From Roger Bale.
IN the UK, the Law Lords recently ruled that entitlement to the National Health Service is dependent upon 12 months’ legal residence.
In Jersey, no such residence period appears to be required to access non-emergency health care at the hospital or for medicines.
Mike Pollard, Chief Executive of the Health and Social Services Department, put it on record as recognising this as a serious problem and in May 2008 said that he was shortly to start work on new eligibility criteria for persons receiving treatment here in Jersey.
I have yet to see Mr Pollard’s recommendations, but in their absence, may I ask what reason is there for not saying that approval for anybody employing someone from a non-reciprocal country (which now includes the UK) must have health insurance with an approved insurer, covering illness, including existing medical conditions, for the first 12 months of their and their dependents’ stay in Jersey?
As far as tourists from non-reciprocal countries are concerned, they, like Jersey folk now visiting the UK, should have travel/health insurance or otherwise foot the bill themselves.
We in Jersey have long been advised in advertisements by the States to have health insurance in place before travelling from Jersey.
Not only have we had that premium to pay, but through taxation, we have also picked up the bill for people travelling to Jersey without insurance.
Time to balance the books?
