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 What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria

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Netsniperthefirst
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PostSubject: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeTue Jan 05, 2010 4:16 pm

What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria

UK Nationals who live permanently in Bulgaria will qualify for health care costs.

Registration for medical care in Bulgaria

The form E121 will need to be completed which allows foreign authorities to register you for health care purposes under EC Regulations.

You can get the form E121 for yourself or additional forms for extra members of your family by asking the Bulgarian authority to apply for an application for a certificate of entitlement to benefit in kind. This is a form E107 and they will send to The Pension Service Medical Benefits Section in the UK.

Next you will need to

Send or take the forms to your nearest Sickness Insurance Office of the authority in Bulgaria. It is important that you have the forms registered straight away. This will make sure that your Medical Benefit cover starts straight away.

Do not under any circumstances fill out any part of the forms yourself!!

As you no longer live in the UK any form E111 or EHIC you may have which was issued in the UK cannot now be used. you will need the E121.

What the Bulgarian Authority must do

The Bulgarian authority will fill part B of both forms and send one copy back to the Pensions Service to let them know you and your dependants have been registered.

Once you have registered with the Bulgarian authority they will deal with any claim you make for a refund or help with medical costs.

What if you visit another EEA country (Not including the UK or Switzerland)

You must not use any form E111 or EHIC issued by the UK that you still hold, you will need to apply to the Bulgarian sickness authorities and ask them to issue you and any dependants with an EHIC.

If you return to the UK

Emergency Treatment: If you, or any of you dependants, want to come back to the UK on a visit you will only be entitled to NHS medical treatment if you become sick or have an accident during the visit.

Planned Treatment: If you, or any dependants, want to come back to the UK for specific NHS medical treatment you must ask at the office which registered your form E121 for a form E112. The office will decide then whether to issue you the E112 which entitles you to the right to have Sickness or Maternity Benefits currently being provided.

You must contact the hospital in the UK before your visit. You need to tell them you want to have treatment under the National Health Service.

Moving to another country

If you or any of your dependants come back to the UK or move to another country to live you must contact the Medical Service office know straight away giving full details.

Important Advice

The foreign sickness insurance authority will not usually register your for E121 until you have completed all the necessary formalities to become a resident in Bulgaria. The authority that grants residence permits will want to be sure that you have enough income to support yourself. This may take several months depending on your circumstances. In the meantime you will have to pay in full for any treatment you receive. You will not be covered for free or reduced cost health care by the UK until the form E121 has been registered.

Once you form E121 is registered, you may be able to obtain a refund of your past expenses from the foreign sickness insurance authority which have registered your form. But if they refuse? then the UK NHS will not refund the cost of any madical care you have had privately, either in the UK or abroad.

It's worth considering taking out private medical insurance to cover you until your form E121 is registered.

Any further information can be found by contacting the following..

The Pension Service
Tyneview Park
Medical Benefits
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 1BA
England
Telephone: 0044(0)218777
E-mail: [email:3ors28mb]internationalqueiries@thepensionservice.
gsi.
gov.
uk[/email:3ors28mb]
Website [url=http:
//www.
thepensionservice.
gov.
uk/:3ors28mb][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Hope you find this of some help? and feel free to update with more information
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Pavlova
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PostSubject: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeSat Jan 16, 2010 1:09 pm

I was reading this the other day Netsniper..I previously thought it applied to people on state pensions only but reading it looks like it covers everyone.What do peeps think??
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varnagirl
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PostSubject: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeSat Jan 16, 2010 1:29 pm

E121 is only for people on state pensions
E106 is needed for other peeps ..can give up to 2.5 yrs cover

[url=http:
//www.
nhs.
uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/Pages/Livingabroad.
aspx#q04:1g5ud3i3][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Pavlova
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PostSubject: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeSat Jan 16, 2010 1:42 pm

Thanks for that info varnagirl.Makes things much clearer
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nu2bg
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PostSubject: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeSat Jan 16, 2010 7:05 pm

Brilliant information all this and thank you varnagirl between you and netsniper I think you've cracked it
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seven
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 4:17 am

