Summer is here and so are the holiday and the NHS is reminding Britons to make sure they have the relevant health cards, although these do not act as holiday insurance and Britons travelling to the European Union are being urged to apply for a card 15 days before flying. The NHS states: “The UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) lets you get necessary state healthcare in the European Economic Area (EEA), 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.
“The UK GHIC has replaced the existing European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If you have an existing EHIC you can continue to use it until the expiry date on the card. Once it expires, you’ll need to apply for a UK GHIC to replace it. You can apply for a new card up to 9 months before your current card expires.
“A UK GHIC is free and lasts for up to 5 years. Apply for your new card through the NHS website. Avoid unofficial websites – they may charge you a fee to apply. If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can choose to apply for a new UK EHIC instead. The UK GHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. We advise you to have private travel and medical insurance for the duration of your trip.
“You can use your card to get state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK (sometimes called “medically necessary healthcare”). This includes things like:
emergency treatment and visits to A&E
treatment or routine medical care for long-term or pre-existing medical conditions
routine maternity care, as long as you’re not going abroad to give birth
“You’ll need to pre-arrange some treatments with the relevant healthcare provider in the country you’re visiting – for example, kidney dialysis or chemotherapy – as it’s not guaranteed that local healthcare providers will always have the capacity to provide this care.
“Whether treatment is medically necessary is decided by the healthcare provider in the country you’re visiting.
“Not all state healthcare is free outside of the UK. You may have to pay for treatment that you would get for free on the NHS, if a local resident would be expected to pay in the country you’re visiting. Before travelling, you should check the state-provided healthcare services in the country you’re visiting and any potential charges you may face.”