The health surcharge: what you've already paid for
Lesson 12 of 13 in our free Insurance guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.
Shown for England. Some rules here are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: the lesson shows your nation's version.
This lesson is in the full version.
Free with a code from your uni, college, council, landlord or employer (worth £600/year). Lesson 1 of Insurance is free for everyone.
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Questions you'll answer
A student visa covers a 3-year course (keep it simple: exactly 3 years). At the student rate of £776 a year, what's the total surcharge?
Someone messages: 'Your NHS registration is incomplete. Pay £50 now or lose cover.' What is it?
Quick facts
- Seeing a GP → Covered like a resident. GP appointments are free at the point of use once you're registered.
- A&E treatment in an emergency → Covered like a resident. Emergency care is covered.
- Dental treatment → You may still pay. Dental charges still apply, just as they do for residents.
- Eye tests → You may still pay. Eye tests can carry a charge, as for residents.
- Prescriptions in England → You may still pay. Prescriptions in England: £9.90 an item.
- Myth: “Paying the surcharge means you never pay for anything health-related in the UK.” — Some things, like dental treatment and eye tests, still cost the same as they would for a resident.
- Fact: “You should register with a GP near your term-time address.” — Do it in your first weeks. Waiting until you're ill makes everything slower.
- Myth: “The surcharge is a kind of travel insurance that covers trips home.” — It covers NHS care in the UK only. Travel abroad needs its own cover.