Sorry to damp this down, but I filled in this form a few years back and I did not qualify as even if you do still pay your NI contributions (I do), if you state that you are not intending to return to the UK, your not covered, even though I have a business in the UK (doing badly), but none the less, it seems the only way to get this is to lie and pay your NI contributions and you may still get turned down.
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 8:38 am

I think what you have said here is about right I still pay my NI and I didn't tell them that I left I have all my correspondence go to my brothers house but touch wood I haven't had to go back for any reason other than to visit family What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria 1430720830
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 10:47 am

I think you have summed it up TRF here's what is says on the site. The NHS is a residence-based healthcare system. Therefore, once you have moved permanently away from the UK you are no longer entitled to medical treatment under normal NHS rules.

You must notify your former GP so that you and your family can be removed from the NHS register.

You will also no longer be entitled to use your UK-issued European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to access healthcare abroad. So all in all your stuffed no matter how much you have paid into the system What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria 794030042
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 11:55 am

Like many EU rulings, health is a grey area. I have all the forms from the pension service to fill in as I informed them of my intention to live in Bulgaria 6 years ago. However, due to conflicting views about health cover in Bulgaria when I applied for the old Lichna Carta, our lawyer advised us to get a basic cover from an insurance company based in Bulgaria. We only had it for a year as it had to be renewed annually and the immigration dept (at that time!) would only give us residency for a year. It only cost 40levs as I remember and was quite comprehensive. Following this, I discovered I (and my partner) could use the E121 which was mentioned earlier. Using my daughter's address in UK I managed to get this. However, we all know that this health card is only for a certain length of time for holidays but Bulgaria at the moment, will accept it as insurance cover. I could never afford BUPA etc if it is ever implemented instead of the EHIC needed for residency.
I have not filled in the forms or informed my doctor in UK as I realised that this would put me in a very difficult position should I ever need hospitalization anywhere.
At the moment I am happy with Bulgarian healthcare and have savings to pay privately should I need it. Until things become clearer I will always keep a foothold in Britain both for health and finance. I feel I am entitled to this as a British citizen and as I am still contributing to Britain by not claiming benefits I would be entitled to if I lived back in Blighty, I feel I am not doing anything illegal. As a pensioner who is entitled to a British State Pension, why should I be denied healthcare back in Britain just because I live in another EU country?
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 12:13 pm

Great post oldun and I too agree with all you have said, I know that there are many in the uk who get treatment without any question and they are from outside the eu, I'm not sure that if someone returned to the uk for treatment who had been out of the country for a few years that they would have anyway of knowing where you've been? just my own thoughts but I have found an article which really says it all What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria 3356871870

Who is entitled to free NHS treatment?

NHS treatment that is always free

In the UK, medical treatment for emergencies is always free. Certain other parts of medical care in Britain are always free to everyone. Treatment from certain NHS walk-in centres (which offer fast and convenient medical advice and care, and are located at various places around the country) is free when they are treating an emergency. Treatment for certain infectious diseases is also free, but this does not include HIV and AIDS, for which only diagnosis and connected counselling sessions are free for everyone. Family planning services and compulsory psychiatric treatment are universally free.

Free NHS treatment from a GP

People who are ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK are entitled to register with (and be seen by) a GP for free. An ‘ordinary resident’ is usually considered to be someone who has legally been in the UK (or is planning to be in UK) for six months or more, and can prove that they are here for a settled purpose – for instance, they may be studying or working in the UK.

The rules around who GPs should treat for free are fairly flexible. A GP can choose to register overseas visitors as temporary residents, or, if they are in the UK for longer than three months, accept them onto their lists. Technically this could apply to failed asylum seekers or immigrants, although this is left down to the decision of the individual GP. If a GP decides not to register an overseas visitor or treat them as a temporary resident, they can still treat that individual on a private basis, but this means that they will be charged.

Nationals of countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA), and who are carrying a European Health Insurance Card, are entitled to the same level of GP care that UK residents get, for conditions that arise during their stay. This includes on-going medical treatment, such as blood tests or injections.

