UKC

I've had a read of the rules/guidelines:

https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1021&langId=en&intPageId...

Looks fairly straight forward for most countries. 

Has anyone got any experience of using the EU health card abroad for a check up or emergency? I'd be interested in your experiences.

cheers

After an accident in Chamonix involving surgery and a hospital stay we were treated without question.

The accident happened on Sunday but Monday morning a very efficient young lady came around and asked to see our EH1C cards and insurance information.

The EH1C covered 90% of the costs, the rest was covered by our insurance. All very easy and straightforward.

Yes, make sure you have your passport with you. Essential for German hospitals as well as EHC, both essentail.

Same experience as Andrew - after an accident in Chamonix and a week stay in the hospital in Sallanches, and surgery, the paperwork side of things was dealt with very efficiently by the hospital. Unfortunately I can't say the same about the insurance, and I ended up stuck in the middle of a paperwork drama.

It gets somewhat more complicated if you don't have the card with you though. I now tape it to my AAC membership card and keep both in my softshell chest pocket so I always have them with me in the mountains.

Great, cheers guys. Will keep the cards with passports and safe.

Another visitor to Sallanches emergency dept here! I carry my passport and EHIC on me and they seemed surprised they got all the details as soon as they asked. After EHIC the bill for examination, x ray and consultation came to €20!

Major operation in France 16 years ago and a minor sewing up job in Spain three years ago. Both done with no quibles at all and I never saw a a bill. The Spanish hospital wanted to see the card up front but I was walking wounded there so they probably figured there was time. The French one was more of an emergency and it was a week before anyone pestered me re EHIC or travel insurance (both, thankfully, in order).

Of course we were full members of the EU on both those occasions. There should not be any probs during the transition period but things could get a bit more muddy I suppose.

Enjoy it while you can 🙂🙂

Not so good in Kalymnos I'm afraid.  I had to pay for crutches and medication.  It was suggested that they could have charged me for the operation on my ankle to fit a plate so  I was asked for a contribution.  This was for nurses pay as apparently they had not been paid for some considerable time. I wouldn't have minded so much but when I eventually got home it all had to be redone.  One screw was too long and another was too short.

Al

Yikes, Al. Am very sorry to hear that. Is your ankle relatively OK now?

Mick

That's always been the case, you get the same treatment as the locals so things like crutches or medicines not given in the hospital have to be paid for seperately, Italy is much the same. In Greek hospitals food is generally an extra!

Also make sure your EH1C has not expired, my friends had which created some extra paperwork but it all got sorted.

Yes I badly sprained my ankle in Italy 3 weeks ago, couldn't put weight on it so went to the hospital, where they asked for ehic and passport and then I was treated and xrayed for free. 

Had to pay for my own medication though. 

Yes thanks but I was out of action for over 12 months.  Now it just feels a little strange.  The only way I can describe it is as "more dense" which I suppose is logical as there is more material in there.

To jimtitt:  The food was free but inedible.  It's a good job there were people I knew on the island to keep me supplied

Al

We used it in Italy at a GP to get antibiotics.  Beware that in some places they won't necessarily know how to use the card or associated forms.  I googled that issue prior, found a great info site, and was able to show the Doc an image of how the front and back of the forms should be filled out.  She was worried about prescribing quite expensive drugs, and was amazed and relieved that we were covered by EHIC.

The level of care and efficiency from everybody there was amazing! 

That card is just another sad victim of the nasty mess we all now find ourselves in.

How much does NHS "health tourism" outweigh Brits abroad getting treatment???

E

My son needed some stitches in a knee injury a few years ago in Normandy. We ended up with a bill for a few euros for painkillers and antiseptic, as far as I recall, and it was all done with no palaver at all.

All about to become a piece of healthcare archaeology, sadly.

Italy a few years back, horsefly bite went south. Minor injuries equivalent gave me the works, cream plus bandaged arm up. Steroid injection in arse plus hydrocortisone drip in arm. All for free just showed EHIC and possibly passport too I think. 

I had to pay for the antibiotics (aka rapid weight loss programme) which I had to get from the local pharmacy, the hospital gave me the prescription.  The drugs weren't expensive though, maybe 10 Euros or something.

Yes, the EHIC arrangement has been great ... come 2021, post-Brexit looks like it could all be lost?  Let us hope not!

Aye, right now I think EHIC is a minor concern as far as travel to Europe goes  

I wonder how many of us will get to travel there again...2020 now looks like pretty much a write off

It should be straightforward, as others have said, but do remember that it doesn't necessarily entitle you to totally free treatment: you will get treatment on whatever basis the locals get it.

15 years ago I broke my foot in Spain - I had my EHIC but they waved it away and only wanted my passport! (they also didn't x-ray it, or give me crutches, so I had to hop until back in UK when A&E diagnosed the fracture...).

5 years ago Mum had a skiing accident. I wasn't there when the paperwork was done, but I assume it was fairly straightforward. I do remember that the hospital bill (which went to the insurance company) included 25 Euro for crutches.

A good friend had a serious accident in the Costa Blanca last year. Unfortunately her EHIC card was back at the accommodation so on arrival at Denia Hospital we were required to pay an initial admission charge of approximately 200 Euros. This would not have been payable had we been able to present her EHIC card straight away but it was claimed back on travel insurance. However, we were provided with contact details to request a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC) which was quickly issued and emailed directly to Denia Hospital. This allowed access to the same levels of care as provided to Spanish Nationals under the state healthcare system at Denia and during her subsequent transfer to Valencia Hospital which from memory was entirely free including medication.

In a nutshell from that experience - no issues but always carry it with you. In the event of lost card or not having it to hand a PRC was issued quickly.

I used the EHIC at Briancon hospital three years ago. The hospital was very quick and thorough and the EHIC was readily accepted and processed. About two month later I did get a bill for, I think, 20 euros, payable to their health service payments centre, somewhere in the north.

I can confirm that EHIC card doesn't work that well in Greece. My youngest daughter had a severe ear infection, probably from a swimming pool. We found an emergency doctor as there wasn't a nearby hospital, even though we had all the required documents, we had to pay for everything upfront plus pay for some additional paperwork to confirm she was safe to fly home after a follow up visit. Our own travel insurance did however cover all the bills without quibble. 

Unfortunately I had AAC insurance which only covered rescue and repatriation.  This was carried out flawlessly and with no fuss but fellow climbers: take heed. I think it's a case of you get what you pay for with this type of insurance.  Having said all that I suspect that my total costs were not much more than if I had bought BMC insurance which increases significantly as you get older.

Al

AAC covers medical as well (with the low limits).

Possibly problems with EHIC if it's a private doctor? Doctors in a French ski resort were not interested in an EHIC, you pay up front, and then reclaim back in UK.

AAC paid for a medic to come out and supervise my return to the UK.  They paid for a taxi to the airport. They paid for a flight from Kalymnos to Athens and a 1st class flight from Athens to Birmingham.  They paid for the taxi from Birmingham to my home.  They would not reimburse me for the crutches and medical supplies. They would not reimburse me for the taxi I got from the crag to the hospital rather than calling out the rescue team . If your experience is different perhaps I should be consulting a lawyer

Al

There's always the small print. Presumably they would have paid for the op if necessary,  I've sent a French invoice for doctors consultation, crutches, and medical supplies to the DWP overseas health care team and they paid for the lot.