The European Directive on cross-border healthcare (2011/24/EU) represents an important instrument to allow European citizens to receive high-quality medical treatments.
The Directive sets the rights of the European patients who intend to receive healthcare in another
Member
State
at the expense of the
Member
State
of affiliation.Costs shall be reimbursed on the condition that the treatment received is provided
for in the legislation of the
Member
State
of affiliation and to the amount foreseen by its statutory social security system.
To avoid the risk of undermining the planning and/or financing of their health
system and to protect public health, in specific cases Member States of affiliation
can implement a system of prior authorization for reimbursement of costs. The
Member
State
of affiliation may refuse to grant the authorization only in a few circumstances,
such as: safety risks for the patient or the population, concerns about quality
and safety of the care, or if the same treatment can be provided on its territory
in a reasonable time limit.
The
Member
State
of affiliation shall reimburse the treatment cost to the patient without undue delay, or pay it directly. Member
States may provide for a voluntary system of prior notification: in this way,
patients may receive a written confirmation of the amount to be reimbursed before
going abroad. Moreover, Member States are free to offer a reimbursement higher
than the limit foreseen by their national system.
The Directive foresees the establishment of contact points within each
Member
State, to facilitate cooperation and information exchange. These centres will advice
citizens on terms and condition of reimbursement, treatment options, healthcare
providers, complaints procedures, etc.
Member States shall implement the Directive by 25.10.2013.