In addition, asylum seekers or refugees who have been given leave to remain in the UK, or are awaiting results of an application to remain in the country, are eligible for free GP treatment.

Free NHS treatment at hospitals

Even if you’re entitled to free GP treatment in the UK, medical treatment from hospitals will not necessarily be free, unless your condition is considered to be an emergency. You can receive NHS hospital treatment for free if:

* You’ve been living legally in the UK for at least 12 months (temporary absences of up to 3 months are ignored).
* You’ve come to work in the UK, either as an employee or self-employed person. This does not include people on short business trips, and it only relates to people who are actually working, not just looking for work.
* You’ve come to permanently live in the UK, and have had an application for permanent residence approved.
* You’re studying in the UK on a course that lasts 6 months or more, or which, if it lasts less than 6 months, is substantially funded by the UK government.
* You’re a refugee or asylum seeker, or are waiting for your asylum request to be considered.
* You’re a UK state pensioner that spends up to 6 months a year living in another European Economic Area (EEA) country, but are not a resident of that country.
* You’re working in an EEA country but are paying compulsory UK national insurance contributions.
* You’ve been working abroad for no longer than 5 years, but have lived legally in the UK for ten continuous years at some point.
* You’re from an EEA country but are referred to the UK for specified treatment with an E112 or E123 form.
* You’re an unpaid worker with a voluntary organisation that offers services similar to those of a Health Authority of Local Authority social services department.
* You’re employed on a ship or vessel registered in the UK or working offshore on the UK sector of the Continental Shelf.
* You’re a member of the UK armed forces, or a UK civil servant working abroad who was recruited in the UK and employed by Her Majesty’s government.
* You were recruited in the UK but work abroad for the British Council or the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
* You receive a UK war disablement pension or war widows pension.
* You’re a diplomat, or diplomatic staff, working in embassies or Commonwealth High Commissions in the UK.
* You’re working abroad in a job financed in part by the UK Government in agreement with the Government or a public body of some other country or territory.
* You’re a prisoner, or detained by the immigration authorities, in the UK.
* You’re serving NATO personnel, posted in the UK, and are not using your own or UK armed forces hospitals.
* You’ve been referred by your home country for specified treatment in the UK under the terms of a bilateral healthcare agreement.
* You're a missionary working overseas for an organisation principally based in the UK, regardless of whether you are receiving a wage or salary.
* You have been formally identified or suspected as being a victim of human trafficking.
* You are the spouse, civil partner or dependent child of anyone who is exempt under the above criteria, if you are living permanently with the exempt person. Coming to visit the exempt person for a few weeks or months does not give exemption.

If you don’t fit into any of these categories, you will still be able to get NHS treatment for conditions that occurred after arrival in the UK only, if you fit into the following categories:

* Anyone who normally lives in another EEA member state but is visiting the UK.
* Anyone, or the spouse or child of anyone, receiving a UK state pension who has either lived legally in the UK for 10 continuous years at some point or has worked as a UK Civil Servant for at least 10 continuous years.
* Anyone, or the spouse or child of anyone, who is a national of a country that has signed the European Social Charter but is not entitled to be provided with services under a bilateral agreements (currently Turkey and areas of Cyprus not covered under the EEA arrangements) and is genuinely without the means to pay for their treatment.
* Anyone, or the spouse or child of anyone, who has lived legally in the UK for 10 continuous years at some point but who is now living in another EEA member state or in certain countries with which the UK has a bilateral healthcare agreement.
* Anyone who is entitled to receive industrial injury benefit from Israel if the treatment is in connection with the industrial injury.
* Anyone living in a country with which the UK has a bilateral healthcare agreement.

So, what happens if you don’t fit into any of the categories that we’ve listed? Well, technically, you should then be charged for any UK medical treatment that you receive. If a hospital thinks that you need to be charged for treatment, you will usually be interviewed by an administrator. They will probably ask for any evidence that you’re entitled to free NHS treatment.

