How to obtain EHIC (European Health Insurance Card,) in Poland?

ianaus:

I recently had to see a doctor about something and paid privately to see him. As I am a European Citizen he told me about a European Health Insurance Card that I should try to obtain from the UK as he explained that I could use this in Poland to help with healthcare costs. So I called the tax and national insurance helpline in England to ask about this but the guy I spoke to knew nothing about this. How can I go about obtaining or applying for one of these cards? Who do I need to speak to?

StefanoThreads: 1 Posts: 2 Joined: Jan 23, 08	Jan 23, 08, 04:47 / #
Hi everyone, I am Stefano from Italy, i hope someone can help me: My girlfriend is polish, and lives in Italy. At this moment she doesn't have a job, so she cannot be covered by national italian healthcare. They asks her for EHIC (Europejska Karta Uezpieczenia Zdrowotnego) , EKUZ in polish. So she went to Poland to obtain the EHIC, but they don't want give her! She is not covered by polish healthcare because she hasen't a job there, and no parents anymore with family health insurance coverage. On the Net i found this: People who can legally get treatment from public healthcare institutions within the European Union include: * Residents of the EU or its territorites who are not citizens of any nations * The unemployed * Retirees and pensionaires * Leased workers * Self-employed * Students * Tourists * Refugees living in the EU * Residents living near the boarders of the EU who are working in the EU * Seasonal workers in the EU * Contract workers in the EU who are not EU citizens So she should obtain the Ehic for tourism or unemploying Anyone could me explain how Polish healthcare works? Any suggestions? Thanks and sorry for my english!

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,365 Joined: Aug 15, 07	Jan 23, 08, 06:06 / #
http://www.nfz.gov.pl/ue/index.php?katnr=5&dzialnr=0&artnr=0 I think if your girlfriend goes through this, it might answer some questions. If she currently resides in Italy though, I would think she should turn for health care to the Italian government (she has not been paying national insurance contributions in Poland, I understand?) Good luck!

StefanoThreads: 1 Posts: 2 Joined: Jan 23, 08	Edited by: Stefano Jan 23, 08, 07:51 / #
Sorry Magdalena, i don't speak Polish, because of that i write on this english-language forum! Right now my girlfriend is in Poland, trying to resolve this problem! BTW thanks! oooops, there is a translation in english!!!! dzienkuie Magd!!!!!!!

StefanoThreads: 1 Posts: 2 Joined: Jan 23, 08	Jan 23, 08, 14:44 / #
bad news, in Poland they don't know that EKUZ exist! they have given to my girlfriend a simply national insurance card, no valid in italy where it is necessary the EHIC card! no words:-(

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,365 Joined: Aug 15, 07	Edited by: Magdalena Jan 23, 08, 14:46 / #
With this Polish card she can probably now apply for the EHIC, as far as I remember she can do this using the website I linked to earlier. :-) http://www.nfz.gov.pl/ue/index.php?katnr=5&dzialnr=6&artnr=1819 (There is a list of forms she can download, fill in and apply with - one of them is for the EKUZ/EHIC).

ChiaraThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: Sep 24, 08	Sep 24, 08, 11:45 / #
Dear Stefano, la tua fidanzata e' riuscita ad ottenere la EHIC? Sto studiando proprio la EHIC in Polonia. Fammi sapere com'e' andata, grazie tante. Chiara

whyikitThreads: 7 Posts: 36 Joined: Sep 1, 08	Edited by: whyikit Sep 24, 08, 13:10 / #
Stefano, I am not trying to be rude but have you typed into google EKUZ and then on the first link click on translate. All you need to know, is there, also for your info clicking on European Health Insurance Card it says the following: Note: EKUZ is not proof of insurance in the National Health Fund the right to health care services in the territory of Poland. This means that a person insured in the NHF can be used only EKUZ in other member states You managed to find this website but didn't do the obvious, or am I missing something? Doh just noticed the age of this!!! I feel silly now :-(

sobieskiThreads: 80 Posts: 1,121 Joined: Jun 1, 08	Sep 27, 08, 15:01 / #
Stefano: bad news, in Poland they don't know that EKUZ exist! they have given to my girlfriend a simply national insurance card, no valid in italy where it is necessary the EHIC card! no words:-( This is rubbish. I am Belgian, living in Warsaw for four years now, and when I go back home every for months or so, I have my "książka" stamped at work. Download and print and complete the EKUZ form from the NFZ website....and then go to the NFZ office behind the Marriott. The crowds are always endless there, true, but the staff is always helpful. You need to be patient though :) Bringing a book helps when you have 120 persons in front of you :)

ianausThreads: 8 Posts: 22 Joined: Oct 16, 08	Aug 2, 09, 14:54 / #
Aug 2, 09, 15:04 - Thread attached on merging: European Health Insurance Cards - How To Obtain One? Hello guys, I recently had to see a doctor about something and paid privately to see him. As I am a European Citizen he told me about a European Health Insurance Card that I should try to obtain from the UK as he explained that I could use this in Poland to help with healthcare costs. So I called the tax and national insurance helpline in England to ask about this but the guy I spoke to knew nothing about this. How can I go about obtaining or applying for one of these cards? Who do I need to speak to? Thank you in advance... Ian

