Retirement abroad and medical insurance

missile

pollypenny said:

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. 

That proves exactly what I had said. EHIC card is their ticket to recover payment from NHS. NHS could do similar.

pollypenny

missile said:

pollypenny said:

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. 

That proves exactly what I had said. EHIC card is their ticket to recover payment from NHS. NHS could do similar.

Well, partly. The cover was just 75%. 

arnoldy

The whole EHIC system has been a disaster for UK, that's because the UK is the only country with the "free at the point of delivery" stuff. All the European countries pretty much are insurance based with co-payments - so they are all set up for charging and billing. Can you imagine that at your local NHS clinic? No thought not, that's why billions are draining out of NHS because we cant bill non Brits as the Europeans bill non Europeans  ( that's all our fault - not theirs).

macman

How exactly are you intending to gain residency, unless you have ancestry that entitles you to a passport from an EU country?
Why would you reasonably expect the taxpayers of your chosen retirement country to finance your healthcare in old age, when you have contributed nothing in taxation to that country during your working life?

middlewife

My son foolishly travelled to Sweden without medical insurance but thought he would be ok as he had an EHIC card..... wrong! He had a severe asthma attack and so was rushed to the nearest hospital which the ambulance crew explained in excellent English. What they failed to explain was that it was a private hospital so he was billed accordingly. He also missed his flight home and had to borrow money from us to get home. Lesson learned, ALWAYS get adequate cover.
Secondly, there are far too many health tourists who pop back and ask for all their NHS tests, treatment and meds for 6 months. We refuse and only supply 3 months, anything else has to be bought in whichever country they are going back to .The NHS is on its uppers, if uou can afford yo retire abroad, then you stump up. Rant over!

missile

pollypenny said:

missile said:

pollypenny said:

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. 

That proves exactly what I had said. EHIC card is their ticket to recover payment from NHS. NHS could do similar.

Well, partly. The cover was just 75%. 

As I said "billing agreed BEFORE treatment" and the payment is obtained after treatment.

Sterlingtimes

Neruda said:

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?

I wonder whether the insurer would exclude conditions as claims are made. For my parents who lived in the Canary Islands, the premiums increased hugely as they aged. Fortunately, the Spanish health systems were always very generous towards them. The post-Brexit conditions may have changed for UK nationals without residential certificates.