Health care and prescriptions

Hi,

My husband and I will be moving the the UK at the end of the summer. He'll be on a Tier 2 ICT visa and I will be on a Tier 2 ICT dependent visa (we both work at the same company). We'll have some sort of global health insurance provided to us, but I'm wondering if I should try and go to my doctor in the US and get a year's worth of prescriptions filled before I leave. We're thinking we'll have annual home leave, so I could just continue refilling 12 months' worth of prescriptions here. Then, we could find a physician in the UK for 'emergencies' but not need them for routine stuff.

Has anyone tried this? Am I crazy for thinking it?

Thanks for your help!

It depends.  I did that when I came but I learned some things.

You get free healthcare with the NHS on your visa.  Prescriptions are about £7.50 (flat rate).

But birth control is free.  I got a years worth of birth control before leaving and could have had it here at no cost.

Basically if you can get your prescriptions for less than £7.50 per refill, do it in advance.  If its more than that, get it here (make sure you have a bit available to have time to get setup with a GP).

Some medication isn't prescribed here though, so you should check that out.

Wow. Good to know...it is birth control pills that I was talking about

Our visa application says something like "I understand I may be billed for medical treatment while I am in the UK...", so I thought that meant we weren't eligible for NHS. But, I'll just go ahead and get a couple extra months (to give me time to find a doctor) and not worry about the full year.

Thanks!

Wow. Good to know...it is birth control pills that I was talking about

Just so you know, some birth control pills are not available in the UK. Don't panic, though - most are! The one I was on in the US was not available, but my GP found the closest thing to it and all has been well. There have been a few topics about this on the forum if you are concerned and want to have a look. Here's one I was able to find:
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=71328.0

There is a website somewhere that lists all the pills available, but I can't for the life of me find it right now!

Prescriptions are about £7.50

Not sure where the OP is moving to, but for the record they're free in Scotland! 

Thanks everyone... I'm currently on Seasonique, but it's pretty much the same as Ortho Novum. It's dispensed in three month packs, so I'll just get two from my doctor before I leave. That will give me 6 months to get things sorted out.