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NHS fees - right or wrong?

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    #11
    I do know of case here where a tourist fell ill without their EHIC. They were able to claim retrospectively - but the authorities are not obliged to allow that.

    In any case - if you travel outside your own country, even in Europe with an EHIC, make sure you've got proper travel insurance to cover any accident or sickness that, crucially, covers you to the same standard as at home. The EHIC is effectively a safety net, but it will only give you the same cover as locals. It won't get you home, repatriate your body etc.

    Still, pretty callous of the hospital.
    Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

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      #12
      I understand it's a tragic story but, let me get this straight. They traveled 8 months pregnant without travel insurance (costs peanuts) and/or EHIC (free), then cry for being charged relatively modest amount of £10k for emergency c-section. And somehow it's the NHS/hospital fault...

      If there is any fault in the NHS is that they don't apply the same "treatment" to all the health tourists.

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        #13
        Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post
        Still, pretty callous of the hospital.
        Some hospitals have jobsworths.

        Wales has way more than most(hospitals, councils and other public services).

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          #14
          Originally posted by cojak View Post
          When I had a skiing accident in France a few years ago the very first thing the doctor asked was 'I need your credit card details'. And he had no qualms about that at all.

          (I did have insurance but I had to cough up the dosh first and then claim it back once I'd got home.)
          EXACTLY. Try this in the USA - she wouldn't have got through the front door without a credit card or means to pay the bill.

          Does my chunk in people who don't insure or don't understand the consequences.

          I frequent a Florida facebook group and the "cash only" brigade crack me up.

          Again, try telling a medical provider in Florida that you're covered by xyz insurance. They are unlikely to have heard of and won't give a tulip. Also, most insurance providers will ask you to pay up front and claim back anyway. Do you want to stand there arguing while you're sick child is waiting for treatment and you're trying at 2am sunday morning uk time to convince an insurance company to authorise payment?

          Should be mandatory to have a credit card with you to cover emergencies. Of course, some of these people take only cash, no credit cards at all and assume they'll be ok. Crazy.

          (and don't get me started on cash limits for travel insurance. Its certainly NOT £2000-£3000 as some people take. Excuse is always "it won't get nicked I'm careful with it").
          Last edited by psychocandy; 10 July 2019, 12:00.
          Rhyddid i lofnod psychocandy!!!!

          Comment


            #15
            Originally posted by sal View Post
            I understand it's a tragic story but, let me get this straight. They traveled 8 months pregnant without travel insurance (costs peanuts) and/or EHIC (free), then cry for being charged relatively modest amount of £10k for emergency c-section. And somehow it's the NHS/hospital fault...

            If there is any fault in the NHS is that they don't apply the same "treatment" to all the health tourists.
            EXACTLY. Always remember the story of the young lady who broke her back in Egypt. She was giving horse riding lessons apparently.

            Her excuse was "insurance ran out and she forgot". Pretty sure standard insurance doesn't cover you for working anyway, even if she wasn't working illegally. More like can't be arsed to pay for insurance....

            Then you get the family bleating, woe is me, thousands to pay etc, just giving page.....
            Rhyddid i lofnod psychocandy!!!!

            Comment


              #16
              Originally posted by sal View Post
              I understand it's a tragic story but, let me get this straight. They traveled 8 months pregnant without travel insurance (costs peanuts) and/or EHIC (free), then cry for being charged relatively modest amount of £10k for emergency c-section. And somehow it's the NHS/hospital fault...
              Doesn't say where they were from - just Western Europe. For all we know, they might have popped across the channel on a day trip. So travelling 8 months pregnant isn't of itself irresponsible as you imply. If you read the article, you'll see that the person who reported this was a doctor - not the couple. We have no idea whether they cried over the £10K of emergency treatment - if you haven't got the money, you haven't got the money - most likely they were crying over the loss of their baby, which grief was compounded by not being able to take the body for a burial. And this was an emergency - not health tourism.

              Being unable to bury your baby seems a bit of a harsh punishment for forgetting a bit of paperwork. (Though they would almost certainly have been out of pocket for the repatriation of the body).

