EHIC necessary?

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whackin

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How necessary is the EHIC if you need hospitalization or medical attention while abroad. Would you be treated without it?
 
Dont underestimate the power of the EHIC card if holidaying outside of Ireland and in an EU country. It is a passport for free medical treatment while abroad. The card can be obtained by filling in a simple short questionnaire online through www.ehic.ie. You can do this even if you are abroad but you will need your PPS number. Dont be stupid this is a No-Brainer, get your EHIC card.
 
Thanks Leper, I'm heading off tomorrow so its a bit late, have filled in the form as you suggested however, and I presume I'll get somethign in the post shortly.
 
DrMoriarty said:
Yes, but you'd be charged for the treatment.

Good cure for homesickness, I suppose.
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My family have used ehic many times whilst abroad and vast majority we have not had to pay a penny.I have 2 friends working in claims area in insurance who see claims coming through and they are adamant that one must travel with ehic, travel insurance and cover from health insurer.Apparently if there is a claim, the 3 bits of cover claim from each other in the background.They all work in different ways.
 
whackin said:
Thanks Leper, I'm heading off tomorrow so its a bit late, have filled in the form as you suggested however, and I presume I'll get somethign in the post shortly.
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i realise this reply is too late for you whackin, but for anyone else in this position, they can go along to local health centre with pps no's and get temporary ehic cards there and then. it takes 10 working days to get the card through the online application.
 
seantheman said:
i realise this reply is too late for you whackin, but for anyone else in this position, they can go along to local health centre with pps no's and get temporary ehic cards there and then. it takes 10 working days to get the card through the online application.
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I applied for one today in Galway. I was told it would take 3 weeks and I would get it in the post. When I pointed out I was travelling abroad 6th Aug as stated on the application form the assistant then said she would try to get me a temporary one in the post. There was no mention of getting it there.
 
sorry, forgot i had subscribed to this thread. yeah got my temporary ehic there and then, just went to local hse office with all pps no's, they gave me temp one and said the proper ones would be here when we got back
 
Got my temporary ehic in the post today having applied for it on Thursday last. Pretty good service really. Now lets hope I don't have to use it :)
 
Just used mine a couple of days ago in a public hospital in Peniche in Western Portugal (north of Lisbon). I have private health insurance also but the admin guy was not interested in seeing it, just wanted to see my EHIC card.

I didn´t have it with me but he kindly allowed me to come back a couple of days later and waived the payment. Unfortuntaely my Portuguese was not good enough to nderstand how much I saved by having the card.

Interestingly I still paid the A&E charge but compared to the 100Eur in Ireland I gladly handed over the 8.40Eur equivalent here....are we being ripped off or what?

Just popping down to the local pastelaria for a coffee and pastry (pasteis da nata...mmmmmm) and expecting to pay about 2Eur....but that´s another thread altogether. Ah well, home tomorrow in time to see Galway beat Donegal and Waterford at the weekend.

whackin said:
How necessary is the EHIC if you need hospitalization or medical attention while abroad. Would you be treated without it?
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This is a VITAL part of travel in the EU in my opinion...

I went into anaphalactyc shock in France... Spent five days in Intensive Care... English speaking nurses drafted in to care for me... Discharged home by ambulance to the airport with a huge cocktail of meds, all free of charge...

All they wanted was my E111 (as it was at the time), and my GP's details...

Darth...
 
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