Foreign ‘health tourists’ unpaid hospital bills hit £ 40million last year

UNPAID hospital bills from ‘health tourists’ have reached £ 40million in the past 12 months.

Bad debts and forgiven debts increased by £ 10million.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 2019 Conservative manifesto promised a crackdown on health tourism, saying those overseas would pay their “fair share.”

Current prices charged to overseas patients include £ 4,837 for an unborn baby, £ 14,000 for spine services and £ 17,000 for heart surgery.

The King’s College Hospital Trust in London is owed £ 18.6million and Barts Health, also in the capital, owes £ 17.3million over the past five years.

The overall cost of £ 40million covers the NHS Trusts and the NHS Foundation Trusts.

NHS rules state that routine costs for foreign patients are paid before treatment begins.

But those who need emergency care would still be billed after their treatment.

All debts resulting from the provision of urgent care are pursued and taken into account in new visa applications.

The government

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An upfront payment scheme could fetch around £ 500million. The Taxpayers Alliance said the health service “is used and abused by foreign visitors”.

The government said: ‘We have recovered over £ 2bn in visitor-generated revenue since 2015.

“All debts resulting from the provision of urgent care are pursued and taken into account in new visa applications. “

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