European Health Insurance Card

[Fleegle]

It would appear that here, in Ireland, any European citizen presenting this card is given free GP consultation, and a prescription which they also do not have to pay for, even if they normally pay for these services in their country of residence. In the case of Ireland, visiting European 'residents' , (some of whom repeatedly present prescriptions for regular expensive monthly medication based on this scheme) appear to be covered for many months without question by the payments division.

I have googled the 'rules' but to no avail...ambiguous isn't even the word!

Any comments?..and are all Rx monthly submissions in the UK quoting the European Health Insurance Card number paid without question, month after month for the same person?

Fleeg.

[johnep]

Well apparently the UK has overpaid Ireland hundreds of millions for healthcare to visitors. Cromwell certainly ensured centuries of bitterness against the 'brits'.
johnep

[lamzee]

It would appear that here, in Ireland, any European citizen presenting this card is given free GP consultation, and a prescription which they also do not have to pay for, even if they normally pay for these services in their country of residence. In the case of Ireland, visiting European 'residents' , (some of whom repeatedly present prescriptions for regular expensive monthly medication based on this scheme) appear to be covered for many months without question by the payments division.
Fleeg.

I got told that UK citizens who "emigrate" to Ireland and are on a UK state pension get their scripts free in Ireland as part of an EU agreement- I think that gets put through as EU national scheme rather than medical card so could exceed the 3 month recommendation.

Have also seen people who work some of the week in England getting Rxs dispensed in Ireland as EU nationals, so they end up getting them free rather than paying the 7.20 in England. Sneaky.

PS Fleeg -- you probably know this already, but if a doc puts an Irish address on a EU national Rx you wont be paid for it--you need to take your biro to the address and change it to a "foreign" one. And you also need to manually code it, for some reason. (Sorry if I'm telling you stuff you already know)

[lamzee]

Any comments?..and are all Rx monthly submissions in the UK quoting the European Health Insurance Card number paid without question, month after month for the same person?

Fleeg.

In the UK, I think the NHS states "normal residency" for NHS treatment, so they really only need the EU card on holiday, otherwise just quote a UK address that they are living/staying at and they are covered. Remember that in the UK medical treatment is free, apart from rx charges, whereas in ireland the medical card scheme is means tested, hence the incentive to use the EU card in Ireland for as long as they can, but no incentive to do that in UK.

[Fleegle]

Well apparently the UK has overpaid Ireland hundreds of millions for healthcare to visitors. Cromwell certainly ensured centuries of bitterness against the 'brits'.
johnep

So who is screwing the system here? Ireland, or the 'UK visitors'?...I think even Cromwell could work that one out.