Health cover for retired Britons in EU to last six months in no-deal Brexit

Health cover for retired Britons in EU to last six months in no-deal Brexit

Oct 7, 2019 | Articles, News

The government has pledged £150m to temporarily cover the healthcare costs of 180,000 British nationals living in the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said workers posted to the bloc, plus pensioners and students, who can currently have their healthcare funded by the UK under existing reciprocal arrangements, would continue to be covered for six months after a crash out.

The government will also pay the treatment costs of UK tourists if they began their holiday before the UK leaves the EU.

“Protecting the healthcare rights of UK nationals is a priority of this government,” said Hancock.

However, the move was met with anger by campaign groups. Sue Wilson, chair of Bremain in Spain, the country where the largest cohort of pensioners live, said: “They keep making these announcements and they seem to think they will provide reassurance. But they are time-limited and therefore have the opposite effect – people will ask what happens after six months.

“What we need is reassurance that our rights do not change regardless. That is what the leave campaign promised, that’s what Michael Gove promised and it’s clear every time they make one of these statements that is not the case.”

Full article in The Guardian

 

Brexit: Brit expats in Malaga stage huge protest saying ‘UK has forgotten us’

Brexit: Brit expats in Malaga stage huge protest saying ‘UK has forgotten us’

Oct 7, 2019 | Articles, News

Dozens of British expats living in Spain staged a Brexit protest in the streets of Malaga, declaring ‘the UK has forgotten us’.

The Brits waved European Union, Spanish and British flags and held banners reading “They’re trying to make us leave the EU” and “Take back control: My grandkids’ future”.

They are worried they will lose free access to Spanish healthcare, currently assured by the EU, as Britain crashes out of the bloc, possibly without a deal.

Protesters hit out at the Conservative Government, with Tamara Essex, a 60-year-old from Dorset, saying: “Spain is doing everything it can to protect us. The UK government has forgotten us.”

She said Spain had done more for Britons living in the country than the UK Government.

During Sunday’s demonstration the Brits marched through the streets of Malaga, a port city on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, to register their concerns about their uncertain status ahead of the October 31 deadline.

Spain is home to around 300,000 Britons and is the most popular European retirement destination for UK residents, with around a third of them aged over 65.

Among foreign nationals, they are by far the biggest users of Spain’s state-funded universal healthcare system.

Read full article in The Mirror

‘Cirque de Resistance’ Manchester 29 Sept 2019

‘Cirque de Resistance’ Manchester 29 Sept 2019

Sep 30, 2019 | Articles, News

Despite the wet weather, thousands turned out for the ‘Cirque de Resistance’ (Carnival of Defiance) rally and the ‘End Austerity Now’ march on Sunday 29 September.

Planned to coincide with the Tory Party Conference, the aim of the anti-Brexit event was to call for an end to the “tyrannical and undemocratic government” doing everything in its power to drive the UK off the Brexit cliff.

Weather won’t stop Remainers!
Gina Dowding MEP with Sue and Juliet.
On the March

Protestors met in Whitworth Park, then marched to Castlefield Bowl to hear speeches from politicians and campaigners alike. Speakers included Labour MEP – Julie Ward, Human Rights campaigner – Peter Tatchell, Anti-Brexit campaigner – Mike Galsworthy, of Scientists for EU/NHS for EU, campaigner Femi, of OFOC, and our own chair, Sue Wilson.

 

Sue with Peter Tatchell
Sue with Julie Ward MEP
Mike Galsworthy and Sue

The event was also attended by some well-known campaigners, including EU Supergirl, Madeleina Kay and Steven Bray – Mr. Stop Brexit – and the SODEM crew. The Boris blimp, used at an earlier rally in London in July, also made an appearance.

Madeleina Kay
Sue and Steve Bray
Boris Blimp

Sue’s speech focused on the situation relating to Brits in the EU – the stereotypes, the threat to our rights, the failure of the British government to protect us, and our fight back! As Sue said in her speech, “we won’t sit back while our rights are stolen, we won’t sit back while this government destroys our country, and we won’t sit back while Brexit threatens all that we hold dear”.

Castlefield Bowl Manchester
Femi and Sue
Sue and August Bremainer of the Month Juliet Smith

Make sure you are doing all you can to fight back, by lobbying, writing to the newspapers, supporting campaigns and attending as many events as you can. There are plenty to choose from in October!

Sue Wilson, Chair of Bremain in Spain

Says it all!!
Brexit and Healthcare in Spain

Brexit and Healthcare in Spain

Sep 27, 2019 | Articles, News

Financial journalist Paul Burgin has kindly written a piece for Bremain in  Spain, explaining the current healthcare situation in Spain in light of the government announcement this week. The announcement differs for those S1 holders in Spain as Paul explains below.

‘You may have read stories on continued healthcare rights for retired British nationals in other EU states. Hopefully, this clarifies what is going on.

PRE-BREXIT/NO BREXIT: FREE, FOREVER

As EU citizens, retired British nationals rely on their S1 forms for free healthcare and subsidised prescriptions – and the UK directly reimburses the country they live in. If Brexit happens, the S1 will cease to apply. The UK may have to agree separate arrangements with each EU member state, including Spain.

SPAIN’S OFFER: DECEMBER 2020

In March, the Spanish government decreed that healthcare would continue as now to December 2020, with or without an EU Withdrawal Agreement. You can read the decree here.

But that decree is conditional: the UK must reciprocate for Spanish nationals living in the UK. If not, Spanish foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell warns that British immigrants’ access to healthcare will be limited.

