Well a catch 22.
I am 66 years old and retired. I have lived in the USA for the last 37 years and have been thinking of moving back to the UK to take care of my aged (91) parents on at least a temporary basis, 6 months at a time while my wife stay in the USA to take care of things. The only mayor expense will be medical coverage while in UK.

I always though being a British citizen born in UK I would be covers by NHS but according to my mothers Doctor due to not being a permanent residence I am not eligible. If I become a permanent resident then that opens up double tax, I already pay tax in the USA on my private pensions.

Now the catch 22 is if I go through all the aggravation of setting up residency and my parents 'pass on' within the next year or so I will then move back to the USA permanently. I now live in California and you can't beat the weather.

Any suggestions on medical coverage while in UK. I already have medical coverage in the USA which is Medicare, but this is not available in UK.

also how do I find out what the tax would be on my pensions if I did become a resident. We presently file a joint return in the USA.

Thanks Bob

BUPA is perhaps the most popular health care insurance here, but I don't know if that means it is the best.

Re: residence for NHS purposes, this may not equate to residence for tax purposes ... so if your plan is to stay for an indeterminate time (i.e., clearly not on holiday), I think you may well qualify for NHS.

Have a look at this Citizen's Advice page:http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/nirela...rom_abroad.htm

I think it sums up the current situation reasonably well, and I agree with dunrovin that being resident for tax purposes may not equate with residence for health care.

At the very least, you'd only need to get insurance for your first year, since you'd be entitled to NHS care after one year's residency, whatever your future plans.

However, the current provisions are liable to change. The Health Minister recently stated that NHS provision for non-residents and immigrants would be cut back, but he also stated that it would be free for British citizens, so I'd keep an eye out for possible reform to the existing arrangements.

The GP is clearly being an unhelpful jobsworth. Register at a different practice passport in hand saying you have now moved back. This is not dishonest as you have moved back (to assist elderly parents thereby saving UK taxpayers loads of dosh) for the forseeable future. You qualify for NHS by virtue of being resident in UK, you do not need a UK passport to qualify it is being in the country for the forseeable that matters.

If you want private cover - waiting lists in NHS can be a real pain - then BUPA is good as it is 'not for profit'. It won't be cheap though. You can have BUPA and use NHS - they are not exclusive of each other. I use my BUPA when NHS keeps me waiting too long.

The OP proposed that his preference would be to move back for 6 months at a time to avoid tax issues. This would in practice mean being in the UK for 6 months out of 12.

So he is not resident in the UK - his main residence is in the US where he has a home and his wife lives.

A six month stay is classed as visiting. As a visitor you are not eligible for the NHS except for emergency treatment.

NHS is based on residency not British citizenship. The OP has not lived in the UK for 37 years. He needs to get private insurance.

If he's only "visiting", then surely he needs travel insurance?

Thanks all,
Having difficulty contacting Bupa from USA as all there phone number are 800. Also the local Bupa doctors are over 15 mile away and not that convenient to get too and park.

Update story, last year my wife and I went to UK for a 6 month to stay with my parents, before we left we checked with our medical insurance and was told that we were covered 90% if we used there in network provider which was Aspire hospitals Apparently part of Bupa.

After a month my wife slipped on some steps and shattered there shoulder joint. After going to emergency hospital the xray showed the bone at the shoulder joint had separated. We called our insurance in the USA and was told to go to Aspire hospital and to pay for the Doctor and get reimburse when we returned. Well the doctor took another x ray and put the arm in a sling and said come back in two weeks ( why does everything in UK takes two weeks) We were then told that she would need an operation to pin the bone back. Our insurance told us to come back to the USA for the operation as it was not life threatening and they would not pay for it in the UK.

On our return my wife had the operation to pin the shoulder bone with months of rehab.

Now the fun begins with the UK medical cost. The insurance now said they will only pay 50% not 90%. After a lot of haggling they finally paid the 90% except the doctors bill was paid only what was customary rate which was way less than the 600 pounds he charged. The cost of a lawyer to fight was not an option.

So now you see why my wife will stay behind as I don't think she real want to go back.

So can you just pay the NHS hospital bill will it be lower than Bupa?

Bob

Thing is, he has several choices, as he suggests in the original post - eventual resolution being partly determined by how long his parents live. If he chooses to start out with an exploratory visit, a few months say, he could simply get travel insurance, as Pulaski suggests. Other end of the spectrum, he could choose to permanently relocate to the UK. He would then be eligible for full NHS cover immediately. From the moment he steps off the plane.

But as the OP is aware, tax status brings in complications. I believe the rules have just changed, as to whether the UK tax authorities regard you as resident in the UK for tax purposes. The catch is, even if you don't have to pay double tax on any element of your income, you unfortunately do have to expend nervous energy on getting your head around the rules, and paying possibly a couple of thousand dollars or pounds to a UK/US tax expert.

You can call me Bob, OP makes me feel old.

Bob

Original Poster makes you feel old?

OP stands for 'Older Person' in some professions in the USA. I.e. a pensioner (OAP in the UK).

In that case I should start calling myself the OP - whether I start the thread or chime in later! Because I'm ALMOST as old as Bob!

Yeh, I'm not that far away either. Bob is not much older than my husband. But my husband would never call himself an OP...or an OAP in the UK.

Maybe it's somethiing one doesn't call oneself?? Not easily, anyway.


P.S But I'm sure it would be perfectly fine for you to do, Robin. Somewhat ironically perhaps....

I figured that was the case, but with Bob being an OP, I wasn't sure if he was up on the current lingo and understood that OP wasn't a comment on his age!

Yes, I agree. Always best to translate.