I have borrowed Jims “Outrage Cudgel”. I have been on the waiting list for spinal surgery since last December(I have spinal stenosis) and it took me six months previous to that to even get on the list. I was originally told I would have my operation by the end of May this year. I have chased them up for a date and have been told “due to cutbacks in the Othopedic Dept they are unable to give me any timescale now!
Imagine how happy I was to read this in the local paper.
North Bristol NHS Trust, currently facing cutbacks of £28 million and the loss of over 400 jobs, has spent £2.4 million on treating foreign patients who are not eligible for free NHS care.
The trust, which covers Southmead and Frenchay hospitals, admitted to the huge scale of spending on ‘health tourists’ in an answer to a Freedom of Information request.
Since 2003 they have billed foreign patients who were not eligible for free health care a total of £2.4 million – and have succeeded in recovering on £688,000 of that from the patients, leaving £1,732,000 spent out on foreign patients with no entitlement to free treatment, a sum which is not likely to be recovered.
A question in Parliament revealed that, across Britain, £35.4 million had been written off as unrecoverable, a figure which beggars belief considering the huge cutbacks which our NHS is facing.
Chris Skidmore, Tory MP for Kingswood, said that “In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of foreign nationals, ineligible for free care, who have been using NHS services”.
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Indeed there has been, and if we wondered why – apart from our lax border controls of course – a spokesman for North Bristol NHS Trust spells it out.
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“Refusing patients medical treatment when they need it would be unacceptable. We have procedures in place to recover the cost of that treatment but unfortunately, due to the often transient nature of this category of patients, repeated attempts are, in many cases, unsuccessful”.
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Of course. Those presenting themselves for free treatment know that they’ve a very good chance of getting away with never paying, so they take a chance. The odds are good they’ll get away with it, the odds are that even if they turned up owing money we’d still treat them.
Britain has become a focal point for health tourists from all over the world – and it’s all of us that keep picking up the bill, even whilst we ourselves suffer under an NHS which is being forced to cut back services and staff in order to save money.
When I venture abroad I always take out Medical insurance(not through the travel agent its a rip off)
I learned that lesson some years ago in Ibiza when tending a young lad who was hit by a moped. The first thing the Ambulance Man asked him was did he have health insurance. That set me thinking and enquiring at my hotel I was told no health insurance meant basic patch up care in a State Hospital and send them home. Health insurance much better care for as long as needed in a Private Hozzy!:)
Perhaps Border Control should insist on seeing a valid Insurance certificate with their passport and if they have not got one deny entry into the UK.
By: nJayM - 2nd August 2011 at 21:20
Touché – most MPs akin to Managers ie “b..lsh.tters”
The entry visa period based health surcharge would simply be applied to one big policy run on behalf of a government investment in a private health insurance scheme which would pay out in the unlikely event of claims.
The Health tourists would slow down if not stop.
By: Lincoln 7 - 2nd August 2011 at 20:38
I think, as soon as they arrive in the U.K. reason for visit known or not, Passports should be siezed and a Daily Hospital/point of entry exit shown up so any unpaid bills be made to be paid before Passports are handed back.
I got booked for speeding 2 mph in Flagstaff, Arizona, which I had to pay at the Grand Canyon, South Rim Post Office.Had I not paid this fine, and at sometime later on in life tried to gain re entry into the USA I was told that entry permission would be refused.
Trouble is, there are no MPs of any Party that have the stones to put something workable into practice, big job, but thats why they get the big bucks.:(
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: nJayM - 2nd August 2011 at 20:15
Why not a statutory visa period related charge at port of entry
This should not affect EU citizens who can get E111 or equivalent and treatment at reciprocating NHS/state hospitals.
It concerns Non EU citizens who knowingly come to the UK to benefit from the as yet excellent free NHS treatment but can /may encompass Non EU citizens caught up in an accident of some sort.
Either way for Non EU citizens unless travelling on business (employer must pick up any health care costs or cost of immediate return air fare) there should be control of entry with a charge at UK port of entry or valid stamp endorsing tourist entry visa by British/UK High Commission or Embassy confirming payment at the time of issue of visa of the equivalent fee.
Extensions of visa will incur chargeable health care costs in increments of a calendar month.
Any unused periods of a UK entry visa in increments of calendar months can be refunded at UK port of departure.
I personally don’t see this as being something that cannot be brought in quite rapidly by implementing new UK legislation.
The fees would be advertised alongside visa requirements and be mandatory.
All private health insurance policies taken out by travelers would be unwieldy to administer primarily because verification of their authenticity would be almost impossible by Border Control authorities.
Any bona fide private health insurance polices may however re-imburse individual travellers for costs incurred if they opt to have private health care in the UK but this would be a private arrangement and not be a matter for Border Control. However the standard statutory UK visa period related charge would apply irrespective of any private insurance.
Yes airlines and travel agents will howl initially but after a few years of it being in place it would be simply de – facto.
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July 28, 2011 at 11:07 pm