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László Andor,
Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, commented:
"Just as many people are planning to leave on their summer
holidays, it is encouraging to see that more and more people have
a European Health Insurance Card. This allows them to get
necessary treatment when travelling within the
European Union, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland. The increasing
number of citizens obtaining the Card demonstrates the confidence in the EHIC
system and the recognition of the protection it
provides."
The EHIC, available free of
charge, confirms that a person is entitled to receive medical treatment that
becomes necessary on a temporary stay abroad from the host country's public
healthcare system on the same terms and at the same cost as nationals of that
country. The EHIC cannot be used to cover planned medical treatment in another
country.
Hospitals that provide public
health services are obliged to recognise the EHIC. In fact, in the vast
majority of cases, patients presenting the EHIC receive the necessary
healthcare and are reimbursed without any problems. However, there have been
cases of refusals, in general due to a lack of awareness on the part of
healthcare providers. Therefore both the European Commission and the Member
States must continue to raise awareness on how the card works, both among
health practitioners and citizens.
In case the EHIC is not
accepted, patients should contact the relevant health authority in the country
they are visiting. The emergency contact numbers are easily accessible via
the EHIC application for smartphones and tablets (see below). In
case of further refusal, patients should request support from their home
country's health authorities. Finally, if they still encounter problems,
they should contact the European Commission, which can investigate the claims
and raise the issue with the authorities of the country concerned. The
Commission investigates such cases and when necessary, infringement procedures
will be opened against any Member State not applying EU law on the use of the
EHIC.
Citizens should be aware that
the card is issued for free by their national health insurance provider in the
home country, without any need of paying charges to intermediaries who offer
help for the application process, as it has been reported to happen in some
countries. Citizens should report such cases to the national health insurance
authorities.
Ahead of the summer holidays, in
order to increase awareness of the EHIC, the European Commission is launching
a competition for video storyboard proposals. The
winner's concept will be developed and produced into a video clip, which
will be used to further promote the EHIC. The competition is open from today
until 17th August.
Download the
app!
The EHIC
application gives information about the card, emergency phone numbers,
treatments that are covered and costs, how to claim reimbursement and who to
contact in case you have lost your card. The app covers 28 EU countries,
Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It is available in 25 languages,
with the option to switch from one language to another. However, the app
does not replace the EHIC.
European Health Insurance CardFor more information
EHIC Storyboard Competition 2014
László Andor's
website
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László Andor on Twitter
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