Insurance on a fiancé visa

Hello all,

My fiancée will be joining me in the UK (next week! ) and we've only just twigged that we'll need to get her healthcare insurance for during her fiancé visa. We've been googling and searching through posts here but are just getting confused! A few questions if I may:

1. I assume we need to get US based travel insurance for visiting the UK?
2. Any recommendations of companies to try to get quotes from?
3. Any rough ideas of how much we'd pay for 6 months coverage? (She's under 30 with no pre-existing medical conditions)

Thank you for any info 

My fiancée will be joining me in the UK (next week! ) and we've only just twigged that we'll need to get her healthcare insurance for during her fiancé visa.

In case you didn't realise this either, she will need health insurance until she has been granted a FLR(M) visa after she has married. Just paying the Immigration Health Surcharge with her visa application, means that she still pays the NHS at point of use if that service is not free. The IHS contribution is returned if a visa is denied.

Valid, in time visa applications are covered under 3c of The Immigration Act 1971. Meaning that if her fiance visa expires while UKVI are making a decision on her FLR(M) application, she is still is under the conditions of her expired visa. For a fiance visa, those conditions are no working and paying the NHS at point of use if that service is not free.

To help you decide on the health insurance cover you need, these are the present rules on NHS services that are free. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide

In case you didn't realise this either, she will need health insurance until she has been granted a FLR(M) visa after she has married. Just paying the Immigration Health Surcharge with her visa application, means that she still pays the NHS at point of use if that service is not free. The IHS contribution is returned if a visa is denied.

Thank you for your reply, and thank you for clarifying that

To help you decide on the health insurance cover you need, these are the present rules on NHS services that are free. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide

Apologies for being a little dense, but reading that seems to suggest that under her visa, as a non-resident, she's covered for emergency care, covid, and a few other things. The basics, as it were. Which is sort of what we'd originally assumed. It wasn't until last week that we read a few  people (in fiancé visa discussions boards/groups) suggesting having to have separate insurance. For what reason would one require specific health insurance if the basics are free? Pre-existing conditions or something?  Because reading that page makes me think we really don't require extra coverage...

Apologies for being a little dense, but reading that seems to suggest that under her visa, as a non-resident, she's covered for emergency care, covid, and a few other things. The basics, as it were. Which is sort of what we'd originally assumed. It wasn't until last week that we read a few  people (in fiancé visa discussions boards/groups) suggesting having to have separate insurance. For what reason would one require specific health insurance if the basics are free? Pre-existing conditions or something?  Because reading that page makes me think we really don't require extra coverage...

If she has a fiance visa, she MUST have her own health insurance. Because ONLY very basic emergency treatment is free. Everything else must be paid for at full price (not NHS price).

If she has health insurance, she will be charged 100% of the full price.

If she does NOT have health insurance, she will be charged 150% of the full price.

So, if she has an accident, any treatment she receives in A&E will be free, but if she is admitted to a hospital ward or needs further outpatient treatment, she will have to pay for all her treatment, which could cost thousands.  If she is given prescriptions to fill, she will pay FULL price for them.. not the normal £9 NHS fee, but the actual cost of the medication, which could be expensive.

I believe a initial doctor's appointment may be free, but she would need to pay full price for any further treatment, any tests, any referrals, any prescriptions etc.

So, say she is given a prescription that costs £30:
- If she has health insurance, she will pay £30 for it and she can claim it back on the insurance
- If she does not have health insurance, it will cost her £45 out of her own pocket.

Or if she stays in a hospital and her bill comes to, say £1,500:
- If she has health insurance, she will pay £1,500 for it and she can claim it back on the insurance
- If she does not have health insurance, it will cost her £2,250 out of her own pocket.

If she has a fiance visa, she MUST have her own health insurance. Because ONLY very basic emergency treatment is free. Everything else must be paid for at full price (not NHS price).

If she has health insurance, she will be charged 100% of the full price.

If she does NOT have health insurance, she will be charged 150% of the full price.

So, if she has an accident, any treatment she receives in A&E will be free, but if she is admitted to a hospital ward or needs further outpatient treatment, she will have to pay for all her treatment, which could cost thousands.  If she is given prescriptions to fill, she will pay FULL price for them.. not the normal £9 NHS fee, but the actual cost of the medication, which could be expensive.

I believe a initial doctor's appointment may be free, but she would need to pay full price for any further treatment, any tests, any referrals, any prescriptions etc.

So, say she is given a prescription that costs £30:
- If she has health insurance, she will pay £30 for it and she can claim it back on the insurance
- If she does not have health insurance, it will cost her £45 out of her own pocket.

