Hello everyone,
So.. I'm quiet frustrated about that new NHS charge per April 2015 :/
I'm on spouse visa and will apply for FLR on June 2015. I moved to the UK on Dec 2013 and started working on March 2014, so I only was unemployed for 3 months! Been paying for Nat Insurance ever since even tho I have no recource on public funds as stated in my spouse visa, which is fine, but now.. We have to pay this NHS charge for my next 2,5 years stay? Isn't that mean I'm paying double? To be honest I don't mind paying that NHS Charge (cause I'm more likely to use NHS service) but i would love to get refunded on all my nat insurance paid all these time, cause other than NHS service, I dont have access to other public funds anyway (not that Im planning on claiming anything, just simply want to pay only what I must pay, on services that I actually can use). Tried to ring HMRC to ask about this but they literally left me hanging on that line for at least 10 mins.. Seriously even more frustrated over here
So, advise please? Thank you so much in advance!

Sheesh, you've been working for one whole year and you complain about paying something extra for NHS services. Had you been taken seriously ill during those three months out of work the NHS would have been there for you.

You pay for the NHS via your taxes and not through NIC.

Look at it like this...... you are not paying double ..... you are paying an extra something into a service before you start taking from it.

Other folks have paid their taxes over the years to provide monies to fund the service. Why should new comers who have paid relatively nothing into the system use it without "putting some monies up front"

I was nearly done with this forum a couple of weeks back. Definitely done with it now. The sense of entitlement from some folks on here is just staggering.

Have happy lives all

Should new residents be allowed to use other public facilities such as roads, sidewalks, schools, libraries etc?

To me there is definitely an argument that taxpaying immigrants are paying twice over given that the NHS is funded out of current taxes. It's not like, for example, Medicare in the US where there is a specific tax and qualification period applied equally to all.

Before anyone gets too bent out of shape, maybe consider why someone who isn't a British Expat would go to the trouble to find this forum, join it, then make their first post a whinge about the NHS.......

I mean - ya wouldn't, would ya?

Don't get people started on the burden schools and local services are under due to the huge amount of immigration to the UK.

From reading stories about children who are unable to go to their local schools due to an influx of newcomers, to libraries and social services under pressure from the amount of people using their facilities , some groups/parliamentary members ARE calling for ways of raising additional monies to fund these services.

Compared to many other countries, the UK has been generous in allowing ALL who are considered resident to use the NHS free at point of service. This has included temporary residents, students, dependents of migrants, illegals, asylum seekers etc etc.

Several other EU countries have now introduced schemes whereby one pays into systems primarily for health cover and Australia and the US have always had contributory schemes.

A charge of 200 GBP per annum is, quite frankly, peanuts - it probably only just covers a single visit to the GP. it certainly is much cheaper than private health insurance, which many people moving to other places in the world are expected to take out.

Not sure where Medicare comes into the argument. You don't qualify for that until you have 40 credits to your name which for most people means approximately 10 years of working .... and even if your qualify you still pay about 100 bucks a month for the basic service.

Sorry, got bent before your post .....

And the other side of the equation is that as it's wholly paid for out of current taxes, tax-paying immigrants are paying for the "free at the point of service" NHS, just like any other tax-paying resident.

In the US under-65 healthcare is largely through private insurance rather than through tax contributions.

On this, I agree. So why bother having a separate charge in addition to ordinary taxes? It just smacks of another sop to the UKIP-leaning voter rather than something that's going to raise a significant amount of revenue.

I'm pointing out that it can't be compared to something like Medicare taxes because they apply equally to all - immigrant and non-immigrant alike.

Correct. However, 99% of British people think it is totally funded by the 'stamp' they paid 30 years ago.

...... and hence the current problem. Too many people who have not paid taxes (and how could you have if you have just arrived in the country and/or those who don't get jobs for months) using the NHS (some substantially) for which there is no income.

So, their treatment is being paid for by people who have paid into the system visa previous and current taxes.

