Image: Maternity Action Health care is now a key instrument in the government’s attempt to bring border controls into everyday life. Nowhere is this clearer than in its treatment of vulnerable migrant women who are pregnant. Charging – at 150% of the routine tariff - is now routine in hospitals for all migrants who have not paid a visa ‘health surcharge’. This has meant that many women with irregular immigration status or on visitor visas face bills of £4000 or more for essential maternity care.
So far, charges have only been incurred for hospital-related care. But the government is now consulting on proposals to extend charging into primary care – A&E, ambulances, prescriptions, dental care, eye care and some aspects of GP services. This is despite a promise not to introduce further charges until after a detailed evaluation of the impact of the earlier phases. No such evaluation has been published.
The reality already is difficult choices for pregnant women. Many are trying to regularise their immigration status but meanwhile they have no right to work or to access benefits. They also face a penalty from the Home Office if they owe more than £1000 to a hospital trust, which will bar them from obtaining a new visa or extending their stay.
