Joe-Soap

If you are concerned about poor health care in Ireland, you could live near the border with Northern Ireland. Then you can avail of a free NHS service. I find GP's, Dentists, and Hospitals to have a very high standard in Northern Ireland, far better than anything I have experienced in London.

Annbel

By Gad.....there's one man a missing......ONLY TWO WISE MEN.
The other will join you at Christmas.

Annbel

I do not understand surely if you have the eurohealth card does that not cover a Uk person for health?

Joe-Soap

I have a Euro Health Card myself. It only covers UK citizens to basic medical treatment in another EU country. For example, if you broke your leg in Spain you would get it put in plaster for free in hospital.
Unfortunately the Republic of Ireland does not have a free NHS. You have to take out private medical cover insurance with; Quinn, Aviva, VHI.
You pay for the medical treatment, then claim the cost back from your insurers.
That's the way it works in Ireland. Your Euro Health card just replaces what was the E111 form you filled out before going on holiday.
Personally I live close to the border so I can avail of free NHS services In Northern Ireland (UK). You just go to your local GP and register using your UK National Insurance number. Then they post out a medical card which you can use for free NHS dental work, eye tests, GP visits etc.
In Ireland the cost of visiting your GP is 50 Euro alone.
In Northern Ireland it is free, as are the prescriptions.

Cuthbert Rizla

No.
Only if you're a visitor.
If you live in Ireland you will pay and received the same care as everyone else.
Currently it's €50 to see a GP or dentist.Every time.
A repeat prescription is €20.
You pay for all drugs which generally are two to three times the price of drugs in the rest of Europe.
So let's say you need a new asthma inhaler - between the doctor and pharmacist you'll be paying around €30 for them.
If the GP refers you to a specialist it's normally €150-€200 per consultation although you can opt to see them through the public health system if you're prepared to wait at least a year.I have a friend who was recently given an appointment this way for 2014.
If you need to visit A&E expect a wait of anything between 3 and 12 hours just to see a doctor.
Actually getting a bed in hospital is trickier - every A&E department in every hospital every night always have people sleeping on trolleys in corridors.
If you can afford medical insurance expect to pay around €220 per month for a reasonable level of cover for your family and even then items such as certain scans are not covered and these can cost up to €2,000 each.
Of course some people might think this is all trolling but healthcare in Ireland is abysmal and expensive - if you ever come to live here you will never,ever criticise the NHS again.

sickntired

Didn't know we could tootle off up North for free dental and doctor visits. Might as well go the whole nine yards and collect a bit of dole money as well.

Could even do a bit of tanker driving for Slab Murphy's company just to stretch out the dole money.

Mitzyboy

That would be benefit fraud then if I'm not mistaken?
If you are not a UK resident then you are no longer allowed standard UK NHS care.

Your Euro (EHIC) health card covers you normally for emergency health cover, so if you were in Spain and you had a "normal" illness, you would have to pay for medical care.

Joe-Soap

You are mistaken.
If one has a residence in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, then one is entitled to avail of healthcare in either state.
I am fortunate to be in the above position to do so, hence living close to the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
As I am not eligible to claim any Social Welfare benefits (free medical card) due to the Habitual Residence Condition; how am I committing benefit fraud?
If you read through my threads properly you will see that I have lived in Ireland for the last 2 years off savings. I have not claimed any Social Welfare from the state as I am not eligible.
What would you do if you had the choice?
Pay 50 Euro's per GP and Dentist visit in the Republic of Ireland?
Or would you avail of free NHS health care in Northern Ireland?
Before you start labelling people benefit fraudsters, take the time to read their posts. Then you would not be mistaken, you would make an informed judgement; as opposed to a blind one.
You would do well to read EU law regarding frontier workers.
Frontier workers may live in the Republic of Ireland and work in Northern Ireland for example. They pay their income tax and national insurance contributions in Northern Ireland, therefore are eligible to avail of free NHS healthcare.
So if one lives in the Republic of Ireland, one may avail of free NHS in Northern Ireland without committing benefit fraud.

Annbel

Well said Sean...need to see the history of threads before ....putting ones wig on an judging.

