UK patients pay £287k this year for treatment
Wednesday 17th November 2010, 2:29PM GMT.
HUNDREDS of UK visitors have been treated in Guernsey since the end of the reciprocal health agreement with the UK, paying the island hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Health and Social Services figures show that so far this year, 358 UK residents have been treated at the Accident and Emergency Department at the PEH.
And 71 UK residents have been admitted to hospital as in-patients this year, with 11 having surgery.
That has netted the department £287,000 over the course of this year.
The reciprocal health agreement allowed islanders to be treated free on the NHS if they fell ill in the UK and vice versa. But the agreement was ended by the previous UK government at the end of March 2009.
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If this figure is the amount that’s actually been paid (and not just owed) I should imagine there is still money outstanding.
The A&E costs would be quite low, probably no more than £100 – £150 each on average. The in-patients I think is around £100 a day (I think…!?). The highest cost would be with the people who had to receive operations running into thousands of pounds and of course long stays as in-patients.
Perhaps the majority of them had insurance hence the quick pay out, but what about the ones who didn’t? I’m not too sure about average Joe but I would struggle paying off a few grand in one go and surely there must be provisions in place for a pay- back option?
Also, what is the legal stance if a person from the UK comes here falls ill is given a hefty bill, they then go back home and forget about paying it? Would we have jurisdiction to chase?
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How much did Island residents spend on UK treatment over the same period ???
Only then can it be said who benefited from the now defunct UK Agreement, I suspect that the previous agreement cancelled by the then Labour Government in uk was cancelled to save the UK Money ??
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But what is still amazing, it that when a resident of Guernsey is treated in the UK, its carried out for free, they are also given council housing and benefits if they move here, this should all stop at once!
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Stevie – my understanding is that only A&E costs are covered in the UK – as they are for all visitors from anywhere in the world. A&E is not free here and so that is the difference. The UK chose to end the agreement unilaterally, so can hardly complain if it works out worse for them!
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