Expats could soon see access to the NHS based on their National Insurance contributions, not their country of residence.

Britions who live overseas for more than three months of the year currently lose their right to free health care at home, unless they have a medical emergency during a visit.

However, the government recently carried out a huge consultation into the NHS, suggesting that access to free treatment should be given to those who have made a fair contribution.

A fair contribution would constitute at least seven years of National Insurance contributions, under the proposals.

The current qualifying test for free treatment is whether a person is ordinarily resident. This is deemed to be unfair, as it is satisfied almost immediately by many new and temporary migrants, who may have contributed nothing.

This has angered many expats who have paid National Insurance (NI) all their lives before moving abroad, only to discover they have no access to NHS services for free.

The government’s decision to base NHS eligibility on NI contributions could be a lifeline for those who want to retire abroad, but are prevented from doing so because they cannot afford private medical care overseas.

Source: The Telegraph