Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Information and Services in Turkey Section => Health & Healthcare => Topic started by: Kevin Sowten on July 29, 2014, 12:54:20 PM
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I read some time ago (can't think where ?) that the rules were being changed and that
provided that you have made enough NI contributions (30 years ?) you would be allowed
to use the UK NHS services free of charge despite living abroad.
Has this happened ? Is it proposed ? has it been quashed ?
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There was a consultation paper published last year and they were looking at basing access to the NHS on your NI contributions, as opposed to the "residence based" access currently in operation. The changes were forecast to be implemented in 2014, but haven't seen anything to suggest they have been.
The papers are here if you want to read through them:
Migrant access to the NHS (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/migrants-and-overseas-visitors-use-of-the-nhs)
One of their goals is "considering how to exempt expatriates who have paid National Insurance from being charged when visiting the UK" but when I looked through the Outcomes document, it wasn't mentioned.
JF
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Thanks for that John - I'll make some enquiries.
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Let us know how you get on - its the fact the EHIC (old E111) card becomes invalid after six months out of the country that I'm concerned about just now.
JF
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In March this year my wife and I went back to the UK for a visit. Within a week I was taken down by illness which at first was diagnosed as pneumonia. It became worse and after being finally decided that I actually had Avian Tuberculosis,a very nasty though non-infectious cousin to normal TB. I am still receiving treatment (14 pills daily plus 3 Amakaycin infusions via mid line every week.
It is this treatment which prevents me from returning to Fethiye for another six months or more.
Anyway, the point to this that I am aged 69 and in receipt of a full UK Government pension. Shortly after my admittance to hospital (I spent the first 11 weeks in there), I was asked about my residency and openly admitted that it was in Turkey.Given that answer the hospital Admin Office people asked for proof of my pension.
My wife phoned the Pensions people and the very same day they faxed to the hospital that I was indeed in receipt of the pension. The Admin person returned and said that as I had a full pension, under the NHS rules, I would not be charged for any treatment.
Considering the amount of x-rays, scans and other treatments I have had, and still am receiving, I cannot imagine what the cost would have been.
If this had happened in Turkey, without SGK or private Insurance cover I dread even more to think of the cost!!
Anyway,that is my experience of an expat non EU resident and the NHS. Everybody's experience will differ.
It will be at least another 6 months before we can even think about coming back to our apartment in Tuzla, Fethiye and everybody we know are sadly missed.
TC :( :( :(
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How awful for you Tuzlachap! I hope you feel much better soon. The only thing to be thankful for is that It didn't happen before you left to come to Uk. You couldn't possibly have flown being so ill and as you say it would have cost a fortune without SGK etc. wishing you a speedy recovery and return to Tuzla. :)
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I thought that if you were retired before you moved to Turkey and therefore had paid your national Insurance contributions and were in receipt of a government pension then you were automatically entitled to free treatment if you returned to UK. I was told this by a person working in the health sector but like Turkey rules change all the time so it would be interesting to find out for certain.
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I know that if I walk into a UK hospital and give a UK address, they will see to my needs. If I couldn't give a UK address then I believe that's a whole new ball game.
Even though I still pay tax on my pension and I've paid more than 40 years of NI contributions, my understanding is that spending a single trip of six months or more outside the UK excludes you from NHS entitlement. It's a laugh when you think about it
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wear a turban rims soon get sorted.
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Basically if you live abroad for more than 6 months a year then you will only get emergency treatment. Anything else will be chargeable.
That's a very basic summary and I'm sure there will be ways around it - unless they check your passport ;-)
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/healthcare_e/healthcare_help_with_health_costs_e/nhs_charges_for_people_from_abroad.htm
If you get a UK state retirement pension and live in the UK for at least 182 days a year (in Scotland and Wales, six months a year) and live in another European Economic Area (EEA) member state or Switzerland for the other part of the year. If you have registered as a resident of another EEA state or Switzerland, you may be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment if you fall ill during a trip back to the UK
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More from the Telegraph:
Katrina Osman of IHC Employee Benefits said: “Many people don’t realise that once they move abroad then they can’t simply return for a holiday or to visit family and use the NHS for non-emergency treatment. If you live abroad for more than three months you don’t automatically qualify for NHS treatment, even if you still have a UK passport.”
She said those returning from Spain needed to be resident in Britain for at least six months before they could access NHS services. They would then need to register with a GP and be put on the waiting list for treatment, which could result in a further six to 12-month wait.
Although the rules have been in place for a number of years, Ms Osman said “it is only in the last two years we’ve seen them being more widely implemented”.