Traveling? European Health Insurance Card

Holidays season is near and sometimes people travel. This is why it is important to know which are your rights to healthcare on the country you are visiting and that you can be covered in the European Union with the European Health Insurance Card.

A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives card holders the right to access state-provided healthcare on temporary stays in other European Economic Area (EEA) countries or Switzerland. Treatment should be provided on the same basis as it would be to a resident of that country and is provided either at reduced cost or, in many cases, for free. The EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until the card holder returns home. This includes treatments for pre-existing medical conditions.

The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It is important to have both an EHIC and a valid private travel insurance policy in place before you travel.

Entitlement to an EHIC (in all EEA countries) is based on insurability under EU law, and not on a person's nationality. The UK operates a residency-based healthcare system which means that insurability in the UK is generally determined by residency and not by the past or present payment of National Insurance contributions or UK taxes.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/cbtmanual/cbtm10020.htm

If you are ordinarily resident and work in the UK, or if you are ordinarily resident in the UK and do not work, then it is likely that you will be considered to be insured by the UK under EU law and will be entitled to a UK EHIC.

If you are:

- a pensioner in a different country to that which pays your state pension

- a student studying elsewhere in the EEA

- a student coming to study in the UK

- a worker posted abroad by your UK employer

- a person who lives in one country but works in another

- a person who lives in more than one country

- a person who works in more than one country

- non EEA or Swiss national

please read Access to Healthcare Abroad or contact the enquiry line on 0300 330 1350 to determine your eligibility for an EHIC.

If you are not eligible for a UK EHIC you may be eligible for an EHIC issued by another EEA country or Switzerland in which you are insured.

If you want to ask for this card or know more go to this site: https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do 

Has anyone asked for this card? Which have been your experiences abroad? 

Thanks for sharing!