Commentary on provisions of Bill Section 1: Power to make healthcare payments
Section 1 provides the Secretary of State with a power to make payments, and arrange for payments to be made, to fund healthcare in an EEA state or Switzerland.
	Prior to this Act there were limited domestic powers in relation to funding healthcare abroad. The existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the EU are based on EU law.
	In line with the Public Accounts Committee Concordat, this section provides statutory authorisation for expenditure in relation to funding healthcare in an EEA state or Switzerland in the future.
	The exact arrangements which will be provided for under future reciprocal healthcare agreements, is a matter still to be negotiated. It is envisaged that the EU arrangements in place prior to the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will be used as a basis for future arrangements with an EEA state or Switzerland.
	For example, at the moment if a UK national were to injure themselves on a holiday in France, they would present their EHIC at the hospital and receive the necessary treatment. The hospital would then raise an invoice for the treatment with their liaison body. In the case of the UK, this liaison body is the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA). The French liaison body would then submit a claim for the cost of that treatment to the UK based on receipts of the invoice from the hospital. Once the UK is satisfied that the claim is accurate and valid, the UK would release the payment to France.