable/save you in a critical situation. My policy includes repatriation and they are more than likely to send me to a hospital in Thailand than Australia given the travel times involved. With no direct flights to Australia, you're looking at possibly 11+ hrs depending on which city and the layover in transit. Whereas you could be in Bangkok a hell of a lot quicker and when you're critical time is of the essence.

Having said that, I don't know how emergency repatriation works with covid border restrictions?

I read many times of the importance of medical evacuation, especially when you're in a place like here. But... if you have one of the 3 most likely life threatening conditions; heart attack, stroke and traffic accident, the chances of you being in any fit state to fly is small. Airlines are a bit nervous of taking passengers with drips hanging out of their arm and being wheeled on board on a gurney.

'Med evac' is a nice thing, and good for peace of mind but when they say you are covered for $$$$$$$$$$ of coverage for it, I am not sure how you would ever really get the chance to take advantage of it. It is like saying you are covered for $10,000,000 in medical bills. In reality, if your bill goes much above $100,000 here and you are still sick, you are probably fucked anyway.

Mine was over $100K but not $200K. I had to have a form when I flew back in case the titanium in my head or pins in my hand set off the airport security.

They had my fiance join me on my evac plane. I suppose my situation would be the most likely emergency for evac. A moto accident where you aren't going to die but are pretty messed up.

BYW - 60 year old is $425 per month for $1,350 deductible https://compare.aplusii.com/home

Maybe some insurer can give you $5K deductible for much cheaper monthly, that is what I would recommend.

Hey guys, I need a recommendation for family health insurance, international medivac standard would be preferable, thanks guys !

Hi Carl, looks like you have the budget to have a personal agent take care of this for you. You will be surprised how much more welcoming Cambodia is in this regard than asking in an online forum. I have met a few newcomers who tend to be overconfident behind driving their rental cars with full insurance coverage here. Personally, I think it is much more important to promote an attitude that goes with the flow, for the long term benefit. Whether you are insured or not, it is important to keep a humble approach if you want to stay here longer than average.

Doing some research about relocating from USA to Cambodia (married to Khmer wife). Thank you all for the great discussion on Expat Insurance!

After reviewing all the posts to this point:

I summarized the various recommendations/ links to brokers / particular insurance agencies here:

Cambodia health insurance:

[email protected]

Long term health Insurance in Cambodia

A+ International Healthcare | Get A Quote

https://www.agcambodia.com/

https://www.infinitysolutions.com/perso ... insurance/

https://aplusii.com/

AXA - Global Healthcare: global health insurance

APRIL International Health Insurance Solutions in Asia

YouTube video on using a broker in Thailand for expats needing insurance:


Christopher Tiamsak
AA Insurance Brokers
[email protected]
Ph+66(0)822929150

Not health insurance but Thailand car insurance: Asia Insurance:
This same YouTuber has a follow up video where a car insurance company has gone belly up making his policy worthless… buyer be ware:



Here are some other YouTube videos on the topic of expat health insurance:




























Set up a POWER OF ATTORNEY:
Power of Attorney
An important part of lifetime planning is the power of attorney. A power of attorney is accepted in all states, but the rules and requirements differ from state to state. A power of attorney gives one or more persons the power to act on your behalf as your agent. The power may be limited to a particular activity, such as closing the sale of your home, or be general in its application. The power may give temporary or permanent authority to act on your behalf. The power may take effect immediately, or only upon the occurrence of a future event, usually a determination that you are unable to act for yourself due to mental or physical disability. The latter is called a "springing" power of attorney. 

How to set up POA: How to get power of attorney for a parent or loved one

Also good idea to set up:
- living will
- Advance Healthcare Directive
- Living trust
- Keeping written lists of assets/ accounts
* Itemize your Inventory of valuables
* Itemize non-tangible assets
* Assemble a List of Debts
* Make a Memberships List: In some cases, these organizations may have accidental life insurance benefits (at no cost) on their members, and your beneficiaries may be eligible to collect

- designating beneficiaries on accounts and completing the transfer on death designations on other accounts
- You can also write a letter of instruction to leave step-by-step instructions as well as spell out your personal wishes for things like your funeral or what to do with your digital assets like social media accounts. If you're married, each spouse should create a separate will, with plans for the surviving spouse. Finally, make sure that all the concerned individuals have copies of these documents.

I had a medical problem here some years ago. I didn't have a specific medical insurance, but I did overlook my visa card did have medical insurance on.
That's by the by, when you are in need it's good to have your wit's in order, but that is not easy if you are so I'll and basically alone in a foreign country, and even more so when being in Cambodia with the type of mainly none existing medical conditions.
Some of you may say I am wrong, but I have experienced this for sometime with myself and that of my partner. The medical support here is only about money first, and not health care for your own wellbeing. You can argue that point with me all day! From the start medicine suppliers make their profits and only distribution is given to the favoured few, or those who will pay a premium. But that alone is a none starter because the public can't afford the inflated price. Discount and free medicine from abroad, still has to be payed by the customer in most cases.
It's simple if you can't pay you die. Simply look at the better off of the country, they seek medical attention outside of the country. Basically they do not trust the medical system here.

I was lucky at the time and risked getting a flight out, but for many depending on the condition of the illness it would be impossible.