Brussels, 05/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - The Commission is taking advantage of the growth in the numbers of smartphones in use to explain the benefits and advantages of the European Health Insurance Card. On 5 June, it launched a smartphone application explaining how to use the card, which is available, free of charge, from national health insurance providers.
The European Health Insurance Card is precious for holiday-makers as it gives people access to state-provided healthcare in case of illness or an accident during travel and temporary stays in 31 European countries (the 27 member states of the EU, along with Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). It guarantees access to urgent treatment under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. Differences among healthcare systems may make it difficult to work out how to use the card in the various countries and what the local rules are. The Commission came up with the idea, therefore, of providing a handy guide as an application for smartphones on three platforms: iOS, Android and Windows 7 mobile. It includes general information about the card, emergency phone numbers, treatments that are covered and costs, how to claim reimbursement and who to contact if the card is lost. The app is available in 24 languages, with the option of switching from one language to another. The European Health Insurance Card itself cannot be generated or downloaded by the application but must be requested from national health insurance providers. Further information can be found and the app downloaded at: http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559 (IL/transl.rt)