              Withholding the baby's corpse due to lack of immediate payment is sick.
              Originally posted by psychocandy View Post
              EXACTLY. Try this in the USA - she wouldn't have got through the front door without a credit card or means to pay the bill.
              Not true. In an emergency you will receive emergency treatment. Furthermore, even though some hospitals and medical centres may require payment up front for non-emergency care, not all do. Some will take a deposit on your credit card, some will be quite happy with an insurers guarantee of payment. Plenty of Swiss residents visit the USA every year. Some fall ill. But for some reason they don't have any difficulty getting treatment, even though a typical credit card limit is a few thousand, even for high earners.

              Also, most insurance providers will ask you to pay up front and claim back anyway..
              Also not true. You obviously lump for the cheapest insurance you can get.

              In answer to the original question posted by BP - yes, NHS fees are right and should be charged.
              Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

              Comment


                #17
                So at the same time as being outraged about foreigners using the NHS, people are outraged at foreigners being charged for using the NHS?

                OK a glib comment, primary care is and always will be free. However the OVM process is a nightmare, and I should know as I was tasked with overseeing the design of the new process when I was working at NHS Digital.

                Poor data comes from the Home Office on eligibility status, no centralised system so people can bounce from one trust to another without any cross checking and each trust interprets the guidelines in different ways often tracked on excel spreadsheets. Lets not get into the situation where once an invoice is raised the actual chasing of the payment, of and all the ex-pats living in Spain who come back to the UK for treatment to be told they no longer qualify for free treatment

                The new system is with Department of Health and Social Care to approve funding, but fixing the system is not cheap
                Originally posted by Stevie Wonder Boy
                I can't see any way to do it can you please advise?

                I want my account deleted and all of my information removed, I want to invoke my right to be forgotten.

                Comment


                  #18
                  Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post
                  Doesn't say where they were from - just Western Europe. For all we know, they might have popped across the channel on a day trip. So travelling 8 months pregnant isn't of itself irresponsible as you imply. If you read the article, you'll see that the person who reported this was a doctor - not the couple. We have no idea whether they cried over the £10K of emergency treatment - if you haven't got the money, you haven't got the money - most likely they were crying over the loss of their baby, which grief was compounded by not being able to take the body for a burial. And this was an emergency - not health tourism.

                  Being unable to bury your baby seems a bit of a harsh punishment for forgetting a bit of paperwork. (Though they would almost certainly have been out of pocket for the repatriation of the body).

                  Withholding the baby's corpse due to lack of immediate payment is sick.
                  Not true. In an emergency you will receive emergency treatment. Furthermore, even though some hospitals and medical centres may require payment up front for non-emergency care, not all do. Some will take a deposit on your credit card, some will be quite happy with an insurers guarantee of payment. Plenty of Swiss residents visit the USA every year. Some fall ill. But for some reason they don't have any difficulty getting treatment, even though a typical credit card limit is a few thousand, even for high earners.

                  Also not true. You obviously lump for the cheapest insurance you can get.

                  In answer to the original question posted by BP - yes, NHS fees are right and should be charged.
                  Agreed - withholding the body is well harsh....

                  About the USA. OK fair enough. Lots of "some will", "some won't" etc. Personally, I think its wise not to have to argue about whether its an emergency, whether insurer will pay etc. I'd rather bung a credit card to get things rolling without worrying about it.

                  e.g. if you're child is ill, upset but not dying, I'd like to get them seen asap rather than wait.
                  Rhyddid i lofnod psychocandy!!!!

                  Comment


                    #19
                    Originally posted by psychocandy View Post
                    Agreed - withholding the body is well harsh....

                    About the USA. OK fair enough. Lots of "some will", "some won't" etc. Personally, I think its wise not to have to argue about whether its an emergency, whether insurer will pay etc.
                    Well of course. But my insurer guarantees payment to the provider - if it isn't covered, my insurer pays, and then comes after me.
                    Down with racism. Long live miscegenation!

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                      #20
                      Should have handed back the babies body, it would be the decent thing to do.

                      They then should have gone after them for the fees after a few weeks.

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