Medical cover for extended tours abroad (1 Viewer)

[Originalsmoothie]

I've lived on a narrowboat on the Uk's inland waterways network for the last six years. Five months ago we purchased a Hymer B754. We love it. Two weeks ago I sold my beloved boat. We (my American wife Cynthia and I) will begin an extended tour of Europe in October which we expect to take two to three years. We intend to tour Europe partly because of our failure to overcome the bureaucracy involved in bringing a foreign wife into the UK. We think that we can overcome that particular hurdle if Cynthia applies for a long term visa in either France and Spain and then residency which will allow her unlimited travel without a visa in Europe.

The next hurdle is health insurance while we are travelling. Which company offers the best cover for international full timers?

 

[TerryL]

Hmmm, you've got a couple of unusual items there. Does your wife have UK nationality as well as American (if that's possible)? Someone will have an idea but think you're going to need a specialist broker. I'm sure it's possible, but probably at a price.

 

[Figaro]

I'm not knowledgeable on the subject so should probably shut up but I'm Suprised to hear you are having difficulty in bringing your US wife to UK.
I thought under those circumstances she would be automatically entitled to dual nationality and apply for EU passport
But like I said I've no specialist knowledge sorry, just my thoughts

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[Originalsmoothie]

I'm not knowledgeable on the subject so should probably shut up but I'm Suprised to hear you are having difficulty in bringing your US wife to UK.
I thought under those circumstances she would be automatically entitled to dual nationality and apply for EU passport
But like I said I've no specialist knowledge sorry, just my thoughts

No, nothing could be further from the truth. She has to apply for a spousal visa now that we are married, pay a ridiculous amount of money for it and provide a mountain of documentation that you might expect from the government. Even if she gets the visa - which isn't guaranteed - she won't be entitled to dual citizenship until after she has applied for and been granted residency.

The easier and less costly route is to do what we plan to do now.

 

[nelly]

Does she not already have medical insurance for here can she not extend it for Europe.

Neil

 

[Originalsmoothie]

Does she not already have medical insurance for here can she not extend it for Europe.

Neil

Cynthia isn't allowed in this country, so she doesn't have insurance cover here. She has insurance cover in the US, but it can't be extended for Europe.

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[Originalsmoothie]

I've just had a call from BUPA with a quote. They're supposed to provide a solution for medical cover, not generate a need for it. I nearly fainted when they told me the premium.... seventeen THOUSAND Euros a year! Trying to justify the premium, the lady I spoke to said that BUPA don't try to beat other providers on price. She's got that one right!

 

[Billggski]

Problems don't end with health cover. The Hymer will need an MOT every 12 months if it stays UK registered. If out of the country for that long it is deemed to have been permanently exported, if you register it in another country it will need to meet their MOT equivalent, including lhd lighting. They don't make things easy.

https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk/for-12-months-or-more

 

[Originalsmoothie]

Problems don't end with health cover. The Hymer will need an MOT every 12 months if it stays UK registered. If out of the country for that long it is deemed to have been permanently exported, if you register it in another country it will need to meet their MOT equivalent, including lhd lighting. They don't make things easy.

https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk/for-12-months-or-more

How long does the vehicle need to be back in the UK to prevent it from being deemed permanently exported?

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[Billggski]

Looks like just for the MOT, you can tax it by email, but insurance will be fun, mine is 30 days max. Others specify longer.

https://www.gov.uk/taking-vehicles-out-of-uk/for-less-than-12-months

 

[Originalsmoothie]

I was surprised that I didn't receive any suggestions for medical cover when I posted my question. Now, after receiving several quotes from insurers, I can perhaps understand why. BUPA quoted £14,537 for a year's cover for the two of us. Expacare quoted £4,200 for just me. They wouldn't cover Cynthia because she is over their joining age limit.

The cost of medical cover from these two well known companies is, for me, prohibitive.

I'm assuming that there are plenty of full timers on this forum who tour Europe. If you are one of them, what do you do about medical cover? Do you simply travel without medical insurance in place, or do you have another solution?