NHS costs & charges?

DontReuseUserNamesAcrossSites

My surgery is kicking me out because I've been away from the UK for too long. I normally spend half my time living in the UK but I've had to stop that due to travel restrictions.

How much are NHS charges for various services? Is there a schedule of costs somewhere to help me budget?

I guess this means I should stop paying national insurance.

It's a bit scary because I don't qualify for services anywhere else in the world and I don't know how difficult it would be to get registered back on the NHS again if I had to come back because I can't afford healthcare abroad?

There's not even a MSE forum section for the NHS.

Browntoa

You need to have a permanent UK address

I'm not quite sure how they discovered you don't unless you tried to change it to Spain 

DontReuseUserNamesAcrossSites

I have a permanent UK address in the UK. My doctor wrote me a letter. The people I live with scanned and sent it to me.

My previous doctor asked me about my work so I told him I worked at sea. He considered me non-resident.

 So I brought in my employer payslips and tax receipts.

This was a serious break of trust in the patient-doctor relationship for me.

I think that the previous doctor put a note on my file to say I'm non resident or something. Hard to say.

Anyway, the new doctor wants me to come into the surgery to have a checkup.

I don't really want to come to UK during the virus. 

I'm prepared to pay my way but I have to find a way to get past the vigilante doctors.

I want to know what I need to do to safeguard my health services. I'm only paying some tax in the UK now but it seems that even this is no protection.

I'm concerned that if I move back to the UK full time, I'll be denied service, USA style.

user1977

DontReuseUserNamesAcrossSites said:

How much are NHS charges for various services? Is there a schedule of costs somewhere to help me budget?

What sort of services? If you don't qualify for NHS services then generally you're paying private rates, there aren't general "NHS treatment but charged-for" tariffs. So e.g. if your GP isn't willing to treat you as part of their NHS services, you need to pay whatever they charge for private consultations. Or get suitable insurance.

elsien

Check the ordinary residence rules on p25. 

That’s what any decision will be based on.  The system is designed to prevent people visiting for treatment to avoid paying for it when they are living elsewhere but you can have ordinary residence in more than one country. Do you not have health insurance for where you are now for emergencies? 


https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1029984/guidance-on-implementing-the-overseas-visitor-charging-regulations.pdf

Aretnap

DontReuseUserNamesAcrossSites said:

I guess this means I should stop paying national insurance.

Depending on your residency and employment status you might not have to pay UK national insurance, but this will be independent of your entitlement to NHS treatment. National Insurance is a payroll tax that doesn't fund the NHS any more than any other tax does, and paying it or not doesn't affect your right to NHS treatment. It does affect your right to certain benefits, including the state pension. 

https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-if-you-go-abroad

DontReuseUserNamesAcrossSites

elsien said:

Check the ordinary residence rules on p25. 

That’s what any decision will be based on.  The system is designed to prevent people visiting for treatment to avoid paying for it when they are living elsewhere but you can have ordinary residence in more than one country. Do you not have health insurance for where you are now for emergencies? 


https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1029984/guidance-on-implementing-the-overseas-visitor-charging-regulations.pdf

I don't have health insurance elsewhere, no. I used to have BUPA but I found that it was limiting in what services you could claim for when I needed it, so I stopped it. I pay privately for each consultation, wherever I may be, including in the UK, at times.

I have my blood family, bank accounts and an address in the UK, a British passport etc.

My interpretation of p25 on guidance-on-implementing-the-overseas-visitor-charging-regulations.pdf  is that I still qualify for services but the individual doctor(s) want me out because I haven't visited that particular home surgery in many years.

Can any doctors here comment? Is there any incentive to seek out and boot off emigrants who came home for treatment?

tightauldgit

I'm not quite sure what your actual situation is because the OP seems quite confused. Are you currently living in the UK?

If you aren't living in the catchment area of the GP surgery then they can de-register you, but all that means is that when you come back to the UK to live you will have to register again. 

There is no charge for seeing a GP regardless of whether you are registered, not-registered, British, not-British, resident here or not resident here. 

Whether or not you pay NI has no connection to your entitlement to NHS treatment and vice versa. 

mgfvvc

DontReuseUserNamesAcrossSites said:

I guess this means I should stop paying national insurance.

National Insurance contributions determine your entitlement to the state
pension. There's no direct connection to the NHS.