EHIC vs Travel Insurance

Confused about when to use your travel insurance and when to use your EHIC when on holiday in Spain? The answer is simple. The EHIC is for public hospitals and public healthcare centres. It covers you for necessary care that can´t wait until you return home.  Travel insurance covers you for treatment at private hospitals. Some hospitals offer both public and private treatment. It is your responsibility (and your right) to let healthcare providers know which cover you prefer.

Before posting you should be aware of your facts. Most travel insurance policies do not cover Private hospital treatment unless the State services are not available. You need to read the terms and conditions carefully of the policy you have . Also a lot of policies insist that you have an E.H.I.C.  or else they won't cover any medical claims. It is a fundamental tenant of all insurance policies, not just travel insurance, to mittigate your losses so travel insurance is not a way to get private hospital treatment 'on the cheap'. Additionally all insurance is a method of repaying the insured for their covered expenses up to the limits of the policy so long as they have met all the conditions of the policy.

The whole concept of the post is incorrect. It is not a case of only having one and not the other. Travel insurance covers you for a lot more than medical bills. It covers you for theft, travel delays, ongoing medical treatment which is not deemed as 'emergency', transportation to your home country if not able to use public transport after a serious medical incident etc. whereas the EHIC ONLY covers for emergency medical treatment and not for follow-on treatment. As an example if one was diagnosed with cancer abroad, then the initial opperation would be covered but the secondary treatment like radiation/chemo therapy would not be covered.

It is very naive of travellers to think that all they need is an EHIC when venturing outside the U.K. So post like this are doing the readers here a great disservice.

This is from the NHS website and shows the EHIC covers any medical treatment needed until your planned return home, not just emergencies, and  also exisiting conditions that need monitoring or  ongoing treatment.

Your EHIC lets you get state healthcare at a reduced cost or sometimes for free. It will cover you for treatment that is needed to allow you to continue your stay until your planned return. It also covers you for treatment of pre-existing medical conditions and for routine maternity care, as long as you're not going abroad to give birth.

Each country’s healthcare system is slightly different. Therefore, your EHIC might not cover everything that would be free on the NHS. However, you should be able to get the same treatment as a resident of the country you're visiting.

In some countries, you may have to pay a patient contribution, also known as a co-payment. See our county-by-country guide for more information.

You may be able to get a refund for these payments when you're back in the UK if you could not do so in the country where you were treated.

• The EHIC will cover any medical treatment that becomes necessary during your trip, for example because of either illness or an accident. (In an emergency you can dial the European emergency number 112 from any telephone or mobile phone).
• The card gives access to reduced-cost or free medical treatment from state healthcare providers.
• It includes treatment of a chronic or pre-existing medical condition that becomes necessary during your visit.
• It includes routine maternity care (not only because of illness or accident), as long as you're not going abroad to give birth. However, where the birth happens unexpectedly, the card will cover the cost of all medical treatment for mother and baby that is linked to the birth.
• The card covers the provision of oxygen and kidney dialysis. You will have to arrange and pre-book these treatments before you go on holiday. You can ask your GP or hospital for advice, but make sure you are not booked with a private healthcare provider as these are not covered by the EHIC.
• The card also covers routine medical care for people with pre-existing conditions that need monitoring.

This message was last edited by Poppyseed on 20/08/2013.

Can anyone help with this little conundrum?  For those of us under state retirement age, as Spain now insists that visits of more than 3 months require the visitor to 'evidence' private medical insurance, and travel insurance companies here in the UK usually have a maximum duration of about 40 days per trip (whether a single trip policy or annual multi-trip policy) whereby they will consider a claim, what do people do who wish to visit Spain for say 2 months?

It is a genuine question as we are considering spending periods in our Spanish holiday home but fall foul of both the Spanish requirement and our UK travel insurance rules.

Thanks for this, casperruby. Do you need to be an AMEX cardholder? 

Thanks again, casperruby. I'll remember, absolutely no ping pong!!!!

Casperruby, just had a quick look on their website & looks as though you got a great deal.

Without answering any questions the initial on screen price is over £300!!!   Thanks anyway. 

If you are here more than 90 days you are required to register as a resident.

To all the others who are replying to the OP . They are the government site ! lol.They post on most forums.