Featured: Healthcare in the European Union

Going on holiday can be great fun. You get to experience new places, new people, and cultures that differ vastly to your own. However, sometimes our holidays can end in a trip to the emergency room which can introduce you to a completely unwelcome new experience: trying to figure out the healthcare systems of different countries. For countries within the European Union, a 28-country union based within Europe, the healthcare system is fairly easy to work, but can still be daunting to go through! This article is by no means a comprehensive list of those 28 countries, but aims to give you a little more of an understanding of the healthcare options you have when visiting EU countries, including when you do and do not need insurance.

The Basics

In the European Union, everybody is entitled to treatment. It is incredibly rare that anybody is refused treatment, especially for life-threatening injuries that cannot wait until the ill party travels back to their home country. However, there are different charges per country when it comes to emergency healthcare. Often, it will be required to pay upfront for any medical treatment that you have to undertake whilst abroad, depending on the healthcare rules of the country that you are visiting. There are several ways, however, that you can reduce and / or simplify these costs in order to save yourself a headache if the inevitable happens.

The emergency number for the EU is 112, which works in every EU country with the exception of the UK, where the short-dial for the emergency services is 999. Any calls made to the emergency services will be free of charge, and can be dialed from any telephone. This routes you through the a service where you can request an ambulance, the police, the fire brigade, the lifeguard service and any other emergency service that the country offers.

Healthcare for European Union Members

If you have a permanent residence in an EU country, healthcare in another EU country is made slightly easier than going to other countries. EU residents can apply for a European Health Insurance Card — a card which is free of charge to issue, and helps with simplifying any payments required and / or reimbursements that need to be issued to the ill party member. They entitle the holder to the same healthcare options that are available to locals in the country that you are visiting. This covers state-provided care, such as emergency trips to the hospital, appointments at non-private doctors or surgeries. It does not cover you for any private healthcare, however, nor does it cover you if you are travelling with the express reasoning of seeking medical help. This card is valid across the 28 EU member states (a full list of which can be found here), as well as in Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

Information on getting these cards usually rests with the local provider of the country that you currently reside in, but more information on this can be found on the European Commission website. Some people will travel with these cards only, but it is also recommended to travel with separate travel insurance to cover your belongings, any search-and-rescue that has to be undertaken or any transport back to your home country.

It is important, before you leave, to check the healthcare for the individual country that you are travelling to. The EHIC provides you to the healthcare options as if you were an insured resident of the country you are in at the time — if this country provides free-of-charge healthcare for insured residents, then you would receive free-of-charge healthcare yourself. If they charge a fee for healthcare to insured residents, then you would also be charged a fee. If the latter is the case, then applying for reimbursement of this charge is perfectly acceptable under the EHIC, as this is what an insured resident of this country would do.

Healthcare for Non-European Union Members

If you live in a country outside the European Union, then the most important thing to discuss and purchase before you leave your home country is travel / health insurance for the country that you intend to visit. As mentioned above, it is incredibly rare that the emergency services in the EU will refuse you treatment, but they will likely charge you for the privilege. To ensure that you don’t find yourself trying to cover an incredibly expensive bill for an injury, travel insurance is a must.

The most important thing to look for in your travel insurance is the inclusion of state-provided healthcare services. Any urgent healthcare, obviously, is a first priority and many of the EU member states will default to state-provided healthcare in an emergency. Often, these come with upfront charges that should be paid before treatment. In the event of a life-threatening health issue, it is worth getting in contact with your local healthcare provider or government health agency, as they may be able to provide proof of your health insurance to waive this charge, but it is not always guaranteed to be the case.

As with all health insurance, you can be entitled to reimbursement for treatments covered. If you are claiming for any healthcare you have received abroad, it is important to look at the charges for procedures, both in your home country and in the country that you are travelling in. You will only ever be paid back for procedures or healthcare options that you would be covered by the healthcare in your home country — so if you get appointments with your doctor free of charge in your home country, it is likely that the insurance agency will reimburse you if you have to go to a doctor whilst in the EU. It is important to mention, however, that you are only ever given money up entitle cost of the treatment in your own country. This means that if a procedure costs more in the EU country than it does in your home country, then you may not receive reimbursement for the entire cost of the procedure.

Finally, always read your insurance policy very carefully. These are the basic rules when it comes to covering EU healthcare under insurance policies, but some policies may differ slightly or have different clauses to the basic idea. To ensure that you don’t get caught out, make yourself familiar with what is and is not covered through your insurance. Also look out for any restrictions in certain countries, as some insurance companies will not cover for certain procedures performed in certain countries.

Special thanks to losing control. and silent hearts. for editing!

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