# Health care question



## GGibson1 (Apr 17, 2012)

My wife and I are in the process of moving to Cyprus we have bought a bungalow in Frenaros. I have been searching the web about whether my wife and I will qualify for health care I am 62 and on a works pension she is 56. the only information I can find is about pensioners claiming the state pension or non EU residents could any of the Knowledgeable forum members help with this question.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

I am afraid you won't qualify until you are on state retirement pension.


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## lynn65 (Apr 16, 2014)

Veronica when we come over my husband will be 62 and me 51, will my husband get free health care for a couple of years, for the National Insurance he has been paying for 37 years and would I get it for a couple of year, not sure.


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## madcow (Jan 10, 2010)

No they recently stopped giving the up to 2 years cover , it's now only for people on state pension.

In fact I think it was July 1st when the changed the rules.


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## GGibson1 (Apr 17, 2012)

Thanks for the information Veronica we will have to look at private health care for the next three years. Do you know the cost of private heath care as on the internet all I seem to get is Bupa and another provider and they are quoting £4000 to £7000 per year I know if you can it will be a rough estimate


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

GGibson1 said:


> Thanks for the information Veronica we will have to look at private health care for the next three years. Do you know the cost of private heath care as on the internet all I seem to get is Bupa and another provider and they are quoting £4000 to £7000 per year I know if you can it will be a rough estimate


That is ridiculous. my husband and I are slightly older than you and we pay €1200
per year. We have opted for an €800 excess which reduces the yearly premium by that amount. The chances you would spend anything like that in a year are remote unless you have a serious illness or accident crop up. We use Prime insurance in Paphos. 
I have just googled them and they have a branch in Larnaca

Prime Insurance | Free Listing


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## GGibson1 (Apr 17, 2012)

Thanks for the information have saved the web site to my favourites for future reference when I arrive in Cyprus which I hope will be soon waiting on English solicitors for house sale.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

It might be worth repeating the following information about Health Insurance in Cyprus:

The cost is on a scale based on age and the service level purchased. Any existing conditions and anything vaguely related to them will be excluded and in some policies it will state "whether you know about the conditions or not". Thus if you are on a mild blood pressure tablet as a preventative, as in my case, they excluded any heart condition, strokes, blood pressure related illness etc. There is no cost reduction if they exclude conditions.

Pete


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

PeteandSylv said:


> ...Any existing conditions and anything vaguely related to them will be excluded and in some policies it will state "whether you know about the conditions or not". Thus if you are on a mild blood pressure tablet as a preventative, as in my case, they excluded any heart condition, strokes, blood pressure related illness etc. There is no cost reduction if they exclude conditions.
> 
> Pete


Pete,

A friend of mine recently emigrated to Canada and a condition of the visa was that he and his wife had to have a full medical - at their expense but with the consultant of the Canadian Embassy's choice in Dublin - the results of which were sent to the Canadian authorities. 

I have considered doing something similar, although not actually necessary for Cyprus, in order to 'prove' in the event of a disputed claim that Letitia and I had no pre-existing conditions.

Would you advise this course of action?


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## expatme (Dec 4, 2013)

If and when you take out medical Ins here in Cyprus they the company will arrange for you to have a medical examination. Thats what happened to us. Now we are covered by the Hospital FREE as I am in my 70's.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

David_&_Letitia said:


> Pete,
> 
> A friend of mine recently emigrated to Canada and a condition of the visa was that he and his wife had to have a full medical - at their expense but with the consultant of the Canadian Embassy's choice in Dublin - the results of which were sent to the Canadian authorities.
> 
> ...


I do not think this would be any proof at all and would merely get you involved in legal proceedings at a stressful time. The case would take years to be resolved and you would have to meet the medical bills in the interim. Unless you have a policy that cannot refuse renewal, the company would then refuse to renew leaving you in a position of perhaps not being able to get cover again.

Imagine a scenario where cancer is diagnosed a few months after arrival, there is the possibility that the Insurer's would argue that it must have been in existence but undetected when you arrived. Unless your pre Cyprus medical clearly stated the non-existence of the specific cancer, which is unlikely, it would be of no value.

In any case, as has been pointed out separately, you will have to undergo a medical on applying for insurance.

A bit gloomy, I know, but insurance companies do what they can to wriggle out of paying, especially if there could be ongoing costs.

Pete


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

PeteandSylv said:


> ...insurance companies do what they can to wriggle out of paying, especially if there could be ongoing costs.
> 
> Pete


Thanks Pete,

Of all the natural apprehensions anyone would have regarding such life changing events like retirement and re-location to another country, I must admit that health care in our old age worries me more than any other issue.

