EU Commissioner Borg to EuroFora : How TransBorder Access can Ease EU Citizens' Legal Health Care

 
*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Commissioner Tonio Borg, an experienced former Prime Minister, replying to "EuroFora"s Questions in a Press Conference together with French MEP Françoise Grossetete, (ChristianDemocrat/EPP), on EU Citizens' access to Trans-Border Health Care, made crystal-clear that the main Condition for their Right to benefit from a Medical Treatment at another EU Member Country, while still receiving their normal reimbursement in their Home Country, depended on the concrete circumstances of each case, as far as the existence of a real Need is concerned, when Care is not available "at a reasonable Time" limit at home, as well as in very simple, Easy and Short treatments, while also excluding any risk for "Medical Tourism", particularly if anyone attempts to get thus a treatment for which he/she is not entitled in his</her own Country on Legal or Ethical grounds.

Experienced MEP Grossetete had already explained, earlier, speaking to Journalists, including "EuroFora", mainl that this Advantage for EU Citizens, offered by an EU Directive strongly supported by EU Parliament, which has already adopted her relevant Report, Guarantees and Simplifies a Faster Reimbursement, at the usual rate and  conditions of a Patient's Home Country, even if he/she found preferable, or even necessary, to seek Health Care at another, f.ex. Neighbouring EU Member Country, particularly when a similar Medical Treatment is not immediately available "at a reasonable Time" in the Home Country, (f.ex. in case of lack of sufficient Hospital Rooms and/or Doctors at a given period), on condition to take an Authorisation whenever required (See Infra), whose Refusaql can be succesfully Challenged to the Courts :  

An obvous Benefit both for EU Citizens themselves, and even for the Society as a whole, since such steps forward into "building the Europe of Health", could also help reduce risks of an Epidemy to spread if one EU Member State's Health Services become overloaded, (etc), as Grossetete observed, while, however, expressing her regrets that, at least for the moment, many EU Countries have Not yet Transposed in their National Legal Order, a relevant earlier EU Directive. Something that also EU Commissioner Borg strongly denounced, expressing the Hope that most EU Member States will hurry up soon to fil that gap, and Warning that, otherwise, the Commission will be deterlmined to act against such regretable delays, particulary in view of approaching Time Deadlines.

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-  In this regard, "EuroFora"'s 1st out of 2 Questions to EU Commissioner Borg, pointed at the Fact that, sometimes, EU Citizens' Need for TransBorder Health Care, may be a so Crucial and Vital issue for them, in cases, f.ex. of too long Delays in their own Country's Hospitals, that they might even Risk to face  Dangers of some more or less Damaging Consequences to the Detriment of their Health and/or Private/Family, Professional/Social Life, or even get them close to a Life-Threatening situation, because of the Provoked Delays.  At least in such extreme cases, couldn't EU Citizens contribute, f.ex. by bringing their demands to the Courts, etc., to help EU Commission convince some stil recalcitrant EU Member States to, at last, transpose and start really applying the relevant EU Directive, since, even according to CoE's PanEuropean Convention on Human Rights, eventually also under EU's Charter of Fundamental Freedoms and Rights, States have an Obligation to protect, and not endanger Citizens' Health and/or Lives, f.ex. by perpetuating undue Obstacles to an Urgently Needed Health Care Treatment at another, f.ex. Neighbouring EU Country, which can be of Vital Importance for the concerned person, who is already Legaly entitled to have such a Heath Treatment in his own Country ?

 

+ From the Other Side, "EuroFora" also asked Borg to confirm, on the contrary, whether, in cases of not serious Health problems, but for a specific Medical Treatment which depends mainly on a particular Patient's Free Choice, anyone might be able, or Not, to seek to obtain at another, neighbouring EU Country, a Treatment which is normally Illegal for him/her in his/her own Country of origin, f.ex. for Ethical reasons,  (f.ex. Homosexuals asking for a "Subrogate Mother" to get an "In Vitro Fertilisation" in order to get a Child in an Artificial way, which is considered Immoral and/or Illegal in their own Country, etc).

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Borg : No tresspassing  via Medical "Tourism" :
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 -  "You can only seek Treatment Abroad for a Service which is provided in your own Country", EU Health Commissoner Borg clarified, in reply to "EuroFora"s Second Question, (that he chose to deal with, at first).

 - "Even on Ethical Grounds, if it's Not Provided in Your Country, you can't go to another Country", he stressed. "Of course", to be precise, "you can go" de facto, "but you  have to Pay, and you shall Not be Reimbursed", he warned.

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Borg : "Reasonable Time" Condition depends on the Seriousness of concrete cases, but for People living close to internal EU Borders, this can Simplify Access to Health Care, which is also Easier for Simple and Short Medical Treatments.
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+ Replying afterwards to "EuroFora"s 1st Question (comp. Supra), the competent EU Commissioner focused mainly on the issue of "what does it really means : "Reasonable Time" (for the Home Country to provide a Health Care needed by one of its Citizen who asks to obtain it at another EU Country) ?"

- "In my view, it's Not an Absolute Term, (but) it is also Relative : Because, it depends :  - "Waiting", for what kind of (Medical) Operation ?", Borg wondered.

-"There are Serious, and Urgent ones,  and Others, which are Useful, Convenient, but Not Urgent. So, even in what is a Reasonable Time, it depends on what type of Treatment, for what type of Sickness, for what type of Condition, you are seeking", he clarified.
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+ And, Yes, this can be particularly Useful, f.ex. for People who actually live Close to the Borders" between EU Member States, Commissioner Bord went on to add.  

- In this regard, - "I give you an Example, - without, in any way, to interpretate that, as a kind of provocation, or an encouragment, in any particular direction" :  

>>> - For "someone living in the Czech Republic, it could be Easier for him to go to Austria, because the Nearest Hospital is, in his case, in Austria, rather than going to Prague ! That could be",  the competent EU Commissioner hinted.
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- "But, I repeat, you need, in most cases,   Authorisation.  We say In "most" cases, because there are cases, where you don't need Authorization", he observed :  

  - "When I say Authorisation, the cases where you do need Authorisation are :  - 1) In Complex Operations, and 2) when your Treatment requires an overNight Stay : So, even if you spend 1 Night in a Hospital, abroad, then, you need an Authorisation".  

=> -  "The only case where you don't need an Authorisation, is when you don't spend a Night Abroad, and when your Operation or your Intervention (Medical Treatment), is relatively Simple, and Not Complex. So : the 2 Conditions, together", he concluded, apparentlypointing to the Fact that there is No useless Bureaucracy for relatively Simple and Short Health Care cases, in which EU Citizens can more Easily prefer to cross internal borders between EU Member Countries.

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