At 200 GBP a year, it's a bargain.

This recent study of EU immigration points to a net financial benefit:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-arti...EU-immigration.

Even though it doesn't address non-EU immigration, I doubt the overall financial impact of immigration is as you portray it.

And thus merely political pandering.

The changes, part of the Immigration Act which became law last year, will ensure that migrants make a proper financial contribution to the cost of their NHS care.

In England alone, use of the NHS by overseas visitors and migrants is estimated to cost up to £2 billion a year – with £950 million of this being spent on temporary, non-EEA workers and students.

In setting the surcharge levels, the government has considered the wide range of free health services available to migrants alongside the valuable contribution they make and the need to ensure the UK remains attractive to the brightest and the best from around the world.

(Taken from recent report by UK Gov )

Link?

I don't think anyone is arguing about overseas visitors (or even students). We are discussing immigrants here. How much is spent on immigrants per year by the NHS and what financial contribution do they make through taxes? Again, by just quoting costs (and the "up to" in those costs is duly noted) you are just giving one side of the financial picture.

As the UCL report states, the tax contribution side of this must be considered:

Wow guys, first of all.. Yes im sorry im nit even btitish yet i joined this forum.
Secondly.. I was just frustrated cause of the lack of explanation about this NHS charge VS Nat insurance thingy. Third, I never in my whole life intended to abuse the UK benefit system or whatever, the only reason I'm here now is just because I'm married to a British man, I've got 12 years management experince back there in my country but it means nothing here without UK qualification so the only thing I can do now is support working, which i turned out love doing, but its 6,78/hours. So NHS charge a peanut? Defo not for me, on top of the FLR visa fee. I was planning on getting the premium service so that i can get my new visa done in a day, so I can get my passport back so I can travel to my country to see my newly had mastectomy sister, but now i can't afford that, cause that money i hardly saved for is going to be used to pay the NHS charge. The usual service from home office might take 8-12 weeks guys.. So i will have to wait, there goes the one day visa service we've dreamed about 😊
Anyway, the only reason i posted something here is to get more information, what is Nat Insurance for because from what I've rad, it goes to NHS too.. and its not like I can claim any if that benefit or whatsoever system, which again guys, I DOnt Plan To, at all.. Hopefully in my life time. So why do I pay NHs charge on top of that? That is my question, I found this thread while browsing for the answer of it cause I've try to ring HMRC to ask about this but no one was answering my phone and the call wasn't even free. There..
Oh mind you, I've been here for 2y4m and been working for 2y1m, legally paid all taxes, not entitled on anything not even a standar NVQ courses to speed up my *hopefully one day* career here (since they took no notice on my abroad experience and law degree), and for that first 2,5 year visa, I paid around £850, now for the next 2,5 years visa i have to pay again £650 plus now the NHS charge £500. I earned £800-ish a month.. Nothing left after the bills guys so no.. That extra charge isn't peanuts for us. If anyone knows the answer to my question, and care to answer it, please kiiindly do so.. Bless you all

Ah..finally after 18mins of hold, someone answered my call at the HMRC help desk. He said the only thing he can advise me is that anyone who is working in the UK have to pay towards NI (which of course I know and seruously dont mind), because im on that spouse visa that means one day that contribution would entitled me to.. State pension.. Right ok
Lets hope we all live long and prosper! So I still have to pay that new health surcharge cause my NI contributes nothing to my health care, it contributes things for people who obviously need it more of course (dont mind the genuinely in need people, like elderly or individuals with special needs, im working to suppport them in daily basis, God bless them..but then there are people in Benefit Britain /Benefit Street tv programmes type, well may God bless them too). So, thanks for all of your attention and I'm sorry for "barging in" in the wrong forum, hehe.. Was just being a confused and clueless migrant ( not the abusing this country's benefits system type tho, just a proper working and legally earning their living type of migrant 😊 ) and you're all been really kind to me, thanks again and may we all live good life wherever we are!