ShelleySThreads: 18 Posts: 3,647 Joined: Jun 26, 07	Aug 2, 09, 15:01 / #
ianaus: I recently had to see a doctor about something and paid privately to see him. As I am a European Citizen he told me about a European Health Insurance Card that I should try to obtain from the UK as he explained that I could use this in Poland to help with healthcare costs. So I called the tax and national insurance helpline in England to ask about this but the guy I spoke to knew nothing about this. How can I go about obtaining or applying for one of these cards? Who do I need to speak to? Just go on line and then it comes to your address, Im almost sure you need to be living in the UK to obtain its just a replacement for the E111 http://www.ehic.org/?gclid=CISF4PODhZwCFWIB4wodGCgXAQ the above is the link to the site.

Wroclaw BoyThreads: 56 Posts: 5,267 Joined: Jul 3, 09 MEMBER	Aug 2, 09, 15:23 / #
ianaus: Hmmm.... I am not sure what to do. are you British?

lexiThreads: 1 Posts: 188 Joined: Feb 17, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:00 / #
ianaus: think the doctor also told me about an eclipse healthcard or something like that he called it, I do not remember the exact name. I did not think I may be eligible so he suggested this alternative route but I have found no information on this card. To be honest they are not worth the card they are written on, thats why they are readily available. Try having an accident and using them in a private clinic, the answer is no sorry we do not accept. These cards can be only used in state hospitals whichever country you may be in. It is not adviseable to take them on a skiing holiday, unless you are based in a hugh city with a state hospital nearby. It is much better to take out private insurance which is not really that expensive.

niejestemcapitaThreads: 3 Posts: 666 Joined: Jan 3, 09	Edited by: niejestemcapita Aug 3, 09, 00:03 / #
lexi: It is much better to take out private insurance which is not really that expensive. that is so true, I remember showing an E111 to a Greek (state) doctor, and he just laughed and told me to pay up. Some bank accounts offer private health (travel)insurance as a benefit, for example the Cooperative Bank Privelege Premier account.

PierogiThreads: - Posts: 64 Joined: Aug 1, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:23 / #
lexi: The E11 card is absolute crap. People go on holiday with these cards believing they are fully covered for every eventuality. The minute there is any cost involved, the card goes down the drain and the credit card take presidence over everything. If you have to use the E11 card out of necessity you will be shipped off to the shitiest hospital imaginable, equivalent to the national health in the uk! Anyone who's daft enough to go abroad without adequate medical insurance needs their head seeing to, imo. And the EHIC website is pretty clear: The EHIC may not cover persons for all medical costs incurred, so you are strongly advised to also arrange travel insurance to ensure that you are covered for all possible eventualities. Furthermore, you will not be covered by an EHIC if the main purpose of your travel is to receive medical treatment. And the NHS is pretty good actually.

ianausThreads: 8 Posts: 22 Joined: Oct 16, 08	Aug 2, 09, 15:20 / #
ShelleyS: Just go on line and then it comes to your address, Im almost sure you need to be living in the UK to obtain its just a replacement for the E111 http://www.ehic.org/?gclid=CISF4PODhZwCFWIB4wodGCgXAQ the above is the link to the site. Thanks for the reply. I do not think I am eligible when I checked out the requirements because I have not been in the UK since 2005 and I am not employed by a UK employer as I am self-employed, but I have only been in Poland since March. I think the doctor also told me about an eclipse healthcard or something like that he called it, I do not remember the exact name. I did not think I may be eligible so he suggested this alternative route but I have found no information on this card. Hmmm.... I am not sure what to do.

ianausThreads: 8 Posts: 22 Joined: Oct 16, 08	Aug 2, 09, 23:45 / #
Wroclaw Boy: are you British? Yes I am.

lexiThreads: 1 Posts: 188 Joined: Feb 17, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:16 / #
The E11 card is absolute crap. People go on holiday with these cards believing they are fully covered for every eventuality. The minute there is any cost involved, the card goes down the drain and the credit card take presidence over everything. If you have to use the E11 card out of necessity you will be shipped off to the shitiest hospital imaginable, equivalent to the national health in the uk!

niejestemcapitaThreads: 3 Posts: 666 Joined: Jan 3, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:26 / #
Pierogi: And the NHS is pretty good actually. agree!

lexiThreads: 1 Posts: 188 Joined: Feb 17, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:31 / #
Pierogi: And the EHIC website is pretty clear: Pierogi, nobody looks at the website, once they have these cards in their hands they believe they are invincible. It is almost like a passport to them. Why these cards were introduced is a mystery, maybe to make the government look good. The majority of people in the uk believe that they do not need insurance once they have one of these E11 cards. People , before these cards were introduced were perfectly happy to take out insurance with the tour operators, it was part and parcel of the holiday. Now they wave the card around, like it is their passport to europe.

