Sharing my experience with Genki insurance: visiting the doctor, nuances with the mobile app, payments, and reimbursements.

I have the Genki Explorer insurance plan, primarily intended for serious illnesses or accidents. Fortunately, I haven’t had any major health scares or accidents, but I have used the insurance for regular doctor visits as well.

How the Insurance Works

The policy has a deductible of €50. This is the amount you pay out-of-pocket for a covered event (claim), and the insurance covers the rest.

There are two main ways to use the insurance:

1. Go to any authorized clinic or hospital, pay for everything yourself initially, and then get reimbursed by the insurance company after submitting your receipts.

2. Use the AirDoctor app. This app lists medical facilities and doctors who partner directly with the insurance. You don’t need to collect receipts. The doctor or hospital handles the billing directly with the insurance company. You pay the deductible through the app (you’ll need to link a payment card).

Unfortunately, the app feels a bit unpolished and I encountered some issues. The first time I tried to book an appointment at a hospital, the app crashed. That was a bit concerning.

AirDoctor and the First Visit

AirDoctor only allows you to book appointments for the next three days: today, tomorrow, or the day after. I selected a convenient date and submitted the request. However, the hospital called me and said they had no appointments available on that day. They offered an alternative slot 5 days later. I agreed. The hospital canceled my initial request, and I had to submit a new one. I couldn’t do this immediately because the app doesn’t let you select a date 5 days out. I waited a couple of days, tried again, and this time it seemed to work. But then, another call from the hospital: the new date was already fully booked. Very frustrating. They said I could still come, but I might have to wait at the hospital. Felt a bit sketchy. As it turned out, though, I didn’t have to wait – there was no queue, and the doctor saw me right after I checked in.

The app states that the deductible is charged only after the doctor’s visit. In my case, my card was charged the deductible immediately after I submitted the booking request. That seemed odd.

On Koh Samui, under the “Dermatology” category, AirDoctor only listed Bangkok Hospital. This is quite an expensive hospital by local standards, although reviews suggest it’s considered the best on the island. There were more options listed under “General Practitioner”. Telemedicine also had a decent selection of providers.

Genki advised me to go to the registration desk and mention I had an appointment booked via the AirDoctor app. They assured me the deductible would be charged to my card after the visit, and I wouldn’t need to pay anything else at the hospital.

Visiting the Doctor

At the Bangkok Hospital registration desk, they asked for my booking reference number and passport. They then made a phone call, mentioning my name. After the call, they informed me that I needed to pay for the appointment upfront because they had no confirmation from the insurance company. They stated that payment hadn’t been received from the insurer, and I wouldn’t be seen without paying first. The process would be: pay myself, then submit receipts to the insurance for reimbursement. I told them I needed to contact my insurance company, stepped away from the desk, and sat down in the waiting area.

I messaged Genki support again. It was likely outside their business hours, as the reply wasn’t immediate. Support confirmed that everything should be fine – the appointment was paid for, and I shouldn’t owe any money. I felt frustrated and unsure what to do next.

I went back to the registration desk. This time, a different staff member assisted me. I repeated the exact same process as before – showed the AirDoctor app, asked them to check my booking. This new employee found a piece of paper on the desk with my name on it and confirmed that everything was okay. Human error, it seems. Perhaps incompetence, perhaps a misunderstanding. Maybe a system glitch on their end, or perhaps I hadn’t explained clearly enough the first time. I filled out a short form, and they escorted me to the doctor.

Ultimately, I received treatment recommendations and medication for the next month. They also scheduled a tentative follow-up appointment for one month later, telling me I didn’t need to come if my condition resolved.

The doctor’s consultation and medication would have cost me around 5,700 THB. They showed me the bill at the end. As expected, this amount was covered by the insurance. My only out-of-pocket expense was the €50 deductible (approximately 2,000 THB).

The Follow-Up Appointment

A month later, I returned to Bangkok Hospital for the follow-up appointment. At the registration desk, I presented the paper showing the time for my next visit. They confirmed my appointment, and I went to see the doctor. There were no questions about insurance this time. I assumed everything was fine and proceeding as planned.

I hadn’t notified the insurance company about this second visit, assuming that a follow-up visit was considered a continuation of the initial treatment case. However, after the appointment, when I went to the hospital’s pharmacy and cashier to collect medication, it turned out the insurance company had no record of my current visit.

They gave me two options: either contact the insurance company myself or pay for the treatment out-of-pocket.

I contacted support via the AirDoctor app, explained the situation, and asked if my original case could be reopened. They replied that cases cannot be reopened. For a new visit, I needed to make a new booking. I then reached out to Genki support directly. Genki confirmed that the case couldn’t be reopened but said I could pay myself and submit the documents for reimbursement. They clarified that making a new booking through the AirDoctor app creates a new case, which means the deductible would be charged again. I was confused, as this contradicted what Genki support had initially suggested might happen with follow-ups.

I paid the bill myself and submitted the documents for reimbursement. About a month later, my reimbursement claim was approved.

Later, I discovered that the AirDoctor app actually has an option to specify a visit as a follow-up visit.

Ideally, I should have booked the second appointment through the app using the follow-up visit option. Presumably, using this option means the deductible wouldn’t be charged again (though I haven’t tested this).

Can You Use the Insurance for Non-Serious Issues?

Yes. If you develop symptoms that worry you, you can visit a General Practitioner (GP) and explain your concerns. The doctor might order tests or examinations. All of this can be done through the insurance. Even if the doctor ultimately cannot diagnose a specific condition, the visit and investigations are still covered by the insurance (minus the deductible).

I had an experience like this. I went to a GP complaining of some discomfort – something felt wrong with my soft tissues. Before the visit, I did some quick research on potential causes and common conditions matching my symptoms.

During the appointment, I listed my symptoms and mentioned my concerns. The GP ordered an ultrasound, which ultimately showed everything was normal. The doctor stated they didn’t know what could be causing the symptoms and didn’t suggest further investigations, saying everything looked okay. In hindsight, perhaps I should have pushed for more tests, but at that moment, I felt relieved, forgot about pursuing it further, and went home. The insurance covered this visit; I only paid the deductible.