Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
25 July 2014 09:07
Travellers are being urged to ensure their EHIC card is valid
Holidaymakers are being urged to check whether they are travelling with valid documents after it emerged that 4.5 million European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) are set to expire in 2014.
Travellers with valid EHICs, which were launched eight years ago as a replacement for the E111 form, are entitled to receive the same level of care in a medical emergency that the residents in the country of travel would.
This applies to the 27 member states of the EU, as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway - all the countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA). However, it does not apply to Turkey, which is not currently a member of either the EU or EEA.
Depending on the country people holiday in, they may receive their treatment for free or at a significantly reduced cost.
Travellers with EHICs are, however, also being urged to take out travel insurance as the cards should be seen as an addition to travel cover rather than a replacement. People planning a holiday who suffer from an ongoing health condition are urged to arrange pre-existing medical travel insurance.
Having a valid EHIC can work in tandem with travel insurance, having a positive effect on any medical claims made abroad. A recent poll by Gocompare found that the vast majority of single-trip travel insurance policies (92%) are charging an excess when travellers make a medical claim.
However, nine in 10 of these policies (90%) would waive the excess if the insurance holders had used their EHICs correctly while abroad. The same was found to be true for multi-trip travel insurance policies.
The survey also found that more than half of holidaymakers (54%) mistakenly believe they are entitled to free medical care in every European country if they have an EHIC card, while 6% thought they can get free care around the world with their card.
A spokesman for Gocompare stressed that the level of medical care travellers receive varies from country to country, and holidaymakers should not expect the same treatment as in an NHS hospital or at their GP back home.
13 December 2018
Space tourism could move one giant leap closer this week as Virgin Galactic expects to reach "space altitudes" for the first time.
[more...]
12 December 2018
If you're worried about piling on the pounds this Christmas, regular home weighing could prevent you from excessive festive eating and drinking.
11 December 2018
Airlines that automatically cancel return flights when passengers fail to show for their outbound journeys are being warned they risk breaking consumer law.
08 December 2018
Providing better conditions for disabled passengers is one of the main aims of a proposed new charter for airlines and airports.
07 December 2018
Women who don't attend cervical screenings should be offered testing kits they can use at home, new research suggests.
06 December 2018
Ryanair could be slapped with enforcement action from the airline regulator after it refused compensation for passengers hit by flight disruption caused by staff taking strike action.
05 December 2018
Protein supplements and muscle training could be the most effective ways to delay or reverse the effects of frailty, a new study suggests.
04 December 2018
Mumford and Sons bassist Ted Dwane has helped create a new exhibition to raise awareness of the loneliness felt by people living with multiple sclerosis (MS).
01 December 2018
A leading charity has praised the actions of Lloyd Russell-Moyle, saying the Labour MP had "done everybody a service" by disclosing his HIV status.
30 November 2018
Sweating out the daily stresses in a sauna could be linked to a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in people aged 50 and over, according to a new study.
29 November 2018
Hitting the Copacabana could soon become a more realistic aim for holidaymakers, with Norwegian set to become the first budget airline to operate UK-Brazil flights.
28 November 2018
Holidaymakers on the UK's proposed new high-speed trainline could have their Amazon packages delivered directly to their seat, according to a train manufacturer.