A+ Experience: COVID-19 and #EasyCare+, How Our Expat Client Survived a Coronavirus Scare in Thailand
In January 2020, Thailand confirmed the world’s first case of coronavirus outside of China. It is found that their earliest cases of coronavirus came from the people who arrived overseas. For this reason, the country immediately enforced a tight lockdown and emergency measures.
By January 23, Thailand raised its travel advisory to level 3 which means all non-essential travels from high risk countries will not be allowed. And by April, borders had been closed and they banned almost all of the incoming flights. The island of Phuket has also been placed under lockdown, entertainment venues were temporarily closed, all schools and colleges were canceled for two weeks, and screening measures were implemented at all hospitals. These were just among Thailand’s earliest steps to contain the spread of coronavirus.
According to the Global Security Index, Thailand is Asia’s most prepared country to face a global pandemic and ranked sixth out of 165 countries.
From pandemic success to economic contraction
No matter how prepared a country is, this fast-evolving pandemic has largely affected every nation’s economy globally. As a tourism-dependent country, Thailand’s incoming 3-4 million international tourists per month dropped to near-zero back in April. Their national workforce average monthly income declined by 47% and 60% of hospitality businesses could close by the end of the year.
Amid this financially struggling situation, the expenses to get treatment for COVID-19 alone is a scare to many people. Now the question is, how much should a person prepare in case he experiences a mild, severe, or critical case of coronavirus?
The hefty cost of COVID-19 treatment
In general, it is expensive to get sick. But in the middle of a pandemic, it becomes much more financially straining because the medical costs are rising substantially. Therefore, getting treated with COVID-19 comes at a heavy price.
Depending on the severity of cases, the hospitalization and treatment for a coronavirus patient cost at an average of $30,000. This may include hospital expenses for the patient’s set of doctors with different specializations, intubation, laboratory tests, ventilator, respirator, and medication. It also varies from where the patient will get admitted. The treatment in private hospitals is relatively more expensive than government-owned hospitals and facilities.
Below is a chart that shows the possible coronavirus-related medical costs for each patient:
Our Expat client who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in Phuket, Thailand
Phuket is Thailand’s largest island and has been home to 115,000 expatriates from around the world. One of those is our client — a French national who was, unfortunately, a confirmed case of COVID-19.
Last March, he contracted the virus which cannot be treated through home quarantine. He was then admitted to Bangkok Phuket Hospital to undergo the necessary treatments. When he got discharged, his total medical expenses amounted to over THB 250,000 or approximately USD 8,000.
Our client survived this challenging time without having out-of-pocket expenses related to his COVID-19 treatment. Since 2017, he has been an EasyCare+ Plan holder which protected his savings even at the time of a pandemic.
COVID-19 coverage wherever you are around the world
The COVID-19 crisis affects people’s financial stability and most of all, their overall well–being. As an international healthcare provider, our goal is to provide our clients with continuous access to quality healthcare no matter where they are around the world and whenever they need it. Even more during this time of a global pandemic, their health is our utmost priority.
A+ International Health Plans covers COVID-19 treatment so long as you are in good health at the time of registration and with no pre-existing conditions. For as low as $28/month, EasyCare+ gives you international protection, whether you plan to travel or if you want to get the best healthcare locally. Each of our health plans is tailored to your specific needs. You can have access to a network of over 10,000 doctors, hospitals, and clinics in more than 150 countries.
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Since 2008, A+ International Healthcare has been providing best-in-class medical health plans around the world. To know more about our products and services, visit http://www.aplusii.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter for more updates.
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