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HELP!!! Pregnant
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:21 pm
by newJoiner
Hi,
My husband and I are moving to the UK at the end o December, I will be 8 months pregnant then. I can't get any private policy to cover maternity abroad at this stage. I am an Austrian citizen (EEA). Will I have any trouble getting public health care (meaning book with a hospital for birth and all)? Anybody familiar with the process? Please advise.
Re: HELP!!! Pregnant
Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:26 pm
by Iira
Home Office is asking now for family permit sponsors to have a private health insurance if they are self-sufficient (not working). I don' know how they consider pregnancy though.
In UK we can take a European health insurance card:
http://www.ehic.org/cover.html
It does mention Austria, therefore, you might have a similar form there. It may not cover completely but, it could help with the cost.
You could e-mail Home Office and get some proper advice:
ukbaeuropeanenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:20 am
by Directive/2004/38/EC
You are Austrian. What is the citizenship of your husband? Why are you moving to the UK? Work?
In general you can move to the UK with no restrictions. Your husband may need a UK visa if he is not a EU citizen.
If you plan to make yourself resident here, you can immediately sign up with your local NHS asnd register with a local Doctor (who works for the NHS, which is the UK's public medicine organization). You would then immediately be assigned a midwife and birth planning would commence. They are usually well organized and you should be able to sort everything out quickly.
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1087.aspx?C ... goryID=162 is details on registering with the NHS. The key thing is that you plan to stay in the UK for a while (you can not just drop in for medical care with the intent of immediately leaving), and that you have some sort of legal status here.
You should in the mean time get a European Health card as mentioned by the previous poster. All European countries are supposed to be issuing them.
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:34 am
by newJoiner
Thank you both, that's very helpful.
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:43 am
by Directive/2004/38/EC
newJoiner wrote:Thank you both, that's very helpful.
newJoiner,
What are you moving to the UK for: Work? Study? How long do you plan to stay?
p.s. I should add that my three children were born in the UK. You can say some negative thing about the NHS but I have no complaints about any of the births - only praise for some very hard work by the staff