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.

An EHIC entitles the holder to a variety of free healthcare while travelling within countries in the EU and Switzerland. The EHIC replaced the E111 form scheme, which ran until January 2006.

Anyone who is normally resident within the UK and is over the age of sixteen can apply for a European Health Insurance Card. Depending on your nationality restrictions apply, so it is best to check with the Department of Health website for more information before applying.

Your EHIC will enable you to be treated as an insured national would be treated in your destination country. However, any treatment you receive must be state-provided treatment, and not private, otherwise your EHIC will not cover you.

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.

Your European Heath Insurance Card should be carried with you at all times while you travel. This way, if you require treatment you can make a claim for the medical costs immediately. Alternatively, you can pay for the medical costs yourself and then make a claim for them when you arrive back in the UK.

You can use your EHIC anywhere within the European Economic Area. This means that you can use it in any of the twenty-seven countries that are part of the European Union, as well as in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Your EHIC is completely free and can obtained by calling 0845 606 2030, or by filling out an application on the Department of Health or EHIC website, or at any UK post office. Just remember that each member of your travelling party needs to apply for their own separate card.

Article Directory : http://www.articlecube.com