# Access to NHS treatment while visiting the UK



## rustyraider (Apr 7, 2015)

*S1 Dependant*

We live in Cyprus but I am sure this is relevant to Spain also, and I wonder if anyone knows the answer

I have spoken to the Government Dept for pensions and they don't know the answer.

We live in Cyprus, my wife has a UK pension and holds a S1, I get treatment in Cyprus as a dependent of a S1 holder.

As a pensioner my wife can come to the UK for treatment under the NHS.

My question is:

Can I as a dependent of a UK pensioner and a S1 holder obtain treatment in the UK?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

rustyraider said:


> We live in Cyprus but I am sure this is relevant to Spain also, and I wonder if anyone knows the answer
> 
> I have spoken to the Government Dept for pensions and they don't know the answer.
> 
> ...


I think you'll find that you have been misinformed.

Camoron made one of those pre-election pledges that pensioners living abroad could go back to UK and get treatment on the NHS. Once elected, he reneged on that (surprise, surprise). Pensioners who live abroad and hold S1s get no free healthcare in UK under the NHS because DWP pay your host country to treat you under their own schemes.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> I think you'll find that you have been misinformed.
> 
> Camoron made one of those pre-election pledges that pensioners living abroad could go back to UK and get treatment on the NHS. Once elected, he reneged on that (surprise, surprise). Pensioners who live abroad and hold S1s get no free healthcare in UK under the NHS because DWP pay your host country to treat you under their own schemes.


No, that isn't correct Alan. The Uk now issues pensioners with their EHIC . This is what a pensioner uses in the UK. A pensioners EHIC , supplied by the UK , is different from normal ones . Production of said card entitles you to all & everything that a UK based oap gets.

http://www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/healthcareabroad/ehic/pages/ehic-pensioners-and-early-retirees.aspx


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> I think you'll find that you have been misinformed.
> 
> Camoron made one of those pre-election pledges that pensioners living abroad could go back to UK and get treatment on the NHS. Once elected, he reneged on that (surprise, surprise). Pensioners who live abroad and hold S1s get no free healthcare in UK under the NHS because DWP pay your host country to treat you under their own schemes.


@Baldilocks - I thought like you but was recently corrected elsewhere ()


> The rules changed at the beginning of the year. When they tightened up on the rules to stop health tourism, an unexpected benefit was regarding pensioners. This is what it says in the press release.
> 
> UK state pensioners who live elsewhere in the EEA will now have the same rights to NHS care as people who live in England. This applies to all pensioners who receive a UK state retirement pension and registered for healthcare in Europe with an S1 form.
> 
> The press release is at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/n...ns-to-nhs-care


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

snikpoh said:


> @Baldilocks - I thought like you but was recently corrected elsewhere ()


that link isn't working for me

& where's the quote from btw?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> No, that isn't correct Alan. The Uk now issues pensioners with their EHIC . This is what a pensioner uses in the UK. A pensioners EHIC , supplied by the UK , is different from normal ones . Production of said card entitles you to all & everything that a UK based oap gets.
> 
> EHIC for pensioners and early retirees - Healthcare abroad - NHS Choices


yes that's correct that it issued in the UK if you have an S1

but I don't see where it says that you have full access to NHS services as if you were still resident there

I read it that you get the same treatment as an EHIC holder from anywhere else - necessary treatment


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> yes that's correct that it issued in the UK if you have an S1
> 
> but I don't see where it says that you have full access to NHS services as if you were still resident there
> 
> I read it that you get the same treatment as an EHIC holder from anywhere else - necessary treatment


This is from the charging guidelines that came into effect in April 2015. I think I have mentioned before that as a result of this the UK receives a discount of 5% on the amount it pays for an S1 registered in another EU state.

"From April 2015, all pensioners in receipt of a UK state pension who are living abroad in the EEA or Switzerland and have registered an S1 form from the UK with the local authorities in their EEA country of residence, and their family members, will be able to access all healthcare in the UK as though they were ordinarily resident and should not be charged for treatment. If they present an EHIC, their EHIC information should not be entered into the portal for reimbursement."