Or if she stays in a hospital and her bill comes to, say £1,500:
- If she has health insurance, she will pay £1,500 for it and she can claim it back on the insurance
- If she does not have health insurance, it will cost her £2,250 out of her own pocket.

I see, thank you for explaining!

Unfortunately she no longer has health insurance in the US since she quit her job. We got a quote for around $500 from World Nomads for travel insurance January to July. Does that seem right? They ask for a return date though, but she doesn't plan on returning to the US??

Unfortunately she no longer has health insurance in the US since she quit her job. We got a quote for around $500 from World Nomads for travel insurance January to July. Does that seem right? They ask for a return date though, but she doesn't plan on returning to the US??

I believe all travel insurance companies will want a return date, because usually to take out travel insurance, your journey has to start and end in your country of origin. Also, she may need the insurance for more than 6 months, as it's currently taking about 3-4 months for FLR(M) applications to be processed.

Just doing some Googling, it looks like Atlas International Insurance may be an option. They will insure you for up to 12 months, though it looks like you can extend your initial coverage to up to 12 months if you initially take it out for less. I just got a quote of $265 for 6 months of insurance and $533 for 12 months of insurance, That was the cheapest option though - you can add extra coverage/services if you want.

See: https://www.hccmis.com/travel/insurance/atlas-international-insurance//#/atq

Have you looked into taking out private UK health insurance rather than travel insurance? I'm not sure what options there are for that though.

Apologies for being a little dense, but reading that seems to suggest that under her visa, as a non-resident, she's covered for emergency care, covid, and a few other things.

Treatment for Covid yes, as that is in the UK's favour to do so and covid has been added to the infectious diseases that the UK treats for free, but what about any symptoms that she might get from Covid? All they said they would cover for free if she got Covid was -
treatment for COVID-19, including for a related problem called multisystem inflammatory syndrome that affects some children.


From that link for hospitals, just the patch up stuff is free from a hosptial.
"accident and emergency services, such as those provided at an A&E department, walk-in centre, minor injuries unit or urgent care centre (not including emergency services provided after being admitted as an inpatient, or at a follow-up outpatient appointment, for which charges must be levied unless the overseas visitor is exempt)"

If she has an accident/gets serious symptoms and need an operation/be admitted to a ward, then she will have to pay and that will run into thousands. As the link showed and ksand pointed out, without insurance she pays 150% of the NHS costs.

The NHS can refuse non-life saving treatment unless she pays up front. Life saving treatment will not be refused, but she is still billed at 150% of the  NHS cost..
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/dying-man-hit-32k-bill-15731625

NHS debt of £500 plus means that she would be refused a visa to remain or to enter. She would need to enter into a NHS debt repayment plan for them to consider a visa for her to remain in the UK.

Insurance is one of those things that you have to buy, but that you hope you will never use.

You’d be surprised how many people have an unexpected pregnancy.  That’s actually what we’ve seen screw people.  We’ve had one cancer case.

So yeah, get insurance.  It’s a drop in the ocean for the cost of this move.

Correcting what I put here.

without insurance she pays 150% of the NHS costs.

Even with insurance, they are billed at 150% of the NHS national cost.  The UK government recommend you have insurance so that you can use the NHS payment receipts to claim the money back from your insurer.


Also

From October 2017 the law was changed in England-
Non-life threating treatment can be refused by NHS England if the full estimated cost of billed treatment is not paid in advance to the Trust.
If a clinician decides treatment is urgent and that booking a flight straight away to travel  home for treament would be life threatening, they will give limited treatment without the payment up front if needs be, to enable that person to fly home to continue their treatment, but this will be  billed at 150%. The hospital cannot waive this debt. NHS England now use international debt collectors who can collect the debt/collect the debt when that persons finances improve. Some countries have reciprocal health agreements with the UK for visitors and treatment given and who that cover applies to, will vary from country to country.




NHS debts of over £500 can effect future visas to remain or enter the UK.

Those who have a valid IHS and who live in the UK, can use the NHS as a residing British citizen can, unless it is for assisted conception.

Those who hold British citizesnship or Irish citizenship, or a valid ILR/valid EU Settled Status/valid EU Pre-Settled status will have to prove they are residing in the UK to not be billed/refused treatment without payment in advance, unless an exemption applies.

If you are a UK national returning to live in the UK, you will need to prove you really are living in the UK to be eligible for free healthcare.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-nhs-when-you-return-to-live-in-the-uk

There are different arrangements for using the NHS for British citizens who resided in the EEA/Switzerland, before the end of the transition period (Exit day).