EHIC - The European Health Insurance Card

Do you know what an EHIC is, and what is/isn't covered by this European Health Insurance Card?   Do you even have one?   Corona Holidays recommends that you take your EHIC with you on holiday to the European countries as it enables you to get state healthcare at a reduced cost, or sometimes for free.  It will cover you for treatment that is needed which will allow you to continue your stay until your planned return.  It will also cover you for pre-existing medical conditions, so it is certain worthwhile reading on.

European Health Insurance Card [EHIC]

The card is valid in all the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Litchtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
For full details on what is covered in each country, visit the NHS England site. 

The EHIC is completely free of charge.  However, unofficial sites may charge you if you apply through them.  Use the above site [NHS England] to ensure that you are not charged.   

It is important to remember that the EHIC is "not" travel insurance, or an alternative to travel insurance as it will not cover any private medical healthcare, costs such as being flown back to the UK, or lost or stolen property.  Therefore it is important to arrange to have a travel insurance policy in place as well.

Each member of your family will need to have their own card which is valid for a period of 5 years.  Why not check your card now to ensure that it is still valid.  It is certainly worth checking as to renew your card is, again, free of charge and can be renewed up to 6 months before the expiry date.  If you intend to rely on what used to be call an E111 - don't.  These are now invalid and have been since 2006. 

So, it may be worth just spending 5 minutes to make sure your current card is valid, or if you do not have one, applying for one now before your holiday.