AIBU to think maternity charges should be scrapped??

[GloGirl]

I watched a Newsnight piece about maternity charges for women in the UK last night, it was so upsetting.

Women who were visiting the UK early in their pregnancy and needed emergency care were given huge bills. Women told they couldn't have asylum in the UK due to their debt to the NHS. Women whose babies died, and were chased by debt collectors.

I lay last night thinking of the Counting the Kicks campaign I heard about in my pregnancies, the need to get yourself checked out if you have any concerns. How many undocumented women will be prevented from getting medical help during their pregnancy? How many babies are being harmed by this policy?

22 minutes into this clip, trigger warning for those effected by pregnancy loss

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000zr1s/newsnight-16092021

How do you decide who should be charged though? Not pregnant women but people who had stroke? Heart attacks? Cancer? If you exclude all this, that's large chunk of nhs funds lost.

I thought asylum seekers with on time applications were entitled to NHS treatment. A&E treatment is free to all too.

vivainsomnia - I was looking into it this morning. Some NHS charges are free eg a visit to A&E.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/health/help-with-health-costs/nhs-charges-for-people-from-abroad/

I keep thinking of that woman on NN who gave birth at 20 something weeks and lost her baby owing thousands

Just read the Guardian article on this which offers a bit more insight.

theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/17/nhs-trusts-wrongly-billing-vulnerable-migrants-for-maternity-care-says-charity?

*Women who were visiting the UK early in their pregnancy and needed emergency care were given huge bills.z

This is what travel insurance is for though. You can't be angry at country's helath system for people not taking up appropriate health insurance when visiting the said country.

Now, someone here living without legal documentation is bit different matter. I do believe there are some charities helping, bjt i may be wring

Travel insurance if you travel surely?

Asylum seekers is a different matter and they should be entitled to free healthcare until such time as their case is decided one way or the other

This is what travel insurance is for though. You can't be angry at country's helath system for people not taking up appropriate health insurance when visiting the said country.
Travel insurance often does not cover pregnancy related emergencies.

If you're pregnant and want to go abroad then you really, really need to get travel insurance. It's that simple IMO.

Who should foot the bill?!

People going through the asylum process should not be charged for healthcare because, by definition, they have no means to pay. They are not allowed to earn money and are given a pittance to live on. To then refuse asylum due to the debt incurred is beyond absurd.

Surly its the same if I holiday in America with no travel insurance, I am subject to their charges if I use their healthcare. I've often seen news articles mainly of young UK adults who break bones abroad and are hit with massive bills and can't leave the hospital because they have no insurance and refuse or can't pay the large bill.

People seeking asylum should receive free healthcare until their case is sorted and they either stay or move to another country.

Women visiting the uk should have travel insurance. If they can’t find a policy that covers pregnancy, then they travel at their own risk.

Asylum seekers should get free healthcare while their claims are being assessed

I agree it seems inhumane, but I think that's because we're used to seeing health care as a basic right. If you really think about it, the NHS is funded by British citizens for British citizens and everyone else is expected to take out travel insurance.

You can argue that all health care around the world should be free at the point of use for everyone, but that's not the world we live in.

@forinborin

This is what travel insurance is for though. You can't be angry at country's helath system for people not taking up appropriate health insurance when visiting the said country. Travel insurance often does not cover pregnancy related emergencies.

There are companies offering insurance for everything and anything. There are covers for pregnancies and emergencies, however, they are more expensive. Still cheaper than a bill from foreign healthcare system.

If you really think about it, the NHS is funded by British citizens for British citizens and everyone else is expected to take out travel insurance.
Great! I am not a British citizen, how do I get the taxes back? Feeling like I must have overpaid somewhere.

@Holskey

I agree it seems inhumane, but I think that's because we're used to seeing health care as a basic right. If you really think about it, the NHS is funded by British citizens for British citizens and everyone else is expected to take out travel insurance.

You can argue that all health care around the world should be free at the point of use for everyone, but that's not the world we live in.

*residents...

'Debts' to the NHS do not count against you in an asylum claim - that was the debt collection company employed by the health authority making a horrible mistake (threat) in a letter. Government policy is that asylum seekers can owe money for certain treatment and will be pursued for the debt (which I mostly disagree with) but it will have no effect on the decision whether or not to grant asylum.

There are companies offering insurance for everything and anything. There are covers for pregnancies and emergencies, however, they are more expensive. Still cheaper than a bill from foreign healthcare system.
You'd be hard pressed to find a company in many countries that offers pregnancy coverage in the UK. Precisely because there are very few non-NHS maternity hospitals, and the NHS themselves usually have zero idea how to deal with (especially foreign) insurance companies with respect to treatment pre-approval protocols etc.

@forinborin @annoyedanddissapointed

Yes, "residents". My apologies. Given that it is for residents, I hope you understood what I was saying. Happy to be corrected on my incorrect language though.

somehow birth tourism does need to be discouraged.

Are you going to pay towards people coming here for the free maternity care ?

@GloGirl would you expect free maternity care in a country you were visiting? What if that country didn't have a free at point of access health care system for it's residents? You'd expect to be treated for free when when the residents aren't?

Completely agree OP.
Victims of trafficking don’t generally have travel insurance.

@fallfallfall

somehow birth tourism does need to be discouraged.

I think this is a problem that was largely invented by daily mail following one or two reported cases.

If you travel outside of your home country you should have comprehensive travel insurance. I have no sympathy for those who do not. It costs a lot of money to travel internationally insurance is part of the essential costs. I always buy it, if I can't afford it I can't go on holiday end of

@forinborin

There are companies offering insurance for everything and anything. There are covers for pregnancies and emergencies, however, they are more expensive. Still cheaper than a bill from foreign healthcare system. You'd be hard pressed to find a company in many countries that offers pregnancy coverage in the UK. Precisely because there are very few non-NHS maternity hospitals, and the NHS themselves usually have zero idea how to deal with (especially foreign) insurance companies with respect to treatment pre-approval protocols etc.

I've googled and found at least 3. 3 is more than enough.