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The 3 biggest reasons young expats in Asia visit the ER

Posted on January 6, 2018April 5, 2025 by wpadmin

As a young person, you probably think your health is nothing to worry about. You feel great, rarely get sick and recover easily from a night out. The truth is, you’re right. Young people are typically less likely to fall ill than older people and children. When you’re in your late teens and twenties, your health is in its prime, and it’s easy to think you’re invincible. But that’s not to say accidents don’t happen. We consulted author and medical expert Dr. Lalande to find out the most common reasons 18 – 24 year old expats in Asia are admitted to the emergency room. Here’s what we discovered.

Record setting traffic fatalities
Asia is home to some of the deadliest roads on earth. According to Dr. Lalande and the World Health Organization’s 2015 Global Status Report on Road Safety, Thailand has the second highest amount of traffic fatalities in the entire world—with 36.2 deaths per 100,000 people per year. Not far behind are Myanmar (20.3 deaths per 100K), Sri Lanka (17.4 per 100K) and Nepal (17 per 100K).

Not surprisingly, motorbike accidents make up a huge percentage of these fatalities. And when it comes to young expats, it’s incredibly easy to jump on a motorbike in Asia without giving it a second thought. Throughout the region, two-wheelers can often be rented without showing a driver’s license, which means a driver with little to no experience can take to the roads. The results, however, can be catastrophic. According to Asian Correspondent, 73% of Thailand’s traffic related deaths involve motorbikes.

The potential effects of excessive drinking
Undoubtedly, many enjoy the legendary nightlife scenes of Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and other exciting Asian destinations; the result is the second most common reason young expats end up in the emergency room: excessive drinking. Alcohol poisoning is common, as are the antisocial byproducts of excessive alcohol consumption, such as a propensity for violence and drunk driving.

It should be noted that excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to poor decisions, such as unprotected sex. While this most likely won’t cause a young person to make a trip to the ER, many Asian countries have an alarmingly high rate of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. And contracting an STD can shorten or reduce a person’s quality of life.

Asia’s most common date rape drug
While being drugged in a bar or club can happen in any part of the world, in Asia it’s the third leading cause for young expat emergency room treatment. The intent of such an incident is typically to steal from or rape the drugged person.

Rohypnol, also known as Flunitrazepam, is one of the most common drugs used to disinhibit a victim. As this sedative is often prescribed as a cure for severe insomnia, it has a powerful effect. When combined with alcohol, the drug can depress the respiratory system, cause the person to stop breathing, and even stop the heart.

When it comes to young expats, many further put themselves at risk by not purchasing insurance. While drinking alcohol or consciously participating in risky activities can void many health insurance benefits, a policy can be a lifesaver in the event of an automobile accident—which can easily cost 15 – 30 thousand dollars in medical expenses. A LUMA health insurance plan can ensure you get the proper treatment for a speedy recovery while protecting your financial future. Contact us today at [email protected] to learn more how we can help safeguard your health.

Lifetime renewal: How a health insurance guarantee can save you sleepless nights, millions of baht and your life

Posted on October 16, 2017July 17, 2018 by wpadmin

As your health insurance renewal date nears, it can be a scary time. What if your premium increases, or your health insurance provider refuses to renew your policy? How will you cope? You may wonder if there’s anything you can do to prevent a scenario like this from happening. Thankfully, there is. The answer is a lifetime renewal guarantee, which can put your worries at ease for good. But how does such a guarantee accomplish this? Before we answer that, let’s define exactly what a lifetime renewal guarantee is.

What is a lifetime renewal guarantee?

When it comes to health insurance, a lifetime renewal guarantee is exactly what it sounds like. It is a guarantee that your health insurance will be renewed, no matter your age or health conditions. That means if you happen to be diagnosed with a serious illness or chronic medical condition, your health insurance company cannot reject the renewal of your insurance, or leave you with no coverage. A lifetime renewal guarantee provides you guaranteed coverage under the same health insurance provider—no matter what. You have complete freedom to continue your coverage for as long as you wish.

