EHIC cards? Useful?

[stopitandtidyupp]

Brexit aside while we are currently in the EU is it worth having one?

There was a bit of a debate in the staffroom the other day as a colleague is off on holiday to Croatia in August. He says he has good quality insurance so it will be fine.

Others said with this card he could get treated without having to claim the cost back from the insurance.

Has anyone actually used their cards?

Are they worth it or do people just get them for the sake of it?

Some insurance policies won't pay if you were eligible for free treatment but didn't claim it!

Yes, insurance usually is on top of EHIC, not instead...

Of course you need one. Why on earth bet you get one?

I can't see this in my policy. So maybe mine is ok.

Do hospitals actually ask for the cards?

*wouldn’t

Just applied for mine. I think my colleague leaves next week. He had never heard of them.

As the previous poster said, some insurance companies expect you to use the ehic firstly and will cover you for expenses and treatment over and above what you are entitled to using the ehic card. So you really need both.

I've used them three times, for the DCs. Thank god I had them! One of them involved overnight hospital stay. All they wanted to see was the card and I didn't have to pay anything or claim back etc.

Good stuff! Have a wonderful holiday.

I’m not letting any kids (or staff!) come to France without one next week.

A small point, but when applying for these please make sure you use the official site

The cards are free, but there are also a LOT of "agencies" offering to provide one for £20 or so, and they're very good at making themselves look like the government site

I've used mine. Weirdly, a few months after my insurance paid me what they were supposed, less than half because it was a small bill relative to the size of the excess, NHS admin caught up with me and paid me some more on top. (I think the insurer had informed the NHS that I had paid a medical bill while abroad, and NHS felt obligated to pay me back, for reasons I don't fully comprehend.)

Now I think about it, it was probably that the NHS had received a refund of part of what I paid in Austria, and passed it on to me. I assume if I'd been Austrian the Austrian health system would have paid me directly.

Yup

I used mine in Spain for a horrendous UTI

Went to the local medical centre, waited about an hour to be seen. Got antibiotics for about £1.20. Job done.

Yes, they can ask for the card. I was asked in Paris when I broke my arm there. They want to ensure that their costs will be met.

EHIC ensures that the NHS will pay your medical bill if you become ill or are injured when in another EU country.

Fuck knows what will happen there if/when we leave the EU at the end of October. Travel insurance will have to start covering it all, I guess, and will be the only fallback. It isn't without its problems though, and can have plenty of exclusions.

Pressed send too soon. Yes, have the EHIC card for now, especially if travelling to Europe on holiday.

My DD is going on a school trip to Italy in October. I have renewed her EHIC card for that.

We've always used EHIC and travel insurance (from the Post Office) as we were told that if something serious happens the EHIC won't cover it, eg medical flight back to the UK - I have kamikaze teenage boys so I like to cover all bases!

you definitely need ehic + travel insurance.
ehic is for primary medical care, but not anything after. so if you badly break your arm ehic covers you for a&e, possibly operation if necessary but once that's done and you leave hospital that's it.

so you are not fit to fly home, have to pay for a hotel extension yourself, rebook flights etc.

medical flight is ££££ (we paid 10k for a relative to be transported after a broken leg. they had insurance but we needed to pay first and claim back on their policy)

You need one. You could face paying more up front at hospital, and have greater difficulty claiming costs back from insurer. It's free and easy to get.

www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-ehic-european-health-insurance-card/

Link to the official EHIC government site. You should never be asked to pay a charge for the card, but we get so many calls from people who have been caught out.

contactcentreservices.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/selfnhsukokb/AskUs_EHIC/en-gb/5058/overseas-healthcare-services/

Link to the NHSBSA Askus knowledge base which gives info about the EHIC and other overseas healthcare matters, such as what you can do if you don't have a card/don't have it with you when needing treatment abroad.

You definitely need one. We had to show it at the hospital for a broken bone a couple of weeks ago. Other costs over and above the primary medical care are being covered by insurance.

Used mine in France - suspected DVT after long haul flight. It made the hospital experience very easy.

Post Office insurances advises (but not requires) you to have one.

And has an excess for claims where one is not used, but not on ones where it has been.

Has anyone actually used their cards?
Yes, DH has to use it in Germany about two years ago. Emergency treatment, including ambulance and a stay in Intensive Care (not sure what the German equivalent is named). He stupidly had forgotten to take the actual card with him even though he was eligible and had the card at home. He still got the urgent care he needed and just had to present the details after he had returned home.

Dh used his when he twisted his knee skiing - meant he didn't have to pay the excess that our travel insurance would have made us pay.