Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

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rafiki
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Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby rafiki » Mon Feb 06, 2017 11:22 am

I see that the NHS is to crack down on health tourism with new rules from April this year. As far as I can see emergency treatment continues for all but non-emergency treatment will have to be paid for upfront and systems will be introduced to ensure this happens. The reports all refer to 'foreigners' having to pay. Can someone recap for me a British expat's eligibility for non-emergency hospital treatment in UK please?
Brian.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby El Cid » Mon Feb 06, 2017 11:31 am

If you are in receipt of a UK state pension and were issued an S1 form by the DWP, you are able to use the NHS any time you like - there is no longer a residency requirement. Of course you need to be prepared for some long waits for treatment!

Sid

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby markwilding » Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:58 pm

Those who work and pay social security in Spain, which is my situation, need to have a EHIC card.
The wording is foreign patients so whether British citizens living abroad are included remains to be seen.

Health tourism isn't a one way street though. My wife who works in a cardiac dept. of our local hospital says that some UK travellers deliberately stop taking medication to get emergency treatment here to avoid the delays that exist in UK hospitals. This new ruling is for non emergencies only.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby olive » Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:24 pm


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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby linajeff » Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:08 pm

El Cid wrote:If you are in receipt of a UK state pension and were issued an S1 form by the DWP, you are able to use the NHS any time you like - there is no longer a residency requirement. Of course you need to be prepared for some long waits for treatment!

Sid
This was nice to find out. I did not know that with a UK state pension S1 this could be possible! Good to know because i have a friend who had the very same question. Thanks!
:wave:

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby El Cid » Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:15 pm

It's a recent change in the rules, but not a lot of people are aware of it. I spotted it in an NHS press release about access to the NHS (or not) and they slipped in a paragraph about it.

I subsequently got a new S1 from DWP and in the covering letter it confirmed it and expanded it. What it said was:-

However, as you will have your healthcare paid for by the UK by means of an S1 in your country of residence, from April 6th 2015 your right to return to England for all treatment including elective, has been extended. This means that you can access NHS treatment in England as if ordinarily resident(this means treatment will be free unless a statutory charge also applies to residents in England, for example prescription charges). You will not need to obtain any kind of authorisation from your country of residence prior to seeking treatment.


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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby GerryinCajiz » Wed Feb 08, 2017 2:15 pm

El Cid wrote:It's a recent change in the rules, but not a lot of people are aware of it. I spotted it in an NHS press release about access to the NHS (or not) and they slipped in a paragraph about it.
Sid
Thats good to know, thanks for your time and effort Sid.
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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby IreneD » Thu Feb 09, 2017 12:37 am

*cough* I think you'll find I mentioned this a while ago, Sid. :D Maybe it missed your eagle eye.

The links confirming are near the end of this thread

http://andalucia.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... ioners+nhs

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby rafiki » Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:40 am

I wonder, if challenged, which documentation would be required to prove one's eligibility under the rules?
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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby El Cid » Thu Feb 09, 2017 8:21 am

IreneD wrote:*cough* I think you'll find I mentioned this a while ago, Sid. :D Maybe it missed your eagle eye.

The links confirming are near the end of this thread

http://andalucia.com/forums/viewtopic.p ... ioners+nhs
No, I didn't miss it. The press release I referred to in my post was the one you also linked to.

As I said, I subsequently had confirmation, in detail, from the DWP that this was the case and the wording I quoted is from them.

It's a significant improvement, but looking at the state of the NHS at the moment I wonder whether it would be worth the effort!

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby IreneD » Thu Feb 09, 2017 3:29 pm

I see - I read it as if you'd only just spotted it. I should have known better ;) Yes, the NHS is in a terrible mess, I have a relative still in the admissions ward in A & E after 2 days. Hopefully a bed on the heart ward will be found for her soon.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby jogger » Sat Feb 18, 2017 12:22 am

I take it early retirees in Spain cannot get treatment on the NHS if they are visiting home on a holiday and take ill?

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby El Cid » Sat Feb 18, 2017 9:07 am

Only if you are Nigerian and expecting quads!

Early retirees in Spain should normally have medical insurance or travel insurance which should cover them in the UK, otherwise no.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby jogger » Sat Feb 18, 2017 6:24 pm

I actually think there is a point in that Sid. We're going over prepared to buy insurance but we would like to think if we were back in the UK on holiday we would get treated free if we did get sick while travelling. Everyone else seems to qualify, it's a joke.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby Unicorn » Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:17 pm

I get Spanish health care because I am fiscally resident (before 2012 etc etc), although not working.

They have told be that if I go the UK, or presumably anywhere else EU, that I have to go to SS and get a letter for the time period I am away and that entitlement is for a set number of time per year, I think 3 months worth of visits.

That will all go west with Brexit, I guess, as that right to health is via the EU!

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby elusive » Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:12 am

Thats basically the spanish version of the euro blue healthcard. You can get one that lasts for x amount of years if you are on i guess a full time contract otherwise if you are on some no doibt illegal part time contract you have to go to the INSS and they will give you paperwork/card? That only covers you for x amount of days that you are away.

NHS like anywhere is supposed to treat you in emergencies but if you are under retirement age and not working because you got lucky and could retire early or arent lucky and are unemployed then offically you need travel insurance as the NHS is residency based.maybe they should check up on all the expats carrying out health tourisim who arent entiltled because they are under pension age or are over pension age but have never bothered getting a S1


Everyone else seems to qualify, it's a joke.
-------------------------------

People who live in other EU countries and work/or dont depending on the system qualify through their own blue card system.blame spain for only giving out blue cards to those who work or are pre 2012. Other than that if you are resident in the UK you can use it. Do i think its fair that british nationals cant use it regardless of where they are? No not really but then i dont make the laws so theres nada we can do about it. But everyone else cant use it unless you are living there or you are visiting and its an emergency which is the same everywhere. Personally imo free healthcare should be a basic human right for all. Lives not dependent on whether you can afford to pay or not ie the third world and america etc etc
Last edited by elusive on Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby jogger » Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:23 am

I believe now you can't get an S1 were previously you could get one for two years if you were under state pension age, (which is variable depending on which year you are born and if you are a man or woman).

I believe if you have paid up your stamps and decide to live abroad you should still be able to receive health care in your country of origin, (ie the UK). Some get it because they are married to a state pensioner, the law is an ass. It should not be one rule for one and a different rule for another.

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Re: Eligibility for hospital treatment in UK...

Postby elusive » Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:34 am

Yes you could get an S1 that covered you for upto 2 years depending on whether you had paid N.I contributions in the previous 2 years before claiming but it was stopped in the summer of 2014 as they said to me at the time they are stopping it because its not something we have to do it was just done to help people get on their feet in the first couple of years of moving

Yeah i agree if you have paid into the system you should beable to use it. Some people never use the NHSyet pay theor stamp while others are never out of the surgery either legitimatley or not.having one rule would make it easier .who knows re brexit think positive and maybe they might agree that all spanish residents can have free healthcare inreturn for all spanish in the uk getting it. Highly unlikely as the spanish are working in the uk anyway but hey ho.!

The whole system is messed up. You only have to look at state pensions. Work the minimum contribution years and get the same pension as someone whos paid in another 15-20.i presume never looked at because it works well for the public sector. You should be able to claim it after 30-35 years or at least stop having to pay N.I contributions if you continue to work over 30/35 years


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