Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

in laws visiting us in UK - how can I cover medical needs/ insurance?

26 replies

vegsausage · 19/10/2016 10:48

My in laws are coming next week and I want to make sure I take any relevant insurance for them incase there is any medical problems here but I can't seem to find any companies that do it this way around (as opposed to me getting travel insurance visiting them)

Also I would like them to have check ups when they are here (I don't trust their own countries doctors much as it's quite a corrupt country at all levels) but again how would I do this ? Can hey go to a normal gp but pay? Does anyone know ?

Thanks

OP posts:
PoisonousSmurf · 19/10/2016 10:50

They should be sorting that out in their own country?

AttilaTheMeerkat · 19/10/2016 12:09

They need to arrange their own travel insurance.

InTheDessert · 19/10/2016 12:17

You need to find a company in their country.
Maybe start with Google.TheirCountry rather than .co.uk.
BUPA exists in several countries (we are covered as Expats with them), so may be worth a try.
Check ups, have you tried searching private health check, your area??

AnyFucker · 19/10/2016 12:20

Have they ever paid national insurance in this country ?

TisMeTheLadFromTheBar · 19/10/2016 12:29

Why would they have a medical checkup while on holiday. Have they pre-existing illnesses or do you suspect they have an undiagnosed illness? Are they on medications? They need to take out their own policies in their own Country and you need to read the small print to check what is covered.

missyB1 · 19/10/2016 12:32

You are looking at this the wrong way round.They need to take out travel insurance for themselves, same as you when you go on holiday. When my in laws come from South Africa we make sure they have arranged travel insurance.

LuchiMangsho · 19/10/2016 12:34

They won't get travel insurance here, they need to get it before they leave.

TheForeignOffice · 19/10/2016 12:37

OP: Can hey go to a normal gp but pay? Does anyone know ?

Are they already previously registered with the GP they are thinking of visiting? If so, they can probably get a 10 minute appointment but if not I think it's highly unlikely.

I'd definitely recommend you call a Bupa hospital and ask for a private A to Z health check or similar for them, specifying any particular checks they need. You'll generally need to pay cash up front for this.

Insurance should be sorted out in their country as previously stated. Assuming they already have health insurance there then they can check if they have international cover (or if this can be purchased as an add-on). I have previously had to obtain medical insurance whilst abroad (I left suddenly for a family emergency then found out I was preg after I'd landed) and it is horrifically expensive. They will need to make their own health declarations of existing conditions etc so really must do it themselves.

melibu84 · 19/10/2016 12:38

They have to sort out medical insurance in their own country.

As far as I know, with GPs you need to provide ID before you can sign up, and I believe this is to check you are entitled to care.

Unless they previously used to live here, like my mum, I don't think they would be entitled to see a GP for any checkups.

EleanorRigby123 · 19/10/2016 12:43

Access to NHS services is residence based. Once you are habitually resident in the UK ( three months) you are entitled to free health care.

@ Anyfucker. Your NI contribution record is not relevant. The UK system is residence based, not insurance based - which is why it attracts health tourists. Any one in their right mind would change this - but it is such a sacred cow that no politician would dare to.

If OPs parents are not habitually resident in UK they have no entitlement to UK health care. They can access emergency care if their country of residence has a reciprocal agreement and they are insured there. If this is the case they will have a EHIC or equivalent. If they do not have this, their home health insurance may pay for some treatment in UK but they should pay for it at the point of delivery and claim it back when they go home. This is the case for example with many US health insurance policies.

If none of the above they are free to go to a private hospital/private GP and
to pay for their treatment at the point of delivery.

Emergency treatment eg run over by bus is free.

EleanorRigby123 · 19/10/2016 13:01

@melibus

I am pretty sure that the fact that your mum previously lived in UK is irrelevant. She is not entitled to free NHS treatment if she is not habitually resident ( unless she is a special group such as a Crown Servant, Armed Forces,etc)

She may be insured in her country of residence. If this is an EU/EEA country and she is receiving a UK state pension as a result of her own or her spouses past employment in UK, the UK may be meeting her health insurance costs (S1) in her country of residence. She will have an EHIC issued by her country of residence which will entitle her to urgent NHS care. This is different to being entitled to NHS care on the basis of previous residence and may well go post Brexit.

