http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/Health-shock-for-Island-residents.4557004.jp
ISLAND residents who have an accident in the UK may have to pay for their treatment in future unless they take out travel insurance.
In a bombshell move, the UK Government has announced it is to terminate its reciprocal health agreement with the Isle of Man.
The 6,500 patients referred to the UK each year for treatment will be unaffected and the Manx Government will pick up the tab as before at a cost of about £6 million annually.
But both Island residents visiting the UK and UK residents visiting the Isle of Man are being urged to take out travel insurance to avoid them facing a potentially very large bill for ongoing medical treatment if they have an accident or incident that requires their emergency admission to hospital.
The termination of the reciprocal agreement, which is unlikely to come into effect before 2010, will also blow a £2 million hole in the finances of the Island's already overstretched DHSS.
Island residents who require emergency or immediate necessary treatment while visiting the UK currently have it provided free of charge and funded by the UK.
When the agreement ends, while their initial treatment in the UK will remain free, any resultant admission to hospital for inpatient treatment or surgery will have to be paid for by the patient.
Similarly, UK residents visiting the Isle of Man will receive free initial emergency or immediately necessary treatment but will be required to pay if they are admitted to hospital. Currently the DHSS gets an allowance of £2 million from the UK government to cover this treatment.
This could have major implications on the TT as visiting bikers who have a serious accident while in the Island to watch the races could potentially face a medical bill running to many thousands of pounds unless they take out travel insurance.I
The Isle of Man was only officially notified of the change on Thursday afternoon - and Health Minister Eddie Teare admitted there was less flexibility than had been hoped.
A working party consisting of Chief Minister Tony Brown, Treasury Minister Allan Bell and Health Minister Eddie Teare has been set up to look at the implications of the ending of the reciprocal deal including at what point free treatment ends.
Mr Teare: 'This is another major challenge. But we do have time to react because these proposals are unlikely to come into effect before 2010.
'I am greatly reassured, however, that the most important element of our relationship with the UK - referrals to the UK NHS for treatment we cannot provide on the Isle of Man - is unaffected by the UK's decision.'
Manx students on courses in the UK will continue to receive free treatment.
People will be treated as Manx or UK residents depending on where their permanent home is and where they are registered with a GP.
