Tony, can you explain the link between medical insurance and work permits?
Tony, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the need for Work Permits when buying medical insurance. Some people say that insurance buyers have to have a work permit and others, including yourself, say that they don’t. Some go so far as to say that even if the agent does sell you insurance without asking for a Work Permit, the insurance company will refuse to pay your claim unless you can show that you have one. What are the real facts about the need for Work Permits and why does this confusion exist?
As I’ve mentioned before, there are two different types of insurance companies marketing health insurance in Thailand. One type of company is a Life Insurance company and the other type is a General Insurance company.
Life Insurance agents who sell health insurance must sell it as a rider to a life insurance policy. That may be the reason why they require a Work Permit. In any case, Life Insurance companies do require foreigners to have a Work Permit to buy health insurance. They are stricter in other ways also.
BUPA, Thai Health Insurance, LMG, NZI-IAG and AXA are General Insurance companies and don’t require Work Permits to purchase health insurance. Ironically, though, AXA has a new health insurance policy out now and the brochure says that non-Thais do have to have a Work Permit. That shocked me! So I asked the lady who is in charge of that program, “Why?“ She explained that a Work Permit is not really necessary. They just want make sure that the foreign insurance buyer is actually living in Thailand (???).
Is a Work Permit required when filing a medical insurance claim with a General Insurance company? Absolutely not! Is one required when filing a claim with a Life Insurance company? Possibly, depending on the company.
The confusion over the need for Work Permits exists because one of the biggest Life Insurance companies in Thailand has a very large marketing force. Anyone looking for medical insurance will most likely talk with one their agents and leave their meeting convinced that a Work Permit is a requirement for purchasing health coverage in Thailand. They will tell their friends, and the myth goes on.
