Fair Lady

Yes there has been a 50% charge from the 6th April. I was personally informed that this is why the cost was so much.

Thank you though for your responses.

not2old

On the basis that you had no travel or health insurance & you just figured treatment would be free, why not simply pay the bill & thank the NHS your son was treated & is healthy.

Had it been the other way round in the US with a Brit visitor, it would likely have been 'credit card first', then treatment ... is my guess?

Editha

And just a note for those who think the OP should have claimed on health insurance:

Health insurance normally only covers emergency care. That is problematic for making a claim for health care in the UK since emergency care is free for all on the NHS. If the hospital is charging the OP, that means they are classifying the care given as non-emergency, which would be grounds for the insurance company refusing to pay.

When I was in Canada, I had a Blue Cross policy which included travel insurance, but despite being charged several times for care in the UK, I wasn't able to make a claim once.

BEVS

I agree.

People who land in another country do not always have all seeing eyes do they. We didn't when we emigrated to New Zealand. We haven't had when visiting other countries.

What needs to be made clear to anyone and everyone in the UK finding themselves needing health care, visiting or otherwise, is what the exact rules are. A clear concise set of rules on the walls , with the health staff and in the paperwork for everyone to understand.

Tolerance and understanding and I really don't care that some of you feel that others should somehow know all the intricacies of rules.

At that moment in time when your loved one needs help , you are not all about the rules. You are all about the care.

This lady did not realise all about the rules & went with what was advised. Clearly she was not told in advance that there would be a charge for the overnight stay et al. She should have been, shouldn't she !

not2old

All well & good ....

item 6 page 8, together with item 50 page 17 & the Annex pages 39 onwards

http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content...5/who-pays.pdf

.

Editha

For the OP the relevant section of this 43 page document is paragraph 50 (on page 17) read with Annexe A on pages 42 and 43.

No doubt the OP should have known downloaded the document and read it while her child was screaming in pain (please read in a tone dripping with sarcasm).

Even then she would only have learned that emergency treatment is free. It would not have told her that the doctors would treat her son's overnight stay as non-emergency, or how much she would be charged.

BEVS

Not sure what you mean.

Do you mean this is very evident & unequivocally given to and made clear to those entering a UK A&E ?

Is that so people?

Are you all asked and given this on entering triage? Is it made crystal clear that if it is suggested that you are admitted it is at your own cost ? What do you see so you know the cost in advance. What do you sign in advance for the fee?

Are the words " at your own cost" uttered to you. As , to be honest, for most of us in a moment of strife , it all goes out the window doesn't it.

If someone in an A&E. Any A&E says someone you love should be admitted, you have them admitted. If someone says it will cost a thousand bucks for overnight , you may think again IF you have been told this .

Yes, this person can perhaps regain the costs via travel insurance but for me, that isn't the point. The point is that when you enter an A&E the rules on costs should be crystal clear.

If you are not entitled that should be made clear to you and you then make that choice.

Really people. I mean really?

I am going to add something else as it has made me a bit cross.

If the hospital should be fined for not making the proper charge then it should absolutely make sure that the person on the sharp end at the initial point of care should be told at outset what the charges should be & why.

Rules?

Simple.

State the rules for those that may not be fully in the know.

That applies to more than just the UK.

Editha

+1

If the NHS is going to charge, then we have the right to expect it to follow the same rules as any other commercial enterprise. Users should be told when they are going to be charged and how much they are going to be charged, in advance; and not have surprise charges sprung on them at a later date.

themajor

Sorry but the above is not quite true. Any UK citizen being an EXPAT living within the EU is entitled to 100% free health care.

old.sparkles

I have taken my son to see a doctor in an emergency in the US - paid and didn't expect not to. My daughter has taken my grandson (and herself) for emergency treatment here which was free under reciprocal care which we checked in advance, and also to an out of hours GP which we weren't sure if it was free or not (it wasn't) but went with the expectation of paying.

Charges are not always going to be clear - it would have to be a pretty extensive price list - but I think it's wrong that non UK residents should be expecting free treatment from the NHS. If you are travelling to a foreign country (or country you are not a resident of), take out travel insurance and expect to pay would be a good guide I would think. And if you are lucky enough not to be billed, consider that a bonus not an expectation!

Editha

See my comment on insurance above. (#18)

old.sparkles

Agree that insurance may not cover everything but it's a start. If in doubt about coverage, ask about costs and expect to pay - or phone your insurer in advance maybe.

Jerseygirl

A lesson to all of us...before traveling make sure you have the relevant healthcare insurance. Especially if you have children or pre-existing conditions. We knew our U.S. healthcare insurance covered us overseas...had it not we would have been $30K out of pocket.

To get back to the OP's situation. Doctors don't admit a patient overnight just for the hell of it. Surely the overnight stay should be regarded as part of the emergency treatment...especially as the patient was a young child.

Editha

But this isn't really relevant to the OP's question, is it? Her son was getting emergency treatment for a sickle cell attack. Emergency treatment is free for all. How was she to know part of the treatment would be deemed non-urgent, incurring a fee? £1,000 is extraordinarily steep for a night in a hospital bed in the UK. Even if her son needed nursing overnight, if she'd known how much she was going to be charged, she could have made her own arrangements.

The £1,000 charge is still not explained. My local NHS hospital charges £298 a night. Even with the 50% uplift, the OP has still been overcharged.

mikelincs

Not sure that is true for ALL expats, it certainly is for pensioners. The OP wasn't talking about the EU, but an US citizen.