Orangepants

I have a question about my eligibility to use the NHS in the future.
Having spent the past 14 months in the UK, (for an L1B eligibility year) I have now an increased respect for the NHS.
I have been fortunate to have been in good health for the 14 years that I have been an expatriate having left the UK straight after uni and not paid tax or NI in UK until I returned in 2007.
If my plans work out and I end up living in the US for the rest of my working life, can I use the NHS should I get (very) sick in the future? Say later in life when not on company provided health insurance. I do have and will have the best medical insurance I can buy but will the fact that I have not paid any NI into the system (except for this 16 months or so) invalidate me from using the NHS. Ethically it probably should but the story on broken dreams due to bad health, here on the forum made me realise how quickly things can go wrong when faced with a major illness and therefore huge expenses.

Living in the US is an expensive business!!

Thanks

Ozzidoc

The NHS is for residents of the UK. As in people living in the UK. You would be entitled to NHS care if you moved back to the UK.

Anyone is entitled to free emergency/life-saving care, though the NHS does try to claim back some of the expenses.

TruBrit

correct although i would like to make clear it is not free as such....the UK tax payers foot the bill.

TruBrit

it certainly is and you had best make sure you have good medical cover whilst living in the USA.

Orangepants

Thanks - this is reassuring to know for the future.

I was surprised 4 or 5 years ago to receive a letter from HMS saying that I could make up my contributions so that I would receive a state pension at 65. As someone who has paid very little by way of tax and NI, I didn't think this was very fair to all those who had paid all their life as I only needed to send them about 3 or 4 thousand pounds. I believe they have recently changed this and you have to have 30 years of contributions to be eligible? Not sure if you can make up the shortfall anymore?

I would hope that at that time in my life, I wouldn't be dependant on 80 pounds a week from HMS to make ends meet. But you never know!!

BritishGuy36

Yeah but even in today's money, £80 a week is over $500 a month. It's worth having.

md95065

Yes - you could use it to pay at least some small part of your US health insurance premiums ...

JAJ

Visitors to the United Kingdom (even British citizens living overseas) cannot use the NHS.

At the same time, under current law there is nothing to stop you moving back to the United Kingdom later in life when you are sick, and immediately using the NHS.

That may be easier said than done though, even if you are still a British citizen. Later in life, if you are well settled in the United States, have your home, friends and support network in the U.S., moving back to Britain when you are sick would be a huge deal.

scrubbedexpat099

But then you wonder what the NHS will be by then.

Can not continue indefinitely as is.

md95065

... and for some people it may also have unpleasant tax consequences if the US decides that they have relinquished their US residence for the purpose of avoiding US taxes ...

Janek66

I don't think this is strictly true. I went home just over a year ago with my then 2 yr old. He spiked a fever (double ear infections) and we got him in to the dr within an hour of calling the National Health hotline, on a Saturday. So maybe its only visitors over the age of 16 that can't use the NHS?

TruBrit

that's great news you had him seen immediately...good old NHS.

emergencies <which sounds like your son's was> for any age group are paid for by the UK tax payers.

Jerseygirl

All visitors to the UK are entitled to use the NHS for emergency treatment...age and nationality are irrelevant.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/E...able/DH_074374

mrcusa

What a ridiculously generous country!

I am sure people take advantage of this generosity.

Janek66

I was thrilled. I kept stating that we were USC (despite my accent) and asking if there was anything they needed to see or we needed to pay but no.

Ridiculous....not at all, totally humane and sensible.