Senior citizen/retiree health care in the UK?

[TrixieB]

An acquaintance told me that senior citizens in the UK don't have national health care.  This person said that the national health care covers only working people, and that once someone retires, he/she has no health care coverage.  And that there is no Medicare equivalent.

 

Is this true?

[TrixieB]

That's not correct.

 

So, what is the health care setup like for seniors/retirees?  Is it the same as for working-age people?

[regentrude]

An acquaintance told me that senior citizens in the UK don't have national health care.  This person said that the national health care covers only working people, and that once someone retires, he/she has no health care coverage.  And that there is no Medicare equivalent.

 

Is this true?

 

No, this is untrue.

Every resident of the UK is eligible for care through the NHS. The system is tax funded.

 

[Kerileanne99]

So, what is the health care setup like for seniors/retirees? Is it the same as for working-age people?

No idea why your friend would think that.

My FIL retired in England about five years ago. He gets the same care, same doctors, nothing changed. He paid into the NHS whilst he was working and will receive care as long as he lives. All British citizens do. Even hubby, even though he has lived in the US for 8 years now would be able to get care if we moved back...although it would be a pain and expense to do so:)

 

I do know that wait lists for non-essential treatments are dependent upon where you live. In the city where FIL lives there is an excellent hospital and fairly short waits for most things.

[Laura Corin]

That's not true.  Everyone who is a resident gets NHS health care (there are some restrictions on recent migrants, but I'm not up to date on those).  My mother (aged 90) who hasn't worked in sixty years gets NHS health care.  My mother's right to health care is exactly the same as mine (I work).  There is no check for working status when you arrive at a hospital - your name and address is taken, that's all.  When you sign on with a doctor, you give your NHS number, but there are no questions about working status.  None.  It's free to all at the point of need.  Here's a link to specialist services under the NHS for the elderly in one area, in case your friend needs proof.

 

Your friend may be confused because retirement homes aren't necessarily free - any health care (doctors' visits, etc.) is free, but living expenses are chargeable.  If you have no money to pay for living expenses, however, then the government takes on the cost.  

 

I hope that helps.

 

L

[Alessandra]

That's not true. Everyone who is a resident gets NHS health care (there are some restrictions on recent migrants, but I'm not up to date on those). My mother (aged 90) who hasn't worked in sixty years gets NHS health care. My mother's right to health care is exactly the same as mine (I work). There is no check for working status when you arrive at a hospital - your name and address is taken, that's all. When you sign on with a doctor, you give your NHS number, but there are no questions about working status. None. It's free to all at the point of need. Here's a link to specialist services under the NHS for the elderly in one area, in case your friend needs proof.

 

Your friend may be confused because retirement homes aren't necessarily free - any health care (doctors' visits, etc.) is free, but living expenses are chargeable. If you have no money to pay for living expenses, however, then the government takes on the cost.

 

I hope that helps.

 

L

How civilized! As an American, I fee envious.

 

Relatives of mine have used NHS, so I am aware of some problems, but your system is still so much more compassionate than ours.

[TrixieB]

Thank you for your clear explanation.  I have no idea why my friend told me otherwise; it sounded so implausible.  Now I know the FACTS! :)

 

[Kerileanne99]

That's not true. Everyone who is a resident gets NHS health care (there are some restrictions on recent migrants, but I'm not up to date on those). My mother (aged 90) who hasn't worked in sixty years gets NHS health care. My mother's right to health care is exactly the same as mine (I work). There is no check for working status when you arrive at a hospital - your name and address is taken, that's all. When you sign on with a doctor, you give your NHS number, but there are no questions about working status. None. It's free to all at the point of need. Here's a link to specialist services under the NHS for the elderly in one area, in case your friend needs proof.

 

Your friend may be confused because retirement homes aren't necessarily free - any health care (doctors' visits, etc.) is free, but living expenses are chargeable. If you have no money to pay for living expenses, however, then the government takes on the cost.

 

I hope that helps.

 

L

Absolutely:)

I also have to say that when I was on an extended vacation in the UK with hubby (UK citizen) I had to go to hospital. I was a student at the time, so when asked my profession that is what I said. I was taken care of, lovingly and efficiently, at no charge. And I have to say, I was not even aware of this until long after the fact. There was no rush of paperwork, people bothering you whilst you are being treated to get financial details.

Al very civilized. They even had ladies who came around to offer cookies, hot tea, and reading material:)

[Laura Corin]

Thank you for your clear explanation.  I have no idea why my friend told me otherwise; it sounded so implausible.  Now I know the FACTS! :)

 

Your friend may have caught hold of some fear-mongering by someone with an agenda.  It's often so wide of the mark that it's darkly comic.

