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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsHealthcareStarted 11yrs agoActive 3wks ago

Should foreign visitors have to pay for emergency medical treatment during their stay in the UK?

Overseas visitors to the UK are currently charged for hospital visits, dental treatments and prescription drugs. People working for UK-based employers and students on courses of at least six months duration are entitled to at least some NHS hospital treatment free of charge. The government had considered charging for GP consultations, but decided that easy initial access was important to prevent risks to public health such as HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections.

1.7k Replies

 @8PYH99Sfrom Virginia  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, unless UK visitors can get free health care in that person's country of origin.

 @8PFY9MK from Iowa  answered…5yrs5Y

No, the NHS should help tourists/visitors just like citizens

 @8NVKLVYfrom Maine  answered…5yrs5Y

They should be required to pay for insurance if they live outside the UK just the same as we have to do when travelling to another country.

 @8KKR92Mfrom Maine  answered…5yrs5Y

No foreigner should be legally accepted in the country without possessing travel insurance. If the medical costs exceed it, his/her country of origin should pay the bill; if they refuse, the UK will discount it from the foreign aid budget.

 @95S9HCWfrom Maine  answered…3yrs3Y

Yes, if they can afford it. The means test should be similar to how we pay taxes. But no one should be denied care.

 @8T3M48Qfrom Virginia  answered…4yrs4Y

Yes absolutely, but only those outside of the EU

 @8RL6W7Qfrom Illinois  answered…4yrs4Y

If you do the injury yourself that leads to a visit to the ER, then you should pay it yourself. Why force another country to correct your own screw-up?

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...11yrs11Y

No, emergency care should not be denied to those cannot afford it

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...11yrs11Y

Yes, but only those outside of the EU

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...11yrs11Y

Yes, and require visitors to show proof of insurance before entering the UK

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...11yrs11Y

No

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...11yrs11Y

Yes

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

Can a country's reputation as a tourist-friendly destination be affected by its policies on charging foreigners for healthcare?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

Imagine you are responsible for a traveler's medical expenses in your country; how would you decide what's fair to charge them?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

Does the potential of emergency healthcare costs deter you from traveling, and how do you prepare for such situations?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

How would you feel if you were charged for emergency healthcare while traveling abroad, and how might that impact your perception of the country?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

If a friend visiting from another country needed urgent medical care, would you think it's fair for them to be charged, and why or why not?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

Should access to healthcare be a human right regardless of one's nationality or economic status, and what are your reasons for this view?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

If your family had to pay for an emergency medical service in a foreign land, how would that affect your travel decisions in the future?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

In terms of public health, how might charging foreign visitors for healthcare services impact disease control and prevention efforts?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

How would you propose balancing the costs of a national health service with the principle of hospitality towards visitors in need of medical attention?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…2yrs2Y

Should there be an international standard for handling foreign visitors' medical emergencies, and what might that look like to you?

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…8mos8MO

Death, Denial, and Silence: Inside China’s Push to Bury Zhuhai’s Devastating SUV Attack

Outside the sports center in the southern city of Zhuhai where a 62-year-old man had plowed an S.U.V. into a crowd, killing at least 35 people, workers on Wednesday quickly removed bouquets of flowers left by grieving residents. Uniformed police officers and officials in plainclothes shooed away bystanders and warned them not to take photos. At hospitals where patients were taken after the attack — at least 43 more people were injured — local officials sat outside the intensive care units, blocking journalists from speaking with family members.On the Chinese internet, censors were mobilized to delete videos, news articles and commentaries about the attack. Almost 24 hours had passed before officials divulged details about the assault, which happened on Monday, including the death toll. Their statement offered limited details, and they have held no news conferences.The response was a precise enactment of the Chinese government’s usual playbook after mass tragedies: Prevent any nonofficial voices, including eyewitnesses and survivors, from speaking about the event. Spread assurances of stability. Minimize public displays of grief.The goal is to stifle potential questions and criticism of the authorities, and force the public to move on as quickly as possible. And to a large degree, it appeared to be working.Though many residents of Zhuhai, the city of 2.4 million where the attack happened, were clearly shaken, they said on Wednesday they had not questioned the delay in information, attributing it to the government’s need to first sort out what had happened. A steady stream of people arrived by foot or taxi to lay flowers at the sports center’s entrance, but when officials took away the flowers and told the people not to linger, they quickly complied.Local governments have also vowed in recent months to spend more time screening for people who have experienced “failures,” after a spate of violent attacks, including several cases in which schoolchildren were stabbed.But officials were also clearly on the lookout for any deeper scrutiny of the Zhuhai killings. Videos and photos of the scene of the attack showed only as grayed-out squares on Weibo, a social media platform. Blog posts urging people not to treat violent attacks as isolated incidents, but rather to look deeper for potential social causes, disappeared.

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