The Home Office did not accept that Michael\u2019s wife was a worker even though she lectures part-time at the University of Bristol. One of the reasons cited for the refusal by the Home Office was that Michael and his wife did not have private healthcare insurance in place and were therefore considered \u201ca burden on the UK\u2019s social assistance system\u201d. \u00a0This requirement was imposed despite the fact that our client and his wife have jointly contributed several tens of thousands of pounds in income tax and national insurance contributions during their working lives in the UK and have never claimed benefits. Michael had believed that, as a UK tax-payer, his family should be free to rely on the National Health Service (NHS) for their healthcare needs.<\/p>\n
However, the Home Office\u2019s current policy<\/a> means that it does not accept reliance on the NHS as evidence of having comprehensive sickness insurance, which is a requirement that must be met by EU citizens who live but do not work in the UK. The UK authorities currently require EU citizens who do not work to have private healthcare insurance, even though they are entitled to free treatment on the NHS as a matter of UK law. Nor have\u00a0the UK authorities put in place any process that would enable EU citizens to make voluntary healthcare surcharge<\/a> contributions if they wanted to.<\/p>\n The UK\u00a0is currently the subject of an investigation by the European Commission<\/a> for breaching the EU rules on the free movement of persons as regards its restrictive policy on healthcare entitlements. Regrettably, the UK courts have so far sided with the Home Office on this issue and ruled the policy is justified<\/a>.<\/p>\n