If we lose the EHIC card?

[Howardh]

There's a chance that after Brexit we will no longer be allowed access to free emergency medical treatment abroad.

Now obviously most won't travel abroad without their own insurance anyway, but if we lose the card

1 - would that mean those whose conditions are so serious that insurance is unaffordable or impossible be unable to travel to the EU/EEA, and if so should Brexit have the "right" to virtually imprison them in the UK? **It COULD be a condition should visas be required that you do have health insurance**

2 - would health insurers hike their prices as they know it would be virtually compulsory and we don't have the EHIC back up?

I've noticed this year a hike in my travel insurance (only a fiver though!!) as I have a couple of new conditions - but they don't require medication.

Thoughts? Without giving away personal info, is there anyone here who has relied on the EHIC as their health insurance has just been too much?

 

[najaB]

There's a chance that after Brexit we will no longer be allowed access to free emergency medical treatment abroad.

I think it will all depend on if they are able to negotiate reciprocal agreements. There are countries outside the EU where we currently have such a setup.

 

[Barn]

I think it will all depend on if they are able to negotiate reciprocal agreements. There are countries outside the EU where we currently have such a setup.

Indeed. Equally, non-EU Switzerland also accepts the EHIC. Perhaps we'll stay in the scheme.

 

[Hornet]

There's a chance that after Brexit we will no longer be allowed access to free emergency medical treatment abroad.

Now obviously most won't travel abroad without their own insurance anyway, but if we lose the card

1 - would that mean those whose conditions are so serious that insurance is unaffordable or impossible be unable to travel to the EU/EEA, and if so should Brexit have the "right" to virtually imprison them in the UK? **It COULD be a condition should visas be required that you do have health insurance**

2 - would health insurers hike their prices as they know it would be virtually compulsory and we don't have the EHIC back up?

I've noticed this year a hike in my travel insurance (only a fiver though!!) as I have a couple of new conditions - but they don't require medication.

Thoughts? Without giving away personal info, is there anyone here who has relied on the EHIC as their health insurance has just been too much?

You should NEVER rely on your EHIC card as your health insurance. Both myself and the other half have Irish EHIC cards, (I have a UK one as well), but we both take out annual multi trip insurance for our EU trips.

 

[Howardh]

It makes no sense to the government to lose it. If anyone is ill, that could happen if they are on holiday in Scotland or Spain - if in Scotland the NHS (Scot's equivalent) has to pay, if in Spain we have to pay when they use the EHIC card, so there's no real financial gain for scrapping it, unless we as a country are not claiming back the costs when an EU citizen uses our system for emergency treatment. If that's the case, then why aren't we doing that?

If we do lose the card, it could simply be because our government/s haven't been chasing up the cash hard enough, so the ones that wil suffer are those landed with huge insurance bills - and if they are ill a holiday in the sun might benefit them (short on vitamin D??)!!

 

[northwichcat]

I've noticed this year a hike in my travel insurance (only a fiver though!!) as I have a couple of new conditions - but they don't require medication.

The difference between travel insurance for travel within the EU and for travel outside the EU is significant. You can pay 3 times more for travel insurance to non-EU countries. The potential higher cost of health treatment and the potential higher cost of curtailing your trip seem to be the only real reasons for the higher insurance costs.

Without giving away personal info, is there anyone here who has relied on the EHIC as their health insurance has just been too much?

I'm not sure what you mean there. EHIC is invalid if you travel to another country for the intention of getting medical treatment and you don't need it to get treatment on the NHS in the UK. Only reasons I can think of for health insurance (separate to travel insurance) are to get faster or better treatment in a private hospital than you would get on the NHS.

 

[Howardh]

You should NEVER rely on your EHIC card as your health insurance. Both myself and the other half have Irish EHIC cards, (I have a UK one as well), but we both take out annual multi trip insurance for our EU trips.

I agree that taking out health insurance is a must, but for some that simply isn't an option. I can't get health insurance for my dad (unless I'm prepared to pay £100's) as he's 87 and broke his hip recently - otherwise he's fine-ish - so a trip to see the war graves is out if there's no EHIC card.

