A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives card holders the right to access state-provided healthcare on temporary stays in other European Economic Area (EEA) countries or Switzerland. Treatment should be provided on the same basis as it would be to a resident of that country and is provided either at reduced cost or, in many cases, for free. The EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until the card holder returns home. This includes treatment for pre-existing medical conditions.
All comments (46)
robertr
1 Mar 17#1
It's always been free!
othen
1 Mar 17#2
Why is this listed as a deal?
luvsadealdealdeal
1 Mar 17#3
it's not a deal, it's a Freebie - & quite a useful one at that
Muyhee
1 Mar 17#4
Yep, def a freebie and always has been...
jonnythegamemaster
1 Mar 17#5
Possibly not for long though
othen
1 Mar 17#6
I think this talk of having to get one of these whilst we are still in the EU is pretty misleading, as far as I know the deal applies to other countries as well as the EU such as Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and I think even Croatia.
Bstard
1 Mar 17#7
Beware of sites at the top of Google search, they take you to a payment screen after you have entered your name, NINO and D.O.B but at first glance the website looks legit, the Mrs did this last night. God knows what they can still do with this info...?
FreeDeal
1 Mar 17#8
Nice reminder for some
Muyhee
1 Mar 17#9
Yeah, great heads up for those who are looking to get one
DealPerv2016
1 Mar 17#10
Just applied, never actually got round to getting one and have stupidly been on holiday every year since they came out hahaha
murkr
1 Mar 17#11
Yes, but we can't use it once we're out of the EU can we.
othen
1 Mar 17#12
Why not? Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Croatia have never been in the EU, so I don't think this is something we have gained from EU membership (our deal may even pre-date EU membership? I remember having an E111 decades ago). I can imagine that the civil servants at the EU commission might try to take it away out of spite, but will relent once they realise the benefits for EU citizens living and visiting here.
This all depends on the 'deal' after Brexit, the big campaign was to stop immigration (free movement) so if that's the case we may lose these kind of benefits. There's also talks that they MAY honour the expiry on the card. Either way, there's the possibility of applications ending in a couple of years. Myself or yourself have no idea how it will all pan out, but if people don't have one then it's pretty important to get one regardless.
sochealth.co.uk/201…it/ - This article may interest some people. Your argument regarding Switzerland etc would mean if we went down that route we can only use it in those countries.
randomiser2kz
1 Mar 17#14
do you need to have a british nationality or can you get the card just with an indefinite leave to remain visa?
Comment's along these lines come up EVERY TIME this particular Deal/Freebie is Posted up here on HUKD in the past (but even more so now, now that our whole EU Membership thing is all up in the air ..... )
It may be worth people searching HUKD for other 'instances' of the EHIC Card, and then reading up on it also, etc?. :-)
For those that want a shorter link: https://www.gov.uk/european-health-insurance-card
:grin:
mtuk1
1 Mar 17#19
Ehhh? Croatia is in the EU. Has been since 2013.
asadjani2016
1 Mar 17#20
had one since ages
amour3k
1 Mar 17#21
Thanx. :-)
amour3k
1 Mar 17#22
Try 'separating stuffs' a little bit perhaps?, lol. ;-)
WeirdoMagnet
1 Mar 17#23
Just to say thanks for flagging this - not had one since they were an E111, and were planning on going abroad, but forgot about this, so just applied - takes two mins, thanks! :-)
Stoofa
2 Mar 17#24
*Oxygen - Free!!!!* It's all around you. Just breathe it in. It's totally free and you can take as much as you can carry and once you've used it up you can come back for more!
dominik
2 Mar 17#25
It's amazing that some people are sure that they will be able to get the EHIC card after UK leaves the single market.
pooool
2 Mar 17#26
Make your voice heard now if you want to keep your EHIC card after Brexit...
M1LFHunter
2 Mar 17#27
Don't worry, we'll still be in the EU until the bitter 'Vote Remainers' stop costing the country a fortune.
*/goes to make popcorn/*
Mav01
2 Mar 17#28
Thanks...reminded me to renew...heat added...
varaha
2 Mar 17#29
Croatia IS in the EU.
2minutenoodles
2 Mar 17#30
Thank you OP... have applied just in case we get to go anywhere lol :grin:
landros1
2 Mar 17#31
Thanks.It is the only way I know how to copy a link!
mtuk1
3 Mar 17#32
Duh. I've already made this point.
mtuk1
3 Mar 17#33
It's amazing people are sure we won't once we leave the EU.
amour3k
3 Mar 17#34
Fair enough, that's cool. :-)
amour3k
3 Mar 17#35
That's a point?.
