Lack of knowledge of foreign healthcare systems could be costing expats

A lack of knowledge over foreign healthcare systems could be costing expats and second homeowners unnecessarily, while the tough economic conditions in some countries today could threaten the overall treatment on offer there.

Brits emigrating, both to EU countries and long haul destinations, often fail to verify what level of free state healthcare they will be entitled to, if any at all, before arriving and many get caught out by the unexpected cost of needing medical insurance. That the UK’s NHS is a residence-based system, compared to a contribution-based one in other countries could be part of the problem.

Meanwhile, there is increasing evidence that British people are often ignorant of the difference between state and private hospitals abroad, such as in Spain, where the latter type are geared towards people with health insurance and charge fees not usually covered by the state.

In some cases, poor planning could lead to an expat having to return to the UK. In a recent example, a British person living in the USA said healthcare insurance for him and his wife accounted for 20 per cent of their income, and it was rising each year. Moreover, the couple’s situation is such that not having worked in the USA means they would need to pay for the USA’s national social insurance, Medicare, once they reached 65. They can’t afford this, so are faced with coming back to the UK.

To avoid situations like this, healthcare entitlement and the standard of medical treatment should be thoroughly researched by anyone contemplating a move overseas, especially today when countries are being revaluating benefits and how they allocate funds.

By Richard Way, Editor, Overseas Guides Company (OGC) - OverseasGuidesCompany.com