Top NHS surgeon says £200 immigrant levy will destroy NHS as immigrants will flood in

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2477212/200-NHS-levy-foreigners-attract-health-tourists-Top-cancer-surgeon-claims-disaster.html

Surgeon says the £200 will encourage immigrants to come here particularly health tourists to get all their medical treatment for only £200 when Brits pay thousands in taxes

Quote- ‘If you sell to the visitor what is essentially a travel insurance of £200, the health tourists will go, “Wow, that’s even easier than it was before with all the loopholes; we had to jump a few fences before.

'"All we are going to do is pay £200, which is the best travel insurance on the planet and it gives us entitlement to NHS care”.

I have to say I agree so is it time we just say if you want to use the NHS you have to pay the full cost up front or go back to your own country and get healthcare there.

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First option.

What a stupid idea. I fully agree with the surgeon.

Reply 3

billydisco

No doubt Nick Clegg thought up this one......

Why don't they just have smart people run our country? :confused:

Reply 4

MJ1012

Original post by billydisco

No doubt Nick Clegg thought up this one......

Why don't they just have smart people run our country? :confused:

They know to pick a better career...

Reply 5

Studentus-anonymous

While I'm fine with tourists/immigrants getting needed medical care at the 'point of deliver' I think it's only fair we at the least discreetly mail them the bill afterwards,

I expect to pay for my medical costs such as they may be when I go abroad it seems only fair (something the UK seems big on?) that tourists and non-legal visitors have to pay up or otherwise prove their residency status.

Reply 6

All-rounder

Original post by Ace123

I hate to say it, but there's not much point in us screwing up our economy in an attempt to better the lives of people that aren't even going to contribute to our economy...

Reply 7

Stark98

Immigrants should pay a higher levy upon entry, and then perhaps the £200 on a regular basis. For example, £400 on entry, then £200 for every 3/6 months spent in the UK until they've worked here for 5 years or become UK citizens. Further charges may need to be applied for very costly procedures, as well. Of course, I'm not an expert on it, but at the moment we're giving away a world-class health care service for nothing, and the Government's proposals are selling it for a fraction of its worth and that's not fair to the British taxpayer.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 8

Rakas21

Original post by billydisco

No doubt Nick Clegg thought up this one......

Why don't they just have smart people run our country? :confused:

Nope, this came from May as did the plan to charge immigrants a few thousand to settle. The Lib Dems just argued for a lower amount.

Reply 9

SillyEddy

Wouldn't it just be easier to require healthcare insurance for non-EU visitors? Let those companies deal with it instead. And no, this should not be an expensive solution which destroys tourism - Travel insurance can cost just a few quid and would hopefully mean the money is properly collected. It would not be our problem nor our loss if we couldn't chase up an individual for it, it would be the responsibility of the insurer.

Reply 10

billydisco

Original post by Rakas21

Nope, this came from May as did the plan to charge immigrants a few thousand to settle. The Lib Dems just argued for a lower amount.

She is actually pretty stupid- whenever I hear her speak I just think "of course you will love"....

Reply 11

Llamageddon

My understanding of it is that the levy is not permission to use the NHS freely, but is taken in the knowledge that some will. The problem is in the way that the NHS is ran, namely that it is a service free at the point of delivery, and is not considered a "public fund" in the official terminology sense.

The conditions on the visa itself will not be changed and so there will be no additional rights or restrictions that the immigrant will have access or be subjected to.

I would be interested to see how this is actually implemented. Which visas are they attached to? Work visas? You come in on a tier 2 visa and as a general rule private health care is part of the package you receive from your employer. Tier 2 visas are given to professionals such as engineers, scientists, accountants, lawyers. Student visas could be a different matter. Now we get to the big ones. Visitor visa, people who breach the conditions of it and illegal migrants. Here illegally and you won't have a visa. Are we going to pump up the cost of a visit visa? So, when a Chinese national comes here for a 4 day trip before popping over to Paris, we're going to charge them £200 more? The lost revenue from that would be significant. Will we charge more for a 10 year multiple entry visit visa than a 6 month one? Even though the former is much less likely to use the NHS? What about a medical visit visa, a precondition of which is that they must have booked and paid for private healthcare in the UK?

I'm not sure how this would work and whether it would be a good idea. I guess we just have to see what it looks like when it's fleshed out.

As for charging people who had no right to the care. Sure, we do that. It has to be both discovered from the hospital end, charged for and the Home Office informed. Having unpaid medical bills is a criteria for refusing people entry into the UK, but it can be very hard to chase after money once somebody has returned home. Especially when, as is often the case, they don't even have the money.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 12

Gjaykay

Original post by billydisco

No doubt Nick Clegg thought up this one......

Why don't they just have smart people run our country? :confused:

Are you one of those people who have to wear water wings when they eat soup?

Or are you just being a tool for the sake of being a tool?

Reply 13

billydisco

Original post by Gjaykay

Are you one of those people who have to wear water wings when they eat soup?

Or are you just being a tool for the sake of being a tool?

If you could explain the reasoning behind your reply I would be VERY impressed....

Reply 14

Gjaykay

Original post by billydisco

If you could explain the reasoning behind your reply I would be VERY impressed....

You made a baseless and idiotic comment, and I was being hilarious :smile:

Reply 15

defnek

Britain has been run as a charity for too long.

Reply 16

Blazinq

Here's me thinking the Tories were in favour of capitalism..

Reply 17

CEKTOP

It seems as if nobody here actually understands how things work. All tourists are required to have health insurance, the new levy only applies to non-eea students, tier 2 visa holders and all other visa holders (e.g. family members of t2 holders etc). They would only be charged £200 if they decide to register with the NHS and use its services. Being an international student I would never spend a dime on the crappy NHS with its queues and often substandard medical services.

Reply 18

billydisco

Original post by Gjaykay

You made a baseless and idiotic comment, and I was being hilarious :smile:

Its not baseless and if you looked at the person who quoted me first- they were spot on. All our best talent go in to the private sector and the HoP are the remnants of the wannabes/power-freaks....