madam president i voted against this measure on patients rights in cross-border healthcare because it will only mean another massive burden on the british taxpayer and on the national health service
the nhs is already used as an international health service and is subject to widespread abuse by non-british citizens at costs of hundreds of millions if not billions of pounds each year
the burden falls chiefly on my constituents in london
this will open up the nhs to yet more commitment to provide treatment for eu citizens who have never paid a penny in tax in britain
the supposed means of retrospectively obtaining payment from the patient's member state will prove unenforceable
it is right that a foreign national in britain should receive emergency treatment when necessary but no foreign nationals should be admitted to britain unless they have first taken out adequate travel and health insurance
such a policy is fair and just and is of course unenforceable while britain remains a member of the european union
this is yet one more reason if one were needed why we should leave
