Does this mean none of us can go to France/Germany/Spain /Italy etc etc

''Reciprocal healthcare between countries has yet to be discussed and decided upon. Each European country will make a decision.''

a massive difference between UK residents in the EU, and tourists. The above applies to residents, NOT tourists.

The fact is, we will lose EHIC cover. That means that all travellers to UK will have to have comprensive Travel insurance to cover sickness and accidents. Fact is, many of us, due to age or to pre-existing conditions, will not be able to get full health and accident cover - or only at massive cost. And fact is, if only essential travel is recommended, due to Covid, travel health insurance will not be valid if travelling against advice.

So in short, OP is 100% correct.

If you are younger and do not have pre-existing conditions, you will probably be able to get cover- but even then, it will be invalid if travelling against official advice.

As I have said you can now get cover for travelling against FCO advice. In fact my current company have just written to me and suggested I might like to pay extra to cover this!

Fairly sure you can’t scratch your retina with sand!

GrandtanteJE65, I dont need my head examined, but I am desperate to see my only close family - my son, partner and two grandchildren who live in France. I haven’t seen them since Christmas and if things dont get worse, I will risk flying there at Christmas. I watch all my friends seeing their grandchildren now and it makes me so sad. So if I don’t, it won’t be my head that needs examining but my mental health!

Urmstongran

Britain will be divorced from the EU not Europe per se. Reciprocal healthcare between countries has yet to be discussed and decided upon. Each European country will make a decision. Covid of course is altogether another layer of complexity bringing separate issues.

We have reciprocal healthcare with many countries; however, I would never rely on that and never did when travelling to Europe or elsewhere.
We always took out travel insurance.

Some offer cover for COVID, our neighbours said theirs does and they are going to Europe next week.

Pantglas2

Frankly, I’d worry for anyone daft enough to travel within the EU solely on the E111 - travel insurance is vital.

Quite!!

Anytime visiting EU countries have always had own health/accident insurance. Never rely on the 'local' system. It will be just like the days pre EU.

Well you are entitled to theirs. So shut up.

Never rely on the 'local' system.

Which could be excellent or it could be very poor.

We know two people who needed a long period of hospitalisation in the Far East; each said they were glad they had taken out travel insurance because the local hospitals were very basic and they doubted they would have survived but in the private hospital the treatment was first class.

Rose56; I was in the sea and got caught by a large wave. This tumbled me onto the sea bed and the very corse sand scratched my retina. This was confirmed by the doctor who had all the necessary kit. Unfortunately I managed to do the same thing a few years ago whilst tidying my daughter’s garden and cutting the ivy back. Had to go to Tooting A&E. confirmed scratched retina in 3 places identical to the Sri Lanka episode.

The FAr East is not EU though.

We have never relied on EHIC (E111) on its own. But travel insurance was much cheaper because EHIC covered a large part of costs in case of accident. The point being, if you are older and have pre-exisiting conditions - or if for instance you need dialysis when travelling- many insurance will either NOT cover you, or be so massively expensive. With EHIC, such a person was covered- and could then be repatriated privately to UK after emergency phase, especially if travelling to locations within car travelling distance.

We have a house in Spain, so this is a big issue for us. I have done my research on travel insurance. You can get cover to travel against FCO advice. But not for the very thing, COVID, that the FCO advice relates to, if that advice is in place before you buy the insurance.
I’ve not found any companies which will cover getting ill from COVID in Spain or France as things stand.

But please, do not mix Health care for residents and tourists- 2 VERY different things.

Holiday in the UK. Hospitality here desperately needs the money

SheilsM- oh I hear you. Same here- so it is hard to hear of people being on extended holidays to the EU beyond their legal allocation of 90 days.

The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare or costs, such as mountain rescue in ski resorts or being flown back to the UK.

SheilsM I hope you see your DGC soon.
Those of us with family further away have no hope for at least another year. The borders are closed.

I have annual travel insurance provided as part of my bank account.

Luckily, it has not been used for medical treatment but, twice, once due to a death in the family and a second time for a family illness the holidays had to be cancelled at short notice. In both cases the planned holidays had to be cancelled and the insurance refunded the cost of the holiday.

Insurance is a gamble. You might not need to use it but, it buys peace of mind.

ShielsM I feel your pain, my DD and her family live in Spain, we should have gone over in March as my oldest DGS became a teenager, then in June we were taking the whole family to see Paul McCartney in Barcelona. Finally booked to go early September when the advice against travel came in and voided any travel insurance, as DH was poorly earlier this year I wouldn't travel without it so lost money on our flights and had a good cry. Had been hopeful they'd be here for Christmas but that's clearly not going to happen.
I'm lucky that two DS & DGC live near but at the moment we can't visit each other's home so even that feels grim. I have friends with children in Australia and Hong Kong so I guess it could be worse but as I think it's going to be April or May next year before we'll see our family it is heart breaking all round.

quizqueen

Elegran- that's very true but, equally, you don't expect your old gym to tell you which other gyms you can use in future or how you should exercise!

good analogy qq

We have never traveled anywhere without travel insurance. Our policy also covers UK trips.

In the situation Britain in these comments trivia. What madness to travel abroad during this pandemic?

In addition, all this ballyhoo about Brexit and travel. How on earth did we visit the continent before the EU: passport and travel insurance! In and out of France and Germany regularly and my country not hawked off to either.

MissChateline I'm fairly sure you mean your cornea was scratched, a very common injury, one I've had myself. The retina which is at the back of your eye is just not accessible to grains of sand or ivy.

Calli 'The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare or costs, such as mountain rescue in ski resorts or being flown back to the UK.'

well of course- but it does cover all medical emergency costs- including dialysis- you just have to ensure that you go to a State hospital and not private. So as said in my post, repatriation after the emergency phase can de done privately- more often than not, by private car.

As for mountain rescue- this can be easily covered with your ski pass in all resorts- and is hardly relevant to 99.9%.

We've always had insurance for travelling anywhere. At the moment it is with the bank but I expect that will need to change.
My mother had what she thought was just a UTI and took a taxi to the local Mexican hospital. Unfortunately (or this time fortunately), the taxi took one look at my mother's distended stomach and took her to the maternity hospital which was a superb facility. They found she had a huge cyst the size of a watermelon on her ovary and it had twisted causing her pain. Along with the UTI, she was in agony. They did the operation to remove it as an emergency but we to a frantic phone call from my stepdad who had been told they would not release her until the insurance company had agreed to pay and his credit card would not cover the huge bill. They also had to stay for an extra 12 weeks before she could fly home which they hadn't allowed for. He was a student on his placement year so funds were tight. Their experience made me very careful about getting adequate insurance. E111 might help with medical costs but it doesn't cover repatriation or accommodation costs.