Thailand's healthcare schemes could undergo system overhaul

Healthcare spend could balloon to US$45b by 2025.

Thailand will see more proposals to reform its healthcare schemes, as concerns over their financial sustainability continue to mount, according to BMI Research.

"Affirming our long-held view that there will be attempts to overhaul the system , local news sources reported in December 2016 that Thailand's Ministry of Finance (MOF) is preparing to transfer the management of the civil servant medical benefit scheme (CSMBS) to private insurance firms," BMI Research said.

According to the MOF's permanent secretary, Somchai Sujjapongse, the Thai cabinet will be asked to approve the plan, and the move stems from the need to reduce the financial burden that the scheme imposes.

"While details of the plan have not been disclosed, the prospect of more stringent cost controls for the CSMBS may result in a healthcare expenditure forecast revision. We are forecasting that healthcare expenditure will rise from THB841bn (USD24bn) in 2015 to THB1,492bn (USD45bn) by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 5.9% in local currency and 6.3% in US dollar terms," BMI Research said.