Fun fact! Anyone who lives in the United Kingdom is entitled to free access to health care (side eyeing the U.S.). So, even though we aren’t British, the entire family has been given a National Health Service number and assigned a nearby general practitioner. It’s all very intriguing.

Yet, and as with most things, I really have no clue what’s going. I think the way it works is I set-up a consult via telecon with the doctor. During the consult, the doctor will determine whether or not I should be seen physically. I predict a scenario that involves appointments being dragged out for weeks and weeks as you wait for telephone consult availability and then in-person availability.

What remains to be seen is how it works if one of us is really sick and needs to go in but maybe that’s how they cull the herd? They figure that many appointments don’t necessarily need an in-office visit. I kind of see the method to the madness, given that it’s free healthcare access for all. Anyway, and to be fair, I’m not too keen to drive around here so telecon appointments work just fine for me.

Now, when it comes to specialists, I also don’t know how that works. I think because we’re expats and still have our health insurance from the U.S. we can also use that to go to private, specialist practices. We will pay out of pocket and then will be reimbursed later, same as we did in Singapore.

So, in closing, the only thing I am certain of is that all U.K. residents have access to free healthcare. You’re welcome.