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

CapnBilly said:


> This is from the charging guidelines that came into effect in April 2015. I think I have mentioned before that as a result of this the UK receives a discount of 5% on the amount it pays for an S1 registered in another EU state.
> 
> "From April 2015, all pensioners in receipt of a UK state pension who are living abroad in the EEA or Switzerland and have registered an S1 form from the UK with the local authorities in their EEA country of residence, and their family members, will be able to access all healthcare in the UK as though they were ordinarily resident and should not be charged for treatment. If they present an EHIC, their EHIC information should not be entered into the portal for reimbursement."


from this? https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...enting_overseas_charging_regulations_2015.pdf

so this bit ? from Chapter 6.3


> Regulation 13 – UK state pensioners resident in the EEA
> : UK state pensioners
> who are resident in another EEA member state are exempt from charge for all NHS
> hospital treatment, including elective treatment, provided that they have registered an S1
> document in that member state. See Chapter 9 for more about this exemption.


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> from this? https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...enting_overseas_charging_regulations_2015.pdf
> 
> so this bit ? from Chapter 6.3


Yes, that's the regulation. The quote I posted is the detail from Chapter 9, which I posted because it included the information about family members, which was the original question.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

rustyraider said:


> My question is:
> 
> Can I as a dependent of a UK pensioner and a S1 holder obtain treatment in the UK?


So the answer is yes. You'd do well to download the link/s , so that when you do want treatment you can quote chapter & verse to the people who should actually know . :lol:


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

I phoned DWP earlier this week to order our S1s. They were quite clear that as I receive a UK pension we would get NHS treatment in the event that we return, as long as we had some proof of this with us. A great relief as one of my current treatments is costed at £2.5k a month.
As with more and more things in life, written proof is everything.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I stand corrected.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I know this has been discussed before, but there was some confusion over how the new rules would affect those of us who are resident in Spain. It has now been made clear on the UK government website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-to-improve-overseas-visitors-contributions-to-nhs-care



> *People living in an EEA country or Switzerland.*
> As is the case already, most people, who live or work in another EEA country or Switzerland will continue to get free NHS care using a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) issued by the country they live in. This means the NHS can reclaim healthcare costs from the original country of residence.
> 
> UK state pensioners who live elsewhere in the EEA will now have the same rights to NHS care as people who live in England. This applies to all pensioners who receive a UK state retirement pension and registered for healthcare in Europe with an S1 form.
> ...


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> I know this has been discussed before, but there was some confusion over how the new rules would affect those of us who are resident in Spain. It has now been made clear on the UK government website:
> 
> https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-rules-to-improve-overseas-visitors-contributions-to-nhs-care


thanks for finding that - it's good to see it from the powers that be, as it were


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## rustyraider (Apr 7, 2015)

gus-lopez said:


> No, that isn't correct Alan. The Uk now issues pensioners with their EHIC . This is what a pensioner uses in the UK. A pensioners EHIC , supplied by the UK , is different from normal ones . Production of said card entitles you to all & everything that a UK based oap gets.
> 
> EHIC for pensioners and early retirees - Healthcare abroad - NHS Choices


Thanks for finding this and posting the link.

You have achieved more for me than DWP in the UK could.

Very Much Appreciated


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

So you choose to emigrate then when you feel poorly bad you expect treatment free off the NHS? Thats taking the pee.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

bob_bob said:


> So you choose to emigrate then when you feel poorly bad you expect treatment free off the NHS? Thats taking the pee.


I'm not sure anyone _expects _it

but since the UK is paying for pensioners' healthcare anyway, no matter where they live in the EU - maybe it will save the UK money in the long run?


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Sorry things like this really annoys me, same as winter fuel payments, you left the UK, you should loose the payment.


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

Whilst I respect everybody's right to an opinion I feel bob-bob is being a bit harsh.
To take my own case, I have a non curable form of leukemia I.e. my genes now alter the composition of my blood. When I was diagnosed 7 years ago I lived and worked permanently in the UK. 9 months after diagnosis I developed pneumonia which was so severe that I spent 42 days in a medially induced coma and then when I did wake up I was totally paralysed due to muscle wastage. In time I recovered and went back to work. However this episode left me, unsurprisingly, with damaged lungs. Obviously this must have been a serious drain on NHS resources.

I then struggled to work through the following winter in the UK, the constant damp air not helping my lungs at all. I therefore resolved to do something about it for the following years I.e. winter abroad. I could not move any further south in England as I already lived only 2 miles from the English Channel.By coming abroad my OH and I escaped colds and flu altogether. My leukemia did not need treatment at that stage. Thus no costs to the NHS.

