Am I eligible for NHS?

[heymikey]

Are people living in the UK under the Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme eligible for visits to the doctor? If so, what else are included? Is it automatic right off the bat, or do we have to find a job first and get a NI number before we can visit the doctor?

I just want to know if I need to buy medical insurance. Since I will be there for 2 years, getting a travel insurance will be way expensive.

[Classroom Canada]

You're covered with NHS. Just register with a doctor once you have a mailing address (not a hostel/hotel) and if you get sick between the airport and getting an apartment then you will be treated at a hospital if need be.

When you leave the UK to go to other places (like Paris), then you will need travel insurance. You can get this from the UK for much cheaper than Canada. I paid 50 pounds for year-long coverage with a company called Atlas, and they were fine. That was a few years ago now, but I'm sure the prices are similar for any of the major travel companies. They advertise everywhere, so I wouldn't worry about this until you arrive in the UK.

The downside to all of this is that if you die, and you don't have medical insurance from Canada, then your body will stay in the UK. Sounds harsh I know, but this is something you should discuss with your family as it could cost them $10 000 + to have your body shipped back to Canada.

The upside is that the NHS covers most of the same things you would need in Canada as well, and then some. So, dental is theoretically a part of your NHS service, but if you know much about the British it's that they're aren't known to have good teeth. You should expect a wait to get anything dental done, unless you want to go private and pay for the dentist.

Birth Control is free, and I found my prescription that costs about $100/month in Canada was only 6 pounds in the UK.

I hope this helps! Good luck in the UK this year & next.
Cheers,
Victoria Westcott

[samandlily]

My daughter is going to England under the Youth Mobility Scheme. When I contacted the British Consul General they said that she would not be eligible for NHS. I would love to know if she actually is covered as insurance for the year is pricey. Apparently Canada and the UK do
not have a reciprocal health care plan in place for youths under the YMS . Any links anyone know of to the contrary?

[heymikey]

I actually found the exact answer on the UK Border Agency Tier 5 document (page 12):

The Department of Health regulations currently allow Youth Mobility Scheme temporary migrants to be exempt from charges for NHS hospital treatment after they have spent a period of 12 months in the United Kingdom. They will also be exempt during periods of employment (including selfemployment) in the first 12 months of their stay, but not during periods in that first 12 months when they are not working. Information on entitlement to free hospital treatment can be accessed via the link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/overseasvisitors.

[samandlily]

Hi. Thanks for the answer. However , how do you interpret the next paragraph on page 12 number 57 ? I have been writing to the DH and also the Consul general and still don't have a definitive yes or no. Its a bit confusing...

[heymikey]

Number 57 in page 12 is very vague. Which nationals, which forms of health care, and under which circumstances?

[samandlily]

heymikey, I heard back from the NHS. Its still a bit ambiguous but this is what they said... "The NHS is intended first and foremost for the benefit of people living in the UK. Free NHS treatment should therefore be based on residence in the UK , not on nationality, the payment of UK taxes or National Insurance contributions." I understand that to mean that anyone residing in England would be taken care of if necessary. What is your interpretation of their reply?

[heymikey]

Yes, that's what I understood as well. So if you were a resident of the UK and you pay taxes and NI contributions, you're covered. But it's still a little vague since people under the YMS are temporary residents and according to the document, as long as they're working for the first 12 months, they will be covered. So any periods of unemployment in the first 12 months under the YMS means that you won't be covered.