British National Health Service for Americans spending year in London

August 21, 2005 11:03 AM

I'm planning to spend most of next year at a university in London on a sabbatical from my job at a nonprofit research institute in the US. My wife, son, and I are American citizens. I'll still be paid by my US employer. What will be covered by NHS?

My wife takes an expensive medication (Remicade) each month for her rheumatoid arthritis. Our insurance in the US covers it, and it looks like it's covered *in principle* in the UK, but I have some doubts. Our US insurance will not cover us when we're out of the country, except in case of emergency.

posted by lukemeister to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Plenty of info here and here.
posted by essexjan at 11:47 AM on August 21, 2005

Can you have the remicade shipped from the US to the UK either directly from a mail-order pharmacy, or by a friend who picks up the prescription? I believe when you say your US insurance won't cover you outside the US, they mean they won't cover doctors visits in a foreign country; they shouldn't have a problem with you getting your existing medicines especially if they are still being dispensed from a US pharmacy.
posted by reverendX at 12:50 PM on August 21, 2005

Also, Remicade (infliximab) is approved for NHS prescription (at the standard charge of £6.50); that said, your wife ought to get a letter from her health care provider in the US to pass on to her GP. In strictly practical terms, it can sometimes be difficult to find a GP in London that's accepting new patients; the university may have a preferred surgery that will take you on.
posted by holgate at 1:31 PM on August 21, 2005

Yes, it might be tricky finding an NHS doctor to take you on, but it will be possible (if you have trouble, contact your local Primary Care Trust who have ultimate responsibility for finding you a GP - or if you are attached to a university, there will probably be a surgery there). After that's done, if the drug is licensed for NHS prescription then she gets it prescribed and pays £6.50 a time for it, as outlined above.

Also get your practitioner in the US to write a generalised referral/introduction letter, with a summary of her history - this will help speed things up.
posted by altolinguistic at 1:54 AM on August 22, 2005