New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
Sep 29th 2011, 8:00 am
#31
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
As a nurse who until recently worked in a London A&E, I see two main problems here.
Firstly, immigrants openly abuse the NHS system, it is common for people to arrive at Heathrow and head straight to the nearest hospital. Not for genuine emergency care, but they usually say something general like 'abdominal pain', which means they get a whole battery of tests.
Something abnormal shows up, maybe a longstanding condition, but they deny all knowledge of it. They end up getting admitted to hospital, (free), via the emergency route, and the really crafty ones then refuse to leave, so that Social Services get involved to find them somewhere to live.
I saw situations like this up to half a dozen times a day.
Some would brazenly tell me that they came to the UK because "your government give me free money, free house and free hospital".
And yet, ex-pats, who HAVE paid into the system all their working life, are denied free care.
Even as an NHS employee with 25 years service, I do not qualify for free healthcare.
Something is very wrong here.
Firstly, immigrants openly abuse the NHS system, it is common for people to arrive at Heathrow and head straight to the nearest hospital. Not for genuine emergency care, but they usually say something general like 'abdominal pain', which means they get a whole battery of tests.
Something abnormal shows up, maybe a longstanding condition, but they deny all knowledge of it. They end up getting admitted to hospital, (free), via the emergency route, and the really crafty ones then refuse to leave, so that Social Services get involved to find them somewhere to live.
I saw situations like this up to half a dozen times a day.
Some would brazenly tell me that they came to the UK because "your government give me free money, free house and free hospital".
And yet, ex-pats, who HAVE paid into the system all their working life, are denied free care.
Even as an NHS employee with 25 years service, I do not qualify for free healthcare.
Something is very wrong here.
Sep 29th 2011, 8:05 am
#32
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
Sep 29th 2011, 8:11 am
#33
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,886
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
But personally I see nothing wrong with NHS services being available to genuine residents only. Sure, some of us paid into the system when we were resident, but in return we got access to the NHS for the period of time we were resident. I just don't see why current residents should have to pay for the treatment of people - like me - who are now non-residents.
Sep 29th 2011, 8:11 am
#34
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 139
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
Those who 'just happen to give birth while passing through the UK', find that their details are passed to the Border Agency, so that the next time they enter the country, they have to pay their medical bill before being allowed in.
But so often the 'tourists' are one step ahead.
Just before I left I met a young lady from Poland, who again was 'just passing through the UK', while in labour.
It seems she had done it before becuase she gave a false name, of a friend who was in the country legally.
We had no idea she was using a false name until the Overseas Officer came to interview us a couple of days later. Its a good job she didnt need a blood transfusion, because we would have crossmatched the blood with the group listed in "her" notes.
Probably would have killed her.
Sep 29th 2011, 8:13 am
#35
Ping-ponger
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Dreich Alba
Posts: 12,024
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
Don't know how easy it will be to enforce, but add me to the list of people who think "About bloody time".
What makes me even madder is people who openly boast about getting (unentitled) free care on the NHS. If you are going to cheat the system, at least keep it to yourself.
As for doctors who give free care to people they know live overseas, they should grow a backbone and say No.
What makes me even madder is people who openly boast about getting (unentitled) free care on the NHS. If you are going to cheat the system, at least keep it to yourself.
As for doctors who give free care to people they know live overseas, they should grow a backbone and say No.
Sep 29th 2011, 8:34 am
#36
Banned
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: brum
Posts: 738
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
If you leave the UK to live abroad you have decided you obviously do not want to part of the UK anymore or it's benefits, they should have done this decades ago, people who live and pay taxes in the UK cannot get a bed because of these health tourists.
Sep 29th 2011, 8:38 am
#37
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 139
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
As someone who was made redundant twice, I felt it was unwise to stay in the UK. I would rather have a job abroard than benefit in the UK.
Last edited by Middlemore; Sep 29th 2011 at 8:44 am.