How a lifetime renewal guarantee protects your life and financial future

Now that you understand what a lifetime renewal guarantee is, you can probably see its obvious benefits. Without this guarantee, you could lose your medical coverage when you need it most. For example, if you are diagnosed with diabetes three months before your health insurance renews, your provider could choose to reject your renewal. If this happens, it will likely be difficult to insure the disease as many Thailand health insurance providers do not cover preexisting conditions. As it’s not uncommon for the costs of diabetes treatment to hit $100,000 USD, a lifetime renewal guarantee ensures you get the life-saving drugs and care to protect your health and finances.

Without treatment, diabetes can lead to heart and kidney disease, nerve damage, vision loss, amputation and a potential early death. In other words, a lifetime renewal guarantee can save your financial future and potentially your life. What’s more, you’ll also avoid the stress and worry that comes with questioning whether your health insurance provider will renew your policy. Instead, you can sleep soundly knowing your policy will be renewed, and you’ll be covered for as long as you wish.

At LUMA, we are proud to offer you lifetime renewal guarantees with many policies we offer. While the premiums of all our members’ policies increase every year because of medical inflation, they will never increase due to a member being diagnosed with a chronic medical condition. In other words, all our members’ premiums increase at the same rate depending on their age group.

To learn how else LUMA puts your health coverage and peace of mind first, get in touch with our advisors today at [email protected]. A healthier life is waiting.

Guide to Exclusions in Health Insurance: Pre-Existing Conditions

If you’re reading this, you know that health insurance is important. It can help you save money yet get the very best treatment in the event of a serious illness or accident. However, you want to make sure you understand what is not covered (also known as ‘exclusions’) before you purchase a plan.

Most private health insurance policies are designed to cover new medical conditions that occur after your insurance policy goes into effect. Health insurance companies refer to medical conditions that you have before your policy starts as “pre-existing conditions”.

‘Pre-existing conditions are medical conditions that you have before your health insurance policy starts’
So what do health insurance companies mean by “pre-existing condition”? A pre-existing condition can refer to the following:

A past injury or illness that you have already recovered from (such as a broken ankle from your youth)
Symptoms which you have yet to seek medical advice, treatment or consultation (such as pains, lumps, bleeding etc.)
Any ongoing treatment you are currently receiving (such as medications or other forms of therapy)
A condition you already have, but you are not aware of (for example, a growing tumor in your body)

Will all your pre-existing conditions be excluded from coverage? Not necessarily. The degree to which your pre-existing condition can be accepted will vary according to company and health insurance plans.

Always declare your medical conditions when filling health insurance application
One effective way to find out if your pre-existing conditions will be covered is to make the health insurance company aware of it through a medical declaration – and ask for their terms of acceptance.

In addition to the medical declaration, you are recommended to ask the following questions:

1. If I go see a doctor a week after my policy starts, will I be covered?

Here are some possible scenarios:

If the visit is related to a symptom you experienced before your plan started (such as a pain in your right leg) then it will be considered as ‘pre-existing’ and most insurance companies will not cover it.
On the other hand, if you were feeling great with no symptoms at the plan start date, but a week later contracted malaria leading to a stay in the hospital; then most health insurance plans will cover it – as it is not ‘pre-existing’. Be aware than many health insurance plans impose a waiting period on certain benefits. For example, some companies may exclude all treatments other than accidents for the first 30 days of the policy.

2. What if there were no symptoms when I purchased my insurance and I am later diagnosed with a tumor that had been in my body for months before my insurance plan started, will I be covered?
Here are some possible scenarios:

Some health insurance companies will consider this tumor as pre-existing – because it existed before the time your plan started – and will not cover it.
On the other hand, some health insurance companies will not consider this as pre-existing – as you were not aware of it at the plan start date.

3. If I am currently taking medications or receiving treatments, will I be covered?

Consult your health insurance representative about ongoing medication
Most private health insurance policies will not cover ongoing treatments. However some companies may charge you extra in order to cover these conditions.

4. If I’ve experienced an illness or injury in the past and I’ve fully recovered, will I be covered for these conditions if they re-appear?
This will depend on the chance of the condition re-appearing as well as the underwriting terms and varying practice of different companies.

The bottom line:
Different health insurance companies have different approach to ‘pre-existing conditions’. Read their definition, declare your medical conditions and ask the right questions to ensure you understand the coverage before you buy.

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