British Healthcare?

canuckeh! · Jul 8, 2004

Here is a website easily found by doing a search on google for "medical coverage for American students in Britain"

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 8, 2004

Your son's school should (or whoever is sponsoring his study abroad program) should make some basic arrangements to have health care access available. That's what my school did many years ago. (I studied in England for a summer while in college and in Europe for a summer while in high school.)

The financial structure of their system is very different than that of the U.S., but, your/his policy should cover him while abroad. Check the insurance coverage. My Dad had a heart attack while traveling in England a couple of years ago and had no problems.

llg

purplemania, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2004

Basically, when I have been in Europe I used my credit card for payment, then used the paperwork to get reimbursed from my insurance company back home. However, your son's situation is not the same as a tourist, so the school ought to be able to help you. What a great opportunity for him!

donmurray · Jul 8, 2004

Here's a link to the Department of Health website. This section is about students, but there's other stuff on "overseas visitors" if you back up to the homepage.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/International/OverseasVisitors/OverseasVisitorsGeneralArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4080748&chk=FERJ7E

zenman · Jul 9, 2004

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine went to England with his daughter. She fell and broke her arm and the hospital fixed her up and sent her on her way without paying a dime!

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Jul 9, 2004

Check with your insurance company and see how this is handled within your coverage, then make notes and email them to yourself (for documentation). Don't forget to get the name of the person you talked to.

Also, there is a very, very inexpensive kind of coverage that will fly you home from outside the US if you get hurt or sick and need hospitalization. (I don't have the cite right now, as the BIL is asleep--go figure!--but a friend of theirs got it when she went to Tanzania with the Peace Corps, and if I can find it, I'll post it, and edit this post with it too.)

But definitely check with your insurance company.

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Jul 9, 2004

(the web hiccupped and I couldn't get the above to post; now there's two of them..... :imbar)

CSLee3, ASN, BSN, LVN, EMT-P · Jul 9, 2004

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am just starting to look into it, just had no idea about their services. Should be getting a school packet really soon. Have a great weekend..................Chuck

uk_nurse · Jul 9, 2004

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine went to England with his daughter. She fell and broke her arm and the hospital fixed her up and sent her on her way without paying a dime!

our hospital is very hot on foreign travellers who have to use the NHS. I'm sure they have to pay and then claim it back on their own insurance, but i dont know how it works for foreign students .

Destinystar · Jul 9, 2004

when i read your thread it made me so proud to be an american. in america we treat everyone the same and anyone can come to the door of any of our hospitals and get treated the same whether they are an american or not, legal or illegal, rich or poor. people can say what ever they want to about americans but i believe we have the best human rights policies in the world. a thousand wild horses couldnt take me out of this country. i was sad to here that the uk would have that attitude towards americans. :o

our hospital is very hot on foreign travellers who have to use the nhs. i'm sure they have to pay and then claim it back on their own insurance, but i dont know how it works for foreign students .

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 9, 2004

when i read your thread it made me so proud to be an american. in america we treat everyone the same and anyone can come to the door of any of our hospitals and get treated the same whether they are an american or not, legal or illegal, rich or poor. people can say what ever they want to about americans but i believe we have the best human rights policies in the world. a thousand wild horses couldnt take me out of this country. i was sad to here that the uk would have that attitude towards americans. :o

i don't think the post you responded to meant to imply that tourists received bad care in the uk. i think the poster was just saying that foreign patients are responsible for paying for their care through whatever insurance they carry.

when my father had his heart attack in coventry about 8 years ago, he received excellent care -- and as a physician, he was in a position to evaluate the quality of his care. he was very, very pleased with how he was treated by everyone in the hospital. also, my mother was very well treated by everyone at their hotel -- who taught her how to use the public transportation, etc. they both had nothing but wonderful things to say about the people in coventry they met.

(so, i guess if there is anyone reading this from coventry ... "thank you!")

llg