The Insurance Regulatory and Promotion Commission (OIC) of Thailand in partnership with Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) will study and prepare a voluntary health insurance strategic plan aiming to build a strong health insurance system for the country.
A recent press release issued by the OIC said the new partnership will enable the country to embark on a new short-term and long-term action plan along with integration with the state welfare system in line with the National Strategic Plan. It will also appoint a working group to develop and integrate Thailand's health insurance system in a concrete way.
OIC secretary general Chuchat Bid said Thailand's health system currently has many important mechanisms that function in parallel. Although Thailand's health system as a whole is comprehensive and of high quality, there is still a gap in the access of low-income people, especially in the private health insurance sector, where premiums tend to rise.
Mr Bid said, therefore, to reduce the inequality and improve access for low-income groups, OIC has collaborated with the TDRI with four main objectives:
1. To define Thailand's voluntary health insurance landscape.
2. To prepare a strategic plan for short-term voluntary health insurance for 1-3 years to be used to determine guidelines for promoting and developing the insurance business and prepare an action plan
3. To promote and develop the insurance business to be efficient and meet the needs of the people, 4. To publicise and communicate the strategic plan of voluntary health insurance to the public and other related agencies.
The working group appointed to develop and integrate Thailand's health insurance system, consists of representatives from many important public and private sectors, including the ministry of public health, department of health service support, department of internal trade, Comptroller General of Thailand, social security office, national health security office, office of the consumer protection commission and the Association of Private Hospitals.
The Thai Life Insurance Association and the Thai Non-Life Insurance Association have also provided useful comments and recommended effective and concrete operational guidelines. The first meeting of the working group was held in June 2025 under the chairmanship of the secretary general of OIC.
Mr Bid said, "The strategic plan is an important step in upgrading Thailand's private health insurance system to be fair, accessible and efficient, which will better meet the needs of the people in the future."