Health Care

[M]

Hi,

I am a canadian who has just received her Dutch citizenship in May. I have been living in the UK for the past year and a half. Previously I have had travel insurance and still kept my Canadian healthcare up to date but now that I have EU citizenship and I am paying UK taxes, do I still need to do this or am I now covered through the health system over here? Is anyone able to answer this for me?

Thanks,
M

[SYH]

Well there is no straight answer for that
You certainly don't need to keep your canadian insurance at this point unless you just want it for when you go to canada
As youhave obtained dutch citizenship, then I assume you entered their health system and had contributed to it. Thus you should have had Dutch health insurance covering you and then declared to the dutch authorities that you do not wish to contribute to the dutch health system because you are paying NIC to the UK (this is a tax form) of course you are welcome to pay every single country you have a tie to. In the UK, as long as you can show you are a legal resident, they will treat you so I presume you have some kind of work visa. However do realize that the dutch system is still going to look to you to pay for your obligatory dutch health insurance contributions unless you deregistered.

[John]

M, I won't comment upon the suggestion by STH that you need to pay contributions to the Dutch insurance system. However that would surprise me, and in any case any such contributions would not add to your rights to use the UK's NHS.

Let's take this a stage at a time. You were (solely) Canadian and you then moved to the UK. On what basis have you "been living in the UK for the past year and a half"? What sort of visa? Working here? Quite simply, I am wondering why you were not covered by the UK's NHS .... from when you arrived in the UK? So please do post in what visa capacity you were living in the UK?

So now you are Dutch, as well as Canadian. So in what capacity are you here now? Simply using your (new to you) EU Treaty Rights? To what? To work? Then certainly you are entitled to use the NHS. But then, as stated above, I suspect that you had the right to use it for the past 18 months.

[sakura]

Hi,

I am a canadian who has just received her Dutch citizenship in May. I have been living in the UK for the past year and a half. Previously I have had travel insurance and still kept my Canadian healthcare up to date but now that I have EU citizenship and I am paying UK taxes, do I still need to do this or am I now covered through the health system over here? Is anyone able to answer this for me?

Thanks,
M

Generally, like syh mentioned, healthcare is available for all legal residents. I think this would also include emergency treatment (hmm...although I don't know about long-term illnesses like cancer or something...if one's visa expires). In fact - you needn't have had insurance in order to use the NHS - it has been available to you all along. The exception is if the insurance was for private (or long-term illness) treatment. I'm a bit sketchy on this, as you can tell!

But, as an EU/EEA resident living in the UK, you have access to the NHS too, so don't require any insurance.

A question - how did you acquire Dutch citizenship whilst living in the UK?

[sakura]

Err...what John wrote - that's where I was heading!

[jes2jes]

M:

In case you cancel your Dutch Health Insurance and travelling through the EEA or Switzerland, you would like to apply for one of these as a backup:

A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles you to reduced-cost, sometimes free, medical treatment that becomes necessary while you're in a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.

The EEA consists of the European Union (EU) countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland applies the EHIC arrangements through an agreement with the EU. The EHIC is valid in:


Austria
Belgium
Cyprus (but not Northern Cyprus)
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidan ... DH_4114795

[VictoriaS]

You don't need the EHIC if you are in the UK exercising your treaty rights, that is really only for those who are simply here as short term visitors.

Victoria

[Christophe]

I am a canadian who has just received her Dutch citizenship in May. I have been living in the UK for the past year and a half. Previously I have had travel insurance and still kept my Canadian healthcare up to date but now that I have EU citizenship and I am paying UK taxes, do I still need to do this or am I now covered through the health system over here? Is anyone able to answer this for me?

Entitlement to NHS treatment is, in essence, on the basis of residency in the UK, not nationality. British citizens who are not living in the UK are not entitled to free NHS treatment, as a rule, on the basis of their citizenship, whereas non-citizens who are resident are entitled to free treatment. That is an oversimplification, of course, in that there are exceptions, but it is a good basis to begin to think about the situation.

You might want to start at this page on the Department of Health website, which is about hospital treatment in England but is nevertheless broadly relevant for all medical treatment in the UK, and which says, in part:

Anyone who is deemed to be ordinarily resident in the UK is entitled to free NHS hospital treatment in England. “Ordinarily residentâ€

[jes2jes]

You don't need the EHIC if you are in the UK exercising your treaty rights, that is really only for those who are simply here as short term visitors.

Victoria

If you had read my post right, I did not mention the UK. I said:

In case you cancel your Dutch Health Insurance and travelling through the EEA or Switzerland, you would like to apply for one of these as a backup:

How on earth can one use the EHIC in the UK in the first place? It is for use in the EEA with the exception of the country of issue

[VictoriaS]

[/quote]

If you had read my post right, I did not mention the UK.

:[/quote]

Apols, I misread.

Victoria

[JAJ]

Hi,

I am a canadian who has just received her Dutch citizenship in May. I have been living in the UK for the past year and a half. Previously I have had travel insurance and still kept my Canadian healthcare up to date but now that I have EU citizenship and I am paying UK taxes, do I still need to do this or am I now covered through the health system over here? Is anyone able to answer this for me?

You'll get more meaningful assistance if you make clear:

- what visa status have you had up to now in the UK; and
- are you married to a British citizen (or any plans to get married); and
- how did you get your Dutch citizenship; and
- do you want to become a British citizen eventually; and
- if so, would you be willing to lose Dutch citizenship in order to become British.

[SYH]

Hi,

I am a canadian who has just received her Dutch citizenship in May. I have been living in the UK for the past year and a half. Previously I have had travel insurance and still kept my Canadian healthcare up to date but now that I have EU citizenship and I am paying UK taxes, do I still need to do this or am I now covered through the health system over here? Is anyone able to answer this for me?

You'll get more meaningful assistance if you make clear:

- what visa status have you had up to now in the UK; and
- are you married to a British citizen (or any plans to get married); and
- how did you get your Dutch citizenship; and
- do you want to become a British citizen eventually; and
- if so, would you be willing to lose Dutch citizenship in order to become British.

NO Kidding Jaj
it is like pulling teeth from people to get meaningful info
and in this case, the author posted and ran, no response since the initial post