Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Schengen area travel visa insurance scheme on the level of health tourism in the UK.
Answered by Philip Dunne
In 2015/16 income identified from overseas visitors and migrants using the National Health Service was £289 million of which £69 million was from directly chargeable patients, many of whom are non-European Union nationals. Non-EU nationals who have left the country with NHS debts of more than £500 outstanding for two months can be refused permission to re-enter the country unless they repay the debt.
We do not collect data from NHS trusts or foundation trusts at a clinical specialty level about the cost to the NHS of providing care to non-EU nationals.
Since April 2015 almost all individuals who require a visa to remain in the United Kingdom for more than six months are required to pay a health surcharge. Those who visit the UK for less than six months are usually directly chargeable for any NHS hospital treatment they access and are advised to have travel insurance to cover any charges.
The Government has no current plans to make valid travel medical insurance a requirement for all persons applying for a UK visit visa. As such, we have not estimated the number of people and proportion of visitors to the UK who may be in possession of valid travel insurance in the last 12 months, nor the numbers of visitors who may have used their insurance to pay for NHS services, nor the amounts recovered by NHS trusts or foundation trusts from insurance companies for services provided to visitors.
The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of the Schengen area travel visa insurance scheme on the level of health tourism in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the viability of making valid travel medical insurance a requirement for all persons applying for a UK visit visa.
Answered by Philip Dunne
In 2015/16 income identified from overseas visitors and migrants using the National Health Service was £289 million of which £69 million was from directly chargeable patients, many of whom are non-European Union nationals. Non-EU nationals who have left the country with NHS debts of more than £500 outstanding for two months can be refused permission to re-enter the country unless they repay the debt.
We do not collect data from NHS trusts or foundation trusts at a clinical specialty level about the cost to the NHS of providing care to non-EU nationals.
Since April 2015 almost all individuals who require a visa to remain in the United Kingdom for more than six months are required to pay a health surcharge. Those who visit the UK for less than six months are usually directly chargeable for any NHS hospital treatment they access and are advised to have travel insurance to cover any charges.
The Government has no current plans to make valid travel medical insurance a requirement for all persons applying for a UK visit visa. As such, we have not estimated the number of people and proportion of visitors to the UK who may be in possession of valid travel insurance in the last 12 months, nor the numbers of visitors who may have used their insurance to pay for NHS services, nor the amounts recovered by NHS trusts or foundation trusts from insurance companies for services provided to visitors.
The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of the Schengen area travel visa insurance scheme on the level of health tourism in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total amount recovered was from non-EU nationals in respect of (a) accident and emergency admissions, (b) non-urgent care and surgery and (c) urgent care and surgery in each of the last five years.
Answered by Philip Dunne
In 2015/16 income identified from overseas visitors and migrants using the National Health Service was £289 million of which £69 million was from directly chargeable patients, many of whom are non-European Union nationals. Non-EU nationals who have left the country with NHS debts of more than £500 outstanding for two months can be refused permission to re-enter the country unless they repay the debt.
We do not collect data from NHS trusts or foundation trusts at a clinical specialty level about the cost to the NHS of providing care to non-EU nationals.
Since April 2015 almost all individuals who require a visa to remain in the United Kingdom for more than six months are required to pay a health surcharge. Those who visit the UK for less than six months are usually directly chargeable for any NHS hospital treatment they access and are advised to have travel insurance to cover any charges.
The Government has no current plans to make valid travel medical insurance a requirement for all persons applying for a UK visit visa. As such, we have not estimated the number of people and proportion of visitors to the UK who may be in possession of valid travel insurance in the last 12 months, nor the numbers of visitors who may have used their insurance to pay for NHS services, nor the amounts recovered by NHS trusts or foundation trusts from insurance companies for services provided to visitors.
The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of the Schengen area travel visa insurance scheme on the level of health tourism in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was recovered from medical travel insurance for care provided to non-EU nationals in (a) accident and emergency, (b) non-urgent care and surgery and (c) urgent care and surgery in each of the last five years.
Answered by Philip Dunne
In 2015/16 income identified from overseas visitors and migrants using the National Health Service was £289 million of which £69 million was from directly chargeable patients, many of whom are non-European Union nationals. Non-EU nationals who have left the country with NHS debts of more than £500 outstanding for two months can be refused permission to re-enter the country unless they repay the debt.
We do not collect data from NHS trusts or foundation trusts at a clinical specialty level about the cost to the NHS of providing care to non-EU nationals.
Since April 2015 almost all individuals who require a visa to remain in the United Kingdom for more than six months are required to pay a health surcharge. Those who visit the UK for less than six months are usually directly chargeable for any NHS hospital treatment they access and are advised to have travel insurance to cover any charges.
The Government has no current plans to make valid travel medical insurance a requirement for all persons applying for a UK visit visa. As such, we have not estimated the number of people and proportion of visitors to the UK who may be in possession of valid travel insurance in the last 12 months, nor the numbers of visitors who may have used their insurance to pay for NHS services, nor the amounts recovered by NHS trusts or foundation trusts from insurance companies for services provided to visitors.
The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of the Schengen area travel visa insurance scheme on the level of health tourism in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Johnson (Conservative - Dartford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of care provided to non-EU nationals in (a) accident and emergency, (b) non-urgent care and surgery and (c) urgent care and surgery in each of the last five years.
Answered by Philip Dunne
In 2015/16 income identified from overseas visitors and migrants using the National Health Service was £289 million of which £69 million was from directly chargeable patients, many of whom are non-European Union nationals. Non-EU nationals who have left the country with NHS debts of more than £500 outstanding for two months can be refused permission to re-enter the country unless they repay the debt.
We do not collect data from NHS trusts or foundation trusts at a clinical specialty level about the cost to the NHS of providing care to non-EU nationals.
Since April 2015 almost all individuals who require a visa to remain in the United Kingdom for more than six months are required to pay a health surcharge. Those who visit the UK for less than six months are usually directly chargeable for any NHS hospital treatment they access and are advised to have travel insurance to cover any charges.
The Government has no current plans to make valid travel medical insurance a requirement for all persons applying for a UK visit visa. As such, we have not estimated the number of people and proportion of visitors to the UK who may be in possession of valid travel insurance in the last 12 months, nor the numbers of visitors who may have used their insurance to pay for NHS services, nor the amounts recovered by NHS trusts or foundation trusts from insurance companies for services provided to visitors.
The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of the Schengen area travel visa insurance scheme on the level of health tourism in the UK.