Last year my leukemia required treatment I.e.my blood and bone marrow needed a full clean out of all the bad cells that had amassed. This treatment was given over the 6 months of spring and summer in the UK. Unfortunately things did not go well, the treatment killed many essential cells so that I had to receive 25 units of blood just to keep me conscious and walking. Many thanks to blood donors for their gifts. I also had to visit the hospital at least once a week for monitoring. I was thus forced to spend a winter in the UK. Guess what? I caught pneumonia again This time on 5 separate occasions and spent 7 weeks in total as a hospital in patient. More costs to the NHS and definitely no quality of life for me as apart from the occasional foray to the shops for food I spent the winter almost in isolation.

This year I applied for my S1 so that I can avoid a repeat of last year's scenario. I cannot go through a repeat of last year and expect to survive. Yes I have moved away from the UK with the expectation of a better life I.e. but for me it is the expectation of having some form of good health. Indeed at this time of year I can swim, walk normal distances, cycle and ride a horse BUT dust and slopes create problems as my lungs now are much less capable of doing their job. Also the chemo has left me with no immune system at all and I have to receive monthly treatment for life for that.

I hope not to go back to the UK but I do think that allowing me to be treated by the NHS is not unreasonable if I am there. The costs have to be borne somewhere and the UK will be paying no matter. I am also certain that I am not the only person who has moved out of the UK where health issues have been the prime driver.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

The point is that when a pensioner emigrates to another country the UK pays a fixed sum each year to the country they have moved to, in your case France. If you then go back to the UK for treatment then that is an extra cost. Why go back for treatment if you are registered for health services in France:confused2:


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I'm sure I've said this before, but for the life of me I can't see how it would be practical for a pensioner to return to the UK for many forms of treatment, unless they have a property in the UK standing empty for their use and deep pockets to pay the air fares (possibly booking at short notice if they are taken ill or called for a hospital appointment). If they need an operation, for example, there will be preliminary tests to be done, possibly a monitoring period to see how a condition is progressing, pre-operative tests and post-surgery check-ups. For someone with a chronic condition requiring regular treatment, it would be even less feasible. Would someone who is ill really want to be travelling back and forth?

We have never seen it spelt out in any of these announcements exactly how this right for pensioners to access treatment in the UK is supposed to work in practice.

Personally I wouldn't want to return for NHS treatment, only to have the right to be treated if I happen to be there and am taken ill.


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

Isabella ,
I did not suggest that I , or others, would be going back FOR treatment. I simply said that I saw no problem with people accessing the NHS once they have returned to the UK. However long or short that period is, especially if their prime reason for leaving the UK was to improve their life expectancy and reduce the amount they cost the NHS in the first place.

Lynn,
There are many, many people ,including pensioners, maintaining two, if of more, dwellings, some of them have them exlusively in the UK and others have one in the UK with others elsewhere. I can assure you that maintaining a home in Spain say can be much less than say a flat or even a mobile home on the South coast of England. Others have family or friends who accommodate them without payment either inside or outside of the UK.
As for travel costs, travel within the UK is costly and far from ideal. In some areas bus transport, if it operates daily, ceases at 17.30 so taxis are a requirement for non-car drivers. If my 93 year old father-in-law needed a trip to the main hospital it cost him £25 each way. Air fares are a bargain, often being substantially less than the cost of travelling to and from the airport.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

ccm47 said:


> Isabella ,
> I did not suggest that I , or others, would be going back FOR treatment. I simply said that I saw no problem with people accessing the NHS once they have returned to the UK. However long or short that period is, especially if their prime reason for leaving the UK was to improve their life expectancy and reduce the amount they cost the NHS in the first place.
> 
> Lynn,
> ...


this new ruling means that _*pensioners can now legitimately choose to return to the UK for treatment*_ - as so many have been doing for years, by living under the radar in Spain or elsewhere

As much as I believe the Spanish state healthcare system to be superior to the UK NHS, I can see the appeal for some people to be able to have treatment in the UK because of language issues

they could of course stay with family if they don't maintain a property there


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I must admit to being somewhat confused. One of Camoron's pledges before the election was that "expat pensioners" could have free treatment on the NHS. One of the first things he reneged on was "expat pensioners" can have free treatment on the NHS.