PierogiThreads: - Posts: 64 Joined: Aug 1, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:51 / #
lexi: Pierogi, nobody looks at the website How do they get one, then? I got mine through the website, didn't even know you could get them elsewhere. And I read the small print ;)

lexiThreads: 1 Posts: 188 Joined: Feb 17, 09	Aug 3, 09, 00:57 / #
Pierogi: How do they get one, then? I got mine through the website, didn't even know you could get them elsewhere. And I read the small print ;) Well you just telephone and one is issued, usually within a few days. They do not tell you anything about not being accepted in private clinics abroad, so naturally people think that it covers them for everything at anytime.

PierogiThreads: - Posts: 64 Joined: Aug 1, 09	Aug 3, 09, 01:04 / #
lexi: Well you just telephone and one is issued, usually within a few days. They do not tell you anything about not being accepted in private clinics abroad, so naturally people think that it covers them for everything at anytime. You learn something every day on here :)

ShelleySThreads: 18 Posts: 3,647 Joined: Jun 26, 07	Edited by: ShelleyS Aug 3, 09, 13:04 / #
Pierogi: Anyone who's daft enough to go abroad without adequate medical insurance needs their head seeing to, imo. And the EHIC website is pretty clear: I thought that too, but since the OP was going on about a card, this was the only one in the UK I could related her post to. As for state hopsitals abroad, Spanish hospitals are a lot cleaner than British ones. To the person who kept going on about private medical centres, you'd have to pay for them in the UK, same difference, nothing "private" is free. As to NHS, its gets a lot of flack but it serves a purpose in the UK and does a damn good job of it considering the strain its under. Also no one in the right mind would go away on holiday without insurance cover! It was an E111 as well, not E11 and on the back of the EHIC it clearly states: "make sure you have valid travel insurance" "The EHIC is not valid for private treatment" Pierogi: You learn something every day on here :) In this case, you learnt a load of rubbish!

Wroclaw BoyThreads: 56 Posts: 5,267 Joined: Jul 3, 09 MEMBER	Edited by: Wroclaw Boy Aug 3, 09, 13:51 / #
lexi: They do not tell you anything about not being accepted in private clinics abroad, so naturally people think that it covers them for everything at anytime. any body with half a brain will know that private health care in what ever country is not covered by the EHIC. As for skiing, if its a serious accident you will be taken to a state hospital where you will be covered. if its a pop into the local Doctors in resort then of course you'll have to pay from your own pocket. Its not an insurance policy. The EHIC serves an excellent purposoe to protect Tax paying Brits abroad in need of emergency treatment.

lexiThreads: 1 Posts: 188 Joined: Feb 17, 09	Aug 3, 09, 13:56 / #
ianaus: European Health Insurance Cards - How To Obtain One? Try www.nhs.uk and perhaps telephone 0845 46 47 they will give you the professional advice you need.

Wroclaw BoyThreads: 56 Posts: 5,267 Joined: Jul 3, 09 MEMBER	Edited by: Wroclaw Boy Aug 3, 09, 13:58 / #
lexi: It is much better to take out private insurance which is not really that expensive. lexi: People , before these cards were introduced were perfectly happy to take out insurance with the tour operators, it was part and parcel of the holiday. Sounds as though somebody's an insurance rep. I hate insurance. lexi: Try www.nhs.uk and perhaps telephone 0845 46 47 they will give you the professional advice you need. What? its all here: www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/frequentlyAsked.do

PierogiThreads: - Posts: 64 Joined: Aug 1, 09	Aug 3, 09, 20:22 / #
ShelleyS: In this case, you learnt a load of rubbish! Heh, it was still something new though ;) lexi: 0845 46 47 Ohnoez!!! the dreaded NHS Direct. No thanks!

ianausThreads: 8 Posts: 22 Joined: Oct 16, 08	Aug 4, 09, 15:44 / #
I checked it out and it said that you can only get this if your main place of residence is in the UK. But although I am from the UK I have not been there since 2005 because I have been working all over the world. So does this mean I can not apply? I was a bit reluctant to call the 0845 46 47 number because from what I remember of the UK, 0845 means expensive call charges right?

tcooper913Threads: 4 Posts: 22 Joined: Aug 5, 09	Aug 5, 09, 14:46 / #
Any advice for an American living in Poland, and not working? I am applying for a resident card. I need good coverage for a preexisting condition with a lot of medication. I came here to live with my son and daughter-in-law.

HarryThreads: 59 Posts: 7,996 Joined: May 2, 07	Aug 5, 09, 15:02 / #
tcooper913: Any advice for an American living in Poland, and not working? I am applying for a resident card. I need good coverage for a preexisting condition with a lot of medication. I came here to live with my son and daughter-in-law. The short answer is "do not get ill". The long answer is that you'll need to fill in a huge amount of paperwork and even then you may well not qualify for anything free. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. As far as I can see your options are either to arrange insurance in the USA (I have no idea how you would do that) or sign up with a company here (Medicover are good but the comprehensive packages are not cheap) or find somebody to employ on a minimum wage job (a paper job only, you return the wages to them in cash) so you can have your ZUS paid (although you'll need to pay that person for the ZUS contributions you need to make). Another option might be to approach local state schools and offer to work for them for 18 hours a week as an assistant English teacher. That way you'd get your ZUS paid for you and get a tiny amount of cash too!