Brexit: UK to pay health costs of retired Britons in EU if no deal agreed

[Northerner]

The government has thrown a potential £500m Brexit lifeline to 180,000 British pensioners in EU countries outside the UK who rely on the NHS to pay for their healthcare.

Health minister Stephen Hammond has said the government is committed to covering their healthcare for 12 months after exit day in the event of no deal.

“The UK government has committed to fund healthcare for UK nationals (and others for whom the UK is responsible) who have applied for, or are undergoing, treatments in the EU prior to and on exit day, for up to one year, to protect the most vulnerable,” he said in a ministerial written statement.

The move will come as a welcome relief to pensioners in countries such as Spain and France who were facing the immediate loss of the EU reciprocal arrangement whereby the NHS reimbursed the cost of their medical treatment.

https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ts-of-retired-britons-in-eu-if-no-deal-agreed

 

[mikeyB]

12 months then you’re on your own, mate. Another Brexit bonus.

 

[trophywench]

LOL - wonder if they'd like to pay mine and Pete's for a year after Brexit each time we go on holiday?

 

[Northerner]

It strikes me that what the government are doing is giving people a year to get things sorted for moving back to the UK, where we will have to support them through their remaining years rather than the EU. So, we get a net influx of people who will no longer be paying taxes in a lot of cases,unlike the current young EU nationals who come here to work. 🙄

I think that, whatever your perspective, this whole business has only served to make us look totally incompetent in the eyes of the world, and anyone who feels we can negotiate great trade deals in the future is obviously not paying attention