Health Insurance EHIC card - definition of temporary stay?

S

Sandpiper

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I'm trying to find out what coverage a cruise ship passenger might have with an EHIC card if they are hospitalised and treated in an EU country after the ship has sailed without them. I have been informed that it doesn't cover cruise ship passengers at all and they must have/have had accommodation on land at the time of their accident or illness.

The rules on all of the EHIC sites I can find state that anyone with a card 'on a temporary stay' is covered. So, what is the definition of a temporary stay? Surely they are on such a temporary stay if they are spending nights in a hospital? Their address can no longer be the ship, as it has sailed away without them. Or are these people just in no man's land (pun intended)?
I know that adequate travel insurance is required, but this seems like an anomaly to me.
 
With the increase in the popularity of cruises, and their traditional "older" client base, this is quite important information.
 
emeralds said:
Does this help?

[broken link removed]
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I have seen this and you'd think it would be clearer, but someone in the comments asked a very valid question. What happens after the ship has sailed? The person's address is no longer the ship. They will never see it again - it has, literally, sailed! Their accommodation for all intents and purposes from then on until they go home is the hospital they are in.

Take another similar example - an Irish citizen driving through France on their way to Spain maybe. No accommodation in France. They take sick or have an accident. What about the EHIC in that case? They are as equally unaccommodated in that country as a cruise passenger.

Or another scenario, a person moving around campsites or in a camper van or someone who takes ad hoc B&B accommodation from day to day as they travel across land borders? Does one just pick an address (like a hotel) and choose that as your potential accommodation, given that there's no likelihood you'd be taking it up while you're a patient anyway?

I think the definition of 'temporary stay' is crucial here, but I can't find any clarifying information. This affects more than cruise passengers IMO.
 
This happened to me a few years ago. I was at a job interview in London...same day flight in and out so no UK address...and fainted and was hospitalised for 7 days. I just gave my home address in Dublin and ticked a form to say I qualified and never heard another word. I had no money nor clothes as I hadn't planned being there so the NHS gave me a 200£ voucher and a nurse went and bought me clothes!
 
There are several concerns regarding the ehic card. A temporary stay is a continuous 90 days or less. Another is that the card covers emergency situations only. The likes of 'flu-like symptoms are not covered.

Just on a tangeant:- I have spoken against travel insurance on this forum as thrust by Irish insurance companies. Before somebody says "read the small-print" most contain disclaimers that can be used against almost any claim. I think it is time the Irish insurance companies stepped up to the plate and openly inform customers of what they are really covered for in their travel insurance. It appears the Irish companies are falling down on the job, as usual and continue to confuse. I'll tell you one thing:- Spanish and French tourists would not accept the same as we do. I bet somebody comes on a says "Hey Lep, you're covered for everything, until you claim . . ."
 
There is no residence requirement for using the EHIC in the EEA. Temporary means just that, you are not normally resident in the country in which you fall ill or have an accident. You don't have to have an address in, say, France or Spain.

RoI and UK residents do not require an EHIC for emergency treatment in each other's countries.
 
Slim said:
There is no residence requirement for using the EHIC in the EEA. Temporary means just that, you are not normally resident in the country in which you fall ill or have an accident. You don't have to have an address in, say, France or Spain.

RoI and UK residents do not require an EHIC for emergency treatment in each other's countries.
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I have contacted the UK EHIC site (where I initially saw the article re cruise passengers being ineligible) and they are insisting that cruise passengers are not covered because they have no address in the country they are visiting - the ship is their address, even when it has left! This is what they replied:

"If the person wasn’t staying in accommodation on land at the time they required emergency treatment they’re not covered by the EHIC" and, in a follow up after I queried it, "you have to be staying in accommodation on land at the time of falling ill to be covered by the EHIC", finally followed by this statement:

"From what you’re saying you believe that someone travelling on a cruise is covered the moment they're on land (not what I said at all). We understand that a cruise ship passenger would need to go on land if they required emergency treatment; which is why we have an article to state they’re not covered by the EHIC. If it was the case that cruise ship passengers were covered once they are on land or in hospital, we wouldn’t need to have information on our site to advise that they are not covered by the EHIC".

I will check further into this, as it's annoying me now, albeit that it's hypothetical at the moment.
 
Leper said:
There are several concerns regarding the ehic card. A temporary stay is a continuous 90 days or less. Another is that the card covers emergency situations only. The likes of 'flu-like symptoms are not covered.
Click to expand...
 
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in France your EHIC covers you for non emergency visits to GPs and consultants. The refund is on the same basis as a resident around 60%
 
Slim said:
Fascinating response. Do you have a link to their site?
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[broken link removed]is the site page with the brief info: [https://contactcentreservices.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/selfnhsukokb/AskUs_EHIC/template.do?name=I+am+going+on+a+cruise,+will+my+EHIC+cover+me?&id=16515] - I can't seem to find the article by them about the cruising anomaly that triggered my research. Sorry, the links won't embed for me?

The last reply I had from the UK EHIC page says:
'we only deal with application and renewals of the EHIC. Any advice we can offer is taken from our Choices website, here’s a link to the county by county guides, this may help: http://ow.ly/wP9h3036OSd. Your query really needs to be directed to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Overseas Healthcare Team.'

*I see the links did embed after all.
 
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Thanks. If you edit the link to remove the last bracket, it will work.

Most curious declaration. I wonder if that would be implemented in mainland Europe?
 
Slim said:
Thanks. If you edit the link to remove the last bracket, it will work.

Most curious declaration. I wonder if that would be implemented in mainland Europe?
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I sent an email question to the EU site mentioned by ligon above and I'm awaiting a reply - I will see what they say and report back.
 
No response yet from the EU site, although they estimated 3 days for a reply. Trying again now and repeating my query. It's strange that I can't get any definitive interpretation of this anomaly. No response at all from anywhere else I've contacted, including our own HSE :(
 
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