If this is not the case, she is not entitled to NHS care and she should be

EleanorRigby123 · 19/10/2016 13:02

Paying....

hesterton · 19/10/2016 13:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FinallyHere · 19/10/2016 13:10

There are lots of opportunities for private health care: if you/they have the funds, they can have any amount of checkups, scans and even treatment. There are packages available, too, where the checkup/investigations are done for a fixed price. Hope you find what you are looking for.

Insurance isn't really relevant, it would cover you for unexpected treatment, rather than elective treatment

specialsubject · 19/10/2016 20:22

You will not find any company here that covers this. They need to buy travel insurance in their home country to cover their trip. If from the eu, an ehic card will work but only for needs, not wants.

For all the checkups etc, contact a private health provider. They are NOT allowed to use nhs services without paying unless emergency. They are not residents in the uk.

Original poster
vegsausage · 21/10/2016 08:01

Sorry for the late reply - I didn't realise I had replies !

They are coming from India - I just don't particularly trust that they will get legitimate cover . I thought I could at least get something online because I might be able to access the same companies and at least be able to somewhat tell if it's a real company. FIL is diabetic and I don't want anything bad to happen here, plus I've been to the doctors there and it's very different - they will ply you with all sorts of meds that you don't need (I was rushed around with a temp of "100" or 101 or something but I only understand celcius, but when I finally got internet and checked it I had like a half a degree above normal, so still in the normal range !
Bupa won't cover them as they will be here less than 6m.", I have bupa and I asked them. I also want them to have the flu shot (again I don't trust them to get it there) - I don't mind paying but I just don't know where to go Confused

OP posts:
Rainbowshine · 21/10/2016 08:10

Just on the flu vaccine, a lot of larger supermarkets with pharmacies offer these, about £12 I think. I don't know about the insurance side, sorry

NameChange30 · 21/10/2016 08:15

Lots of people saying NHS emergency treatment is free for all visitors to the UK, but that's only true for A&E and not if the patient is admitted to hospital:

"If you are visiting England from a non-EEA country, you need to ensure you are covered for healthcare through personal medical insurance for the duration of your visit, even if you are a former UK resident.
Should you need NHS treatment and you have not arranged insurance, you will be charged at 150% of the standard NHS rate, unless an exemption category applies to either you or the treatment. If you are coming for more than six months, you may need to pay the immigration health surcharge.
Some services or treatments carried out in an NHS hospital are exempt from charges, so they are free to all. These include:
accident and emergency services – not including emergency treatment if admitted to hospital"
www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/uk-visitors/Pages/access-services-in-England.aspx

OP, your in-laws will need medical insurance in case of any emergencies or any unexpected health problems during their visit. For any planned or routine healthcare, such as GP check-ups, flu vaccines etc, you will need to use a private healthcare provider and pay for it in full (insurance won't pay for it).

NameChange30 · 21/10/2016 08:26

Just googled travel insurance for UK visitors from India and found two:
www.cholainsurance.com/individual/travel-insurance.aspx
www.world-first.co.uk/home/travel-insurance/non-uk-residents.aspx
I'm sure there would be more options if you keep looking.

And YY to what Rainbow said about the flu jab, it's £12.99 at Boots.

LuchiMangsho · 21/10/2016 10:19

My parents come from India every year. There is a TON of excellent insurance companies. My dad is disabled and my Mum has had major surgery. Dad is also diabetic. I think they get Tata insurance but it is really really very straightforward.

LuchiMangsho · 21/10/2016 10:23

And why wouldn't you trust it?! This is all a bit strange. Also my in laws also come from India and have insurance.
ALSO most middle class Indians have health insurance anyway (because the government health insurance is so crap). whoever they have their private health insurance with, if they have one, will give them international cover.
Medical treatment in India is a bit medicalised but excellent. I had my first trimester of pregnancy there and the the NHS midwives were amazed (genuinely) at the care I got (obviously I paid for it). Yes there is a tendency to over prescribe antibiotics but I genuinely think you are over thinking this.

specialsubject · 21/10/2016 17:43

flu shots are the easy one, Boots or the supermarkets. Just book ahead, I paid £12 for mine (not in the groups that get it free).

SquinkiesRule · 06/11/2016 22:49

Do they have medical insurance in their home country? We had Blue Cross in the US and I called them up to see if we would be covered abroad (visiting the UK) and they said we would. Not that we had to use them, but it was good to know.

Sasuke · 25/11/2016 13:54

Ask your GP about the check ups. They should be able to either recommend a private doctor or do it themselves, lots of doctors do part-time private work

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.