Free NHS care for expats

[Russethouse]

My OH had to go for an xray and scan ahead of a hospital appointment next week to review the status of his kidney stone(s), he was told to attend two days before his consultant appointment but we left a margin so have already been, we were in and out of blood test and xray within an hour which seemed pretty good.

( As it happened I have a nasty cough plus hay fever and felt in need of a cuppa at the little hospital cafe before we left : next to us were two gentleman, one visiting his mother who had just had a hip op and was just about to have her broken elbow fixed and she was 98 years old! The other guy was visiting his wife who I think had throat cancer, she was having a 6 hour op but the outlook seemed optomistic...the NHS certainly seemed pretty much alive and well )

 

[nomoss]

[quote user="Russethouse"]I don't know about not policed strictly - my daughter pays a percentage of her salary and any bonuses, its a deducion before she gets her salary, there is no choice. For those working the student loan is repaid through wages.....she's 32 now and it seems pretty endless...[/quote]

It's 9% of any income over £21,000 p.a.

You seem to prove the point that only those who play by the rules pay in the end.

But if it were me I'd try to pay it down as quickly as possible before I have any real commitments, and avoid as much interest as possible..

 

 

[Russethouse]

I've got a feeling that early repayment is not actively encouraged.

[idun]

I can also give you shining examples of treatment within the NHS, GP's on the ball and getting fast fast referals which have led to immediate treatment. Great! but frankly isn't that how it should be when it boils down to it. As is being pleasant and nice and competent when dealing with the sick.

When did the inefficient and stupid become a sort of game where it is in some way outbalanced by the good. I do not get that.

[YCCMB]

[quote user="nomoss"]

Thanks Betty, but I don't need instruction on what "loan" means, especially from a centenarian[:D] Altho' your memory isn't doing so badly, all considered. Did you get a card from the Queen?

But by your own statement, many loans are never repaid, and in any case repayments are not even due until a certain salary level is reached, and I don't think the policing is very strict. So I reckon the public purse is still a bit in the red.

I find the amounts loaned to students these days eye-watering. Admittedly I received a non-repayable grant, but I had to work during almost every vacation to live on £260 a year.[:D]

 

Edit: I'd have repaid it if they'd told me they needed it[:)]

 [/quote]

Both my kids have had student loans, and both have had full time employment where they had student loan repayments deducted at source. As I mentioned in a post elsewhere not long ago, there has recently been talk (abandoned due to Libdem pressure - they're probably still trying to live down the tuition fee fiasco from the last election) of adding a penalty payment to any student loan paid off early. I don't know what percentage of loans are never repaid, as the student loan hasn't been in existence for long enough for any of the repayments to have reached full term, but I do know that moves are currently afoot to increase the interest rates on repayment of existing student loans - which falls into the category oft invoked on here of "That's not what I signed up for, so how can I be expected to just swallow it when the goalposts are moved?".

It HAS been a well-known loophole for EU students that they can get a loan for payment of tuition fees and then abscond back to whence they came with no forwarding address, thus no way of recouping said loan. IMO, they should be obliged to get a loan in their country of origin, and then it would be that country's problem to get the money back.

If you ever read any of the stuff on moneysavingexpert about student loans, it suggests, indeed actively encourages students NOT to opt for early repayment as the interest rates are lower than almost any other loan, so the theory is that it's the one debt you're better off maintaining. Not sure I agree, as I'm 107 and therefore more inclined to think that if you can pay off any debt, it's better than having that debt in the first place. Although when you're 22 and have a 25K debt (or more) that's a vain hope.

[Russethouse]

[quote user="idun"]I can also give you shining examples of treatment within the NHS, GP's on the ball and getting fast fast referals which have led to immediate treatment. Great! but frankly isn't that how it should be when it boils down to it. As is being pleasant and nice and competent when dealing with the sick.

When did the inefficient and stupid become a sort of game where it is in some way outbalanced by the good. I do not get that.

[/quote]

Of course it should be good all the time, but I can be patient about routine, non urgent things if I need to be as long as I feel able to rely on fast, efficient and kind care when required.

When we arrived at A&E when my Oh had kidney stone pain I was prepared for a wait, but after a clear explanation of the symptoms he was seen within 10 minutes

Never the less I'm tempted to look into Beneden which I have heard good reports of and which I think might speed up some of the potential lengthy waits.

[Pickles]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"][quote user="nomoss"]But by your own statement, many loans are never repaid, and in any case repayments are not even due until a certain salary level is reached, and I don't think the policing is very strict. So I reckon the public purse is still a bit in the red.

I find the amounts loaned to students these days eye-watering. Admittedly I received a non-repayable grant, but I had to work during almost every vacation to live on £260 a year.[:D][/quote]

Both my kids have had student loans, and both have had full time employment where they had student loan repayments deducted at source. As I mentioned in a post elsewhere not long ago, there has recently been talk (abandoned due to Libdem pressure - they're probably still trying to live down the tuition fee fiasco from the last election) of adding a penalty payment to any student loan paid off early. I don't know what percentage of loans are never repaid, as the student loan hasn't been in existence for long enough for any of the repayments to have reached full term, but I do know that moves are currently afoot to increase the interest rates on repayment of existing student loans - which falls into the category oft invoked on here of "That's not what I signed up for, so how can I be expected to just swallow it when the goalposts are moved?".

...

If you ever read any of the stuff on moneysavingexpert about student loans, it suggests, indeed actively encourages students NOT to opt for early repayment as the interest rates are lower than almost any other loan, so the theory is that it's the one debt you're better off maintaining. Not sure I agree, as I'm 107 and therefore more inclined to think that if you can pay off any debt, it's better than having that debt in the first place. Although when you're 22 and have a 25K debt (or more) that's a vain hope.

[/quote]

There is an interesting story on this issue in the grauniad, in which it is proposed that the interest rates on old student loans be increased. If a bank changed the terms of the loan after inception, they could be taken to court.

Also, according to the Student Loans Company, new loans are at RPI +3% (strangely not CPI, the generally-lower index that is now used for pensions and benefits).

[YCCMB]

[quote user="Pickles"]

There is an interesting story on this issue in the grauniad, in which it is proposed that the interest rates on old student loans be increased. If a bank changed the terms of the loan after inception, they could be taken to court.

Also, according to the Student Loans Company, new loans are at RPI +3% (strangely not CPI, the generally-lower index that is now used for pensions and benefits).

[/quote]

I can well imagine that it would only take a few eager-beaver law students to unstitch that first one if they felt like making themselves a reputation.