Brits living abroad could regain their entitlement to free NHS treatment

At present, the only way British expats can access free NHS healthcare at home
is via a medical emergency, even if they’ve paid National Insurance contribution throughout their working lives.

The rule applies to those who spend more than three months of every year overseas and, along with losing the right to vote and the scandal of frozen pensions, has left a good number of expats wondering why they paid contributions for most of their lives. Relief may now be at hand on the heathcare issue, due to a recent government consultation on the NHS and its services.

The sticking point in the consultation was that migrants are entitled to free healthcare almost immediately, irrespective of whether they are temporary or permanent arrivals. The qualifying test is simply that applicants are ordinarily resident in the UK, and does not take into account whether they have paid contributions.

The issue has angered a large number of expats who have paid NI contributions all their working lives, only to find that, after they emigrated, they cannot claim free heathcare in their home country. The government’s plan to base free healthcare on seven years of NI contributions will be a lifeline for expats unable to afford the ever-increasing cost of overseas health insurance.

It may also encourage those wishing to emigrate but reluctant to do so due to the cost of medical treatment in their chosen country. UK state pensioners living permanently overseas who were ordinarily resident in the UK for over 10 years can get cover, as can those living in EU member states, although Spain is now reneging on this commitment.

The government consultation paper aims at clamping down on health tourism by overseas visitors. Plans to force a levy on arrivals from outside the European Economic Area and to end free primary care access for students from overseas have also been put forward.