An Unnecessary Drain On Our Nhs?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2697892/One-14-new-mothers-maternity-tourists-182m-bill-births-short-term-migrants-visitors.html

Could this be a reason why our once world wide admired NHS is deteriorating, and how do these heavily pregnant women manage to get permission to fly here?

/// Most airlines will be happy to carry you up to 27 weeks pregnant without asking questions. After that, when the risk of going into labour increases, you may require a letter from your doctor or midwife confirming your due date. It should also state that you are unlikely to go into labour on the flight and that you are safe to fly. ///

[ChillDoubt]

Could this be a reason why our once world wide admired NHS is deteriorating
---------------------
It's certainly a factor. I'm surprised at 1 in 14, where I work I'd give a guesstimate of about 1 in 12.

[Farriercm]

Is it true that if a woman for example lives in Spain and gives birth to a child in the UK, Then returns to live in Spain, She can then claim child allowance from the UK.

[hc4361]

Farriercm. No

[Farriercm]

hc4361 good.

[New Judge]

Don't worry!

This will soon all be a thing of the past as only last week the government announced plans to charge non-EU migrants 150% of the cost of any treatment they received. This article gives the details:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-28291276

For those of us not fortunate enough to have attended a private school it goes on to helpfully explain that "Under these plans non-EU patients receiving a £100 procedure could get a bill for up to £150"

It also explains "...for patients with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) trusts will be re-imbursed one-and-a-quarter times the cost of treatment, if they pass details on to the Department of Health, so it can then pursue payment from the appropriate European government." (Note: "If" not "When").

So far so good. Er...not quite.

Dr Mark Porter, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, warned: "Without more detail, there are question marks over whether or not these proposals will be workable and if the NHS has the infrastructure and resources necessary to administrate a cost-effective charging system. The NHS was not set up to recover funds at the point of delivery of its services"

Quite so, but neither was it set up as an International Health Service (the clue is in the name) and so it needs to adjust. There are plenty of idle hands on the non-medical side in NHS establishments. Some of them should be tasked with gathering credit card details instead of gathering data about patients' ethnicity and sexual orientation. Personally I believe there is not a cat in Hell's chance of the NHS collecting much in the way of cash from foreign visitors. The organisation is driven by ideology and any thought of protecting the taxpayer by collecting money from those not entitled to free treatment is dismissed as as heresy.

[baza]

the other problem is after they have pupped down they then remain here and draw benefits.

[Peter Pedant]

Could this be a reason why our once world wide admired NHS is deteriorating, and how do these heavily pregnant women manage to get permission to fly here?

Nope it aint the reason

The bill is £ 182m - and the total bill for the NHS per year is around £ 60 000 m. Another screaming non sequitur. 27 weeks is NOT heavily pregnant.

If you are gonna write three sentences AOG try to make them link up in some way....

[anotheoldgit]

Peter Pedant

/// 27 weeks is NOT heavily pregnant. ///

Nobody said it was, read what it says "Most airlines will be happy to carry you up to 27 weeks pregnant without asking questions".

The problem is that heavily pregnant women are travelling to these shores so as to give birth, they are not staying over a long period to give birth.

As I have suggested before, perhaps you should consider changing your username, because you may think you are pedant, but you obviously don't show academic learning.

[black_cat51]

lol no need to change yours then!

[New Judge]

One other thing to consider is that these figures amount to about £3,600 per patient. It is highly unlikely that medical costs for a pregnancy amount to so little. And also bear in mind that this figure (£182m) only refers to the costs incurred by foreigners for pregnancy. I'm quite sure there are a number of other conditions which are treated at far greater cost. If a figure of 14% is used across all the NHS budget this amounts to about £9bn - a not insignificant sum.

[Farriercm]

AOG AND PP ,NOW NOW GIRLS CALM DOWN.

[Dodger666]

New Judge. I'll believe it when it happens.

[anotheoldgit]

Farriercm

/// AOG AND PP ,NOW NOW GIRLS CALM DOWN. ///

Are you suggesting it is only girls who get into confrontations?

That is rather belittling our female ABers isn't it