In Spain over 60's get healthcare free. Under 60's have to pay.

sickntired

So if you have one place in NI and another the ROI how can you claim that the ROI is where your centre of interest is for Habitual Residency purposes ?

Am beginning to think that you may well be more Irish than the Irish. You seem to know more "tricks" than an Irish Traveller.

sickntired

As for "Frontier Workers" you don't work anywhere or pay tax anywhere. Is all you want to do is freeload wherever you are.

Mitzyboy

Just hold on a minute, I'm not being a judge, I am making a valid observation and yes I have been following this thread from the start.

According to the UK authorities you cannot be a resident in two countries at the same time, and according to Newcastle on Tyne DHS if you are not a resident in the United Kingdom then you are unable to avail yourself of NHS health care

Hence my previous post

And as an observation ........ I live in Spain, am under 60, and get full Spanish national health care, and there are a huge number of expats here in exactly the same position

An EHIC card, as I stated, is normally for emergency health care only and not for accessing state systems

To Sean: Many people in Spain are in the same position, and the answer to your question is that their only course of action is to pay for health care directly, or take out private health care. If a resident in Spain returns to the UK and uses the UK NHS system then he is claiming for benefits to which he is not entitled. If he is a resident in Spain (which you have to be legally to live here) under the residency laws then he in no longer a UK resident

If a UK resident, working and therefore paying tax and NI in the UK, has a wife and/ or child in Spain and commutes (time limits apply) then the family is allowed to take advantage of the Spanish health system under reciprocal agreements. But if he simply lives in the UK and doesnt pay taxes or NI then they aren't according to DHS

Please put me right then ..... Northern Ireland is part of a different EU country to Ireland, so are the European laws different in this case? I understood you were not working, maybe my mistake. So according to everything I have read and investigated over the last 7 years on here, you cant be legally "resident" in two countries at the same time.

Thanks

Joe-Soap

You are mistaken.
Sean Quinn (Quinn Insurance) formerly Ireland richest man, is just that.
Resident in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
He declared himself bankrupt at Belfast (Northern Ireland) Crown Court last week, even though his home and business is in Cavan (Republic of Ireland).
Although he lived in The Republic of Ireland, he claimed to be Northern Irish as he was born in Fermanagh.
If he had filed for bankruptcy in Dublin he would be black listed for 12 years.
In Northern Ireland he is black listed for only 1 year as its a different juristiction (despite both being EU countries).
Anglo Irish bank tried to dispute this; that one can't live in the Republic of Ireland and claim to be a Northern Irish resident at the same time. The decision was upheld however.
If you own residencies in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, then you can live at both residencies (obviously not at the same time).
Therefore you can pay tax in either juristiction, and avail of health care in either juristiction.

Mitzyboy

Mistaken about what Sean
About residency??? No.
If you are telling me that a different EU law is specific to Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland then I stand corrected

I own residencies in the UK and in Spain, but I am not allowed to be seen as a UK resident by UK / EU law because I live and reside in Spain ... even though I spend a good amount of time in the UK.

Joe-Soap

You are mistaken on the following:
1. There is no such country as Southern Ireland. There is Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

2. Northern Ireland is a unique jurisdiction. The Belfast Agreement (Good Friday Agreement) changed both Irish and British law regarding Northern Irish citizenship. Following the Belfast Agreement, uniquely Northern Irish Citizens became eligible to claim dual citizenship while living in one country. Northern Irish citizens could now claim both Irish and British citizenship at the same time, and hold both Irish and British passports.
This also meant that Northern Irish citizens could claim to be residents of either the UK (Northern Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland.
If a Northern Irish (UK) citizen holds a residence in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, then they may avail of health care in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.
Residency is determined by which of the two states the resident lives the majority of the time in. So for example if you live in Northern Ireland 7 months of the year, and the Republic of Ireland 5 months of the year; you are deemed to be resident of Northern Ireland (and a dual citizen of both states).
You could then avail of health care in the state of which you are resident which would be; Northern Ireland (UK).
I hope this clarifies the current situation in Northern Ireland.