The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is an individual card that allows the holder to receive medical attention during a temporary stay in any country in the European Union, the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Switzerland.
What is the European Health Insurance Card for?
In a nutshell, this European health card grants you access to healthcare anywhere in Europe, just as you would get at home. The medical bills are paid by the tax system your home country, not the place where you get the medical assistance. It’s important to have one in case of emergency when you’re on vacation or if you live in Italy.
How do you apply for an EHIC?
You should apply for the card from your country of residence. If this is the UK, this means applying through the NHS; if it’s Ireland, it has to be through the HSE.
In Italy, the card is known as Tessera Europea di Assicurazione Malattia, or TEAM for short. Since 2004, the Office of the Italian Tax Agency (l'Ufficio dell'Agenzia delle éntrate) issues TEAMs, automatically sends them to the residency address of all persons registered with the Italian National Health Service (Servizio sanitario nazionale) in possession of Italian citizenship or who are resident in Italy. As long as you are registered with the Italian health service, you should receive one without having to apply yourself.
The health card immediately expires after six years. Before the deadline is up, it is the same l'Ufficio dell'Agenzia delle éntrate that automatically provides and sends the new health card to Italian citizens, so again you don’t have to do anything.
Will the EHIC still work after Brexit?
After Britain exits the EU in 2019, there will be a transition period until 31st December 2020, during which time the European Health Insurance Card will still give all the same benefits as usual. After this period is up, it’s not clear whether the EHIC/TEAM will continue to be valid for UK citizens in the EU; a provisional agreement has been made for UK residents to keep receiving the same medical care while overseas in Europe, but the negotiations for this haven’t been finalised and formally certified yet.
What health issues does the EHIC cover?
- You should be aware that the EHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance. It doesn’t cover private healthcare, nor does it cover the costs of return flights to your country or the loss or theft of belongings.
- It is not for travelling with the express purpose of receiving medical treatment, but only for problems that may arise during a temporary journey.
- It doesn’t guarantee that the medical care you receive will be free of charge.
- If you receive medical help while abroad but you’re not on vacation, but rather going through the process of changing your country of residence, you don’t need the EHIC to receive medical assistance; you have to register with European form S1, which is available through your insurance provider.
- It does not cover repatriation to the country of origin under any circumstances.
The card is intended to cover emergency medical assistance for illnesses or accidents, but it also covers the aggravation of chronic diseases like asthma, heart disease and cancer. If travelling while pregnant, the EHIC/TEAM will provide you with all the necessary and relevant treatments, including childbirth. However, if you deliberately travel in order to give birth in another country, you must apply for permission to do so from that nation.
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