NHS charging system for migrants harmful, unjust, and not cost effective, report finds

The NHS charging system forces migrants to pay 150% of the cost of their healthcare and is plagued with racial profiling and poor decision making, the charity Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has found.1

The IPPR report warned that the system is a threat to public health and extremely costly to administer. It was found to have delayed people receiving treatment and dissuaded both people liable for charging and those who mistakenly feared they might be charged from seeking urgent medical attention.

The institute also highlighted evidence of racial profiling when identifying chargeable patients, as well as critical charging decisions—especially around the domestic violence exemption—being left to people without the necessary skills.

IPPR associate director Marley Morris …