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The Agora => UK & World News => Topic started by: Maik on Monday, 06 February, 2017 @ 17:23:47
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Every NHS trust to charge health tourists 'upfront' under law change
Every NHS trust will have to charge foreign patients “upfront” unless they can prove they are eligible for non-urgent care, Jeremy Hunt has announced.
The Health Secretary said the law would be changed from April to ensure that overseas patients made a “fair contribution” to healthcare they received.
The move means anyone flying to the UK for non-urgent treatment such as a hip operation or cataract removal could now be turned away unless they agree to pay the NHS bill.
A handful of hospitals have introduced upfront charges for overseas patients already, with requirements to provide a passport and utility bill, to help officials establish entitlement.
But the vast majority currently attempt to chase debts after patients have left the hospital - often fruitlessly.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/06/every-nhs-trust-charge-health-tourists-upfront-law-change/
Reality Check: How much could NHS recover from foreign patients?
The claim: The NHS could recover between £200m and £500m annually from foreign patients if a system of charging them in advance for non-emergency care worked perfectly.
Reality Check verdict: The NHS recovered £289m in 2015-16 and £500m is the government's target for 2017-18. The NHS may struggle to meet that target, but it is not unreasonable to suggest that amount could be recouped by a perfect system.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38065810
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Interesting Q&A on the BBC website: What do you think of the following ways of increasing funding for the NHS? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38876527)
And an interesting opinion in that link:
Dr Meirion Thomas, a former cancer surgeon at the Royal Marsden Hospital, told Radio 4's Today programme that the plan was a "smokescreen".
"It is not going to work because there are not trained people to identify and charge overseas visitors upfront," he said, highlighting an example where there was one overseas visitor manager - who identifies those who do not qualify for free NHS healthcare - for three hospitals in London.
"Anyone going into any of the Schengen countries, when they apply for a visitor's visa, they have to prove that they have 30,000 euros worth of health and travel insurance and that is the cure for this problem in this country."