So can they or can't they? I'm asking from a purely hypothetical point of view since I have no intention of going back to the UK either for NHS treatment or not.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Nhs treatment*

I really can't see why any Brit who has paid into the system for forty years or whatever, can't go home for treatment. Although as Lynn says they would have to have deep pockets to be able to live for prolonged periods in the UK.
Another reason mentioned above is the language problem where many people feel more secure in their own language.
The weather here and parts of France and Italy is probably a lot kinder to arthritis sufferers, saving visits to the long suffering NHS.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

ccm47 said:


> Lynn,
> There are many, many people ,including pensioners, maintaining two, if of more, dwellings, some of them have them exlusively in the UK and others have one in the UK with others elsewhere. I can assure you that maintaining a home in Spain say can be much less than say a flat or even a mobile home on the South coast of England. Others have family or friends who accommodate them without payment either inside or outside of the UK.
> As for travel costs, travel within the UK is costly and far from ideal. In some areas bus transport, if it operates daily, ceases at 17.30 so taxis are a requirement for non-car drivers. If my 93 year old father-in-law needed a trip to the main hospital it cost him £25 each way. Air fares are a bargain, often being substantially less than the cost of travelling to and from the airport.


I need no convincing that maintaining a home in Spain is less expensive than maintaining one in England, but I certainly couldn't afford both - and I suspect it could well be cheaper for pensioners to pay for private health insurance in Spain if they aren't confident of relying on the state system than it would be to maintain two homes. My husband and I have opted to continue with our private health insurance as the company we are insured with does not increase premiums or suspend cover when a policyholder turns 65. Family or friends who may be happy to accommodate someone for an annual holiday visit might well not be so keen if a visit for hospital treatment stretched into several weeks, or involved a whole series of visits, and personally I would feel it an imposition to expect that of mine.

What you say regarding the cost of transport in the UK is also true, but anyone travelling from Spain would incur the kinds of costs you have described on top of the air fares from Spain, not instead of. Incidentally, my 91 year old aunt, who receives Pension Credit, is entitled to claim back the cost of a taxi if she needs one to transport her to and from a hospital appointment, although she rarely does as a family member takes her.

Air fares are a bargain? Well they can be, depending on where you are flying to (I need to go to Manchester and fares to there are never cheap, apparently the landing fees there are very high) and how far in advance you can book - and at what time of year you need to travel, of course. If a pensioner found themselves needing to travel back for medical treatment during a school holiday period I don't believe they'd find it a bargain.

And what more unhealthy environment is there to be in than on a crowded plane with recirculated air? I almost always end up with a cold or other infection after a flight.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> this new ruling means that _*pensioners can now legitimately choose to return to the UK for treatment*_ - as so many have been doing for years, by living under the radar in Spain or elsewhere
> 
> As much as I believe the *Spanish state healthcare system to be superior to the UK *NHS, I can see the appeal for some people to be able to have treatment in the UK because of language issues
> 
> they could of course stay with family if they don't maintain a property there


NHS is the world's best healthcare system, report says | Society | The Guardian no its not.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Justina said:


> I really can't see why any Brit who has paid into the system for forty years or whatever, can't go home for treatment. Although as Lynn says they would have to have deep pockets to be able to live for prolonged periods in the UK.
> Another reason mentioned above is the language problem where many people feel more secure in their own language.
> The weather here and parts of France and Italy is probably a lot kinder to arthritis sufferers, saving visits to the long suffering NHS.


Paying into the system for forty years does not mean a lot really, the cost of care and treatment will often far outstrip anything you've paid in.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

bob_bob said:


> NHS is the world's best healthcare system, report says | Society | The Guardian no its not.


when I said _I believe it to be, _perhaps I should have said _in my opinion

_simply because I, my family members & others who I know have had much more efficient & effective treatment here than we had in the UK

and I've never seen such clean hospitals in my life


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

bob_bob said:


> Paying into the system for forty years does not mean a lot really, the cost of care and treatment will often far outstrip anything you've paid in.


The problem with the NHS is no ones ever got to grips with it's finances - also the
nature of it's work and the people it has to serve - will inevitably mean that costs
will far outstrip income.
Nevertheless the NHS is a great political football for politicians - as the panacea
of how a countries health service should be run.
Although I often wonder whether politicians have become so gooey-eyed and
sentimental of the virtues of the NHS - that the inevitably of letting it run for years
and years and decades & decades beyond it's means - will mean that it will end
up like Greece. In need of an international bailout from the EU and the IMF !!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Scan needed on N.H.S. 18 month wait.

