The NHS is one of the things which many people in the UK rate highly, and which sets us apart from other countries where people must take out insurance to meet their healthcare needs. As the NHS has been so successful here in the UK, the private medical sector is not large and generally picks up the cosmetic surgery cases which would not be covered on the NHS, or routine cases which involve a lengthy wait for surgery. Private GPs are uncommon, and private hospitals with a full A&E department are practically unheard of. There’s a clear private versus NHS distinction here in the UK but the same cannot be said for other countries. As EHIC cover will never meet the cost of private treatment, if you need to go to hospital in France, Spain or anywhere else in the European Economic Area, it’s important to be able to tell the difference between the state and private sectors.

Know the System

Nobody wants to think about getting ill on holiday, and for the vast majority of people their holidays will pass without incident. If however someone you are travelling with has health problems, or if you have elderly people or small children in the party, it’s worth doing some research into how the state healthcare system works in the country you’re visiting. Each European country is different. And the best place to start your research is on the Healthcare Abroad section of the NHS England website. There is a page for each country which is part of the EHIC scheme and a basic explanation of the system and what you might be expected to pay. It’s worth scribbling down the words for doctor and hospital, and finding out what the state healthcare system is called and any relevant abbreviations. Alternatively, bookmark the webpage in your smartphone, or print it off.

Tourist Traps

For most of us, when we fall ill on holiday the first port of call is the hotel reception desk. Large hotel and apartment complexes sometimes even have their own doctors daily. A hotel doctor is unlikely to be a state practitioner, and there have been many instances of hotel receptionists directing guests straight to the nearest private clinic or private hospital, with assurances they won’t have to pay. This may well be the case if the ill person has separate travel insurance which covers them for medical emergencies, but won’t be covered by EHIC. Always make it clear to anyone who is arranging care for you that you have an EHIC and expect to be treated as a state patient.

Excess Charges

Unlike the NHS, many European healthcare systems ask patients to make a contribution towards their treatment. Often these charges cannot be refunded under EHIC rules. If your contribution costs are more than the insurance policy excess, you might be able to claim them back from your insurance company, so keep all invoices and receipts for payments as you might need them at a later date.