EHIC cards

this is from the BBC website today

• British travellers will still be able to access emergency health care in the European Union. European Heath Insurance Cards, (EHIC) cards will remain valid until they expire. According to the UK government, they will then have to be replaced by a "UK Global Health Insurance Card"

You would need to be nuts relying on just a EHIC for health care when in the EU ..if you need reparation it could potentially cost many thousands of pounds ...as I keep on reading of the net when they are looking for donations to fly a 40 year old Pratt back to the UK that didn't take out private health insurance for the duration of the stay.

It's ok for people to say that you shouldn't rely on the EHIC card, however people with chronic medical conditions cannot get travel insurance at a reasonable cost. For example my OH was quoted £1000 for a weeks cover to go to Spain as she has COPD

this is the point Jarvi. it's just not possible for some people to get insurance to cover pre existing conditions

Lots don't appreciate issues around pre-existing conditions. For example, if I have a condition, I could choose to not cover that condition but continue with other covers such as breaking bones etc. Without ehic cover insurance costs would increase significantly, I and many others probably wouldn't be able to get a policy and have to remain forever in the UK. So glad this is in the deal, imo everything else will just be less efficient and clunky such as IDP's, Non-residents tax, customs declarations when posting parcels to Spain and of course 30 odd k pension needed to retire to Spain etc etc.

What is a "UK Global Health Insurance Card" and what does it cover and where? Who funds it?

Private health insurance is the only means of reparation to the UK which would be part of the cost of the holiday, should other tax payers foot the bill of Mr Pratt because he prefers Benidorm to Butlins?

Kavanagh, absolutely. We always have travel cover and have used the EHIC a number of times for routine warfarin type stuff and used ehic twice in anger. The first occasion, the insurance company (RBS) took several days of reviewing UK medical records before they agreed to support us, though we verbally review our policy in detail every year. Our UK GP described to us how the insurance company appeared to be searching for a get out.  The claim included repatriation but if they hadn't supported the claim and without the ehic the hospital costs would have been many 10's of thousands. Bottom line is, continued ehic is a great piece of news to come out of this.  Finally, yes I am a whining remoaner but very happy and hope to be proved wrong.

clearly the EHIC cover is going to continue in a new form and as the Governent is using the Global there may be a prospect that arramegments will be made with countries outside the EU , which is good 

Full details are awaited but that looks procedural-EHIC has never been a substitute for holiday medical cover but many holiday home owners rely on it and take the repatriation risk themselves 

It also seems that retired UK citizens who reside now and in the future will also have their health cost covered in EU as they are now 

As expected the route to becoming fully resident in EU countries will change and no doubt Spain, who like our retirement pound will be relatively relaxed in this -time will tell-Brits retired quite easily in Spain before we joined the EU!

The 90/180 day rule will be inconvenient for some but no doubt in due course you will just get a Visa for longer stays and that will be done on line 

But on the EHIC the Government has delivered under this deal 

"But on the EHIC the Government has delivered under this deal". Any details, please? I haven't seen any detailed official announcement or confirmation of this yet, other than a suggestion that those requiring dialysis may still be covered.

Kavanagh: " should other tax payers foot the bill of Mr Pratt because he prefers Benidorm to Butlins?" You are assuming, I presume, that Mr.Pratt doesn't and never has paid any tax or National Insurance contributions? On the same basis as your ridiculous statement, presumably you also believe that your taxes shouldn't be used for Jarvi's OH to get any treatment on the NHS for her COPD - because she prefers COPD to a common cold?

I said ‘’other tax payers’’. It is only you that is accusing Mr Pratt of being a scrounger.

It's perfectly clear what you meant.

I think you are not making your position clear here. If Mr Pratt has and does pay all his taxes due as a UK resident should he be entitled to non chargeable reparation at other tax payers expense because the EHIC does not cover this situation and he refuses to take out private medical insurance?

Kavanagh..no one is accusing Mr Pratt of being a scronger..all Mr Pratt is ....is a Pratt for not taking out private health insurance as the UK government says you need for repatriation .

Windtalker you are probably correct, but why do people ignore the advice, take the risks then deny responsibility when things go wrong. Seems it’s always the governments fault. My comment ‘’Benidorm or Butlins’’ is a case of cut your cloth to what you can afford.

Latest from NHS (updated 28/12/2020): https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-ehic-european-health-insurance-card/

and UK Gov (less detail): https://www.gov.uk/european-health-insurance-card

Still fairly vague, and the only difference I can detect so far between a "European" and a "Global" card is that the latter covers 4 fewer countries! We'll have to wait and see, but to say the Government has delivered under this deal sounds a bit odd, considering we were promised the exact same benefits as EU membership. There surely should never have been any question about the EHIC continuing?

There seems to be conflicting comment on EHIC cards, including that on the government website where it was ambiguous also.  Mine expires in Feb 2021, so I applied for a replacement EHIC card and had confirmation back saying it would be issued to me in a few days.

Elsewhere on the website there was a comment that an application for an EHIC card would be completed by the issuance of the new "Global" card, which is fine also.  I'm just keen to avoid a gap in coverage - I wouldn't like an upset on my next trip to Benidorm.

I guess it will all become clear by 2026 - according to BoZo today, we're in another transition period until then 

British citizens who are resident in Spain and have their healthcare covered by the S1 have already received the new "Global" cards. These have the EU stars removed and replaced with a hologram of the Union Jack.

They were rolled out before the agreement that the EHIC would still be in operation after Jan 1st. Ours were valid until 2024 as we'd only just replaced them but new ones were issued and last until 2025 although we were told the old ones could still be used if the new ones hadn't arrived by the end of the year.

Now that they've agreed the system will continue after Jan 1st, our neighbour (who is under retirement age) was told to wait until the old one runs out before getting the new Global one.

Same thing, different name with the EU bit being removed. The letter received with the new card says you can't use it in UK to prove access to healthcare and the S1 must be produced. If you haven't got it, the surgery you go to in UK has a number to ring for the Overseas Healthcare team who will confirm if the applicant has a valid S1.

Ho, hum. plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, as some foreign chap once said.

Mariedav.How are non resident visitors from the UK affected?

thank you

And just curious, but how is your neighbour eligible for a UK issued card if they are under retirement age?