THE UK’S OFFER: 6 MONTHS

The UK has also proposed that free pan-EU healthcare continues to December 2020. This has not been agreed, either with the EU or with Spain.

In that case, the UK’s ‘no-deal with anyone plan’ is to continue free healthcare for 6 months only, or 12 months if you are already undergoing treatment.

The UK wants to pay directly for your healthcare, but circumstances may mean you pay and the UK reimburses you. The NHS is writing to S1 holders in the EU. Download the pdf here or read its latest advice here.

There is no clarity on what happens after the 6- or 12-month period. The UK government also advises British immigrants to look into private healthcare wherever they live in the EU. That is expensive and may not cover existing conditions. Remember, not telling a broker or insurer about existing conditions may invalidate your cover when you need to claim.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT?

Every Spanish resident has the right to universal healthcare. ‘Universal’ does not mean ‘free’. The convenio especial covers those not in other schemes:

–    Under 65:   €60/month     (increases at age 65)

–    Over 65:     €157/month

– Covers pre-existing conditions. No EHIC card.

– Prescriptions are not subsidised–you have to pay the full cost.

– You must have been resident (NIE, padrón) for at least one year. 

– Must usually be paid by direct debit from a Spanish bank account. 

THINGS TO DO

– Ensure your details held by the NHS are up to date, including your address.  +44 191 218 1999

– Check details held by your local health service in Spain, including your address, passport and/or NIE.

– If you have an EHIC (Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea) card for travel, check the expiry date. You can register for a new one (quickly!), for free.

UK issued cards – click here  

EHIC

Spain issued cards – click here

– If you live in Spain but use a UK-issued EHIC card to access treatment or medicines, you are doing it wrong. Register correctly for the S1 scheme on the UK number above or here.

– If you see misinformation on social media, please use the info above to correct lies and misunderstandings. Be polite!

STILL NOT HAPPY?

Even if you no longer have the vote in the UK, you have a voice. Be polite! 

– Write to your MP where you last lived in the UK, here.

– Email Matt Hancock, the UK Secretary of State for health – matt.hancock.mp@parliament.uk 

– Twitter followers can message the UK Ambassador – @HughElliottUK

– Sign Brexit petitions to the UK government, here.

– Go to the People’s Vote march in London, 19 October.

– Join a campaign group:

Bremain in Spain

British in Europe

Brexpats – Hear Our Voice

ECREU

Eurocitizens2020

– And support our 3 million fellow EU citizens in the UK.’

Many thanks for submitting this Paul. 

Sue Wilson Writes: There’s a reason that more Brits live in Spain than any other European country and it’s not just the sunshine

Sue Wilson Writes: There’s a reason that more Brits live in Spain than any other European country and it’s not just the sunshine

Aug 14, 2019 | Articles, News, Sue Wilson Writes

When I first visited Spain, at the tender age of 18, it was love at first sight.

Admittedly, back then, I was more interested in the weather, nightlife and the size/price of a Bacardi and Coke. Over the years, as I matured, so did my tastes. I grew to appreciate everything this wonderful country has to offer: the tasty tapas, varied landscapes, amazing culture, healthy lifestyle and – most importantly – the warmth and generosity of the Spanish people.

Now, a resident of 12 years standing, I’m living the retirement I could only dream of during many decades of annual holidays in Spain. I live in a small seaside village in the Valencian community, which is transformed by tourists for 10 weeks of the year. Our sleepy little winter village becomes a bustling resort, attracting visitors from all over Europe. In August, you’re more likely to hear French spoken than Spanish, although many other nationalities have also discovered our slice of paradise.

The inflow of visitors has its downside – longer queues in the supermarket and bank, parking problems, more traffic and slower service in bars and restaurants. However, the pluses more than outweigh the minuses. The buzz is infectious, the diversity of languages and people is a pleasure, and it’s good to be reminded that our village only exists thanks to the Euros, Pounds, Krone, Roubles and Francs that are spent here.

With so many European nationalities surrounding us, we feel part of a growing family – one that shares our dreams, concerns and values. It also allows us to see the village, and the country, through the eyes of those who love to visit but cannot stay.

When I speak Spanish, it’s clear that I’m not from around these parts,so the next question tends to be “where are you from?” When I tell people I’m from the UK, it’s commonplace to be greeted with a look of pity and an incredulous “what on earth was the UK thinking of with Brexit”. What, indeed!

Many of the tourists are regular visitors who have fallen for the local charms, as we did. When I’m asked when I’m going “back home”, I love to say: “In the next few hours – this is home!” I admit to taking small delight from seeing a glimpse of envy.

As well as interacting with tourists, many of us entertain our friends and family in August. It’s a time to switch off, dine out rather too often, visit tourist attractions that we ignore for 11 months of the year, and to relax and unwind. A time to set aside our worries about the future and appreciate what we have.

Before the referendum, I was guilty of taking all the benefits and freedoms of being a European citizen for granted. I never thought about my freedom of movement or my right to free healthcare and didn’t really associate those benefits with the EU. I just enjoyed those freedoms, with the expectation that I would have them for life.

Nobody knows what our Brexit future will bring, but if the referendum has had one positive outcome, it’s this: it has shown us what’s at stake and what we stand to lose.

I’ve loved my life in Spain since the day I arrived. I love it more with each week, month and year that passes. There’s a reason that more Brits live in Spain than any other European country, and it’s not just the 320 days of sunshine (although that’s amazing too!).

It’s the welcome, the sense of family, the feeling of security, the neighbourliness. Spain is in my soul and I’m never going to leave. The same applies to Europe, so keep your hands off my EU citizenship. The UK isn’t leaving, and neither am I.

Sue’s article from The Local