The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against Spain after reports that some Spanish hospitals are refusing to accept the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The card entitles EU citizens to free healthcare in public hospitals across the bloc, but the Commission says it has received hundreds of complaints from tourists whose cards were rejected.
Under the EHIC system, a patient's home health service covers the cost of emergency treatment abroad. For British tourists, the NHS pays the final bill. However, some Spanish hospitals have allegedly told patients to use their travel insurance instead, or even demanded credit card details. The Commission has asked the Spanish government for information, the first step in an infringement procedure that could lead to fines.
British holidaymaker Ray Burton told the BBC that when he was severely dehydrated, a Spanish hospital refused his EHIC and asked for his travel insurance details. "When we tried to re-present the card, they just dismissed it," he said. Other cases include a young boy with facial injuries turned away from a clinic and a British tourist treated for a month, after which a debt collection agency demanded £54,000 from his travel insurer, despite the treatment being covered by EHIC.
The Spanish health ministry insists the EHIC "has worked properly in Spain for years" and says it will investigate any cases brought to its attention. A ministry spokeswoman said there was "no proof" that British citizens had been pressured into using private insurance. However, Mandy Aitchison, editor of the International Travel Insurance Journal, noted that the high number of British tourists—over 10 million annually, with about 30 per week needing medical treatment—strains the system. She said Spanish hospitals have hired third-party companies to recover costs, exacerbating the problem.
