The European Health Insurance Card, also known as the EHIC, which was introduced in June 2004 to provide reciprocal arrangements for medical treatment for European visitors to other European countries, is perceived by many UK travellers to be an effective alternative to travel insurance.
These are some of the limitations that apply to the EHIC:
The reality, despite what many travellers believe, is that the EHIC does not provide the level of protection of a travel insurance policy and travel insurance is therefore essential if the limitations that apply to the European Health Card are to be avoided. As long as any pre-existing conditions are disclosed, a travel insurance policy will cover almost every medical expense that may occur during a trip abroad. Relying solely on the EHIC may well result in hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds being lost on medical expenses.
Summary
The limitations of the EHIC do not mean that having one is pointless. In fact, most travel insurance providers will require their policyholders to have a card and all UK travellers should apply for one before travelling to Europe. What is most important to remember is that a European Health Insurance Card should be treated as a supplement, rather than an alternative, to a travel insurance policy. Every UK traveller should have both when they take their holiday to Europe.
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