Health policy in the European Union

Planned healthcare

• Can  I go abroad and get medical treatment?

Everyone has the right to medical treatment in another EU country on the same terms and at the same cost as people living in that country.

In which countries do you have health insurance?

You have health insurance if you are covered by a statutory social security scheme in a member State of the European Economic Area or Switzerland.

However, some countries may restrict access to some types of healthcare – because demand for treatment is higher than their capacity to provide it. Therefore, each country has it own restrictions applied.

You may also in principle be entitled to get some or all of your costs covered depending on the type of treatment.

• Cost of going to a hospital abroad.

There isn't an European definition for "hospital treatment" or "non-hospital treatment".

If the treatment concerned is planned and is your reason for travelling abroad, there are two possible factors: treatment in hospital and non-hospital treatment.

In the case of hospital treatment, your health insurance institution will almost always require you to seek authorisation.  The cost will then be covered under the terms of the country where you receive the treatment. If those terms are less favourable than the terms offered by your own health insurance, the difference will be refunded to you.  If you have not received authorisation, then your treatment costs will not automatically be covered. You can still claim reimbursement on your return, but there are no guarantees that your claim will be accepted.

In the case of non-hospital treatment, you can also seek authorisation before you leave, and will then benefit you.  You can also manage without authorisation and travel directly to the country where you wish to receive treatment and claim for reimbursement on your return. The cost of your treatment will then be covered under the terms of the State where your health insurance institution is based (this doesn't happen in Switzerland)