Feb 6, 2017

Upfront charges for NHS 'health tourists' in England

NHS Improvement, which oversees the trusts, said hospitals would no longer have to chase money they are owed. Mr Hunt said: "We have no problem with overseas visitors using our NHS - as long as they make a fair contribution, just as the British taxpayer does." The changes mean that from April, foreign visitors needing urgent care will still be treated immediately on the NHS and invoiced if they are not to be eligible for free care. Dr Mark Porter, BMA council chairman, said: "There is no detail as to how upfront charging will be introduced from scratch in just three months, in an NHS already unable to cope with normal operations." A UK-wide poll of just over 1,000 adults by Ipsos Mori for the BBC shows that 74% of respondents support increasing charges for visitors from outside the UK to help fund the NHS..

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