Holiday rentals news - Free healthcare throughout Europe for second home owners

Free healthcare throughout Europe for second home owners

Access to healthcare in Europe for second home owners could soon become easier. The European Commission is discussing plans to open a cross border market for treatment and healthcare by 2011.

The plans, which were discussed at a meeting of health policy experts, would mean European citizens would be able to obtain elective treatment even if they are not registered with local healthcare providers. This comes as welcome news for British expatriates, explains The Telegraph.

Currently, emergency medicine is available to all European citizens, but elective surgery such as a hip replacement is not, even if it is prescribed by the patient's doctor in the UK. The only way for a patient to obtain the treatment would be to personally pay for it.

The conference, which took place in January in London, highlighted the case of one British patient with a villa in Spain, who was told by the European Court of Justice that she was entitled to expect her health authority to fund an operation abroad, despite initially being told the NHS would not pay for it. The court cited "undue delay" in Britain as being one of the main reasons she was entitled to free treatment abroad.

"If you get your GP's approval and want to have your treatment in Spain, you really should be able to do so," University of Cambridge fellow, Diane Dawson, said at the conference. "As long as you have been through the 'gatekeeper system' [and] the GP has referred you, you should be able to get information [from the Department of Health] as to which local hospital can provide the service, including in Spain, and be reimbursed for the cost."

The conference heard how the Department of Health is opposed to the plans as they dilute the control of UK health ministers. The paper also suggests that expense could play a role in their stance. However, it is pointed out that under the EU plans a foreign hospital would only be reimbursed to the amount a given operation would cost in the paying state. Nevertheless, since the pound has fallen sharply against the euro, this could prove costly. Administration costs would also need to be considered.

This story was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 for holiday homes worldwide.

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