simon43 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 05, 2021 5:31 am I pay about $200 per month for $1M cover, 62 years old. I live in Laos.

But premiums will depend on your age and if you have any existing medical conditions when you take out cover (I don't).

Most Expat Insurance Co. will kick you out when you turn 70...

In that case, you've signed up with the wrong company! There are plenty of reputable, international companies who insure you for life, regardless of how many claims you make and how ill you become after signing up. By EU law, they also can't increase your premiums as a result of your claims. They can only increase them in line with others of the same age.

Yep, my EU insurance company has lifetime coverage BUT there is an age cut off you must join by. I joined in 2020 and the general conditions has a cut off of 71. However, I note the 2021 general conditions has been upped to 75.

NB my insurance premiums are much lower than they otherwise would be coz I have a very high deductible, hospital only, Asia zone only.

Also, as others have said, don't assume you will be automatically accepted..you have to pass their medical assessment. Mine was pretty thorough with their health questionnaire and contacted my doctor for details of blood test results as I take daily medication to control a condition.

My job pays for mine and my wife and son.

Perks of being a wage slave

I was covered by my employer, think it was $2-3K in group rates (Medi+ Forte). When I started moving to USA I covered my wife and son in Cambodia for just over $2K annually (Aplusii).

Everyone should get some high deductible hospitalization coverage at a minimum. An unplanned accident and no coverage, you will be begging on gofundme. It would have sucked if I didn't have coverage when I got smashed by a moto and ran up $100K+ in expenses.

In Indonesia / Cambodia : zero coverage but i was cautious, and not yet old, although riding bikes and working in the wood biz. Yeah lucky i guess.

Now in France : zero amount to pay, full coverage. The perks of socialism. But not quite the time to have an heart attack, or these others middle aging concerns. The hospital people being pretty busy.

Matty9999 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:51 pm I dont have any major health issues and the plan is not to have anything happen over here.

I think it's kind of a naive attitude to adopt, and after a little more experience I'll wager your opinion will change considerably. Even a semi-major event like a broken leg can throw all your plans (and money) out the window. There are hundreds of stories of those "not planning to have anything happen" who end up going through a whole lotta pain and puss because they didn't spend a little money on insurance.

A young healthy woman I knew who was traveling in Sumatra had a motorbike accident where her arm was mangled. Three hospitals in Indonesia wanted to amputate it before she got to Singapore where they plated her arm back together. She didn't have insurance with the whole affair costing her tens of thousands of dollars which she had to beg and borrow for - no doubt taking her years to repay.

If you can't afford a grand or two to protect your health or an unforeseen event, you shouldn't go - just my personal, humble opinion.

Question for the uninsured - if you have an accident - could be a motobike or tuktuk accident, or just some health problem that needs money suddenly - do you have money put away for this ? If you don't, who do you think will pay for this ?

I'm not pointing fingers, but I do wonder how expats - especially those with families and kids - reason their lack of any health insurance in a country where user pays, everytime.

I did have travel insurance took it out for a year two months later because of covid it was useless no refund thanks Nomads insurance
Haven't looked at insurance reading people's views on here still not sure, if I get a $100k medical bill well my kids will just get less when I die.

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 8:08 pm

Matty9999 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:51 pm I dont have any major health issues and the plan is not to have anything happen over here.

I think it's kind of a naive attitude to adopt, and after a little more experience I'll wager your opinion will change considerably.

If you can't afford a grand or two to protect your health or an unforeseen event, you shouldn't go - just my personal, humble opinion.

Although logical and very true, there is a kind of calling to blend in the local way to deal with it, that goes well when acting the way local do or think + applying the benefits of a western education to complete our behaviour adressing the daily life in these adventurous countries.
After all, insurance is a new thing here, people have been dealing without it for ages.
The cautious people have their own reflexes about precautions, not yet weakened by the false secure feeling some people feel just by signing a paper. Of course there is foolish people too, but darwinism will get them naturally.

I believe the ones who go through life without big accidents / ilnnesses probably manage to avoid nasty situations by acting cautiously on some points, less on others. As we do elsewhere, but with some slightly differents settings. I don't scan the situation around me the same way in Cambodia and in France for sure.

And yes there is a luck factor for the things we can't manage ourselves such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plane crashes & tsunamis, but in these cases i'm not confident the assurance will always help much, it's more a safe or dead situation.

As long as one is not chasing problems with naughty stuff or chemical food or random foolishness, and is not yet at the age of big health concerns, i guess one can live fine a long time.

But like in the casino, better quit before pushing it too far. Control.

Even with insurance, problems sucks.