Whilst we have both enjoyed good health all our lives, we must clearly prepare ourselves as far as possible for any future eventuality. Having worked and paid UK National Insurance all my life, the concept of de-registering from the NHS safety net on migration fills me with dread. I understand that return to the UK in the event of a major health issue arising does not even give us automatic access to the NHS again - we would need to be resident in the UK for 6 months before our entitlement is restored. This is why I need to ensure that private health care in Cyprus is adequate.

Like you, I am sceptical about insurance companies in general, and would consider all options to mitigate the risk. I must admit that this may result in not informing the NHS of our relocation in order to maintain our safety blanket...


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## Baywatch (Mar 30, 2014)

David_&_Letitia said:


> Thanks Pete,
> 
> Of all the natural apprehensions anyone would have regarding such life changing events like retirement and re-location to another country, I must admit that health care in our old age worries me more than any other issue.
> 
> ...


Now I don*t know what old age mean to you but if you have state pension, nothing has changed. The NHS still pay for your public healthcare here in Cyprus. Just to avoid any misunderstandings


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## madcow (Jan 10, 2010)

Good post David and Letitia , you outline the fears a lot of us have re health care .

Re the 6 month rule on returning to the UK , I am not sure how rigid they are on enforcing it , and there has been talk of waiving it for people who have paid in for ten years before they emigrated .

This is a sample of some of the questions the nhs asks.

"What happens when I register as an NHS patient?

When you register at the GP surgery, the staff will ask you for some personal information – for example, your name, address and date of birth. 

They will ask to see some documents to help them decide if you can register as an NHS patient. If you need hospital care, staff at the hospital will also ask to see those documents. For example, they may ask you to show:

your passport, and documents showing that you intend to stay in the UK – for example, the lease or mortgage for your home in the UK, council tax documents, a TV licence, one-*way travel tickets, or a bill for shipping goods to the UK.

If you don’t have the documents they ask for, NHS staff may not be able to treat you as an NHS patient. You may need to pay for any care you receive.

If you receive health care from the NHS before you are registered as an NHS patient, you may be asked to pay for this. This might happen, for example, if you are waiting to get the documents you need for registering as an NHS patient. After you are registered, any money you have paid will be returned to you."


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

If you are of pensionable age and are registered for healthcare in Cyprus, you can obtain a EHIC which should cover you in the UK.

Pete


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## David_&_Letitia (Jul 8, 2012)

Baywatch said:


> Now I don*t know what old age mean to you but if you have state pension, nothing has changed. The NHS still pay for your public healthcare here in Cyprus. Just to avoid any misunderstandings





PeteandSylv said:


> If you are of pensionable age and are registered for healthcare in Cyprus, you can obtain a EHIC which should cover you in the UK.
> 
> Pete



Anders and Pete,

You have both referred to the nub of the problem for me. I will be 60 when I retire in October and under current legislation, will not qualify for a state pension until I am 66, leaving a gap of 6 years to be covered.

On taking up residence in Cyprus, I can only cover this shortfall with private healthcare and would therefore need to take out medical insurance. This is not an issue, as it is an inevitable result of a lifestyle choice we will have made and is within our control. However, my fear is that insurance companies will be happy to take my premiums when all is well, but will inevitably try to use some small print I will not have noticed to divest themselves of their obligation when I need it most. An existing condition not being covered is standard and accepted. However, the scenario of no cover for a pre existing condition which you are unaware of is just the sort of small print I'm talking about.

There is a requirement to de-register from the NHS on taking up residence in another country and it appears from other posts, that whilst the NHS used to cover UK citizens for up to 2 years on taking up residence in another EU country, this ceased in Jul 14. Following the rules and de-registering from the NHS will therefore take away the comfort of knowing that medical care is the price of a flight away. This has inevitably led me to the conclusion that, contrary to "the rules", I may not de-register from the NHS.


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

David_&_Letitia said:


> Anders and Pete,
> 
> You have both referred to the nub of the problem for me. I will be 60 when I retire in October and under current legislation, will not qualify for a state pension until I am 66, leaving a gap of 6 years to be covered.
> 
> ...


I totally agree with what you say and your deregistration conclusions.

For what it's worth I did not deregister formally although they did catch up with the situation. I was left with no UK NHS cover, no eligibility for Cyprus healthcare cover and no Cyprus private healthcare insurance through the negligence of a broker. I too was apparently healthy with no known conditions then the bubble burst which has cost many thousands of Euros in private healthcare.

The only compensation is that I'm still alive thanks to efficient private healthcare and Easyjet.

I suggest before it's too late make sure you investigate good quality Health Insurance here, you just don't know what's around the corner.

Pete


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