16-04-2016, 10:58 AM
1
Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
People from other EU countries can register with a GP and access health treatment for free in Britain without a European Health Insurance Card or any form of identification. A minister has revealed.GP’s have also been told by ministers that they are legally barred from stopping anyone from registering even if they cannot prove who they are or that they have a right to free healthcare.
Critics said the revelations, which came from a minister’s statement in Parliament, showed how lax controls are on Britain’s “open door” NHS.
An EHIC card allows anyone from a country in the European Economic Area and Switzerland to receive healthcare in Britain if they fall ill. The EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
In theory, Britain should then claim back the cost of the treatment from their home country. But, vast sums are believed to go unrecovered, often because health service staff do not ask for identification.
The most recent figures - for 2013/2014 - shows Britain claimed back only £50.3 from other European countries for healthcare claimed by their nationals in this country. That is compared with £750million the Government handed over to EU states to pay for treatment for Britain’s abroad.
This “health tourism gap” means the UK is now paying out £15 for the healthcare costs of Britain’s who fall ill abroad for every £1 it gets back for NHS treatment of European visitors.
Minister Alistair Burt made clear in Parliament just how easy it is for the world to use our NHS service for nothing!
Your views on the above please…… Are we to always be treated as mugs in this country?
16-04-2016, 12:50 PM
3
Re: Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
Originally Posted by shropshiregirl
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People from other EU countries can register with a GP and access health treatment for free in Britain without a European Health Insurance Card or any form of identification. A minister has revealed.GP’s have also been told by ministers that they are legally barred from stopping anyone from registering even if they cannot prove who they are or that they have a right to free healthcare.
Critics said the revelations, which came from a minister’s statement in Parliament, showed how lax controls are on Britain’s “open door” NHS.
An EHIC card allows anyone from a country in the European Economic Area and Switzerland to receive healthcare in Britain if they fall ill. The EEA is the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
In theory, Britain should then claim back the cost of the treatment from their home country. But, vast sums are believed to go unrecovered, often because health service staff do not ask for identification.
The most recent figures - for 2013/2014 - shows Britain claimed back only £50.3 from other European countries for healthcare claimed by their nationals in this country. That is compared with £750million the Government handed over to EU states to pay for treatment for Britain’s abroad.
This “health tourism gap” means the UK is now paying out £15 for the healthcare costs of Britain’s who fall ill abroad for every £1 it gets back for NHS treatment of European visitors.
Minister Alistair Burt made clear in Parliament just how easy it is for the world to use our NHS service for nothing!
Your views on the above please…… Are we to always be treated as mugs in this country?
16-04-2016, 01:48 PM
5
Re: Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
Originally Posted by Boozercruiser
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Gosh Shrops.
I wish you wouldn't wind me up like this.
I could go off on a rant, but I gotta watch my blood pressure!
I am now going to my dark room so as to have a lay down and try and get over my migraine.
Thank you very much!
x
16-04-2016, 03:13 PM
6
Re: Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
I know just how you feel !! it's enough to make one want to scream! I have to take long deep breaths to control my blood pressure!. It's as if this fart of a government is so intent on belonging to a federal superstate they don't care about handing our NHS services over on a plate for the world and his family to use and abuse whilst happily ensuring that payment for Brits taken ill whilst abroad don't even probably have to wait one week before our government is posting off the cheques to all the EU countries. Ever the obedient dog !!
16-04-2016, 03:32 PM
7
Re: Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
Originally Posted by shropshiregirl
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I know just how you feel !! it's enough to make one want to scream! I have to take long deep breaths to control my blood pressure!. It's as if this fart of a government is so intent on belonging to a federal superstate they don't care about handing our NHS services over on a plate for the world and his family to use and abuse whilst happily ensuring that payment for Brits taken ill whilst abroad don't even probably have to wait one week before our government is posting off the cheques to all the EU countries. Ever the obedient dog !!
Hi
This is absolutely naff all to do with the EU.
It is totally our own stupidity.
I want it stopped and stopped now, no waiting for any Referendum.
The absolutely stupid system applies to Non EU Citizens as well, we even give free Healthcare to the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.
We are mad.
16-04-2016, 04:58 PM
9
Re: Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
Originally Posted by APRICOT
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Yet another reason for Brexit ??
Why?
I cannot see your logic at all.
We have no need to pay for medical care for EU citizens now, we have no need to pay for ant medical treatment for anybody who comes to the UK.
We have no need at all to pay child benefit for kids living abroad.
Brexit will not change these things at all.
The fact is we choose to, we are not obliged by the EU in any way, shape of form to do so.
We pay £2 billion in Carbon Tax, other EU Countries pay more, they get 100% of it back in subsidies, we are the only EU Country not to use that money for our own benefit.
Absolutely nothing will change, in or out of the EU until we have the political will to put us first, like every other EU Country does.
Germany, France and Italy, who all psy more into the EU than we do are not in it because they like giving money away, they are in it to their advantage because they make it work for them.
It is about time that we woke up to the fact that we don't, we are a soft touch and it is about time that that changed.
Non EU related, we pay more into NATO than all those Countries and we also fork out more in Foreign Aid.
It is about time that stopped as well.
We also pay a fortune as a member of Five Eyes, the security service, France, Germany and Belgium pay naff all, yet we are the ones who supplied them with all the info on the Paris and Brussels attacks.
It is about time we started charging them for this as well.
We cannot blame the EU for all this, it is entirely our own fault and it is about time we stopped being a soft touch for all and sundry.
16-04-2016, 05:07 PM
10
Re: Health Tourist's NHS loophole !
Originally Posted by APRICOT
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Yet another reason for Brexit ??
YES! YES! YES APRICOT! (Love that colour)!
Amongst the hundreds of reasons, but don't let's go there!!
BREXIT!
BREXIT!
BREXIT!
And now I have another migraine!
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