S1 Form Withdrawal

Well, it’s been almost a year since it was first announced but many individuals are still not aware of the withdrawal of the S-1 reciprocal health benefits for UK early retirees. The residual S1 form provided temporary cover, for up to 30 months, if the individual retired to another European Economic Area (EEA) country.  On July 1, last year the UK government stopped giving reimbursements for residual S1 forms and EHIC co-payments. The S1 form withdrawal is expected to save the UK government millions of pounds but also leave thousands of UK citizens without access to state health benefits.

Unfortunately, as many individuals are not aware of the withdrawal, they won’t find out until it’s too late and leave themselves open to medical and financial risk. It is important to note that this does not affect UK state pensioners accessing medical care after retirement in EEA countries or EU citizens using their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to receive emergency medical treatment.

So, where does this leave early UK retirees that have moved to another EEA country? It means they need an expat health insurance product that will fill the gap until they reach the official retirement age. Status Global Insurance is pleased to say that we have two different products available to meet the needs of early UK retirees, contact us to find out more.