Thailand: Government considering price hike on health insurance for migrant workers
Source: Asia Insurance Review | Mar 2025
Thailand is proposing to increase health insurance fees for migrant workers to bring them closer to the universal health coverage that is available for the Thai citizens.
The Thai public health ministry has proposed an increase in the health insurance card prices for migrant workers to bring them closer to the amount the government provides in subsidy for Thai citizens.
Thailand’s public health minister Somsak Thepsutin said that the health insurance cards for non-Thais currently cost between THB1,600 ($47.50) and THB2,400 ($72) per person, while the budget for Thailand’s universal healthcare coverage scheme is approximately THB3,800 ($113) per person per year.
He said the price adjustment aims to address public concerns that the lower cost of migrant health insurance could encourage workers to take advantage of the Thai healthcare system.
Mr Thepsutin said the health insurance package is part of the government’s effort to help minimise the financial burden caused by unpaid medical service fees for non-Thais.
As of October 2024, there were 309,416 migrant workers and their dependents – primarily from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos – registered under the migrant health insurance fund. Of these, 262,843 were workers and dependents aged over seven, 39,602 were dependents aged under seven, and 6,971 were general migrants. A