 

L

[katilac]

Your friend may have caught hold of some fear-mongering by someone with an agenda.  It's often so wide of the mark that it's darkly comic.

 

L

 

They've caught on: Editor's Note: This version corrects the original editorial which implied that physicist Stephen Hawking, a professor at the University of Cambridge, did not live in the UK.

 

Implied?? 

 

[horsellian]

I'm slightly late to the thread adding this example of NHS care, but when my grandfather (aged 93) was diagnosed with heart failure at the start of this year he was living alone in his own home with daily assistance coming in to him.  The NHS paid for 24 hour nursing care in his own home for the rest of his life (about 4 months) since they didn't want him blocking a hospital bed, and he couldn't possibly manage alone any more with medication and oxygen cylinders to deal with.  He had a live in carer, who had a few hour break each afternoon.  She was brilliant.  His quality of life in those last few months was very good, all things considered.

[Laura Corin]

A couple more anecdotes.  My mother has had various illnesses over the last thirty years, including hospital stays for an abdominal operation and for an infection.  As far as I could tell, her treatment was exactly the same as it would have been for a younger person.  At the moment, she is in the process of taking more control of her medication: some tablets that she takes make her feel unwell, and she thinks that it's up to her, particularly at her age, to decide whether to take them or not.  She has had some push back from her doctor, who - far from denying her care - would like to offer her more.  She's standing firm.

 

My father, after the age of sixty, had a heart bypass, monthly treatment for a form of blood cancer, and several rounds of treatment (some experimental) for a different, unconnected cancer.  It was his decision finally to refuse more treatment so that he could come home to die.  He had nurses come twice daily to supplement the family's care of him.  He died in a specialist hospice facility - he went there for a week to give my stepmother a break, but his condition worsened.  Most of his family was with him when he died.

 

L

[FaithManor]

How civilized! As an American, I fee envious.

 

Relatives of mine have used NHS, so I am aware of some problems, but your system is still so much more compassionate than ours.

Yes, so much more compassionate. I was always very moderate in my approach go what the US should offer in terms of universal healthcare until I lay on a backboard in a neck brace believing I was dying of internal injuries and my only thought was to beg the medics to retrieve my purse and get my credit card out and hand it to the intake nurse because I worried about the quality of care ds might receive at the hospital would be diminished if I failed to pay out deductible up front. Then I tried to refuse the CT scan despite suspected internal injuries because I was afraid the insurance company would refuse to pay and I wanted to make sure we could afford everything C needed.

 

There is NOTHING humane about a system that forces people to feel like they have to make those choices or worry about such things in that moment. Thankfully not one medical professional cared an iota about our ability to pay.

 

I am very much in favor of a universal system in which no one has to face so much apprehension and fear just to receive legitimate medical treatment.

[saw]

DS8 had surgery last week, on the NHS. The whole experience was great. He was really anxious about the prospect of the surgery (he's adopted and had surgery as a toddler in China, so I was very concerned about triggering past trauma). I mentioned this to the hospital staff, who then arranged for us to meet with a child psych to discuss his feelings. The surgery went great, the surgeon is top notch. The nurses and all the staff were fantastic. The overnight stay went great. I had a bed right next to his. The staff went out of their way to get him food he can eat with his limitations. It was SO nice not to have to worry about insurance and co-pays and all that and be able to focus on DS and what he needed.

I could have gone private because we have private medical insurance, and I would have taken DS to the States for surgery if I thought the care would be better, but it wasn't necessary.

 

[Alessandra]

Yes, so much more compassionate. I was always very moderate in my approach go what the US should offer in terms of universal healthcare until I lay on a backboard in a neck brace believing I was dying of internal injuries and my only thought was to beg the medics to retrieve my purse and get my credit card out and hand it to the intake nurse because I worried about the quality of care ds might receive at the hospital would be diminished if I failed to pay out deductible up front. Then I tried to refuse the CT scan despite suspected internal injuries because I was afraid the insurance company would refuse to pay and I wanted to make sure we could afford everything C needed.

 

There is NOTHING humane about a system that forces people to feel like they have to make those choices or worry about such things in that moment. Thankfully not one medical professional cared an iota about our ability to pay.

 

I am very much in favor of a universal system in which no one has to face so much apprehension and fear just to receive legitimate medical treatment.

That is horrible. I've been in situations, though not as dire as yours, when the worry is about paying as well as getting help. If you are in the ER, you need to know if the doctor who is treating you is not part of your plan, even though the hospital is. What about the radiologist that you don't even see? The system is deeply flawed.