The European Health Insurance Card (or EHIC ) is issued free of charge and allows anyone insured by or protected by compulsory social security schemes in the EEA and Switzerland to receive medical care in the country other members for free or at a lower cost, if such care is required during their visit (for example, due to illness or accident), or if they have pre-existing conditions requiring treatment such as dialysis kidney. The terms of card validity vary according to the country issuing it.
The purpose of this scheme is to enable people to continue their stay in the country without having to go home for medical treatment; therefore, does not include persons who have visited a country for the purpose of obtaining medical care, nor does it cover care, such as many types of dental care, which may be delayed until individuals return to their home country. Costs that are not borne by the cost of self-responsibility are paid by the issuing state, which is usually the country of residence but may also be the country where a person receives most of his pension.
This covers only the health care normally covered by the compulsory health care system in the country visited, so it does not make travel insurance obsolete.
This card was started on June 1, 2004 and throughout 2005, became the only health rights document on January 1, 2006. This card applies to all French foreign departments (Martinique, Guadeloupe, RÃÆ'Â Â union, and French Guiana) as they are part of the EEA, but not a dependent non-EEA region such as Jersey, Isle of Man, Aruba, or French Polynesia. However, there is agreement for the use of EHIC in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, although they are not in the EEA.
The reason for the existence of this card, is that the right to health care in Europe is based on the country of residence of the law, not a citizenship state. Therefore, passports are not sufficient to receive health care. Even so the photo identification document may be requested, as the European Health Insurance Card does not contain photos.
In some cases, even if a person is covered by EU state health insurance, a person is not eligible for a European Health Insurance Card. For example, in Romania, someone currently insured must be insured for the preceding five years in order to qualify. Romania is also the only participating country where not all residents remain covered by health insurance. For these reasons Romanian Romans usually do not have a European insurance card or their fees are paid by the country of residence.
It replaces the following medical forms:
- E110 - For international road hauliers
- E111 - For tourists
- E119 - For unemployed/job seekers
- E128 - For students and workers in other member countries
Video European Health Insurance Card
Third party app processor
The European Health Insurance Card is free for all residents of participating state law. However there are various businesses that act as non-authorized agents on behalf of individuals, arranging the supply of cards in return for payment, often offering additional services such as application checks for errors and suggestions or general assistance. This proved very controversial. In 2010, the British government moved against companies inviting people to pay for free EHIC, which implies that through payment, the applicant can speed up the process. Nevertheless, the practice continues.
Maps European Health Insurance Card
Member countries participating
In 2013, 32 countries in Europe participated: 31 member countries of the European Economic Area (EEA) plus Switzerland. This includes 28 EU member states (EU) and 4 member countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man do not provide coverage under the EHIC, and their inhabitants are not eligible for EHIC.
Controversy
In August 2015, Daily Mail carried a story about the abuse of the EHIC system in which a card was issued to an undercover Hungarian reporter who "got the card after visiting the UK for less than a day" after the other. journalists disguised as landlords and presented GP with a lease agreement of an unoccupied property to obtain the NHS number. He claims that "foreigners are picking up the NHS for care in their own country." As the The Guardian shows, the NHS issued a card to individuals who were not eligible to receive cards because GP was deceived to issue an NHS number, and it was not clear what benefits would be gained as a result.
Without an active investigative branch, it is likely that the NHS authorities found very low fraud. The Huffington Post reports that only nine instances of low-level fraud involving EHIC in the UK have been found in five years at a combined cost of Ã, Â £ 712,56.
See also
- Health care in the European Union
- Italian health insurance card
- Carte Vitale
- European SIM
References
External links
- EU Site on EHIC
- English EHIC information at gov.uk
- English EHIC Application
- General EHIC UK Information
- Irish EHIC sites - including coverage details in various countries
- Dutch EHIC website
- Access health care in Switzerland
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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