The Proposals

Under the proposals when would healthcare be free for overseas visitors?

• Everyone in the UK has a right to free primary care. Primary care is when you first go to a health centre, or to see a GP. No matter what your immigration status, you can register with a GP, but not all GPs will agree to accept you as a patient. A doctor cannot refuse you because of your race, gender, social class, age, religion, sexual orientation, appearance, disability or medical condition. For example, if your GP is refusing to register all foreigners while continuing to register British nationals, this could be unlawful.

If you are having problems registering with a GP, you can contact Project London.

• If you need urgent care, you can go to Accident and Emergency, often called an A & E unit. You will never be refused care, and you will never have to pay.

• If you are a child alone in the UK without your family, you should not be charged for care.

• If you have certain diseases that you can pass to others you will receive free care. You can get a list of these diseases at…?

• If you have a test for HIV, you do not have to pay. And if after your test, you need to speak to someone or have counselling, you will not have to pay.

• If you have asked for asylum in this country, you can have free hospital care/you can be treated in hospital while your application is being processed.

o Immediately necessary treatment is treatment necessary to prevent an illness from becoming life threatening or needed to prevent serious damage to health. This treatment will continue to be chargeable though it cannot be refused or delayed if the individual does not pay. This includes maternity care.

o Urgent treatment is treatment which is not immediately necessary but cannot wait until the person is expected to return home. This care continues to be chargeable. In cases where the patient does not pay in advance for this treatment, the draft guidance suggests that treatment should be limited to that which is required to prevent the condition from worsening.

So when DO you have to pay for healthcare?

• If a doctor decides that you do not need urgent care and that you can see a doctor when you return home, you will have to pay for your treatment if you want to receive it in the UK

• If you are pregnant (expecting a baby), you will have to pay for your maternity care though this care cannot be refused or delayed.

• You will have to pay for treatment for HIV/AIDS. But remember – you can have a free HIV test, and you can receive counselling free, or speak to an adviser of charge.

• If your asylum application is refused you will have to pay for hospital treatment you receive unless you are caring for children or the government recognises or accepts that there are reasons why you cannot return home – for example, if you are living on Section 4 support