This is nothing more than what I expected would happen - it's why I voted 'Remain'. If you decide to resign your membership of a club or society isn't it obvious that you stand to lose all the benefits of being a member?

Some folks may actually welcome it SMa, if it means we will no longer provide free healthcare to visitors. I've read of us being owed megga bucks because we're not being paid by other countries for their citizens treatment.

But unfortunately Glynis, insider knowledge suggests that the biggest abusers of "free" NHS treatment are not EU citizens; visitors from West Africa and the middle East take advantage frequently.

No surprise there then

The important word to read in the article link is COULD , there is a reciprocal agreement that health care is given free and the cost claimed back , of course if you resign your membership of a club or society then you are no longer entitled to the benefits of membership , but then again you are no longer having to pay the fees that membership costs . I can't see why a reciprocal agreement can't stay in place because why would anyone think it's right that a French cancer suffering person cannot receive treatment free at a hospital here and then claimed back as it currently is . If the EU is really saying that a reciprocal agreement that is simple to administer cannot be carried on because we have withdrawn membership and it's current members incur no extra cost of having a reciprocal healthcare agreement then that says more about the EU .

In future those reciprocal agreements will probably have to be negotiated on a state by state basis rather than everybody in the club having to agree that the schemes covers all members regardless. So I would expect other countries to be totting up how many UK citizens live in/visit their countries compared to how many of theirs visit/live in theirs. And there's the rub - if we opt out of the single market and stop freedom of movement within the single market area - something that was one of the main reasons for many people voting leave, then what incentive do other countries have for maintaining the reciprocal agreement? For example, there are nearly 3 times as many UK citizens resident in Spain than Spanish citizens living in the UK and I woukd imagine that there would be an equally big imbalance with regard to tourist visitors. I can well imagine that Spain would regard a reciprocal arrangement as not being worth the hassle and administrative costs.

In the end, this won't be primarily about holiday visitors, it will be decided on the basis of what each state regards as being in the interests of their long term residents and if we go for the hard Brexit option and limit the numbers of EU nationals who can live here then I can't foresee a gret deal of reciprocity coming our wy being forthcoming. The following programme might be of interest to those who missed it:

https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a2803a1064

The failure to collect the money from the countries whose citizens have been treated in the NHS is down to the failings of the British Government, passed, present and of all colours.

When this subject came up a few months ago, the papers were saying that the doctors in the UK were objecting at the proposal that they should put the paperwork in place to collect the money, and of course they objected, they have enough to do without the government trying to deflect their failings onto the medical staff.

This is an absolute rubbish excuse from the government, because in the 30 odd years that I have been going abroad and since the existence of the EHIC card, I have made one claim on my insurance and I have tried to use the card once.

3 years ago I picked up a bacterial infection, we'd only been in the resort a day when my face started swelling, so I went to the nearby health centre.
The set - up is that before you take 20 steps inside the door and before you get to see a doctor, there is a desk where you have to hand over your card and passport, which they photocopy on the spot and hand it back to you.

I was given a prescription for antibiotics and a letter to go to the hospital if the swelling didn't go down in the next 24 hours....which it didn't.
On arrival at Malaga's state hospital, the set-up was the same, where they wanted your card and passport before you saw a doctor.
Now if Spain can do it, why can't the UK.?

I'll just add this....
The doctor at the hospital confirmed that I needed to be admitted for some intravenous antibiotics, but he said unfortunately they were full and they couldn't help me.
I did have private insurance, but it excludes a pre-existing condition and I was worried the insurance company would try and link this problem to my excluded condition.
So, I did end up having to make my first claim on my insurance and my one and only experience of using the EHIC card, proved to be a waste of time.

Sanji x

I lived in Holland in the 70's & there was a reciprocal agreement of some sorts in place then. I didn't have to use their medical care but, as I'd worked here in the UK prior to going to Holland I was entitled to unemployment benefit until I found my first job.