The European Health Insurance Card and travel insurance
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Posted On :
Jun-26-2009
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Article Word Count :
486
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Some courses of treatment, operations, or other services will need to be partially subsidised by the patient.
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The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles citizens of EU nations to receive free or discount medical care whilst travelling within the EU. But what a lot of people don't realise is that it is no substitute for travel insurance. The EHIC isn't something that is going to fully protect your wallet from the costs of treatment abroad, and definitely does not cover things like replacement flights.
We in the Britain are lucky to have a great and free healthcare service, but elsewhere in the EU this is not always the case. Some courses of treatment, operations, or other services will need to be partially subsidised by the patient. The EHIC is bound by the conditions of the hospitals country, not by the home country of the patient, and so might surprise you when it comes to payment.
To use one common example, we have the French health service. If you don't buy travel insurance and really solely on your EHIC, the following problems would occur should you need to seek medical attention:
Prescription costs - Some prescriptions will be subsidised with the EHIC, but not to the full amount and some will not be subsidised at all. Without travel insurance you could end up paying for any prescriptions, and while most drugs don’t cost the earth some medications can be quite expensive.
Doctors consultation - Quite a common occurrence, which might include everyday maladies such as stomach upsets. We in the UK are used to being able to see a GP free whenever we want, but in France if you don’t have travel insurance then you will be liable for 30% of the consultation fee. This can become a real burden should you need to call on the doctor out-of-hours, when the price would be quite high.
Hospital charges - French hospitals charge a fixed-amount daily fee to patients staying there. This is another thing not covered by the EHIC. It is unlikely that a long stay will be necessary but under certain conditions, say you have broken a leg and should not be moved, this daily charge could mount up.
It is a simple fact that travel insurance would have covered all these eventualities. Not to mention all the things covered besides medical bills, and then only in the EU. An EHIC will not pay for another flight should you miss one due to illness, or pay for lost luggage, or cover you for personal accidents whilst overseas. Travel insurance is simply indispensable. The EHIC has its uses but should not be relied on solely.
Spain, Switzerland and Portugal are similar to France in that they would charge a patient who only had an EHIC large amounts for treatment received. It is unfortunately just the way the healthcare system works in places like this. By taking travel insurance with you, all these difficulties can be avoided.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The European Health Insurance Card and travel insurance _1358.aspx
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Author Resource :
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Keywords :
travel-insurance,
Category :
Finance
:
Insurance
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