By NextBestFitCover from day one
Cover all residents immediately.
Draft decision:RejectedConfidence: medium · not yet reviewed
Residence period chosen.
Review ledgerHow this path connects
This path
Cover from day one
Concrete changes if chosen
What would actually have to change in law, agencies, payment rules, or systems.
- Cover all residents from day one
Effects
Each effect has its own page: the evidence, the case that it is or isn't a real cost, and whom it affects.
The question it answers
Covering all residents raises cost and migration concernsCovering all residents immediately leaves no coverage gaps and uses a simple eligibility approach.
What it fixes
- Immigrants and mixed-status families fall through gaps
Immediate coverage for all residents removes gaps caused by waiting for eligibility.
What it creates or worsens
- Raises spending or loosens control over it
Immediate coverage for all residents adds cost.
- Faces political, industry, or legal opposition
Immediate coverage for all residents raises political concerns.
Who's affected
Who gains
- Immigrants and mixed-status families
- Immigrants and mixed-status families fall through gaps: Coverage exclusions and waiting periods leave families relying on late and expensive safety-net care.
Who loses
- Taxpayers and public budgets
- Immigrants and mixed-status families fall through gaps: Coverage exclusions limit public spending in the short term.
- Raises spending or loosens control over it: Public budgets pay the added spending.
Where it has been tried
- UK NHS: Most residents covered on arrival (visa holders pay a surcharge).
- United Kingdom: Under UK policy, immigrants and visa holders can access the NHS free of charge from the date their visa starts, subject to an upfront Immigration Health Surcharge of £1,035 per year (£776 for students and minors) (2024).Sources: UK Visas and Immigration (2024)