Importance of EHIC card
The full form of EHIC is ‘The European Health Insurance Card’. This is considered to be a must have thing for every resident of the UK who is interested to travel anywhere in Europe. If by chance, the holiday takes a worse turn, then the card does allow the individual access to the state provided healthcare, which is similar to those provided by NHS in UK and in all those countries, which has been designated as EEA or European Economic Area.
Where can one enjoy the EHIC Card?
The countries that are included the scheme are Belgium, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Germany, Iceland, Hungary, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Latvia, Italy, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Malta, Luxembourg, Norway, The Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Slovenia, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom along with Switzerland.
Why EHIC Card is regarded to be beneficial especially for children?
It has been noticed that children are the most vulnerable to accidents and catching diseases. It could unfortunately happen that they get sick and require immediately medical attention. Since not every country’s healthcare systems are said to the same, the individual might get covered for everything, which would be otherwise free from NHS in UK. In most cases, the individual is offered choice of state or private provided care. For avoiding the potential expensive private medical bills, one can always seek the state provided care, where they can be present the EHIC card before treatment and enjoy the benefits.
Rules and regulations to be understood for using the card
Certain rules need to be followed while utilizing the EHIC Card, if there is a genuine need for medical treatment while visiting abroad. Most of the accidents are covered, however, the individual is not permitted for going abroad for using the card for receiving particular medical care. Renal dialysis, maternity care and looking after symptoms of chronic or pre-existing condition which crops up when abroad are said to be covered by this card.
Speaking in broad terms, the individual would receive similar treatment , similar to that of a resident of that country, where he is visiting. This said, most overseas countries do expect the patients to make payments towards medical treatment expenditures. Hence, even having this card, would mean the person might be required to pay. But, it should be borne in mind that it could be possible for the person to recoup this expenditure on returning to the UK, if the same is not done in the country of visit. It is important to have the documents and receipts related to the medical expenditure kept safely for applying for reimbursement.
Applying for EHIC card
This card is free and is said to be valid for about 5 years. It is necessary to find EHIC card and to make sure that it is active. It can really prove to be a savior to those families that are having children and adults and are visiting foreign countries on a holiday.
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