Brits think NHS card will cover them abroad
September 11, 2007
Some 42 per cent of those quizzed think that an NHS patient card can be used abroad, a new survey has revealed.
Many still believe that an NHS card or an E111 card will provide them with medical treatment while away, research from moneysupermarket.com has shown.
Nearly three in five (59 per cent) think that an E111 will entitle them to cheap or free medical insurance in EU countries.
Richard Mason, moneysupermarket.com director of insurance, said: "It is astonishing that nearly two years after the card has been phased in, awareness has stayed alarmingly low."
He continued: "Medical treatment in mainland Europe doesn’t come cheap and holidaymakers stand to lose out and suffer unexpected financial pain."
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) replaced the now defunct E111 form in January 2006 and is required for those seeking medical cover abroad.
EHICs stay valid for a five-year period and are recognised throughout the EU.
Written by Peter Kenny · Filed Under News Insurance
is there a chip in a ehic card
Mumhad a bad fall and think she has broken a rib , three days into her holiday in SOuth Africa, She is 87 years old and now cant get off the bed. Is she at all covered by the NHS ?