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?

I can't see this in my policy.

All insurance policies will require the insured person to minimise their losses in the event of an accident, and without an EHIC card it will be hard for you to do that.

An EHIC gets you equivalent treatment to what someone living in that country would get which means sometimes it is completely free and sometimes you pay a bit. It never covers repatriation though so you should have insurance too. I wonder if insurance policies will cost more after Brexit when EHIC no longer works?

I just panicked about this as i forgot ours had expired and i gad previously thought we'd be out of europe by now, then completely forgot to renew.

If you travel without it, the website says you can phone them to get an emergency cover in place if you get in touch when something has happened.

Never needed mine but always keep it on me when out and about. If there was an emergency it's no use to you if it's back at the hotel. Ditto insurance details.

Fuck knows what will happen there if/when we leave the EU at the end of October

I would like think that reciprocal healthcare agreements like we already have with several non-EU countries, are being worked on right now.

I would like to think that.

EHIC cards come through very quickly In my experience - under a week

I didn't know what an ehic was and went to Europe without one, luckily I didn't require medical treatment. A few days ago while discussing another trip I was asked if I had one, I don't.

Looked on gov.uk and decided to apply through their nhs link. Hope it comes before I go.

Incidentally the gov website does say that ehic may not be valid if there is a no deal exit in October

I wouldn't travel without. If your are unfortunate enough to need it, chances are you will be asked for them. Not sure what the consequences are for not having them. Maybe payment upfront(?).

My husband fell ill, while abroad, one Saturday afternoon. He stayed in hospital until the next morning. A month later, we received a bill for 1.3k! I called our travel insurance and they would have probably covered it but with a lot of excess for us to pay. Once my brain kicked in, I called the hospital. There was a form we hadn't completed. Once done, the ehic card had covered us (apart from a 10€ excess). Like others said, it's free and although we've only needed it once in 15 years of having them, I wouldn't be without.

Trust me, chances are you won't, but if you are in the shitty position of needing medical help the last thing you want to waste thoughts on is your cover. Have an ehic card and travel insurance.

DS went on a school trip abroad last month. EHIC card was mandatory for everyone. They sent out link to the proper site with documentation about the trip about 3 months before they went so there was no excuse.

We have always had them and - fingers crossed - never needed them. We also have travel insurance but EHIC cards are stored with passports.

EHIC almost certainly won't be valid if there is a no deal Brexit. If travelling after 31st Oct check your insurance cover.

Is it not possible in the UK to download written evidence of European health cover if your card doesn't arrive? Here in France if your EHIC doesn't arrive in time you can download a paper which confirms your entitlement and gives the relevant details.

A relative of mine received fantastic care when they had a stroke abroad with the EHIC, and my DD has been on a school trip to Europe this year and they insisted on them. I dread what will happen on this front when brexit finally happens (yes, we have travel insurance as well).

I needed to go to A&E in Germany as I had an infection from an insect bite that was rapidly tracking up my arm. The pharmacy sent me there after antihistamines had failed.

I just showed my card when I registered and got seen straight away with no hassle at all. My travel insurance has a £100 excess, so the free csrd saved me from having to pay that and all the hassle that would have gone with it. Since the form is so easy to complete, and it's free, I can't see why any one wouldn't bother!

Are they worth it? Worth what? They are free, last ten years (or until BREXIT finishes) and take 10 minutes to apply for. Why wouldn’t you take it and save claiming on insurance

I needed an ambulance in Austria and they wouldn't take me until they saw it and made a copy. A&E on a Friday night and I was the only person there!

I have one and had to use it in Germany on holiday two years ago. It worked very well, treatment first by the "emergency GP practice" located at the local hospital. GP looked at my knee, wasn't quite sure and wanted A&E to have a look - before he proceeded to quiz me on how the NHS works for ten minutes.
Then hobbled over to the A&E, they looked at the knee, wheeled me to X-Ray, wheeled me back, declared nothing seriously injured, patched me up and then - quizzed me for ten minutes on how the NHS works
I was in and out in 45 minutes. To be fair, I went there early on a Sunday morning before all the "let's wear sandals to do some mountaineering" tourists get in. Later on, they probably would have been much, much busier. Brilliant service, efficient, friendly and they knew exactly how to process the EHIC, probably because it is a very touristy area in the Alps.

Rottnestferry, I would like to think that too, but not holding my breath.

What makes me sad though is that this is another great thing about being in the EU that we lose when we leave 😞

Definitely... I had to get an ambulance in an emergency while in Spain.. didn't need to worry about anything as was covered by EHIC. At hospital I asked if they needed my insurance details and they didn't need anything because I had my EHIC

We have them. If you have an accident in an EU country they mean you do not have to pay the excess fee for medical treatment. So if you break a leg you save a few hundred quid.

You definitely need one. In all other EU countries where they have health insurance systems, the EHIC is printed on the back of your health insurance card. It would be expected. It's not just a UK quirk, it's an absolutely normal fact of life for anybody travelling between EU countries (as many on the continent do daily for work).

Having left my appendix in Europe - yes they are worth having!

while my insurance paid for a top of the range hospital and all that jazz the EHIC meant we got seen by the local hospital and Gynaecologist (as was PG) and diagnosed quickly (given I thought I had a dicky tummy)

Insurance will often only pay beyond what an EHIC would cover.

What makes me sad though is that this is another great thing about being in the EU that we lose when we leave
Agreed! Also makes me sad that so many people don't seem to have heard about it - makes you wonder what other advantages they didn't know about!