DaveLovesDee

I agree!

Some of the interview I did for Channel 4 News on Friday can be seen here for the next week. We're on from about 2:08 on the New immigration rules segment.

DaveLovesDee

Petition going to Downing Street -

Via email from Migrants' Rights Network -

We've just heard that on 9 July we will have the opportunity to deliver our petition calling for a review of the Family Migration Rules to No10 Downing Street.

We now have exactly 10 days to double the 2500 signatures we've got so far!

Ask your friends to sign this petition and show their support!

http://www.migrantsrights.org.uk/sup...to-family-life

DaveLovesDee

Friday's High Court ruling on Immigration Rules

spouse of scouse

Fantastic news and a step in the right direction!!

DaveLovesDee

Going by the length of time for initial applications to be denied/granted, we're about 2-4 weeks away from decision being made. Maybe we're just at the right point to take advantage of the ruling if the Home Secretary doesn't appeal it.

Hopefully she'll use this as an excuse to relax the rules (blaming the courts), but then again, she's likely to appeal it to be able to say that she's being tough on immigration.

DaveLovesDee

I attended the 'Access to the NHS for foreign spouses' discussion yesterday morning. The Government want to limit who will get free NHS care from next year.

The last figures were that the NHS costs the UK taxpayer £110 Billion in the last financial year. People who are required to pay for their non-emergency treatment in hospital represent 2% of that figure, and those who should have been charged and weren't or didn't pay totaled 1/3rd of that 2% figure.

One panel member, Dr Richard Vautrey, is the Deputy Chair of the BMA’s GP committee. He told the meeting that currently, anyone residing or visiting the UK even for a day is entitled to visit a GP, walk-in clinic or A&E, or access NHS Direct/101 free of charge. Anyone who is chargeable will only be charged from the time they are admitted as a hospital in-patient.

The Government and media make a big deal about 'health tourism', but apparently most of 'health tourists' are British Citizens living abroad coming back to the UK for operations then leaving again. These are chargeable in most cases.

Most of the panel think our current system is still the best way of protecting the health of everyone in the UK. Catching illnesses before they spread is cheaper and more effective than having that person attend A&E and then having to trace everyone they've come into contact with.

Admittedly the millions of pounds lost is a lot of money, but the Government is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Is the fix going to cost more than it saves?

spouse of scouse

Hi Dave, thanks for an interesting summary of the proceedings.

Is it really the case that anyone residing or visiting the UK even for a day is entitled to visit a GP, walk-in clinic or A&E, or access NHS Direct/101 free of charge? I thought that only visitors from a country with a reciprocal health agreement were entitled to free treatment, and then only if it's an emergency?

I don't know whether the fix will be more costly than the status quo. From my own perspective as the non-EEA spouse of a British citizen, I think it would be fair for me to pay a health levy as part of my initial entry and FLR visa charges - it would be good though if all health levy funds were channeled directly into the NHS, and not just swallowed up in the general pool. I'm not confident that would be the case.

DaveLovesDee

Yes it is the case apparently. Richard Vautry from the British Medical Association said this, and it was agreed by David Pennington, Head of Overseas Visitors for the Dept of Health. Mr Pennington is the one who'll be advising the Government on recommendations.

According to Dr Vautry, many doctors don't even know or understand the current rules on free access.

englishguygoinghome

Why? Assuming your spouse is returning to work and pay taxes (probably from day 1) then I'd have thought that he would have more of a right to expect you to receive healthcare out of his tax money than someone who was born here but has never worked (and there is an ever increasing number of 2nd generation long-term unemployed). If he's not returning to work and pay taxes why would he expect to have any fewer rights than the aforementioned unemployed Brit?

spouse of scouse

Why do I think it's fair that I pay a health levy? Because I'll be a foreigner using a health system that's in place for UK citizens. My husband won't have fewer rights, he'll have full entitlement to NHS services, as does every other UK citizen - their employment status is no business of mine.

englishguygoinghome

Ah - so there we differ. I expect my healthcare to cover my family, not just myself. If it doesn't then, in my opinion, it is incomplete.

spouse of scouse

I suppose my view comes from my experience as an Australian citizen. I pay thousands of dollars a year through my taxes for the Medicare levy, thousands on top of that for top level private health insurance, and still pay a gap of around $35 for each doctor visit, and around $65 for each specialist/consultant visit. Given that, a few hundred pounds a year sounds like a very good deal to me.

rebeccajo

Yeah, same here as an American - from a cost perspective.

BUT........if I were an immigrant to the UK, I would only expect to pay this levy for so long.

OK, you want me to pay a levy when I first come in. Fine.

Want me to pay a levy while I am unemployed? OK.

Want me to pay a levy after I get a job and then am taxed for NI? Heck no.

Want me to pay a levy until I have ILE? Under what conditions?

DaveLovesDee

I disagree with this too. I believe there's nothing wrong with the current system, and just because a small minority don't pay when they should, why should everyone doing things properly have to suffer?

Any change to the current system is going to be expensive, is going to have teething problems and is going to require all of us to prodice some kind of evidence of our right to free healthcare. This is just going to increase the NHS admin costs, and probably require either checking every persons details with UKBA or having immigration officers based at every hospital for every visit. Or having photo health cards issued to all.

I don't know of any Government IT system that's come in on budget, on time, and without teething troubles. I certainly don't think any new system will either, and it would have to be IT-based to be able to check real-time immigration status.

englishguygoinghome

Another alternative - you could always require anyone visiting any NHS facility to produce their passport before they receive any care