The tourism board of Jersey has launched a travel insurance policy following a UK government announcement that Britons will no longer receive free healthcare on the island.
Tourism bosses on Jersey in the Channel Islands have responded to news that UK consumers will no longer be entitled to free healthcare by launching a travel insurance policy.
An agreement between the UK government and the Channel Islands had been in place since the 1970s, which saw UK citizens receive basic healthcare needs on the islands, in return for Channel Islanders having access to the NHS. However, the two parties decided not to renew the arrangement this year and it expired at the end of March.
Some travel insurance companies, including Axa, responded by adding healthcare cover for the Channel Islands to their travel insurance policies. Jersey Tourism, in partnership with the States Insurers, Rossboroughs and PJ Hayman, launched its own policy after being concerned at the limited number of providers offering cover.
Jersey, like other Channel Islands, are Crown dependencies and not part of the UK, meaning they are not covered by the NHS. The European Health Insurance Card, which provides Britons with access to healthcare in other EU countries, is also useless on the islands.
However, even when the previous agreement between the UK and Jersey was in place, Britons were still not entitled to free GP treatment on the island.
