If I live between 2 countries can I still use the NHS?

[Reluctantnomad]

I am engaged to marry someone from a different country. I have a serious chronic illness that means I can't survive in my DP's country depending on doctors there.

If I spend time in both countries when we get married, can I keep using the NHS even if I wouldn't be here 12 months of the year?

My DP can't live here - father to teens, and they are obviously the most important consideration in all this. Once they are finished school we can live wherever.

I am worrying.

in theory - out of the UK more than 3 months = residence abroad and no entitlement to NHS

in practice - no one ever checks and if you don't mention it, you'll be fine

I wonder how it works for people who work abroad who need regular prescriptions too?

I think they would notice though because I wouldn't be going to my appointments or getting my medications, so don't think I could depend on that.

If you are not ordinarily resident here (ie. Pay tax elsewhere) then no.

If you don't go to appointments or get medications, won't you get ill??

No, as pp said.
People who work abroad see doctors abroad

Speak to your GP? or consultants? Dept of Health?

If you're talking about a chronic health condition that requires UK standard treatment you need to think carefully about moving abroad.

Clearly as long as we're in the EU and your DPs country is in the EU there are reciprocal arrangements though they vary. These may continue depending on the Brexit agreements.

Elsewhere, not so much. Do you know how much your treatment would cost if you went privately abroad?

It’s not easy to break residency in the uk. You need to be formally resident in one country or another. If it’s the uk, you have to be in the country a certain amount of days a year and have a permanent address here, and depending on how you travel they can check how often you come in and out.

If resident in another country you would need to use their health car e system, which often is Insurance based. You would need to investigate the health care system in the other country.

OP residence is actually more complicated than that. It depends why you are abroad, where you pay taxes etc.

So my parents lived abroad for nearly 30 years and use the NHS today quite legally, and very occasionally did whilst they lived abroad too.

For people who work for the FCO, diplomatic positions, certain NGOs like the UN, they are physically resident abroad but retain addresses in the UK and pay tax and NI here. When they return they can claim state pensions and are entitled to the services they have paid into. Their residency status whilst they work is "ordinarily resident in the UK".

I appreciate that is probably not your exact case but there are always loopholes and exceptions. Can you consult someone legal?

We've considered living abroad but I couldn't do it due to my health and reliance on prescriptions which I have to get monthly. I did look into reciprocal agreements in the EU but I think you have to spend a certain amount of time here each year. I think you would really struggle - i know that's not what you want to hear but you definitely need to prioritise your health and come up with a plan. What's the situation with healthcare where he lives? I'm not sure which organisation could advise on this, someone else may have suggestions.

What country is it?

It’s 183 days you need to be here, with a permanent home for 90 of those days, with thirty Of those days in that home.

So basically you need to be here at least six months of the year. After that you wouldn’t be eligible and would be considered not resident.

I have no interest in anything illegal.

No there is no reciprocity because the country is outside the EU. I guess I'd be depending on private health insurance there but I'd be worried because it doesn't seem rock solid. I thought perhaps I could use their private health insurance, but if it went wrong I'd have the safety of being able to use the NHS if needed. But it appears not.

Would any neighbouring countries have a better private healthcare system, assuming you could relocate easily if your condition deteriorated.

it seems actually you can for the first five years of moving you would be exempt from charges. How would you get prescriptions though?

What are your plans for work when you move abroad, or are you unable to work due to the illness?
Would you be health insured through your husband's social security contributions?
Are your concerns that the standard of health care and treatment is insufficient for your needs? Medications not available there etc?
In which case would you be better off staying in the UK until his children leave school and visiting him a couple of times a year? I appreciate it is not ideal when you are getting married and want to be together but your health is the most important thing of all.

As others have said you can't be non-resident and still have access to the NHS. Even if you were elsewhere in the EU (as I am), you would need to be insured in your new EU country - through work, husband's contributions etc - before being entitled to a European Health Insurance Card from your new country which you could use in the UK should you need to. And I have had to wait 8 years to get the EHIC in credit card format - before that I had to apply for a piece of paper every time I wanted to travel elsewhere in Europe, including the UK.
So no, it isn't easy and with a non EU country you have the added difficulty of no EHIC.

Would OP still be able to use PushDoctors? That could potentially be a more affordable way of accessing good healthcare.

You must be ordinary resident in the UK to get free NHS treatment. We recently moved home from abroad and when attending the hospital for an appointment they asked if I had lived overseas in the last 3 years. I was honest about it and was sent a letter asking me to prove my entitlement to free treatment. I was able to do so and it was a very quick process.
In your situation I don't believe you would be entitled and you'd have to stay very on the ball to not be caught out.

In a nutshell, no - you're no longer entitled to it. Even if you were, how could it work practically? The NHS requires you see doctors and collect meds in person - they don't operate on skype and by post.

If you have a pre existing condition, it wont be covered by private insurance and you'd have to pay for all your care. You really need to live in the UK, unless the Tories abolish the NHS.

I think you have to put your health over your relationship, OP. And once his children are adult, it doesn't mean he will happily leave them in another country - besides, he'd have to get work here, which wouldn't be easy.

From my observations they are getting hotter on entitlement