Everything we know about the new health card after the transition to Brexit

Since the EU referendum, there has been great uncertainty as to whether the free healthcare offered to British travelers to Europe will continue after the transitional phase of Brexit ends.

Reciprocal medical treatment was feared to end for UK citizens, a particular concern for older travelers, or those with pre-existing medical conditions, who have used the card as an alternative to travel insurance if they find premiums unaffordable. .

On Christmas Eve, the government revealed that there will be arrangements for British travelers to receive medical care after all and that a replacement for the widely used European Health Card (Ehic) is in development.

As with many other things about Brexit, there are very few details available. But this is what we know so far.

British travelers have long benefited from free or very low-cost medical treatments in some other countries, initially through reciprocal agreements and then, after the United Kingdom joined the then-EEC in 1973, with an agreement on a European scale.

For decades, the document for travelers was known as E111 and was available in social security offices.

In 2004, the European Union introduced the Ehic as a card that demonstrates the right to medical care under the same conditions as the local population. It is available free of charge to EU citizens, including those living in the UK.

Buried towards the end of the EU-UK Brexit deal, on pages 1,143 and 1,243 if you’d like to read more, are schematic details of a new UK-specific health insurance card, noting that it will be unveiled at some point in the future.

The UK government has indicated that it will be called ‘Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic)’, to distinguish it from Ehic, although it will look very similar.

You can not. The government has not yet provided more information. It is also not broadcasting any more Ehics, except for EU citizens residing in the UK; British students studying in the European Union; and some British retirees living in the EU, as well as their families.

The EU says: “If the need arises, you will continue to receive the necessary treatment so that you can continue your vacation without having to return home for treatment.”

If you have an existing Ehic, it will remain valid until its expiration date. If yours is sold out or you never had one, you are still entitled to care.

For treatment abroad, you must apply for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). This is confirmation from the NHS that you have the right to receive medical care.

To get one, you, a companion or a family member should call NHS Overseas Healthcare Services on +44 191 218 1999 during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM).

You should have your national insurance number and the name of the hospital or other medical facility that is currently treating you. The certificate will then be sent by email (or interestingly, by fax) to the doctors.

All emergency care, including pregnancy problems, but not if you have gone abroad specifically to give birth.

Additionally, pre-arranged medical treatment for specific conditions, particularly kidney dialysis, oxygen therapy, and chemotherapy, is covered, as before.

Please note that only “EU27” is covered, ie not Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are members of the Schengen Area but not of the European Union.

No. It is only to facilitate access to medical treatment. There is no provision to take you home free of charge if you become seriously ill or have a serious accident. Only travel insurance will cover that.

An added benefit of the decision to continue reciprocal care is that insurance premiums are unlikely to increase significantly.

It is almost certainly not. The idea that taxpayers should fund healthcare for British citizens in remote places like the Maldives or Hawaii is, frankly, ridiculous.

Its “global” nature is expected to be initially limited to existing reciprocal agreements: basically Australia, New Zealand, Gibraltar, the non-EU nations of the former Yugoslavia, a dispersal of UK territories in the Caribbean, plus the remote Atlantic possessions of the Malvinas and the brave Santa Elena.