3 Million People Are At Risk With Out Of Date Ehics; UK Travellers Facing Hefty Medical Bills For Treatment In Europe

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 19 Mar 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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UK residents travelling in Europe should check the renewal date on their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), as 3.3 million will have expired by end of March, the Department of Health urged today. The warning comes as new figures show that only 292,089 people have renewed their EHIC to date, leaving more than 3 million people with an out-of-date card.

Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said:

"Anyone travelling with an expired EHIC is putting themselves at risk - they will not be covered for basic medical care. It is vital that UK residents holidaying in Europe carry their EHIC and take out adequate travel insurance to avoid having to pay out unnecessarily for medical costs that could be covered by a valid EHIC."

The EHIC, which replaced the E111 form in 2005, entitles people to reduced costs or free state-provided healthcare in most European countries should they fall ill or have an accident. The EHIC can be renewed online or over the phone and will be delivered within ten days; it can also be renewed up to six months in advance of expiry. To renew or obtain an EHIC, log on to http://www.nhs.uk/healthcareabroad or call 0845 606 2030. For further information call the EHIC enquiries line on 0845 605 0707.

Notes

1. The E111 form is no longer valid. You will need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to receive healthcare that becomes necessary during a visit to a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland.

2. The EHIC can be used to cover any necessary medical treatment due to either an accident or illness within the European Economic Area (EEA).

3. The EHIC can be used in most European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus (not northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden & Switzerland

4. The EHIC entitles the holder to state-provided medical treatment within the country they are visiting and the service provided will be the same as received by a person covered by the country's 'insured' medical scheme.

5. EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. You are advised to take out comprehensive private travel insurance for visits to all countries, regardless of whether you are covered by your EHIC. Private travel insurance will cover any contribution which is not reimbursable, as well as other eventualities not covered by the EHIC. Some travel insurance policies are not valid without an EHIC (always check the terms and conditions).

6. The EHIC won't cover you if getting medical treatment is the main purpose of your trip. 7. Online applications will be delivered the quickest (within seven days), with telephone applications being delivered within ten days.

8. Breakdown of numbers of EHICs that expire between September 2008 and March 2009.

Month Number of EHICs expiring
September 2008 731,921
October 2008 729,621
November 2008 353,306
December 2008 343,272
January 2009 369,850
February 2009 367,323
March 2009 364,312

Department of Health, UK