|
 "I am indebted to France for my life," said Beryl Roberts from
Pontivy, in the north west of the country, who has the French health
service to thank for spotting her cancer.
"However if there is no more healthcare after Brexit, I will be
desperate," adds the 72-year-old, who is among more than a million
Britons living in the EU and facing uncertainty.
Their biggest concern is over Britain leaving without a deal, which
could affect some of the healthcare arrangements enjoyed by Britons
living in Europe, many of them pensioners, as well as by more than
three million EU citizens in Britain. Allianz Care, which offers an
international private medical insurance policy, said enquiries from
British citizens, often living in or with properties in France or
Spain, had risen by 20% so far this year from the same 2018 period.
"It speaks to the uncertainty. Potential customers have asked lots
of questions about cover," Peter Gibbons, head of individual and
small groups at Allianz Care, said.
AXA Global Healthcare and Expatriate Group also report a rise in
enquiries, by phone, email or live chat.
And in Italy, Jeremy Morgan, vice chairman of expatriate
organization British in Europe, is also seeing concern.
"We're suggesting people voluntarily join the local health service
here, or they take out some kind of insurance."
In Spain, Sophie Goode was hired by Polifani in 2017 following
queries from Britons, who had previously made hardly any enquiries
to the insurance broker.
Goode now receives four to six requests for information daily and
gives advice about healthcare after Brexit at weekly meetings for
expatriates at campsites in Benidorm.
Of every 10 consultations, Goode wins eight clients, including
people who qualify for state-backed arrangements.
COUNTING THE COSTS
However, many potential customers are concerned about the cost and
are holding off buying health insurance policies until they're sure
they need to, brokers and insurers say.
"We are saying - at this stage, do not worry," said Guy Jones,
director of broker BD Global Medical.
The British government last month said 180,000 people already living
in the EU who have their healthcare funded by the UK, including
pensioners and students, would have their costs covered in the case
of a no-deal Brexit.
[to top of second column] |
However, the offer only applies for six months.
Britain and Spain have a further arrangement giving people living in
each country continued access to local healthcare until at least the
end of 2020. Britons working and paying social security in Spain
should keep the same access as now.
The issue could be less pressing if there is a Brexit deal, as
Britain and the EU are expected to be covered by transitional
arrangements for more than a year, although there remains a lack of
clarity over what would happen after this.
Britain and Brussels are in 11th hour talks to try to reach a deal
ahead of an EU summit beginning on Thursday.
Britons in Europe also worry health insurance will not cover them
for pre-existing conditions.
"I could never afford private healthcare here, as I understand it
would be about 8,000 euros a year and exclude my cancer care," Beryl
Roberts said.
Brokers agreed insurance would likely cost several thousand euros a
year, and rates usually increase with age.
Health insurance premiums have also tended to rise sharply in recent
years due to increases in medical costs, which Mercer Marsh Benefits
said was 9.7% globally in 2018.
Broader international medical insurance policies are more likely
than domestic insurance to include pre-existing conditions, offer
documents and even online doctors in a variety of languages, and be
portable across countries, insurers said.
But such policies are more expensive, brokers say.
Retired policeman Terry Roberts, 64, lives near Alicante in southern
Spain and receives treatment from the Spanish state health system
for diabetes and pancreatitis. He is worried he might have to start
paying.
"At the moment it's making me more ill than I was before. I have to
have medication to keep me alive."
(Additional reporting by Stephen Jewkes in Milan, John Cotton and
Sarah White in Paris, Simon Jessop in London and Juliette Jabkhiro
in Dakar; Editing by Alexander Smith)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
