Australians to pay £200 for NHS care EU migrants get free

BRITAIN has been accused of delivering a ‘slap in the face’ to Australians and New Zealanders by imposing a £200 annual charge for access to the NHS.

Antipodeans are incensed that they are being asked to make the new payment for NHS services while Eastern European migrants from inside the EU have limitless free access.

They were previously exempt because of a reciprocal agreement with Britain.

But from April travellers who stay for six months or more will pay a surcharge of £150 to £200 a year.

The change comes after the Government slashed tourist visas for Chinese visitors from £324 to £85 – less than half what Australians and New Zealanders pay.

John Key, the New Zealand prime minister, who is a strong ally of David Cameron, said the charge represented the ‘chipping away of New Zealanders’ rights in the UK’. He said: ‘We have had this relationship based on the history of our country and New Zealand being a British colony.

‘I would have thought charging Kiwis £150 if they’re over there for a bit longer as a surcharge, over and above the national health system, is pretty cheap and not really in keeping with the history of the two countries.’

Under the existing reciprocal agreement Britons travelling to Australia can stay in hospital free of charge and receive subsidised medicines and GP visits.

Tourists in New Zealand can receive free care even for existing medical conditions. In both countries, there is a part-charge for GP visits for all patients, even locals.

Shane Frith, a New Zealand entrepreneur and former politician who has lived in the UK for 12 years, said: ‘This is a slap in the face for the nations that have stood by Britain in good times and bad.

‘We are meant to have a special relationship and this weakens it.

He added: ‘If Britain vote to remain in the EU, it will be the last hurrah for the Commonwealth. It will send a message to New Zealanders and Australians that Britain has chosen its continental pals and not its Commonwealth family.’

The surcharge already applies to anyone who stays in the UK for more than six months and is from outside the EU.

It has raised more than £100m in its first six months for the NHS.

But Home Office minister James Brokenshire announced the extension to Antipodeans who apply for visas from April 6.

It was ‘only fair’ that Australians and New Zealanders contribute to the NHS, he said, adding: ‘By keeping the surcharge at a competitive level, we are also recognising the contribution temporary migrants make to the wider economy.’