Sep 29th 2011, 8:52 am
#38
Banned
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: brum
Posts: 738
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
Sep 29th 2011, 8:54 am
#39
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 139
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
Sep 29th 2011, 8:58 am
#40
Banned
Joined: Sep 2011
Location: brum
Posts: 738
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
even though they are bringing in temporary nurses from abroad.
Sep 29th 2011, 9:27 am
#41
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 537
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
About time they started doing this....I used to work in Specsavers and we would have people come in for free eye tests and free glasses later to find out that they had just been visiting for a week!
I agree that since I live in another country I should pay for healthcare when I go back....I tried to pay the nurse that gave me my shots for immigration at my local GP but she said there was no point.....
I agree that since I live in another country I should pay for healthcare when I go back....I tried to pay the nurse that gave me my shots for immigration at my local GP but she said there was no point.....
Sep 29th 2011, 10:13 am
#42
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 4,754
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
As a nurse who until recently worked in a London A&E, I see two main problems here.
Firstly, immigrants openly abuse the NHS system, it is common for people to arrive at Heathrow and head straight to the nearest hospital. Not for genuine emergency care, but they usually say something general like 'abdominal pain', which means they get a whole battery of tests.
Something abnormal shows up, maybe a longstanding condition, but they deny all knowledge of it. They end up getting admitted to hospital, (free), via the emergency route, and the really crafty ones then refuse to leave, so that Social Services get involved to find them somewhere to live.
I saw situations like this up to half a dozen times a day.
Some would brazenly tell me that they came to the UK because "your government give me free money, free house and free hospital".
And yet, ex-pats, who HAVE paid into the system all their working life, are denied free care.
Even as an NHS employee with 25 years service, I do not qualify for free healthcare.
Something is very wrong here.
Firstly, immigrants openly abuse the NHS system, it is common for people to arrive at Heathrow and head straight to the nearest hospital. Not for genuine emergency care, but they usually say something general like 'abdominal pain', which means they get a whole battery of tests.
Something abnormal shows up, maybe a longstanding condition, but they deny all knowledge of it. They end up getting admitted to hospital, (free), via the emergency route, and the really crafty ones then refuse to leave, so that Social Services get involved to find them somewhere to live.
I saw situations like this up to half a dozen times a day.
Some would brazenly tell me that they came to the UK because "your government give me free money, free house and free hospital".
And yet, ex-pats, who HAVE paid into the system all their working life, are denied free care.
Even as an NHS employee with 25 years service, I do not qualify for free healthcare.
Something is very wrong here.
Sep 29th 2011, 10:17 am
#43
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,404
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
I've just been back to the UK for a couple of days and went to the docs to try and get some meds. I went to a walk in centre, explained that I needed some asthma meds as I'd left them back in Canada by accident.
It cost me 20 quid as a non resident, plus the cost of the prescription- about 14 GBP. So, 34 GBP in total.
It cost me 20 quid as a non resident, plus the cost of the prescription- about 14 GBP. So, 34 GBP in total.
Sep 29th 2011, 10:33 am
#45
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Sleepy Hollow, New York
Posts: 2,536
Re: New law means expatriates will have to pay for NHS care back in Britain
BTW, before anyone has a Daily Mail-induced aneuryism at the bloody foreigners and/or expats bleeding the NHS dry, a quick google suggests at the very worse, "health tourism" costs the NHS £200m p.a., and is probably more likely to be around the £50-£60m mark. It may even be as low as only £7m p.a. (that last figure apparently is the government's most recent annual write-off of money owed by non-residents for treatment as unrecoverable - for instance bills run up by EU visitors get reimbursed by their governments).
When you consider that the NHS's current annual budget is around £100billion it puts it in a bit of perspective: even the £200m figure comes out to a fifth of one percent of the total, and the £7m figure is probably less than what the NHS loses down the back of its collective sofa each year
When you consider that the NHS's current annual budget is around £100billion it puts it in a bit of perspective: even the £200m figure comes out to a fifth of one percent of the total, and the £7m figure is probably less than what the NHS loses down the back of its collective sofa each year
Last edited by rpjs; Sep 29th 2011 at 10:40 am.
