Retirement abroad and medical insurance

Neruda

Has anyone made plans to settle outside the UK?

It seems that private medical insurance is necessary for most of the countries where one would be likely to want to retire, and the standard expat insurers will either not quote for someone of such an age or the quotations are very high. There seems little point moving to a country with a low cost of living if all the saving on living costs (and more) is paid in medical insurance.

Are there any ways to solve this problem?

missile

What have you been quoted by whom?

tonyh66

Im looking at retiring to France. We need 6-12 months private health insurance until we can become resident and enter into the french system. Even then the french system only pays a percentage of treatment costs so you need a top up insurance to cover the rest. Some of the quotes are eye watering £3k to £12k for one year.  Makes you appreciate the NHS...

Whats the solution? suck up the cost which is the route we are going (I think), if you check out the expat forums, some suggest contacting specialist brokers as they can get that cost down.

It depends on your health condition now, if your fit with no underlying conditions you could gamble with the minimum cover.

TELLIT01

Many countries have systems in place which require potential foreign nationals who are seeking to live there to have sufficient funds to support themselves, and medical insurance.  That is to prevent them being a drain on their systems before they have contributed to them.  Other countries may benefit by introducing similar systems.

MacMickster

Those receiving a UK state pension can still get an S1 form for the UK to fund their healthcare while resident in France, even after Brexit.

Savvy_Sue

TELLIT01 said:

Many countries have systems in place which require potential foreign nationals who are seeking to live there to have sufficient funds to support themselves, and medical insurance.  That is to prevent them being a drain on their systems before they have contributed to them.  Other countries may benefit by introducing similar systems.

Including, of course, the UK ... 

It seems entirely reasonable to me. 

arnoldy

Savvy_Sue said:

TELLIT01 said:

Many countries have systems in place which require potential foreign nationals who are seeking to live there to have sufficient funds to support themselves, and medical insurance.  That is to prevent them being a drain on their systems before they have contributed to them.  Other countries may benefit by introducing similar systems.

Including, of course, the UK ... 

It seems entirely reasonable to me. 

Because the UK has the "Free at the point of delivery" stuff that it makes it difficult for the NHS to pass on the cost of treating non UK patients back to their home countries. Virtually every single European country operates an insurance based healthcare system with co payments = which means they are on top of billing the NHS. On the other hand NHS cant really cope with it - hence the difference in ££s billions between what the NHS charges non-UK and what it gets changed for Brits abroad. 

missile

If you have ever received treatment abroad, you will know that even in emergency the first thing that happens is billing agreed BEFORE treatment.
When my wife worked in NHS and she saw same patients returning time and again for free treatment. Many UK residents in Spain who choose to visit UK for treatment.

Clowance

When I broke my ankle badly in Sardinia in 2019 I was taken to hospital (1 hour away) by a volunteer ambulance who were marvellous. However at the hospital I was left on a trolley in A & E without treatment until my husband had gone back to our self catering flat to get passport and EHIC card, which took two hours. Then (after a further wait) I received treatment. My travel insurance were useless as we couldn't get them on the phone. 
In contrast, I work for the NHS at a provincial hospital. We have a person employed to chase non Britons for payment but I think rarely succeeds, as once they have gone home that is the end of it. 

Flugelhorn

used to know of several people living abroad who would come back for an extending stay and more or less take up residence at the GP "wanting everything sorted before we go back and oh can we just have 6 months tablets"

No

pollypenny

missile said:

If you have ever received treatment abroad, you will know that even in emergency the first thing that happens is billing agreed BEFORE treatment.
When my wife worked in NHS and she saw same patients returning time and again for free treatment. Many UK residents in Spain who choose to visit UK for treatment.

I don't think so. When my aunt broke her hip in Belgium I was asked for her EHIC card, which was photocopied. She was billed on discharge. 

Years previously, I had cause to take daughter to doctor in France, had also gone along with others to interpret. In every case a bill was presented after the consultation.