European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

HEADRAT · 28 May 2013 at 09:47

Hi,

I'm off to Portugal at the weekend and we have Travel Insurance but we forgot to apply for a :-

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

is this a problem, or will we just be covered by the Travel Insurance if we need to visit a doctor/hospital etc?

Cheers

HEADRAT

Ysmalari · 28 May 2013 at 09:52

I think your travel insurance should cover it, have a check of the terms and conditions of it to make sure, also if you do have to use it you will obviously be subject to the excess.

MickeyFinns · 28 May 2013 at 10:02

Check your insurance. A fair amount of "Global" ones don't actually cover the EU as it is covered by an EHIC.

Russinating · 28 May 2013 at 10:03

If you visit a hospital then you'll get a discount for having an EHIC. I went to hospital in France and got (I think) around a 90% reduction, so I paid £28 for an x-ray, ultrasound and peeing in a pot test instead of whatever it should have been. Because I used my EHIC I could also claim this back from my insurance with no excess.

Without the EHIC I'd have had to pay ~£300 on the spot and if I wanted to claim this off my insurer would have had to pay the excess.

TL;DR: Apply for one and hope it arrives. If not hope you don't need to visit anyone.

Diesel · 28 May 2013 at 10:23

In my experience they arrive pretty quickly, I'd apply for one on the off chance it turns up before you go.

Crowort · 28 May 2013 at 10:29

Diesel said:
In my experience they arrive pretty quickly, I'd apply for one on the off chance it turns up before you go.

I'd do this. I got mine fairly quickly if I remember right but it was a replacement.

Ysmalari · 28 May 2013 at 10:34

Recently applied for mine (first issue not a replacement), I ordered it on a Saturday and it arrived the following Friday so you might make it.

Be aware you need your NHS patient number when applying.

Pookie Bear · 28 May 2013 at 11:05

I was worried about this when I went away recently, but the FAQ on the website says all you need to do is apply for it in order to be covered by one - or something to that effect. The card arrived while I was away, but I kept a record of the details on it from the email I got.

Efour · 28 May 2013 at 11:17

Russinating said:
If you visit a hospital then you'll get a discount for having an EHIC. I went to hospital in France and got (I think) around a 90% reduction, so I paid £28 for an x-ray, ultrasound and peeing in a pot test instead of whatever it should have been. Because I used my EHIC I could also claim this back from my insurance with no excess.

Without the EHIC I'd have had to pay ~£300 on the spot and if I wanted to claim this off my insurer would have had to pay the excess.

TL;DR: Apply for one and hope it arrives. If not hope you don't need to visit anyone.

question: Did you claim back prescription costs ? Ive recently had to for out 60 quid for stuff in Sweden and i have travel insurance via a Natwest Gold Account do many insurance policies cover that or is it not worth the hastle im guessing a call to them would be easiest.

Russinating · 28 May 2013 at 11:21

Efour said:
question: Did you claim back prescription costs ? Ive recently had to for out 60 quid for stuff in Sweden and i have travel insurance via a Natwest Gold Account do many insurance policies cover that or is it not worth the hastle im guessing a call to them would be easiest.

Exactly the same as you, the hospital was ~£28 as were the prescriptions. I wasn't 100% as to whether I could claim back the prescriptions and in fact I never got round to claiming anything back - downloaded the forms but had to scan and provide a whole load of info and just never got round to it. By the time I remembered I couldn't be bothered for £28.