Author Topic: SGK Letters  (Read 11265 times)

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Offline Rimms

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #10 on: January 19, 2014, 15:19:44 PM »
Lee, I don't agree about married couples having to pay double, as far as I can make out it's being said that once you are in receipt of a state pension then you can no longer be covered by SGK. I do however realise that the Fethiye office seem to live in some sort of parallel universe where they can put on their own interoperation of the rule changes and it seems, their interpretation changes from hour to hour depending on who you see.

I think the fundamental problem is that SGK believe that UK pensioners automatically qualify for NHS, which of course they don't having been away from the UK for more than 6 months.

Let's hope the second meeting the consulate have with SGK next week bears some fruit, or at least, some clarity. 



Offline LeeGlo

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #11 on: January 19, 2014, 18:38:20 PM »
Rimms, yes, I agree with the points you're making. I don't think it's just Fethiye office though I don't think ANY of the regional offices know what the current rules are and are making it up as they go along to the detriment of all concerned.

My point was that IF they eventually agree to UK pensioners being accepted are they going to revert to the original deal whereby married couples are both covered on the one premium. Particularly now they have sent out letters to tell people their spouses (if receiving a pension) are no longer covered.  Note that in most cases the registered person is also old enough and is probably receiving a pension, but the letter refers only to spouses. It doesn't say "oh by the way if you're on pension you're off the scheme as well".  As you say (mis)interpretation of the rules is a problem.

 As you say lets hope we get some clarity from the Consulate, sooner rather than later.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2014, 18:53:03 PM by LeeGlo »

Offline busybee

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #12 on: January 20, 2014, 08:01:38 AM »
Our SGK payment for Dec is due, Mick apparently not entitled now, so we have decided not to pour any more money into the scheme.

I got his 2 BP meds, Cholesterol, Baby Aspirin for 45TL in chemist recently.  If they stop these over the counter drugs, what then.

We have paid 7680TL into SGK, which included a back payment of 2400T L(due to misinformation form all authorities, police, British Consulate, passport police) for something we never had!!! Having added 3mthly check ups/med costs, it totals nearly 8,000TL!!!! Many of our friends have had brilliant ops, treatment during SGK, so I am not knocking the scheme. It has been a safety blanket, for us expats. Hence wanting to participate.

In all honesty was never meant to be for Brits.  Turkey and the UK has never had any reciprocal health care agreement. This has been a total  debacle from start to finish. Mick is now saying " I told you so"...... as he never wanted to join. We have a contingency fund and I wished to God I had the above money to add to it.

I am entitled to re apply, in my own right, which will be only for a period of 17mths. Shall I bother, YOK YOK YOK.  Can we get private medical insurance at our age?  What will happen if we have a heart attack, stroke or major accident???? !!!! and not able get back to the UK???? Yes we shall get treated, but at what cost....

Our choice to live in Turkey for our retirement, we could have stayed in the UK and spent our hard earned cash, owning one leg, of a racehorse!!!! Why has our government let us down so badly, in this very important issue.  We have worked hard, paid  NHS all our lives, bought our houses, set up our businesses and surely entitled to health care, somewhere!!! lol, without having to tell lies, to register with a UK Doctor.

Do any of the 50,000 Turks who live in UK, get refused NHS medical treatment.  I dont think so. How would Turkey react, if they had to be sent home............We are not asking for free medical care, just the right to be on SGK and pay into the system. 

Sorry guys RANT OVER, please email Jeremy Hunt, Minister of Health, with your concerns, it may make a difference, to the outcome of talks, planned soon.

Offline davybill

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #13 on: January 20, 2014, 08:37:16 AM »
Agree with everything you have said,Busy bee,we have declined the Sgk since it started,has have
No trust in it whatsoever.

Offline Jack13

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2014, 09:04:55 AM »
thanks for all the feedback on this very touchy subject for some of the expats living in calis. our payment is due at the end of this month. have decided to wait and see if anything comes back from the proposed meetings sometime this week. wont be holding my breath.

Offline Rimms

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2014, 13:31:06 PM »
I paid my January premium yesterday and just to rub salt in the wounds, Its gone up !!!

Offline LeeGlo

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2014, 18:10:43 PM »
Totally agree with you Busybee, a proper shambles, which SHOULD have been sorted by the British Consulate/Government back in Jan 2012. If it was on the cards that SGK were eventually going to invoke their rules re pensioners then we should NOT have been allowed to join in the first place. Like you we have paid in around 5,000 Lira and have not had to use the scheme, would have been better in the bank.

We thought it would give us "peace of mind" in the event that either of us had a medical emergency, and I agree it was a very good scheme when we joined, but all this "are you on it or off it" is doing our health and tempers no good at all.

What do you have to do to opt out? That is a serious question by the way, advice appreciated. Given that we (my husband that is) only signed a few months ago to stay IN, nothing was said then about pensioners. If I was being cynical I would say they just wanted a few more months' contributions in the pot before they dropped the bombshell.

Offline busybee

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2014, 07:10:09 AM »
I would suggest, if it is decreed that you are not entitled to SGK, trawl the insurance companies to see their cost and cover.  Many of our friends have private cover at a good price, but are younger than us. 

Mick's Mum died of a heart defect, aged 32. Alarm bells always ring when he reveals this, it was operable but in those days only given 50% survival rate. To ensure that it wasn't hereditary we paid 2,500TL for an angiogram etc. and  touch wood, his ticker, is in great shape. Takes BP and cholesterol meds, like many other folk of his age. I ensure his diet is good.

With his age, think private is pretty slim.....So me thinks, there isn't an alternative, except our own money. God forbid, if we did incur huge medical costs, yes we could afford it, but it would seriously impact our lifestyle here...........as we all get older, health probs, become more common........we are not earning anymore, many, just on living on their savings and government pension.  It doesn't make you feel easy in your retirement.  Our choice to live here, so I suppose we just have to suck it up or think again, or live in hope that our Government will help us.

Offline Rimms

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2014, 11:07:57 AM »
I've now been back into the insurance company in Fethiye who have spoken to each of the seven different insurers they use. Most, as expected had little or no interest in providing cover for an ageing set of ex-pats, however, a couple of them have responded positively but understandably wish to understand a little more about their 'risk' before committing to premiums or conditions.

The three things they want to know are:

1, How many people are likely to join the scheme

2, Age/Male/Female

3, Known pre-conditions.

Armed with this information they will be able to work out monthly premiums and whether medicals are required etc. The good news was that one of their assessors had indicated that if there is a sufficient volume of people spread over a variety of ages then the premiums could work out at around 1,200 lira per year for full cover.

The problem is of course, I've no idea how to go about collecting the sort of information required?
 

Offline LeeGlo

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Re: SGK Letters
« Reply #19 on: January 21, 2014, 13:31:54 PM »
Good work Rimms, apart from this forum and maybe a couple of others, perhaps Facebook, I don't know how you'd get the information. You could stand outside the SGK office with a banner - joking of course. I'm sure lots of folks are very grateful for the trouble you've gone to getting the low down from alternative providers.

It's us oldies who are the problem of course, insurance companies never really want to take the risk of having to pay out more than they are getting in premiums.




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