What will Brexit mean for EHIC?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

A withdrawal deal would see medical cover in the EU continue until 2020 (PA)

Q Travellers of advanced years or with pre-existing medical conditions (which, judging from me and my friends, often go together) face extremely high travel insurance premiums. You have often written that we may sensibly decide to “self-insure” when travelling to Europe and rely upon the EHIC card for medical treatment if necessary. As I am approaching 90, this has long been my strategy. But I am planning my holidays for 2019 with no clear understanding of what happens to the card after Brexit. Can you provide any clarity?

Pauline H

A Not much, I am afraid. First, a reminder of what the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) provides. The European Union says: “If you fall ill or have an accident during a visit to another EU country, as an EU citizen you have the right to receive the necessary public healthcare in any EU country under the same conditions as people in the host country.” It also works in Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and plucky Liechtenstein.

Treatment is “at a reduced cost or, in many cases, free of charge”, says the NHS.

From 11pm GMT on 29 March 2019, when the UK ceases to belong to the European Union, British travellers will have no automatic right to use the EHIC. There is no certainty about what may replace it. In the White Paper on the future relationship with Europe, the government says it wants “UK and EU nationals to continue to be able to use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to receive healthcare”.

In addition, questions and answers in the House of Lords on 1 November provided a few hints about what might happen. Lord Bates, a junior minister at DfID, said: “The implementation period means that travellers can rely on arrangements currently in place until December 2020.” So if the UK exits with a withdrawal deal in place, it appears the EHIC will continue to provide cover for a further 21 months.

What about no deal? As the NHS European Office says, technical notices published by the UK government for a no-deal exit do not cover “successor arrangements to the EHIC or arrangements for access to local healthcare for UK expats living or working in an EU member state”.

But Lord Bates said: “The European Commission has hinted that it recognises that it is in its interests that [reciprocal health care agreements] should continue. The only thing missing is a clear statement from the Commission that that is its intent, and that is what we want.”

In other words, we don’t know.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder