Being a cynical and suspicious type, I see a possible explanation for the proposal. Clearly this sort of system would cost far more to set up than would be brought in by charging a few foreign types for their treatment. However, once you have it set up you could easily use it for charging all the rest of us for our healthcare.

It’s not this, mainly because the big American healthcare companies our political class (from both main parties – don’t kid yourself this is a Tory abberation) are determined to sell the NHS to already have a pretty good idea how to go about charging people.

My own experience- I’ve attended houses where families have put elderly relatives on planes from far flung countries to bring them to the UK then as soon as they’re here (bags still on the doorstep) they call 999 for usto deal with the chest pains they’ve been having for the last 7 days. Ive asked why to their faces and the answer is usually that the hospitals in the UK are much better than in their country.. aye, and cheaper too!
Im not saying the above happens every day but its occurred often enough that I dont get pissed off about it any more..

I wonder which other countries would be having this same debate or creating such a mountain from such a molehill?

I suppose it is just a distraction from how fekked the Nhs really is. Rather than focussing on a single aspect a review of the whole thing would be better.. mind you, I suppose thats what DC did last year and things dont seem to be getting better!

althepal – Member
I suppose it is just a distraction from how….

With the normal giveaway being if the minister responsible starts by saying, “NHS is the envy of the world”…..

Perhaps an alternative cynical view is: choose an issue that makes good headlines (bloody foreigners) but is largely a sideshow (financially irrelevant in the grander scheme of things) then when we screw up the execution no one will care or notice. Isn’t this how it normally works?