Tag: patient mobility

EU health ministers look set to reach a hard-fought agreement today on cross-border healthcare, after years of political wrangling.

Tens of thousands of Europeans are seeking fertility treatment abroad, according to the first study of fertility patient migration.

The European Parliament has passed a landmark directive which would allow Europeans seek healthcare abroad more easily and be reimbursed for the cost of doing so. However, EU member states are still working to iron out a range of practical difficulties before the plan can be formally adopted.

A Commission proposal published yesterday (2 July) to make it easier for citizens to seek care abroad could see its effectiveness limited after new clauses were introduced. These would allow member states to require patients to get prior authorisation for foreign hospital care and pay upfront themselves.

A long-awaited proposal to codify the circumstances under which EU patients can legitimately be covered for treatment received in other member states could be either redrafted, withdrawn or downgraded, EurActiv has learnt.

"The core challenge in cross-broder access to health care is to ensure that political goals combine both the objectives of health-care systems and those of the internal market," the Commission has stated.

As public and private healthcare were excluded from the services directive, the Commission has decided to set up a specific EU health services framework to guarantee cross-border access to health care.

Markos Kyprianou told EurActiv that promoting healthy lifestyles and mental health, as well as ensuring food safety, would be among his priorities as commissioner for health and consumer protection. He added that it was his ambition to have smoking bans introduced in all member states by the end of his term. 

The Health Council has called on the Commission to create a Public Health Portal. On 2 June, ministers adopted conclusions on e-health, patient mobility and heart health.

Public Health Commissioner David Byrne has said that the spread of obesity, which is mainly due to bad eating habits and the lack of exercise, could result in higher healthcare costs.

On 8 December, a high level expert group endorsed a report with a set of recommendations on patient mobility. The Commission will respond with a new Communication in 2004.