fatbrit

You continue to make a link between paying taxes and receiving social services. In many cases, especially with the NHS--the topic of this thread, that link is just not there. You can't validly perpetuate this myth by claiming a lay perspective.

Steve_

The whole purpose of this exercise is clearly to stop people who don't pay taxes there generally, i.e. non-residents, from using the NHS.

fatbrit

It's non-residents, not non-taxpayers! It really isn't that difficult to get your head round the concept.

I'm sure the UK government has measures both in place and proposed for those who owe UK taxes and don't pay them. But this has nothing to do with policing who gets charged and who doesn't for using NHS services.

dunroving

Well, I pulled it up and didn't fancy spending the rest of the evening dredging through all of that, but I did spot the following pretty quickly:

"In the United States, driver's licenses are issued by the states, not by the federal government. Additionally, because the United States has no national identification card and because of the widespread use of cars, driver's licenses have been used as a de facto standard form of identification within the country."

- which is exactly what I said.

scrubbedexpat099

It is all a farce.

If you were refused treatment at least you would be guarantted a piece in one of the Nationals, that rare.

Ozzidoc

We don't refuse treatment, but state that payment arrangements must be made first.

("We" as spoken in my role as a NHS doctor)

Brit3964

Out of interest, my mom is currently being treated at the Royal Marsden once a week and in order for her to go there under the NHS they asked her for proof of Citizenship and a recent utility bill. So it seems proof of Citizenship and current residency is needed for NHS treatment now at least at the Royal Marsden. Maybe local NHS hospitals don't bother asking for it? She wasn't asked for it at her local hospital.

Englishmum

Well, the Royal Marsden is a nationally acclaimed cancer treatment hospital so I guess they get patients from all over the UK (obviously there are patients who are originally not from the UK but have British passports) and of course they have probably had problems with health tourism and are cracking down on it. The Jamaican cleaner at our local train station once told me that all her relatives in Jamaica would fly to the UK and stay with friends or relatives to get free treatment on the NHS.

Cancer drugs and treatment is - as we all know - very expensive and I guess they need to check that only patients who are entitled to treatment free of charge on the NHS receive it.

Hope your mum is ok by the way

Brit3964

I'm sure and its actually a good thing they are doing this now. Of course it's bad for us ex-pats I'm going out to UK week after next to see how she is doing.