Migrants and overseas visitors 'to be charged for health services'

[super jumbe]

Press Association - Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the proposed charges would recover up to ?500 million per year

Overseas visitors and migrants will be charged for using most GP services, plus receiving A&E and ambulance care under new plans drawn up by the Government.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the proposed changes to be introduced in 2017 would "recover up to ?500 million per year to put back into frontline patient care".

A consultation will be launched on Monday, led by the Government's independent adviser on cost recovery Sir Keith Pearson to run until March 6, next year.

Migrants and foreign visitors currently pay for some NHS services such as non-urgent operations, in-patient treatment, plus follow-up care received as an out-patient.

Under the proposed new plans, charging will be extended, requiring overseas visitors and migrants to pay for care from GPs, including diagnostic tests and scans, plus A&E and ambulance care services to save ?500m a year by 2018.

The Government said the changes would make sure those who do not pay for NHS care through their taxes make a "fair contribution" to services.

Mr Hunt said: "We want to make sure that everyone makes a fair contribution to services, by extending charging to make sure visitors pay for the care they receive.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/migrants-overseas-visitors-charged-health-services-111219397.html#fJm41Tk

[super jumbe]

Ok suppose got knocked off on a bike in India there are free hospital all around the country for free medical treatments, I can remember a friend of mine got hepatises in India and got free treatment and still having a good life this was a third world country ffs every time I hear about the human rights I laugh…

[GastonJ]

Knowing the Tories, teh recharging will be contracted out to private companies who will charge ?1 billion to claw back ?500m *shrug*

[rds60h]

I'm a great believer in reciprocal agreements, but only when they are truly reciprocal.
So if Brits have to pay for medical treatment in a particular country, then the people from that country visiting here should have to pay, if a particular country give free emergency treatment but charge for further treatment then it should be exactly the same for their visitors here and this system should also apply to visitors from the other EU countries.
However, reciprocal appears to have a different meaning within the ruling bodies of the EU which is why Britain is such a magnet for many of the other EU members.

[GastonJ]

The difference is that we cannot treat EU citizens any differently than we do UK citizens, otherwise it's discrimination - which it would be. That's why the government, or so it claims, is having major issues stopping benefits to EU citizens. Perhaps the government should get creative with it's thinking because Germany doesn't pay benefits in the same way.

The NHS has for a long time charged foreign patients, it's just that do you really want to spend ?50 chasing a debt for ?10? Everyone involved in an RTA in the UK, British or foreign, already pays for an ambulance - even I have received a bill when I didn't need an ambulance!! As usual anything that the government introduces will require vast amounts of paperwork, require that private companies get overpaid to do the work, and then the government will complain that the number of people needed to do the paperwork, process it all and write cheques for vast amounts to private companies to recover very small amounts is costing the NHS money - which should be used for doctors and nurses. Usual b**lox glib statements from government ministers with no clue on how to do anything other than award contracts to their mates and blame everyone else.

[rds60h]

As you say Gaston, we are told we cannot treat EU citizens differently to UK citizens but the actual agreement states that it is a Reciprocal Agreement and what is operated is certainly not a reciprocal agreement.

[Meat-Head]

See a Tweet in the summer some guy on vacation last day or so, went faulty,
close to been a write off with the cost of his repairs

[GastonJ]

Do people not read teh small print when they travel? Anyone who travels out of the UK without insurance is a lunatic. Yeah sue emergency treatment is covered in various agreements with other countries, but at he end of the day you are responsible for yourself. Can afford to travel to other countries for on holiday for a few thousand, but can't afford the pittance it costs for insurance? The insurance should be compulsory, whether travelling to or from the UK. That way there's always insurance cover for medical bills. You will note that I said whether travelling in or out btw. It's as easy as taxing people, government add cost and call it a tax on inbound and outbound flights, tax gets used to cover health bills in both countries. End of problem, except it will not give the government any excuses then would it?

[rds60h]

Do people not read teh small print when they travel? Anyone who travels out of the UK without insurance is a lunatic. Yeah sue emergency treatment is covered in various agreements with other countries, but at he end of the day you are responsible for yourself. Can afford to travel to other countries for on holiday for a few thousand, but can't afford the pittance it costs for insurance? The insurance should be compulsory, whether travelling to or from the UK. That way there's always insurance cover for medical bills. You will note that I said whether travelling in or out btw. It's as easy as taxing people, government add cost and call it a tax on inbound and outbound flights, tax gets used to cover health bills in both countries. End of problem, except it will not give the government any excuses then would it?

But if we really have a "Reciprocal Agreement" why should we need insurance when travelling within the EU ?
After all the rest of the EU do not require insurance for medical treatment in the UK, it's in the "Reciprocal Agreement".

[GastonJ]

Whatever happens at the end of the day, reciprocal means the taxpayer gets shafted in the usual way by whatever government is in place at the time. Perhaps we should bring back the death penalty for being an MP. That way we could have more elections and the only expenses to be claimed would be for a rope

[Meat-Head]

Did see somewhere, couple went on vacation, had a sprog planned, his parents, but sprog went faulty, landed early, too small to post back to uk, cost them fortune , why would you go no insurances

[super jumbe]

Ok we spent $$ billions Ebola in Africa, send malaria vaccine to Asia smallpox tax payers money but can not look after the hard working British people and overseas migrants for free….