Overseas visitor charge for using A&E

dan_starstream

My sister in law came to visit from Turkey.  She had severe pain and so my wife took her to A&E.  For some reason she was not triaged in A&E but sent straight to gastronomy department, where she had a blood test, a quick examination with a Doctor, and a pain killer.  We now have received a bill for over £1,000 because she is an overseas visitor.  I responded with a letter stating she wanted A&E and was never informed of potential costs or that she wasn't in A&E.  We received another letter informing us that she was chargeable and if unpaid it will effect her future VISA applications and the debt will be passed on to a debt agency.  We don't have that kind of money to splash about but I don't know where to turn.

Hoenir

Didn't your SIL have travel insurance? Doing so without is always taking a risk. 

Aylesbury_Duck

dan_starstream said:

My sister in law came to visit from Turkey.  She had severe pain and so my wife took her to A&E.  For some reason she was not triaged in A&E but sent straight to gastronomy department, where she had a blood test, a quick examination with a Doctor, and a pain killer.  We now have received a bill for over £1,000 because she is an overseas visitor.  I responded with a letter stating she wanted A&E and was never informed of potential costs or that she wasn't in A&E.  We received another letter informing us that she was chargeable and if unpaid it will effect her future VISA applications and the debt will be passed on to a debt agency.  We don't have that kind of money to splash about but I don't know where to turn.

You don't need to find the money, your sister-in-law does.  Her first port of call should be her travel insurance.  If she didn't get insurance, or didn't get sufficient cover, she either has to find the money or accept that future travel to the UK may be restricted or even prevented.

Personally, I'm glad the system is working.  I don't expect free medical treatment when visiting other countries.  I'm glad your SIL's treatment was free at the point of need, that's the main thing here.  Better to have treatment needed and face a bill than to turn away a person in need.  She should be relieved it works that way.

Rich2808

Its the NHS - they almost certainly won't follow up on the threat.

But it is the UK National Health Service - not the International Health Service - intended for taxpaying UK residents. We don't have any reciprocal health agreement with Turkey - like with the EU via EHIC - so treatment is not free. So visitors from Turkey need health insurance to cover not emergency care.

Aylesbury_Duck

Rich2808 said:

Its the NHS - they almost certainly won't follow up on the threat.

But it is the UK National Health Service - not the International Health Service - intended for taxpaying UK residents. We don't have any reciprocal health agreement with Turkey - like with the EU via EHIC - so treatment is not free. So visitors from Turkey need health insurance to cover not emergency care.

Rich2808 said:

Its the NHS - they almost certainly won't follow up on the threat.

But it is the UK National Health Service - not the International Health Service - intended for taxpaying UK residents. We don't have any reciprocal health agreement with Turkey - like with the EU via EHIC - so treatment is not free. So visitors from Turkey need health insurance to cover not emergency care.

I'm not so sure.  It depends upon the Trust involved.  Some are on top of these matters, others less so.

maman

I have to agree with other posters. I've just returned from Turkey where I didn't expect (or fortunately need) free health care. I took out travel insurance just in case of such eventualities. Hopefully your SIL did the same so she'll only have to pay the excess not the full £1000. 🤞

photome

Did she have travel insurance ? 

Flugelhorn

dan_starstream said:

My sister in law came to visit from Turkey.  She had severe pain and so my wife took her to A&E.  For some reason she was not triaged in A&E but sent straight to gastronomy department, where she had a blood test, a quick examination with a Doctor, and a pain killer.  We now have received a bill for over £1,000 because she is an overseas visitor.  I responded with a letter stating she wanted A&E and was never informed of potential costs or that she wasn't in A&E.  We received another letter informing us that she was chargeable and if unpaid it will effect her future VISA applications and the debt will be passed on to a debt agency.  We don't have that kind of money to splash about but I don't know where to turn.

this is the sort of thing that she took out travel insurance for and should discuss the bill with them - can't rely on just being able to go to A&E because that bit is free. 

elsien

If they had told her it wasn’t A&E, and the treatment was chargeable, would she have carried on or not? Because if she would then have declined the treatment, then clearly it wasn’t an emergency and A&E wasn’t appropriate anyway. 

soolin

elsien said:

If they had told her it wasn’t A&E, and the treatment was chargeable, would she have carried on or not? Because if she would then have declined the treatment, then clearly it wasn’t an emergency and A&E wasn’t appropriate anyway. 

That's a good point, it wasn't an' accident' which leaves the emergency bit- and if patient would have walked away from treatment due to cost and waited for their return home, then it wasn't an emergency either. 

As others have said it is likely than SIL will get away without paying but many Trusts now, especially London ones, do pass on the information via standard returns, and SIl may be faced with issues trying to re enter the UK at a later date. For £1000, which compared to many countries is relatively cheap, I would suggest paying, rather than wondering for the next few years whether she is blocked from the UK.

GrubbyGirl_2

Rich2808 said:

Its the NHS - they almost certainly won't follow up on the threat.

But it is the UK National Health Service - not the International Health Service - intended for taxpaying UK residents. We don't have any reciprocal health agreement with Turkey - like with the EU via EHIC - so treatment is not free. So visitors from Turkey need health insurance to cover not emergency care.

The NHS most certainly will.  All government departments work together on this so chances are she won't get back into the country without paying.  The NHS started clamping down on this when ex pats were returning to the UK to have their babies thinking that because they are British they were entitled toe free NHS care.  Even if you're born here, unless you are contributing to the state you don't get free care you have to be able to prove that you are ordinarily resident in the UK.  Government systems talk to each other more these days so more and more people are being caught out