NHS Fees Confirmed

Oh snap!  I thought all Tier 2 were good.  Thanks for that!

I forgot to put that link
https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/when-you-need-to-pay

So we're being charged £600 per person for our Tier 2 visa renewal, because it's "up to 3 years." Except my husband's contract is just for two more years. Will we be refunded for the year we won't be here? The website is very unclear.

No.   

#15

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/progress/assets/documents/Surcharge_Customer_QandA.pdf

"Customer"....good lord.

Ugh. Of course.

Well I heard back from UKVI, shock of all shocks! Turns out we will have to pay for the full three years up front but once our visa application is reviewed, we'll get a refund for one year since the sponsorship letter is only for two years. I'm not super confident we'll actually see that money but I'm trying to be positive right now or else I'll scream!

On the positive side the 3 years of health surcharge is less than 1 month of (family) health insurance here in the US on a plan with a $10k annual deductible. 

I agree with your point, std99, but it irks me that we are paying taxes into the NHS just like everyone else, but we're getting hit with this surcharge simply because we are immigrants. That seems patently unfair to me.

That seems patently unfair to me.

Not only is it unfair....but it will almost certainly cost more to administer than it will bring in.

But I guess the British people approve of these sorts of things....

I agree with your point, std99, but it irks me that we are paying taxes into the NHS just like everyone else, but we're getting hit with this surcharge simply because we are immigrants. That seems patently unfair to me.

But not every immigrant is paying taxes, remember.

Its a hard one.

Without it turning into a huge political debate i think the populous masses believe the daily fodder from the daily mail and daily telegraph that the NHS is collpasing due to the overuse by immigrants. Dig deeper and i dont think it is.   

I also supsect had the lib dems not been in coalition the fee may have been even more!

My parter has moved here and is retired so pays no tax directly but of course pays VAT and all other indirect tax. I still work and pay tax and NI so feel I fund his use of the NHS.  To be made to pay again via the levy is something that Im not thrilled about but better than say not being able to sue the NHS at all

I think it is unfair that people here on working visas and so pay Tax and NI are not being treated fairly by being subject to the NHS levy.

However as sdt99 says in the scale of things the cost isnt as much as buying healthcare in North America.

i think that the fee will only rise year on year and I feel lucky we only have pay the once in 2016 for the flr(m).

My partner isnt thrilled about the fee but also says its less than his annual healthcare fee he paid in the USA; his treatment has been at times better than he got in the USA and having seen his mother paying $00s a month in her 80s to top up her medicare and he knows after the £500 he wont be paying it in his 80s we feel pretty lucky

I agree with your point, std99, but it irks me that we are paying taxes into the NHS just like everyone else, but we're getting hit with this surcharge simply because we are immigrants. That seems patently unfair to me.

That's not how the NHS works. Working in the UK and paying taxes to the UK has never given free NHS access to everyone  because working in the UK has nothing to do with being allowed to use the NHS for free. The N in the NHS stands for national and it's the British nationals healthcare system, free to all those Brits that reside in the UK or EU. Brits don't have to be working in the UK and paying taxes to use their own healthcare system for free.

Some of those foreign nationals whom the UK did allow immediate accees to free healthcare (as you said you and your family did significantly in the first year) will now contribute something towards the NHS before they arrive, by paying an IHS. Those healthy paying the IHS will then fund the NHS bills for those IHS payers who aren't healthy.
As the IHS with it's then free access to the NHS is only for those that have a UK visa of more than 6 months, the rest will need to buy private health insurance.

The same with the foreign nationals who reside and work the UK but who have never been allowed to use the NHS for free.  They will have to continue to use insurance to pay for their families NHS use because free use of the NHS has nothing to do with paying taxes to the UK.  Some foreign nationals come from countries that have reciprocal health agreements with the UK and their citizens use of the NHS will be paid/part paid for by their own country.

So my husband is paying for something (via his taxes) that he shouldn't be allowed to use because he's not British?

Like I've said before, this is annoying in principle but given the amount of healthcare we've needed I don't feel I can complain too much.

Like I've said before, this is annoying in principle but given the amount of healthcare we've needed I don't feel I can complain too much.

Well you know it is true that £200 or whatever it is is not crazily onerous. I mean, that's just a couple of trips to the GP. If you fall off the bus and break your arm and need pins and screws, that's a bargain right there. When they cart you into the A&E you can wave the broken arm at them and say, "Gotcha!"

To me though, it's just a political move as it actually ends up costing more to administer than they bring in, and thus it is just sort of a crappy thing to do.

Regarding the National service v. the International service....the word "national" was chosen not at all to make a statement about exclusion of non citizens...and this is on record in the original NHS White Paper....the word "national" was used as the system before, if you can call it a system, was a regional/local patchwork of different cobbled together systems and services. A "national" service simply meant a service that was administered by the national government and not at local level.

This whole, "Oh it is a National service, not an International service," is just a catchy phrase cooked up by some politico, with absolutely no connection to original intent. It was stated plainly, too, by the founders of the NHS that it would be available to visiting non citizens. Tuberculosis then (Ebola or bird flu today) recognised no passport colour or immigration status.   

Regarding the National service v. the International service....the word "national" was chosen not at all to make a statement about exclusion of non citizens...and this is on record in the original NHS White Paper....the word "national" was used as the system before, if you can call it a system, was a regional/local patchwork of different cobbled together systems and services. A "national" service simply meant a service that was administered by the national government and not at local level.

Thank you.  I knew it had to be something like that but couldn't substantiate it.