Health Minister Eddie Teare says the Isle of Man isn't being specifically targetted, following the United Kingdom's decision to end a long-standing reciprocal health agreement.
The change means that from 2010, while emergency hospital care will still be free for Manx residents in the UK, any extended treatment will have to be paid for.
The same rules will apply for UK residents who require longer term medical treatment on the Island.
Mr Teare (pictured) says the move is part of a general review by the British government:
"They're not picking on us in isolation. This is part of a general review by the UK of the Crown Dependencies and the offshore jurisdictions, and the reciprocal health agreements.
"What they've decided to do, from a policy perspective in the UK, is to place us all on the same footing as any external European Union body, so we are in the same position now as a resident of the USA would be."
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