THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Double dose of bad news

Double dose of bad news

Re: “Mandatory health insurance for retirement visa holders likely to take effect in July”, Front page, May 16.

What a dismal double-whammy we got on Thursday. We learn that retirees of 75 years or more, too old to be accepted for health insurance, may be banished from Thailand (we are not sure, because as usual the information is as clear as the waters of Khlong Saen Saep). And worse, we are told that the print edition of our beloved Nation will cease from the end of next month. 
I have two wishes. First, I hope our new Immigration chief will take the trouble to investigate the concerns of retirees, and check whether it is indeed long-term expats who are guilty of absconding with unpaid medical bills. I personally doubt it. 
Also, if they “left” bills of this size, it implies that they fled and were not long-term expats, and if they are still here, then they can be sued like anyone else. Until we get a breakdown of this figure, I am tempted to surmise that irresponsible and uninsured short-term tourists are the problem, certainly not retirees.
Second, it seems that The Nation online news is a “light” version of the print edition and I trust The Nation will expand it accordingly. And can we please still have the excellent illustrations on the Have Your Say printed page that so far haven’t make it online?
The only ray of light on this Black Thursday was that Dr Frank broke the habit of a lifetime and agreed with something I wrote. We live in strange times.
Nigel Pike

nationthailand