MIGRANTS who travel to Britain from outside Europe for NHS treatment will be charged 150 per cent of the cost in a new crackdown on welfare tourism to be unveiled by ministers today.
Politicians are clamping down on welfare tourism[GETTY]The new measures could help claw back up to £500million spent by the NHS on treating foreigners.
Mr Hunt will announce that NHS trusts must take the personal details of foreign patients so they can be traced and made to pay.
The hospital will get 75 per cent of the cost of the treatment up-front and the same amount again when the patient pays the bill. Hospital trusts that fail to identify and bill chargeable patients will be fined.
There are an estimated 260,000 non-European foreigners in England who have legal access to NHS services.
Under existing rules visitors from outside Europe are supposed to pay for hospital treatment but the Government says only a fraction of charges are collected because hospitals mask how many foreign nationals they are treating to avoid chasing payments.
But the new rules will mean, for example, non-Europeans undergoing cataract surgery, which costs the NHS £1,867, will pay £2,800.
A non-European coming to the UK for a hip replacement will be charged £12,865 rather than the NHS tariff of £8,577. The measures follow a series of initiatives by ministers seeking to stop migrants milking the welfare state.
Jeremy Clarkson revealed the crackdown that could earn the NHS £500million [GETTY]An estimated 260,000 non-European foreigners have legal access to NHS services
Mr Hunt said: “We’ve no problem with international visitors using the NHS as long as they pay for it, just as British families do through their taxes. These plans will help recoup up to £500million a year, making sure the NHS is better resourced and more sustainable.”
Trials begin this summer in selected A&E departments to explore how details can be taken when patients register to make pursuing payment easier.
The move follows revelations from whistleblowers that hospital treatment was being billed to the health service for patients not eligible for free care.
It is estimated the savings of £500million could pay for 3,000 hospital consultants and 10,000 nurses. The announcement comes amid fears the ending in January of restrictions on migrants from Bulgaria and Romania is pushing up immigration and putting additional strain on the NHS.
Earlier this year the Government announced that migrants and overseas visitors will have to pay for accident and emergency treatment from the NHS.
Under the changes they have to pay for primary care services such as minor surgery carried out by GPs. There are also to be higher charges for services that are subsidised for patients entitled to free NHS treatment, such as optical and dental care. Consultations with GPs and nurses are still free.
No comments:
Post a Comment