Gareth Johnson supports Bill on foreign patients paying for NHS treatment

Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford, has continued his support for a “10 minute Rule Bill” that would enable full monitoring of all non-UK nationals requiring hospital treatment in the UK. At present, a large proportion of hospitals do not monitor foreign nationals who obtain treatment in NHS hospitals.

Recently, Gareth co-sponsored a Parliamentary Bill to ensure hospitals monitor foreign patients so that the NHS can recoup the cost of treating these people. The Bill has passed its First Reading in the Commons and now Gareth and other MPs are seeking the support of the Government. A letter has been sent to the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, to request a meeting for formal discussion of the Bill’s proposals, and has been signed by Gareth and 23 other MP’s.

The Bill, initiated by Henry Smith (MP for Crawley), was drafted in response to figures released on the amount of money the UK Government has paid out to treat foreign nationals in UK hospitals. The letter highlighted these figures, noting that for the last year ‘under the European Health Insurance Card scheme alone, the UK paid out £1.7 billion for the treatment of British nationals abroad, but claimed back only £125 million from qualifying countries’.

Gareth commented that;

“It is simply not fair that we pay for medical treatment abroad if we become ill but when people come to the UK and fall ill the British taxpayer picks up the bill.

The money that is not claimed back by the NHS when foreign nationals receive healthcare is a real concern for UK hospitals. Whilst it is, of course, fair that foreign nationals receive hospital treatment if they are taken ill here, there needs to be a more concerted effort to record these treatments to ensure that the British Government- and the British Taxpayer- is fully reimbursed for these services.

The British Government pays its fair share to overseas healthcare providers, and it is time that we make sure we are claiming the same fees back ourselves. It is imperative that we make sure we do not throw away valuable funds that could be used to invest in and improve our crucial NHS services.”

The Bill is expected to receive a second reading in Parliament on Friday 1^st March, at which point all MPs will have a chance to debate the proposed changes and to cast their vote.