# Employee health benefits in Thailand: designing a plan employees actually use

> Employee health benefits work when they match what each group needs. A guide to benefit types, budget per head and flexible benefits in Thailand, with a planning tool where you enter your own budget and headcount.

Updated 22 October 2026 · Web page: https://hdmall.co.th/work-with-us/en/resources/employee-health-benefits/

**Employee health benefits are the health services and cover an organisation provides to its staff, such as group health insurance, annual health checks, vaccines, dental care and doctor consultations. Benefits work when they match what each group of employees needs, so that people actually use them.**

Many organisations spend the same on health benefits every year while employees say they do not use them, or not in the way they need. Meanwhile medical costs in Thailand have risen about 10–11% a year over the past three years, according to ttb analytics, so the budget has to work harder. This guide helps you choose benefit types, set a budget per head and plan for each group, with a tool that takes your own numbers.

> **Summary**
> - Different generations use benefits differently; one plan for everyone usually has parts nobody uses.
> - Start from data, such as ages, last year’s usage and a needs survey, before choosing benefits.
> - Use a core-plus-choice structure: the same basic cover for everyone, then choices that fit each group.
> - Measure usage by group, not just spend.

## Types of employee health benefits

| Type | What it covers | Groups that use it most |
|---|---|---|
| Group in-patient insurance (IPD) | Hospital admission and surgery | Everyone; the basic cover |
| Group out-patient insurance (OPD) | Minor illness without admission | Employees with families or chronic conditions |
| Annual health check | Early screening of health risks | Employees 35 and over, and risk-factor work |
| Vaccines | Prevention, such as flu | Everyone, especially before flu season |
| Dental care | Cleaning, fillings and check-ups | Younger employees; frequent and visible value |
| Eye care | Eye tests, glasses and LASIK | Screen workers and older groups |
| Online doctor consultations | Quick advice for minor illness without leave | Younger staff and those working off site |
| Mental health | Psychologists or psychiatrists | Everyone, with strong privacy |
| Surgery and complex care | Help choosing doctor, hospital and price | Older employees and families |

## Why employees do not use benefits

- **One plan for everyone:** a 25-year-old and a 50-year-old need very different things
- **Hard to use:** paying first and claiming later, or a short list of providers
- **Not known about:** benefits nobody explains go unused
- **No clear prices:** employees hold back for fear of paying the difference

## What flexible benefits are

Flexible benefits let employees choose within a budget instead of everyone getting the same package. Two common models:

| Model | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Points or credits | Employees get annual credit to spend on services from a catalogue | Organisations wanting maximum choice |
| Menus by group | The organisation sets a package per group, such as by age, with some extra choice | Organisations wanting control and simplicity |

Both usually sit on a core that everyone gets equally, such as group in-patient insurance, so everyone has cover for serious illness.

## Plan benefits with your own numbers

Enter your budget per person per year and headcount per age group, then drag service categories into each group. The tool shows cost per head against budget, total cost for the organisation, and how likely each group is to use the plan, compared with a plan of health checks only. Prices and usage rates in the tool are illustrative, not real prices.

## Six steps to design health benefits

1. **Gather data:** ages and sex, last year’s usage, group insurance claims and a needs survey
2. **Define groups** by age band, family status or type of work, such as office and field staff
3. **Set the budget per head** from last year, adjusted for rising medical costs and your goals
4. **Set the core and the choices:** basic cover for all, choices that fit each group
5. **Tell employees how to use it:** what they get, where, whether they pay anything, how to book
6. **Measure every quarter:** usage per group, satisfaction and cost, and adjust next year

## Health benefits and co-payment

Since 20 March 2025, standard health insurance that employees buy themselves includes co-payment at renewal when in-patient claims meet set criteria. Employees with personal policies may hesitate to use them for minor illness, which makes benefits that handle minor illness without admission, such as out-patient cover and online consultations, more useful. Read [co-payment in Thai health insurance](/work-with-us/en/resources/copayment-health-insurance/) and the [HR guide to annual health checks](/work-with-us/en/resources/employee-annual-health-check/).

## Frequently asked questions

### What should employee health benefits include?
Most start with basic cover everyone gets, such as group in-patient insurance and an annual health check, then add services that fit each group, such as dental care and online consultations for younger staff, or eye care and surgery support for older groups.

### What are flexible benefits?
Flexible benefits let employees choose within a set budget, for example with annual credits to spend from a catalogue, or a package per group with some extra choice. They usually sit on a core that everyone gets equally.

### How much should we budget per employee?
There is no figure for every organisation. Start from last year’s spend, adjust for rising medical costs (about 10–11% a year over the past three years in Thailand), and allocate by group need. The tool in this guide shows whether your budget per head covers the plan.

### How do we get employees to use benefits more?
Choose services each group needs, make them easy to use (no upfront payment, self-booking), show prices and what is included, and remind people when they need them, such as before flu season.

### How should mental health benefits be set up?
Give employees access to psychologists or psychiatrists without the organisation knowing who uses it, and without going through managers. Privacy is the biggest factor in whether people use it.

## Sources

- ttb analytics, [Thai private hospitals at a structural turning point](https://thaipublica.org/2026/07/ttb-analytics-private-hospital-industry/) (ThaiPublica, 27 July 2026, in Thai)
- Office of Insurance Commission (OIC), [co-payment explanatory document](https://www.oic.or.th/web-upload/1xff0d34e409a13ef56eea54c52a291126/202412/m_news/217/68875/file_download/0f38082b2174b0fdbb3d26693e395c46.pdf) (in Thai)