I'm gonna put his details into a search tool again and see what I come up with!
Result - Saga £64 for one week to France only. Actually, that's not too bad but I forgot to put in that he has mild Alzhiemer's and all his prescribed drugs, so that would push it up a bit.
Mind you, for a pensioner £64's not easy to find.

 

[northwichcat]

if in Spain we have to pay when they use the EHIC card

Spain hasn't complied with the terms of the EHIC: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/may/30/spain-ehic-refusal-european-commission

The European Commission is taking legal action against Spain after hospitals refused treatment to British holidaymakers carrying a European health insurance card (Ehic)

 

[Jordeh]

The difference between travel insurance for travel within the EU and for travel outside the EU is significant. You can pay 3 times more for travel insurance to non-EU countries. The potential higher cost of health treatment and the potential higher cost of curtailing your trip seem to be the only real reasons for the higher insurance costs.

Travel insurance is sold as either for Europe or Non-European from my experience, not EU or non-EU - probably due to the higher costs you allude to. For instance if I bought European travel insurance, I would be covered in Serbia, Ukraine etc that aren't in the EU or covered by EHIC.

2 - would health insurers hike their prices as they know it would be virtually compulsory and we don't have the EHIC back up

It would be no more compulsory than it is now. Insurance operates as a free market so if one insurer put up their prices, then you would just buy it elsewhere - unless of course they all fixed their prices but that is virtually impossible as it's a very competitive market and there are measures to prevent that anyway.

 

[najaB]

Travel insurance is sold as either for Europe or Non-European from my experience, not EU or non-EU - probably due to the higher costs you allude to. For instance if I bought European travel insurance, I would be covered in Serbia, Ukraine etc that aren't in the EU or covered by EHIC.

Realistically, it should be sold as 'USA' and 'Rest of the World' given how expensive their healthcare gets.

 

[northwichcat]

Travel insurance is sold as either for Europe or Non-European from my experience, not EU or non-EU - probably due to the higher costs you allude to. For instance if I bought European travel insurance, I would be covered in Serbia, Ukraine etc that aren't in the EU or covered by EHIC.

There are differences between insurers. Some of the cheapest 'European' policies don't include every European country, while some of the more expensive ones have countries outside Europe included in the 'European' policies e.g. Morocco, which would be ideal if you planned to visit Spain and Morocco.

 

[Howardh]

Annual travel insurance tends to cover a region ie. "Europe" - which includes the Isle of Man and Gibraltar!! whereas single trip usually asks for a specific country or countries. Now in that case, is there a difference if you say "Spain", "Turkey" or "Morocco"? Anyone any experience of being charged more for an non-EU state?

 

[NorthernSpirit]

For the next two years at least, we'd more than likely retain the EHIC cards. We'll find out what happens to them come 2019 - although there is the possibility that we could end up having it integrated into the passport or an agreement is reached upon regarding the British and their EHIC card..

 

[Busaholic]

The E111 form which preceded EHIC cards was certainly going when we entered the Common Market, but I've a feeling it predated our entry. I definitely got one in early 1975, but we had been in the EEC for a few months then. I just can't remember whether I had one for my Italian holiday in 1973.

 

[Howardh]

The E111 form which preceded EHIC cards was certainly going when we entered the Common Market, but I've a feeling it predated our entry. I definitely got one in early 1975, but we had been in the EEC for a few months then. I just can't remember whether I had one for my Italian holiday in 1973.

How many countries then would the E111 have covered. As far as I can remember, there was quite a long list and many more countries than were in the EU(EEC) at the time.

 

[Busaholic]

How many countries then would the E111 have covered. As far as I can remember, there was quite a long list and many more countries than were in the EU(EEC) at the time.

Info on this is not easy to find on the internet. Lots of Commonwealth countries I'm sure and Switzerland was definitely on it too. As you say, it seemed quite a long list.