 European
healthcare-insurance card has lift off
The European Commission has reported that it is very pleased with the launch
of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is "proving far more
popular than the previous 'E111' health insurance document". By 2008, the
EHIC is expected to be replaced by a smartcard.
The Commission reports that over 30m EU citizens are now carrying the
healthcare-insurance card, a figure that could reach 50m by the end of this
summer. In countries such as Sweden, there has been a 600% increase in the
number of people holding the card compared to those who carried the previous
E111.
The single EHIC replaces the E111 and E111B forms used by tourists, the
E110 document used by international road transporters, E128 used by students
and people working in a member country other than their own and E119 used by
people registered as unemployed and seeking work in another member country.
Every EU country is responsible for the distribution of the new card to
its citizens. As the specification of the card is the same for all member
countries, it enables healthcare providers to identify the card immediately
and assists in handling any payments across the various healthcare systems
of member countries.
To date, the highest numbers of cards have been issued in Italy (13m),
the Czech Republic (around 7m), Germany (3.5m), Sweden (1.6m) and Belgium
(1.3m). The UK has yet to issue cards but it has re-issued temporary E111
replacement forms, which collect the information it needs to issue the
cards.
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