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Doctors' fears that charging foreigners to access NHS treatment could result in infected people "wandering around" the UK have been dismissed by Jeremy Hunt.
The Health Secretary said he would not do anything that put public health at risk as he prepared to unveil a consultation on plans to ensure migrants contribute to health costs. Proposals include a levy on visa charges of around ?200 on any students or foreign workers who come to the UK for more than half a year. Free access to GPs for tourists and those staying less than six months may also be curbed under the reforms.
Mr Hunt said it was "extraordinary" that visitors do not pay for GP and emergency care and he was determined to tackle illegal immigration. "We have been clear that we are a national health service, not an international health service, and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system. It is right to ask whether that is fair to hard-working British families who pay about ?5,000 a year in taxes or whether we need to have a fairer system."
http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.u...ears-over-NHS-charges-dismissed-0-7567535.xnf
Apparently this whole notion that the NHS is being milked dry by foreign 'health tourists' is a complete nonsense. It costs the NHS around ?30m to treat people, but around ?21m is recouped, so we're talking less than ?10m out of a budget of ?100bn. Blown out of all proportion, like the Coalition's focus on 'benefit cheats and scroungers', which apparently account for around 0.5% of the benefits bill. Just politics, plain and simple
If they do introduce charges it will probably cost more to administer than it saves.
The Health Secretary said he would not do anything that put public health at risk as he prepared to unveil a consultation on plans to ensure migrants contribute to health costs. Proposals include a levy on visa charges of around ?200 on any students or foreign workers who come to the UK for more than half a year. Free access to GPs for tourists and those staying less than six months may also be curbed under the reforms.
Mr Hunt said it was "extraordinary" that visitors do not pay for GP and emergency care and he was determined to tackle illegal immigration. "We have been clear that we are a national health service, not an international health service, and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system. It is right to ask whether that is fair to hard-working British families who pay about ?5,000 a year in taxes or whether we need to have a fairer system."
http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.u...ears-over-NHS-charges-dismissed-0-7567535.xnf
Apparently this whole notion that the NHS is being milked dry by foreign 'health tourists' is a complete nonsense. It costs the NHS around ?30m to treat people, but around ?21m is recouped, so we're talking less than ?10m out of a budget of ?100bn. Blown out of all proportion, like the Coalition's focus on 'benefit cheats and scroungers', which apparently account for around 0.5% of the benefits bill. Just politics, plain and simple
If they do introduce charges it will probably cost more to administer than it saves.