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Issue 732
25-31 OCT 2013
Threat to healthcare by Jack Troughton
Going organic
Go organic and eat local produce
By Jack Troughton VEGETABLE GROWERS across the Marina Alta are enticing customers to go organic and eat local produce in a campaign called ‘from campo to kitchen’. The Le Seu Restaurant in Denia joined the fun – producing a week of different daily menus using the colourful produce – while it is hoped to get customers to buy at markets direct from growers, rather than the impersonal modern supermarket.
NEW MOVES aimed at curbing NHS spending could cut health care provided to expats living in Spain claim worried residents. They include axing UK support for people living in European Economic Area (EEA) countries after taking early retirement and slashing health spending on expat pensioners. Britain’s Department of Health has put forward a series of money-saving proposals in a complex consultation document – but a European-based protest group is angry expats using the system have been left out. It was only by “rare chance” campaign group Votes For Expat Brits discovered the existence of the document earlier this month. It was issued in July – and the closing date for comments was at the end of August. And it has triggered a storm of protest as the group maintains it is another example of why expats need representation in Westminster and a vote over the current 15 year rule. The proposed steps are set out in a Government Green Paper: ‘Sustaining services, ensuring fairness - a consultation on migrant access and their financial contribution to NHS
provision in England.’ At present people taking early retirement can receive UK funded healthcare for up to 30 months depending on National Insurance contributions – a useful buffer before reaching pensionable age or having to take out private insurance. However, one proposal would scrap the ‘S1 European Health Form’ and with it this system of accessing healthcare. Britain also pays for its pensioners living in Europe. Another cost-cutting proposal is to reduce this spending by 5% - but the Government will allow people to return to the UK for certain ‘planned’ treatment. In 2011/12, Britain paid Spain 237 million Euros to Spain to cover its commitments under the European Health Insurance Card, which allows travels to receive emergency treatment, and those entitled to UK funded healthcare. It included paying 4,267€ for every pensioner registered for healthcare, regardless of whether they saw a doctor or not - or received treatment worth hundreds of thousands. This week new UK research revealed migrants, overseas visitors, and so-called ‘health tourists’ cost the NHS up to £2 billion a year – yet only 16% was clawed back. Continued on page 3
See page 62