In case of illness or injury

I can’t answer that specific question. But I have been purchasing travel medical insurance. Fairly inexpensive and I get the type that has medical evacuation coverage. Some policies will also cover flying someone to be with you if you are hospitalized for an extended period.

You need to carry your own travel insurance for a trip out of the US. The National health services are for people that are residing in the UK and pay taxes into the program. It is only free at the point of service. If you need to go to a clinic or A&E then as a non-resident you will need to complete paperwork. It is unlikely that they will ask you for money at the window or send a bill, but they can. My only experience needing health care while on vacation is with accessing a local clinic for an ear infection. I am a brit-expat and I do not have the right to use the NHS. I always offer to pay when I am there, but they really are not set up to collect money at the Point of service. The health services are not easy to access. Covid has made things worse. Locals can't even get appointments for general health problems for weeks (depending on what area). waiting lists are problematic.

Not so long back I was refered to the hospital by my GP and when I got to A&E there was an overseas family in front me at the registration counter, it appeared the mother had fallen an hurt her leg - she was in a wheel chair. The NHS admin official asked for thier NHS No. which they obviously did not have, they were then told after filling a form they would have to wait and they would be given an intial assesment, if treatment was required they would have to provide means that the NHS could charge to, to proceed with the treatment. Other than they would be given some general advice and sent on there way. I didn't see how it fully played out as I was seen to, and directed to another part of the hospital. I was actually seen to quickly and efficiently.

I dare say if an overseas visitor was involved in a life threatening incident the NHS would attend to the and treat them as required and after that process of recovering costs would take place.

It is too good to be true! Sorry, but we U.K. tax payers don’t fund free medical treatment for all.

If you were to fall ill, you would be treated, but you will be invoiced accordingly and you should pay the estimated cost in full in advance. The cost is 150% of the standard NHS cost. With the state of the health service, unless you are injured in an accident, you would be home weeks before you could get an appointment to see anyone.

Access to A&E is free but treatment isn’t.

They are likely to want to see proof of your health insurance cover.

Full details are available on nhs.uk.

This happened to me. My mother fell and broke her kneecap in Belgium. Fortunately I had bought them travel insurance because my parents were on Medicare and I knew they wouldn't be covered out of the country. Having that insurance absolutely saved us from what could have been a real nightmare. The hospital confirmed our insurance and after that there were no questions and we could just focus on my mother's care. Travel Guard arranged everything, including upgrading the flights home to for my parents to accommodate the cast on her leg.
Now I NEVER travel without insurance and I also insist that any traveling companion also be insured. No one is immune from that one small trip on a cobblestone or other accident. For a relatively small additional cost in your trip, it's not worth the risk to be uninsured.

Thank you for your insights. We do have travel insurance but I just wanted some clarity on this issue. Every country has a different approach. Good to know all this though. Ms G

If you currently have health insurance via your employer or spouse's employer, you need to verify it covers you abroad. Many do. But dont expect seamless service as in the US, where the care provider deals directly with your insurance company. Its often based on you paying upfront, and then requesting reimbursement from your insurance. Paperwork documentation is essential.

For the non-US folks here, how does that work in reverse? If you visit the US, do you have to buy supplemental insurance to cover the outrageous cost of US medical care, or does your home country health service cover your costs here?

It's a no for the US, but not a blanket no - some countries with public healthcare systems have reciprocal agreements with the NHS that allow free access to GPs, public hospital treatment, outpatient treatment and ambulance transport etc. Australia is one, for example; New Zealand is another. Likewise UK visitors have access to these countries' public health systems.

In 2015 I fell and broke my wrist twelve miles from the end of our Coast to Coast walk. I wasn't charged for the ambulance ride to the hospital in Scarborough or the treatment I received there.

Sometimes people everywhere like to avoid paperwork.

Twice I've had to get medical attention while in the UK. The 1st time I cut my finger pretty badly and had to go to the hospital. I filled out some paperwork and waited. Eventually I was seen. They cleaned up the wound, said I didn't need stitches and sent me on my way. No charge

The 2nd time I just needed a prescription. Also no charge.

The UK has universal health care and for minor issues you will not see a bill. However if you needed serious treatment you probably would pay something and that's the reason to carry travel health insurance.

By the way, if you are over 60 in the UK, prescriptions are free. Even if you are not part of NHS.

Here is the official guidance for overseas nationals requiring NHS assistance, it accords to what I witnessed and detailed up thread:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/visiting-or-moving-to-england/how-to-access-nhs-services-in-england-if-you-are-visiting-from-abroad/

Things have changed since 2015. You are now more likely to be charged, but it’s probably not worth the time and effort for minor issues.

For travel abroad from the U.K., we take out travel insurance. There are four bands - domestic travel; within Europe; Europe plus rest of the world excluding America and full global coverage. Prices rise in that order. Ditto car insurance. Our credit cards or domestic car insurance don’t tend to cover anything abroad.

For the non-US folks here, how does that work in reverse? If you visit the US, do you have to buy supplemental insurance to cover the outrageous cost of US medical care, or does your home country health service cover your costs here?

The NHS won't cover you in the US. I suffered appendicitis whilst in California a few years ago. I made it to the hospital in agony but had to provide my insurance details prior to any treatment.

The treatment was superb and so was my insurance company (Virgin). They dealt with it all although they wouldn't cover the cost of the first class flight that I had to miss, they would only pay for economy but thankfully BA re-arranged my ticket at no extra cost and those of my family.

Fortunately I had taken out medical insurance as the hospital bill was over £30k. I will never travel without insurance.

My German aunt had to receive some emergency medical care in Kansas and was charged for it. She was shocked at the amount because it was so much more expensive than Germany.

For the non-US folks here, how does that work in reverse? If you visit
the US, do you have to buy supplemental insurance to cover the
outrageous cost of US medical care, or does your home country health
service cover your costs here?

I am insured through the public system in Germany, which also covers me in EU countries, but not outside of them.

For travel outside of the EU, we need to take supplemental insurance. Most providers that I know of for this type of insurance have at least two basic rates--one lower one that does not cover travel in the US, and a higher one that does. I would never travel to the US without insurance!

JC, that hospital bill was cheap. They (attempt to) charge that for an outpatient procedure(that cost did not include the surgeon's bill). Of course, the insurance company doesn't pay that amount, but someone without insurance would.

I think it safe to say you need some type of insurance. The UK and most European countries do provide some emergency care as part of standard care, and at little or no cost to visitors. But, the line between Emergency and Hospitalization is fine, get transported and undergo essentially triage, is emergency, get admitted to the hospital, now you start to pay. Go to a GP with a complaint, you pay.
Seek discretionary treatment, you pay.

The good news is, an office visit and treatment is not the bank-breaking situation as in the US. In fact for a simple office visit, you probably are better off just paying cash than going through the hassle of getting your US insurance to pay.