Scan needed on Canary Island H.S. *15 minutes* wait.


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

There is no 18 months wait. There is a two week rule.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I have to make use of the public health service in Andalucia and I am very happy with the treatment I'm getting. A family member had treatment from the NHS andsaid it was first class.
I've heard people say that health care in some regions and cities in Spain is below acceptable standards.
Ditto in the UK where health care quality seems to be a post code lottery.
I'm not disposed to the view Spain good, UK bad but can only speak from personal experience.
Like Lynn, I can't imagine choosing to travel to the UK to see a consultant but if people can afford it, and many can, it's their choice.
All I really care about is that if on my infrequent visits to the UK I were to be run over by a bus I would not have to feebly reach for my credit card when the ambulance arrives.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

ccm47 said:


> I phoned DWP earlier this week to order our S1s. They were quite clear that as I receive a UK pension we would get NHS treatment in the event that we return, as long as we had some proof of this with us. A great relief as one of my current treatments is costed at £2.5k a month.
> As with more and more things in life, written proof is everything.


*Lets get things in prospective here*

To be in receipt of a UK State pension, the British Expat would have to wait until he's
66th birthday ( going up to 67 and higher for both sexes - thanks to demographics
& the govt legistlation that accompanies it, etc )
Therefore he or she ( unless they were born before 1956 ) would have to wait
longer, to avail themselves of the free ( that is the Expat is treated the same as
a UK resident ) NHS treatment.

For women particularly - who would have had, only to wait for their 60th 
birthday and now ( in line with men ) have to wait longer for their British State
Pension & the NHS treatment ( if they retired abroad ) this is a raw deal.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Isobella said:


> There is no 18 months wait. There is a two week rule.


18 months I waited for a dopler scan on my neck.

Two week rule there maybe, in my case the rule was obviously not enforced, perhaps I should consider litigation.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Well, let's face it, it's the fact that someone can be receiving treatment which costs 2.5K per month (and in some cases even more, I have no doubt) which is putting increasing strain on state health services in either country. A couple of years of those costs is likely to exceed whatever the average person has paid in tax/social security contributions in their lifetime, if they go back to the UK for that treatment. I don't know how it works in France, but in Spain the cost of a UK pensioner receiving such treatment would, each year, massively exceed the sum paid by the UK Government per pensioner for state healthcare (approx €4k per year), therefore such a person would be costing the Spanish state system a lot of money over their lifetime, when they may be paying little or nothing in Spanish taxation, depending on their income.

Advances in medical science which mean many more people now survive conditions which would have killed them are wonderful, but I don't think our society has come to terms with the cost in cold, hard cash.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Lynn R said:


> Well, let's face it, it's the fact that someone can be receiving treatment which costs 2.5K per month (and in some cases even more, I have no doubt) which is putting increasing strain on state health services in either country. A couple of years of those costs is likely to exceed whatever the average person has paid in tax/social security contributions in their lifetime, if they go back to the UK for that treatment. I don't know how it works in France, but in Spain the cost of a UK pensioner receiving such treatment would, each year, massively exceed the sum paid by the UK Government per pensioner for state healthcare (approx €4k per year), therefore such a person would be costing the Spanish state system a lot of money over their lifetime, when they may be paying little or nothing in Spanish taxation, depending on their income.
> 
> Advances in medical science which mean many more people now survive conditions which would have killed them are wonderful, but I don't think our society has come to terms with the cost in cold, hard cash.


Not to mention the thousands upon thousands of migrants, claiming asylum in
the UK - with more to some from Syria & other troubled parts of the Middle East.
Of course - that's only the legal headcount, I don't where you would put the
thousands upon thousands more, that are trying to enter the UK illegally.

Of course this is an EU wide problem - but nevertheless one that will stretch
many countries resources beyond control.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> Well, let's face it, it's the fact that someone can be receiving treatment which costs 2.5K per month (and in some cases even more, I have no doubt) which is putting increasing strain on state health services in either country. A couple of years of those costs is likely to exceed whatever the average person has paid in tax/social security contributions in their lifetime, if they go back to the UK for that treatment. I don't know how it works in France, but in Spain the cost of a UK pensioner receiving such treatment would, each year, massively exceed the sum paid by the UK Government per pensioner for state healthcare (approx €4k per year), therefore such a person would be costing the Spanish state system a lot of money over their lifetime, when they may be paying little or nothing in Spanish taxation, depending on their income.
> 
> Advances in medical science which mean many more people now survive conditions which would have killed them are wonderful, but I don't think our society has come to terms with the cost in cold, hard cash.


