Thailand plans mandatory health insurance for tourists to close treatment cost gap
Thailand is considering compulsory health insurance for tourists as the government seeks to reduce unpaid medical bills and strengthen health security for foreign visitors.
Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat said on Friday that the main challenge in unlocking laws to attract more foreign investment was not legal barriers themselves, but making procedures faster, more efficient and more supportive of investment, with a particular focus on drug security, medical equipment security and future technology.
On health insurance for foreign populations, including both workers and tourists, Pattana said that foreigners entering Thailand — whether for tourism, work or short cross-border visits — could become a major economic burden if they were unable to pay for medical treatment. He said the health insurance system could help fill that gap and offset the cost.
He said the ministry was therefore considering making health insurance mandatory for tourists, particularly those regarded as quality visitors who could afford cover. Premium levels are still being reviewed, but he said they would not be set so high as to become an excessive burden for travellers. Instead, the aim would be to provide worthwhile protection and greater confidence in receiving medical care if they fall ill in Thailand.
On problems facing border hospitals, Pattana said people still waiting for nationality or legal status verification would need the relevant agencies to clarify their rights and citizenship so that they could enter the main health security system. He also said the National Health Security Office had been told to allocate sufficient budgets to border areas and to continue overseeing rights under the Tor 99 category.
Asked about cases in which foreign patients receive treatment in Thailand and then fail to pay, Pattana said he and the permanent secretary for public health had discussed a policy response based on the strength of Thailand’s healthcare system, which he said was better than that of many neighbouring countries and was transparent and ready to provide care. Thailand, he said, would present the quality and standards of its healthcare system to the international community.
He added that Thailand was ready to play a role in cross-border healthcare, particularly in caring for vulnerable populations in border areas regardless of nationality, whether through domestic support or with funding from international organisations. He said Thailand could provide effective services with the budgets it received, and noted that several countries had already requested talks with Thailand at an upcoming meeting in Geneva.
Pattana also said the volunteer nursing policy promised by the Bhumjaithai Party formed part of an action plan to support older people and bed-bound patients. Some elements could begin immediately, with numbers to be gradually expanded. As for the expansion of elderly care centres with private-sector investment, he said the ministry was still working out the most suitable model.
