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PEOPLE LIVING
OVERSEAS
If you go to live
overseas you will become dependant upon the local healthcare
system.
Once you have left the UK you will, generally, have no right
to use the British National Health Service except, of course,
in the same way as any other EU citizen. The EU has rules that
stipulate that member states must offer emergency treatment
to citizens of other member states. This means that if you
need emergency treatment whilst visiting the UK you will be
entitled to receive it from the NHS. This means what it says.
You will not, however, be entitled to arrange to come to the
UK for free treatment.
The detailed rules as to eligibility for medical treatment
in other EU countries, naturally, vary from country to country.
RETIRED PEOPLE
In general, if you are over UK retirement age you will
be entitled to receive medical care in any EU country in which
you live on the same basis as any local person. So will your
dependents.
You will need to understand the local rules as they will differ
from the rules to which you are accustomed. Some things that
you might expect to be covered might not be covered. Equally
the overseas system might cover items that are not covered
by our NHS.
Many local people will take out an insurance policy – usually
quite cheaply – to cover aspects of healthcare that are
not automatically covered by the local system.
Your passport
to this free care is in your form E121, obtained from the
DSS before you leave England.
WORKING PEOPLE
People who are working more or less full time
in ‘’official’’ salaried
employment – i.e. employment where they are paying
social security contributions – will also be covered
by the local systems. So will their dependents.
The self employed who are paying local social security contributions
will be similarly covered.
Both will need to understand the local rules.
PEOPLE NEITHER WORKING NOR OVER UK
RETIREMENT AGE
You will not
automatically be covered by the local scheme.
You will therefore either need to make arrangements to join
the scheme (paying whatever fee they charge in your case) or
you will need private health care insurance.
This is available from a number of local and international
companies. You will need proof of insurance when applying for
a resident’s card.
Not all countries permit you to contract into the state system.
For most of our clients the major factors when taking our
insurance are the scope of the policy – particularly
if they have existing medical problems – whether the
application form can be completed in English, whether the claims
process can be completed in English and the cost. There is
a wide variety of cover available and considerable variation
in the cost of cover.
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Before you decide to move overseas it
is worth checking your eligibility to healthcare and the cost
of both top up insurance
and full private health insurance. If you take any medicines
on a regular basis it is also worth checking whether you are
going to have to pay all or part of the cost of those medicines
and, if so, the likely sums involved.
PEOPLE WITH HOLIDAY HOMES ABROAD
If you do not intend to live
overseas but intend to have a holiday home in an EU country,
which you will visit for three
or four weeks at a time, you will not need health insurance
because you will be covered by the EU emergency arrangements
referred to above. You should take form E111 when you travel.
This is available from the DSS.
Despite your entitlement to emergency treatment it is well
worthwhile taking out a multi visit (otherwise known as an
annual) travel policy. This usually covers you for more than
the bare emergency arrangements (such as cover for repatriation
or loss of luggage) and costs very little. This usually cost
about £60 per year.
Note that the period for which these policies offer cover
is limited. Most will only cover you for individual visits
of up to either 30 or 90 days duration, so check the policy
carefully.
CHEMISTS
All chemists shops -Farmacias - display a large green
cross outside. They are open normal shop hours - usually 09.00
to
13.30 and 17.00 to 21.00 but are only open on Saturday mornings.
There will be an emergency chemist on duty in each town outside
these hours; details will be displayed on the door of all chemists.
To find out which chemist is on emergency duty, either telephone
the local police, the health centre or check on the door of
any chemist’s shop where the duty rota will be displayed.
The chemist will always offer advice on medication for minor
ailments.
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