I'm guessing that the amount paid by the UK government to Spain kind of balances out, in that many people will either not use the system or not require expensive treatments.
But even so, the strain at the actual point of use must be immense. The increased number of foreign patients whatever their ailments requires time and physical facilities...staff, beds and so on.
Yet central government is cutting resources to regions....


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Williams2 said:


> Not to mention the thousands upon thousands of migrants, claiming asylum in
> the UK - with more to some from Syria & other troubled parts of the Middle East.
> Of course - that's only the legal headcount, I don't where you would put the
> thousands upon thousands more, that are trying to enter the UK illegally.
> ...


Of course it's an EU wide problem - in fact, in 2014 Britain received only 5% of the total number of asylum claims made in the EU (the sixth highest in Europe). 

Migration to the UK: Asylum | The Migration Observatory

This year, far more continue to head to Germany than the UK.

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/aug/20/asylum-seekers-eu-comparison-germany-datablog


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## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Like everything else it depends which stats you choose. Spain and Bulgaria take the least. Whatever, a few hundred thousand joining the NHS every year is bound to put a strain on services. A 15 minute wait for a scan sounds like a miracle, even billionaires wouldn't get one that quick


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> Of course it's an EU wide problem - in fact, in 2014 Britain received only 5% of the total number of asylum claims made in the EU (the sixth highest in Europe).
> 
> Migration to the UK: Asylum | The Migration Observatory
> 
> ...


But aren't those figures for those seeking asylum,not economic migrants...no- one seems to know the exact number of illegals.


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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Nhs*



bob_bob said:


> Paying into the system for forty years does not mean a lot really, the cost of care and treatment will often far outstrip anything you've paid in.


I really don't get your point. That could refer to the whole country.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

bob_bob said:


> Paying into the system for forty years does not mean a lot really, the cost of care and treatment will often far outstrip anything you've paid in.


As I have always understood it, the NHS is a public health insurance scheme, funded from general taxation and free at the point of use. Like any insurance protected activity, somewill use it a lot and some never at all.
The health service in Andalucía gives patients 'bills' informing them of the cost of the treatment and that the costs are shared collectively by the people of Andalucia for the common good.
I think it is good to remind people that some important services are better provided collectively. It's not really about us as individual contributors.


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## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

Well said Mary, I'm just trying to raise peoples awareness of the cost of care these days, most people have no idea just how much treatment costs.

I've no problem with the UK government funding Spain or Cyprus to treat a brit who has moved there, what I don't like is brits coming back and using resources, taking a bed that perhaps could be used by someone who did not pack up and opt for 'La Dolce Vita' in the sun.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

bob_bob said:


> Well said Mary, I'm just trying to raise peoples awareness of the cost of care these days, most people have no idea just how much treatment costs.
> 
> I've no problem with the UK government funding Spain or Cyprus to treat a brit who has moved there, what I don't like is brits coming back and using resources, taking a bed that perhaps could be used by someone who did not pack up and opt for 'La Dolce Vita' in the sun.


I like the practice of giving out 'bills' showing how much your treatment has cost. When I saw how much my eye ops had cost, all treatment included,not just the op itself, I saw it was half what a friend had paid privately.:..and the same surgeon did the op!
Quality, free health care available to all is imo the cornerstone of a civilised society. Profit shouldn't come into it. Before we got our tarjetas we both had poor and expensive 'care' from private health providers.
I can think of a few circumstances where Brits may need to be treated in the UK but not many, tbh.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

A couple of years ago I had severe hearing loss in my left ear. I went to a private consultant who tested my hearing with what seemed to meto be basic equipment. He sent me to another clinic for a scan. He said the results indicated I needed hearing aids and suggested another clinic where these 'discrete' aids cost around€2000.
I decided to think about it. 
Shortly after I went for a check up at the local surgery and was diagnosed with numerous severe coronary problems and very high blood pressure. I have been successfully treated for all these and my hearing is back to normal for someone of my age. The consultant said the hearing problem was caused by high blood pressure.
The useless private 'treatment' cost €600.
I'll stick with the public health service.


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