Hi

Have any non-residents ie tourists used the E111 for medical treatment ?

Read in the Press that the Valencia government have instructed all doctors to charge non-resident foreigners !

Anyone had problems ?

My own travel insurance policy actually instructs me to use the E111 when in an EC country

Thanks

Which press, if I may ask please? By the way, the E111 is now called EHIC and to quote the Dept. of Health:
I wonder if this is the source of confusion? Good old bureacracy at work :P

I'm sure (hopefully) that this is just a misunderstanding. The agreement is between EU countries is to cover you for treatment whilst on holiday .... if the Spanish have decided not to then they are in breach of that international agreement. However if you are a Spanish resident and attempt to claim treatment using this form then it is illegal, maybe thats where the confusion is?

I think the source of the report is needed to clarify.

Sorry - yes realised E111 now replaced by the EHIC - we now have ours

Article is on the Costa Blanca News website this week www.costablanca-news.com/
and is entitled " Tourist Health Care Costly "

Remember the Valencia government seems to be a law to itself !

Perhaps this "ruling" does not refer to EC citizens but the article does not state this and only refers to "legal" residents as being exempt - I realise this is not legal under EC rules

Thanks

Friend of mine who lives in Valencia region (not resident) broke her arm and it was all sorted using the E111.
This was last year. but as you say they seem to be a law unto themselves.

pwwm

So if you are resident in Spain, but, not working therefore not contributing to social security system, can you get a health card and where from for say your trips back to the UK?

Well I would have thought that you must fall into either the Spanish SS system, or the English one. Since you'd not be covered by either, unless you're of state pensionable age, a minor, disabled, etc. then I would think that you would find it difficult to get a Spanish EHIC equivalent to cover you in the UK. Ultimately though, you're going to be covered for emergency treatment, in either country, but anything more you'd be advised to carry travel/health insurance, I believe.

Ok, that seems pretty clear then. Looks like treatment has been given without an EHIC (and that would include emergency treatment) and the DHSS are not signing off on those "additional" costs.

Looking at the figures, only 25% of these costs are being recovered. Hmmm.

I would think that would then put the onus on those with valid EHICs to claim directly against the DHSS on their return to the UK. So be sure to ask for all bills and receipts if you find yourself in this position.

Try looking on www.ukgovabusesexpats.co.uk, not checked it out myself yet, but it was on the front page of euro weekly news, following the news of the abolishment of residents cards on 30.4.06.

I have heard, generally, that the spanish government has been in trouble recently for treating non spanish, EC residents differently to spanish, and have got to change policies which disadvantages EC residents ie capital gains laws etc.

SAW THAT POSSIBLY WILL NOW CHANGE HEALTH LAWS. NEED TO LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE. HAS ANYONE SEEN ANYTHING IN SPANISH PRESS?

Ugh caps

Presumably the Euro News article referred to, regarding the abolishing of Resident permits, was this one: http://www.euroweeklynews.com/ewn/ne...70602407410281

Regarding the EHIC, referred to as the Tarjeta (de Asistencia) Sanitaria Europea, I believe that the EU directives allow each member state to determine the funding and level of finance allocated to medical treatment for foreign visitors.

In the UK the Department of Health will reimburse all your costs against a valid EHIC, upon your return, if you had to pay anything during your trip abroad for state medical aid. If you use private medical facilities, you will be responsible for these costs yourself. http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment...d/index_en.htm

The same is true for Spain if you are in possession of a Spanish issued EHIC.
http://europa.eu.int/abc/travel/healthy/index_es.htm
http://mujer.terra.es/muj/articulo/html/mu28298.htm

Therefore one could conclude that the Valencia government are not doing anything untoward, other than tightening-up on the recoverability of costs by shifting the onus onto the individual, and what I said earlier holds true - keep all bills and receipts and ensure that you are being treated by the appropriate state health service.