If you think that you will be charged for medical treatment, but can’t afford to pay, then you should still talk to a hospital administrator as they may be able to help you. The NHS is supposed to treat its patients in confidence, so even if you’re not living in the UK legally, your details should not be passed on. You could also contact other organisations for help, such as Citizens Advice Bureau. The Citizens Advice Bureau provides free information and advice online, over the telephone, and in person at many locations around the UK. In some places they even operate from within local surgeries and hospitals.
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 1:00 pm

Just to let you know that there is now insurance cover in bulgaria that will over ex-pats, Austrian. I'm about to take it out. After spending a nightmare time trying to get my son onto the system here (he was born here), I have decided to go private, and the mad thing is that if you find that you need to use the doctors a lot, it can work out cheaper than paying into the system here and a damn side cheaper than pay as you go.

The cover is fully comp and starts at 10,000 lev a year cover under three headings. Single, family and group. A child under 12 has to go into a group. Group cover is also has no questions on past or current health problems. You claim back 80% of your expenses for everything, GP, perscription, hospital stays, tests, transport etc. .There are some coveates to that.

Individual cover starts at 420 lev a yr. Group at 268 lev. I believe that anyone can be in a group as long as there are 20 people or more in it. I've opted for the group cover for myself and son.

For the same cover Bupa was the only comparable company at 750 pounds per year, with tons and tons of exclusions. i.e. full history needed and no maternity cover or meds paid for.



If you pay into the system here you still have to pay for your meds, which if you tend to get a lot of colds or have kids ends up costing a lot of money here, as after each visit to a doctor who tends to give you a list a 6 meds here in BG.

PM me if you want the borkers details, he does speak a little english and is in the VT region.

MOD not sure if this would be better under seperate cover, up to you. s
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 1:57 pm

Two very interesting posts. Just to give an idea - I think I posted elsewhere that I went to our village doctor for a diagnosis and found surprisingly, that I have very high blood pressure. Two visits and some pills to start me off 10levs (paid on first visit only). Pills from a pharmacy 6.25 which seem to be working and have to go back next week.
Hopefully all will be well. I mention this to help others worrying about health issues. I was seen with no appointment queuing up with a few locals who showed concern. Managed with my limited Bulgarian to convey what the problems were which turned out to be pretty classic. I might have a translator if I need more treatment but suffice to say, that I am more than happy with everything at the moment. That's not to say that longterm should I be unlucky enough to become more severely ill that I wouldn't return to Britain to be with my family. I should be allowed to have the choice as a British Citizen who has paid their dues and not claimed anything much at all on British NHS. Fortunately I am very healthy for my age but its the principle at stake here don't you think? Much like the frozen pensions issue.
The broader picture seems to be that the British Government will do anything to get rid of costs which they consider will not be noticed by the majority. Oldies have no voice even in these modern times and no-one cares.
Bearing in mind, that even Brits coming to Bulgaria to start small businesses are usually the over 50s coming up to retirement who will all face these healthcare problems in the future.
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 10:06 pm

Some very good posts here and all good may I say T its interesting what you say oldun about it being cheaper to pay for it as you need it but its also bad news that your not covered in the uk if you live here permanantly which I think is very wrong but like someone said earlier who's to know where you are or have been. If the govenment can get away with doing this to those who need it in their later years then I don't have any worries about not telling them anything!!
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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 11:11 pm

bigsavak wrote:
Some very good posts here and all good may I say T its interesting what you say oldun about it being cheaper to pay for it as you need it but its also bad news that your not covered in the uk if you live here permanantly which I think is very wrong but like someone said earlier who's to know where you are or have been. If the govenment can get away with doing this to those who need it in their later years then I don't have any worries about not telling them anything!!


Very true bigsavak - the less you tell officialdom the better!!


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PostSubject: Re: What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria   What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria Icon_minitimeFri Jan 28, 2011 11:24 pm

itchyfeet wrote:
Very true bigsavak - the less you tell officialdom the better!!
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Couldn't have said it better What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria 2706089290 What Medical Cover for Brits in Bulgaria 2706089290 s
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