I kind of have pondered the same conundrum of this in my head many times over already ... (since last year, lol).
Who knows either way I guess?.
andykapa
3 Mar 17#36
brexit mate
s24adm
3 Mar 17#37
"One of the models being proposed is to negotiate a deal with individual members of the European Union. It is usually a very tedious process and one that cannot guarantee success every time. This model requires the UK government to individually negotiate with each of the 27 EU members in pretty much the same way as Switzerland did with its multiple bilateral agreements with member nations of the European Union. This will entail a lot of negotiations which can drag on for years.
Another option, one which is entirely possible, is for UK to retain the EHIC but will only apply to visits made to Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. This is because these four countries are not members of the Union. Instead, they are the remaining members of the EFTA. All of these 4 countries recognize and accept the EHIC. If in case Brexit really does become official, UK tourists and holiday merrymakers can still visit these 4 nations and still enjoy the same benefits that EHIC brings. It should be understood that the EHIC is not really an exclusive program of the EU but rather the EEA. The EFTA countries are not members of the EU and yet they recognize and accept EHIC."
mtuk1
3 Mar 17#38
Yes it is a point. There are a lot of people who appear to armchair experts (on the whole remoaners) who automatically assume they know we're going to lose and that. The truth is, unless you're on the Brexit negotiation team, nobody has any idea what's going to happen and what we'll keep once we leave.
Jugram
4 Mar 17#39
you can get it on ILR
theyiddo
4 Mar 17#40
What makes you think those on the negotiation team have, or will have, a clue about what's going to happen? (_;)
mtuk1
4 Mar 17#41
I'm not going to even address that.
humanracer
12 Mar 17#42
Nice. Remember it just gives you state healthcare in that country. Which, in the case of Finland, means you still have to pay for things like medicine etc. You are better off just getting insurance EVERY time.
Shard
12 Mar 17#43
"Do you still need travel insurance if you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)"
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
Alternative link: gov.uk/eur…ard
-landros1
A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives card holders the right to access state-provided healthcare on temporary stays in other European Economic Area (EEA) countries or Switzerland. Treatment should be provided on the same basis as it would be to a resident of that country and is provided either at reduced cost or, in many cases, for free. The EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until the card holder returns home. This includes treatment for pre-existing medical conditions.
All comments (46)
This all depends on the 'deal' after Brexit, the big campaign was to stop immigration (free movement) so if that's the case we may lose these kind of benefits. There's also talks that they MAY honour the expiry on the card. Either way, there's the possibility of applications ending in a couple of years. Myself or yourself have no idea how it will all pan out, but if people don't have one then it's pretty important to get one regardless.
sochealth.co.uk/201…it/ - This article may interest some people. Your argument regarding Switzerland etc would mean if we went down that route we can only use it in those countries.
It may be worth people searching HUKD for other 'instances' of the EHIC Card, and then reading up on it also, etc?. :-)
:grin:
Thanx. :-)
It's all around you. Just breathe it in. It's totally free and you can take as much as you can carry and once you've used it up you can come back for more!
*/goes to make popcorn/*
I kind of have pondered the same conundrum of this in my head many times over already ... (since last year, lol).
Who knows either way I guess?.
"One of the models being proposed is to negotiate a deal with individual members of the European Union. It is usually a very tedious process and one that cannot guarantee success every time. This model requires the UK government to individually negotiate with each of the 27 EU members in pretty much the same way as Switzerland did with its multiple bilateral agreements with member nations of the European Union. This will entail a lot of negotiations which can drag on for years.
Another option, one which is entirely possible, is for UK to retain the EHIC but will only apply to visits made to Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. This is because these four countries are not members of the Union. Instead, they are the remaining members of the EFTA. All of these 4 countries recognize and accept the EHIC. If in case Brexit really does become official, UK tourists and holiday merrymakers can still visit these 4 nations and still enjoy the same benefits that EHIC brings. It should be understood that the EHIC is not really an exclusive program of the EU but rather the EEA. The EFTA countries are not members of the EU and yet they recognize and accept EHIC."
(yes)
moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/…nce
"If you use an EHIC to get medical care, some insurers won’t ask you to pay the excess on your medical claims."