Health Brief: Cross-border healthcare rights are (still) unknown

 

After ten years with the cross-border health directive, hardly anyone in the EU is aware of their rights to be treated in another county, the European Commission’s new evaluation of the directive has revealed. Just as plenty of evaluations before them have.

If you are like most people in the EU, you probably do not know what your options are for cross-border health care even though it could prove useful.

Maybe you live in a border area and the neighbouring country’s hospital is closer than one in your own country. Or maybe your country lacks the specialised treatment that you need. You can go to a specialised place somewhere else.

That sounds handy, does it not?

Well, if only it was so easy. Knowing your rights is good but there are plenty of issues with making the concept function smoothly. (...)