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Free health insurance for UK residents in EU

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NJSS

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A brief "Heads Up" - hopefully everyone who is thinking of travelling in the EU has a UK Global Health Insurance Card ("GHIC").

"The GHIC is a type of free health insurance for UK residents that covers health care at state-run hospitals when visiting Europe."

Source and review:- https://www.moneysupermarket.com/travel-insurance/ghic/

Apply here for a FREE GHIC:- https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcar...card-ghic/

Good luck - I hope you don't need to use your GHIC
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NJSS
 
From the first link..
"A GHIC card is not adequate cover to replace travel insurance"

From the nhs website in the second link..
"The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) lets you get necessary state healthcare in EU countries, and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. This may be free or it may require a payment equivalent to that which a local resident would pay."

It's not free health care and any care would be at the discretion of the health care provider.

"Whether treatment is medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you're visiting."

"We advise that you have a UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) and private travel and medical insurance for the duration of your trip."
 
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whitenemesis said:
From the first link..
"A GHIC card is not adequate cover to replace travel insurance"

From the nhs website in the second link..
"The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) lets you get necessary state healthcare in EU countries, and some other countries, on the same basis as a resident of that country. This may be free or it may require a payment equivalent to that which a local resident would pay."

It's not free health care and any care would be at the discretion of the health care provider.

"Whether treatment is medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you're visiting."

"We advise that you have a UK GHIC (or UK EHIC) and private travel and medical insurance for the duration of your trip."
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I got one.

Agreed with all the points above, yet it's better to have it than not.... assuming you're travelling abroad, obviously.
 
Spookily enough I have just applied for ours as Mrs S reminded me that our old EHIC cards have expired.
As above; a supplement to good travel insurance, not an alternative to it. And don't be conned into paying for your GHIC card on non-official websites.
 
GHIC is emphatically NOT health insurance. The GHIC is just the modern equivalent of the old EHIC card, with extensions to also cover other countries outside the EU (e.g Australia and New Zealand)

It's emergency cover, with local hospitals and medics recharging "Our NHS" with the cost of any service that they provide to you. In the same way that a Frenchman would receive temporary service in Germany, with the cost of treatment being charged back to his national medical insurance cover. It won't cover routine, non-urgent health treatment, treatment and medication for pre-existing conditions, nor repatriation in the event of an emergency.

Like EU nationals, you will still need to part pay for prescriptions, doctor visits, and clinical tests in the same way that a local would.

The good news is that if you want to see a GP in Europe, you'll see her pretty much same day, with referral for tests to a consultant within a week, unlike Our NHS. It's the advantage of having an essentially privatised, devolved health system, overseen by insurance providers, rather than a 1.6 million bureaucracy treating "on a whim," and rationing through queues.

Annual international trip / health insurance isn't too dear. I pay just over £300 a year for global, including the USA, including stays of up to 90 days. It would be less than half that for just Europe only. Absurdly, trip insurance for just one trip costs more than annual cover.
 
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MikeInWimbledon said:
...Absurdly, trip insurance for just one trip would be more.
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Travel insurance covers different things.

In addition to cover for cancelled trips and lost luggage and other travel-related mishaps, travel insurance will also pay the cost of an air ambulance to repatriate you, should the need arise.

But, obviously, travel insurance does not cover simply receiving treatment abroad, especially for known conditions etc. Instead, the insurer will attempt to repatriate you as soon as you're fit to be moved and then dump you on the NHS.

The two complement each other, really.
 
Nifty, good advice all round - thanks!

Successfully completed the online form in less than 5 mins.:)
 
I guess its just the replacement of the old E111 card we used to have. Emergency treatment only? I think I've still got my old E111 somewhere!!!
 
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Just a cautionary note about travel insurance. A friend's MIL ended up in ICU in Turkey and has just had to be flown home - sadly within a day of her re-admission to ICU and an induced coma she died. However it transpired that she had not notified the insurance company of two (minor) visits to the doctor - neither of which apparently had any bearing on her hospital admission - so they demanded a 21% contribution to the repatriation costs before doing anything. Very harsh lesson
 
Gollom said:
Just a cautionary note about travel insurance. A friend's MIL ended up in ICU in Turkey and has just had to be flown home - sadly within a day of her re-admission to ICU and an induced coma she died. However it transpired that she had not notified the insurance company of two (minor) visits to the doctor - neither of which apparently had any bearing on her hospital admission - so they demanded a 21% contribution to the repatriation costs before doing anything. Very harsh lesson
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This is a good lesson indeed and it goes beyond travel insurance - if you're not truthful or if you neglect to mention relevant info, then the insurer can void your cover (and I am talking about H7 to LED conversions, DPF gutting, Cat removal, Video in Motion, AdBlue Delete, etc.....)
 
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Over or undersized wheels or tyres, wheels not OEM, modified exhaust system, tinted windows, wrapping. Effectively every modification should be disclosed.

The disclosed modifications list for each of my MGs runs to 2 or 3 pages of word processed A4.
 
Just filling out the forms online for SWMBO as she is off to somewhere in Spain with her sister in a few months time and hers expired a while back .



Agree 100% GHIC certainly does NOT replace proper travel insurance.
 
An interesting thought does clear Paint Protection Film have to be declared? I would do so, if I had it, I prefer to err on the cautious side, not the wild side!
 
Oh yes!....see this...

PPF on the car have you declared it with insurance? INSURANCE VOIDED | Insurance & Finance

Hi All I have had PPF on the car (bought it with it already applied) I had a little bump before Christmas and long story short my insurance company are voiding my insurance due to the fact its a modification that I haven't declared! They gave me 24 hours until they cancel my insurance and...
forums.mbclub.co.uk forums.mbclub.co.uk
 
Petrol Pete said:
Just filling out the forms online for SWMBO as she is off to somewhere in Spain with her sister in a few months time and hers expired a while back .



Agree 100% GHIC certainly does NOT replace proper travel insurance.
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Applied for ours last Monday, arrived today.👍
The Union Flag background on them is a bit naff.
 
Petrol Pete said:
Yes , it seems Not declaring PPF is a big 'no no' . We touched on it on this forum a little while ago ...somewhere.
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Yes, though it varies, some insurers don't mind, but the only way to know is by declaring it and see what the insurer says.
 
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