When planning a holiday abroad, travel insurance is a major consideration. The internet can be the best place to find the cheapest travel insurance products, especially if you check prices on an online comparison website. But if you are travelling within Europe, then you can lower the costs of travel insurance even further by obtaining a European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC.

If you travel to any EEA or European Economic Area countries or Switzerland, then a European Health Insurance Card will enable you to claim free or subsidised medical costs while abroad. You may well have had to use an E111 form for this purpose in the past, but these E111 forms have now been replaced by EHICs.

Not everyone can obtain an EHIC, but if you are a UK resident then this should not be a problem. Those who are under the age of 16, or those who are resident in the Isle of Man or Channel Islands are not eligible.

Should you become ill or have an accident while abroad that requires medical treatment, your card will entitle you to free or reduced-cost healthcare. This healthcare must be state-provided however, and may not cover all of the treatments you would expect to receive for free under the NHS in the UK.

Should a relative need to stay with you while you are ill, your EHIC will not cover the costs of their accommodation either. And not all treatment costs will be covered by an EHIC, so it is still highly recommended that you obtain separate travel insurance cover too.

The EHIC works by giving you a unique number with which you can claim back any of your incurred healthcare costs from the UK government. You can make a claim while receiving treatment abroad, or you can make a claim on your return home.

If you are travelling to Switzerland, or within the European Economic Area, then you will be covered. The European Economic Area consists of 30 countries, including all of the EU member states and three others, which are Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland.

There are a variety of ways for you to obtain your EHIC. The simplest is to log on to the EHIC website where you can fill in an online application form. Alternatively, forms can be found at any UK post office branch, or you can call the EHIC application number on 0845 606 2030.
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