Britons urged to check EHIC validity

Britain’s Department of Health is warning the travelling public that millions of European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) will expire in the near future, which would invalidate travel insurance for some holidaymakers, according to a recent report.

Travellers have been advised to ensure that their European Health Insurance Cards are valid before heading off on holiday.

According to the Department of Health, approximately 1.5 million cards will expire by the end of October, and an additional 1.5 million will expire by the end of March 2009.

In 2005, the EHIC was introduced as a replacement for the E111, and makes the cardholder eligible for medical treatment within the European Economic Area (EEA). Without an EHIC, some travel insurance policies are not valid.

“Many Britons are putting themselves at unnecessary risk by not checking their EHIC expiry date,” the Department of Health’s overseas healthcare programme manager, Paul Siddell, noted. “If you’re travelling in Europe it’s vital that you carry an EHIC, as well as comprehensive travel insurance,” he stressed.

Approximately 28 million Britons are in possession of an EHIC card, and according to recently published research, over 50 per cent were not aware that there is an expiry date for the card.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.dh.gov.uk