Care as a Right and Care as Commodity: Positioning International Retirement Migration in Thailand’s Old Age Care Regime

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the political economy of eldercare in Thailand where the entrepreneurial state promotes the commodification of care for retirement migrants as part of an economic development strategy, while public care and social protection for the growing number of Thai aging citizens is underdeveloped. The inequalities of elder healthcare provision are reinforced by the (unintended) consequences of this policy. Many international retirees not only have insufficient income to use private healthcare facilities but, due to insufficient means, strain the public health system with a high amount of unpaid bills, consume more of the time of healthcare workers, and require extra services such as translation. Furthermore, wealthy foreigners who can afford private medical care are given priority for services and medicines over poorer Thai people with the same health conditions and healthcare needs.