Healthcare and health insurance
How the public and private systems differ, what care costs, and how to choose insurance that will still cover you in five years.
The essentials
- Private hospitals in the big cities are excellent and used to foreign patients, but you pay for it — insurance matters.
- Travel insurance is not residence insurance. Once you live here you need a local or international health plan.
- Many Thai insurers stop selling new policies somewhere around age 70, so buy before you need it.
- The Non-OA retirement visa requires health insurance: at least 40,000 baht outpatient and 400,000 baht inpatient cover a year.
- Employees of Thai companies pay into Social Security (5% of salary, capped at 875 baht a month from 2026) and get care at a designated hospital.
Who this is for
Everyone living here. Even if you are healthy, a motorbike accident or dengue fever is common enough that every resident should know where they would go and how they would pay.
Public and private care
| Public hospitals | Private hospitals | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low | Moderate to high — a routine visit is often 1,000 to 2,000 baht, a hospital stay can reach six figures |
| Waiting | Long queues | Short |
| English | Varies, often limited | Usually good, with international patient desks |
| Best for | Budget care, some specialist centres | Most expats, emergencies when insured |
Choosing insurance
International plans cover you in several countries and usually keep covering you as you age, but cost more. Thai domestic plans are cheaper and fine for many people, but often have entry age limits and exclude pre-existing conditions.
Check whether your plan pays the hospital directly (direct billing) at the hospitals near you — otherwise you pay first and claim back.
For the Non-OA visa, the insurer must be approved by Thailand's Office of Insurance Commission and the certificate must show the required cover.
Declare pre-existing conditions honestly. An undeclared condition is the most common reason a large claim is refused.
Everyday care
Pharmacies are everywhere and pharmacists can give advice and sell many medicines without a prescription. Bring a supply of anything you take regularly, with the prescription, and find the local brand name.
Dental care is good value and widely used by expats.
Keep your insurance card, passport copy and a list of your medicines on your phone. The Safety section of the app can hold this for you.
What to do
1. Buy insurance before you move, or in your first weeks here.
2. Pick a main hospital near your home and check it takes your insurance.
3. Save 1669 (ambulance) in your phone.
4. If you are employed, ask HR which Social Security hospital you are registered with.
Common mistakes
Relying on travel insurance that stops covering you once you are resident.
Letting a policy lapse after 65 and finding no one will sell you a new one.
Riding a scooter without a valid licence — many policies refuse claims for it.
Related guides
Emergency numbers, Visas (Non-OA insurance), Cost of living, Driving licence.
Official sources
Everything above is written from these. Rules change without notice, so check the relevant one before you book, pay or travel.
This page was last checked against those sources on 26 September 2026. Spotted something out of date? and we'll re-check it.