What happens medically in Europe?

[Jako999]

Hi all I’m sure this has been asked before but I can’t find a post. So pre brexit we used to have an NHS card to go to Europe which pretty much covered you for everything when you wer e on holiday in Europe, what happens now, are we covered still or has it all gone, do I need expensive medical insurance?

Thanks Martin

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

The European Health Insurance Card , EHIC has been replaced by the Global Health Insurance Card, GHIC.

nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/health...

You will still need travel insurance as the EHIC and GHIC don't provide full healthcare cover costs when you travel abroad.

[Lezzers]

The EHIC didn't cover you for full medical costs, you would have still had to pay towards things such as an emergency ambulance, blood tests, hospital treatment, etc. You then had to reclaim those costs once you were back in the UK. I believe that's still the same with the new GHIC card. But the card is not a substitute for travel insurance as it wouldn't cover repatriation costs or the cost of the plane being diverted due to you having a medical emergency etc

[Sunnydalelass]

Found GHIC invaluable on my recent trip to Austria. The insurance only paid out only after I had returned to the Uk . I had a stemi whilst on holiday. Please check countries covered by the GHIC as not all European countries covered. Had to pay for air ambulance from my own funds before being reimbursed from the insurance. All the best.

[wilsond]

You have always needed health insurance even pre Brexit. EhIC only covered you for a small amount,everything else you paid for and reclaimed on return.( from experience)In 2021 we went to Austria and our son had an accident . First thing they asked for was insurance details.

All Clear are good for me,with AF and AFlutter.

[Chappychap]

Hello Martin,

You'd be well advised to have travel insurance that covers pre-existing medical conditions. Here's why.

1. The GHIC card doesn't cover repatriation. And it's the repatriation part that is often the most financially crippling. To give you an example, most people on this forum have an elevated risk of a stroke. As a nurse on my Cardio Rehab course cheerfully put it, "first come the heart attacks, then come the strokes!". Even if you received the emergency treatment to stabilise your condition after a stroke you'd be in no fit state to get back to the UK under your own steam.

2. The UK is very much the exception with our "free at the point of delivery" NHS model. Most other countries have at least some insurance component (even if this is paid by the state) and most also require some kind of ID card. So even in cuddly, benign countries like Holland or Switzerland the process of getting medical help is a lot more beauracratic. Without the necessary documentation you'll be be made stable, but you often won't get the treatment required for recovery.

3. In many countries medication is a patient cost. I'm duel nationality, Canadian and British, and I'm often shocked by Canadian horror stories of just how ruinous medication costs can be.

4. If you're taking a cruise the big financial risk is the cost of being medically evacuated from the ship whilst at sea. There is no alternative to medical insurance for this.

5. The "G" in GHIC stands for "global". But it's an evolving structure and exactly what countries are covered changes all the time. In a similar vein, remember that the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man aren't covered by the NHS.

And finally, not only do you need medical insurance for a trip abroad, you should also have adequate cancellation insurance. Imagine you were to prudently visit your GP in the week or so before your holiday, and your GP were to schedule some tests for when you got back, then you'd have to alert your insurance provider. There's then every chance that without the test result they'd suspend cover and you'd have to cancel the trip.

I've come to the sad conclusion that overseas travel won't be something I can bank on indefinitely, it's a privilege not a right. At the moment I'm packing in all the trips and cruises I can while I'm still relatively fit. As time goes on travel will become both more expensive and less predictable.

So, go for it now while you can, just make sure you're insured.

Good luck!