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

Elegran

Quizqueen Our expired EU gym membership entitled us to use all the facilities which that gym group provided across its several premises and many different exercise rooms. Now that we have cancelled our membership, we can't use any of those gyms, but the EU doesn't care which other gyms we use - it is just up to us to join those others and negotiate our membership. If we don't join any gyms as members, then we pay per use and put up with the inconvenience and extra cost. As for exercise, we could always run for the bus, but we may have already missed it.

Brilliant!

Biba70. Thank you so much for responding in an intelligent and lucid way which explains the dilemma perfectly. We are not talking holidays and little jaunts here, but simply visits to see loved ones, in the same way as others with family in the UK do.
I have a new baby grandson in France I am bursting to see.

People make all sorts of decisions in their lives which later on turn out to have unintended consequences. If you go to live abroad and your parents stay in the UK there many scenarios as everyone ages that might make visiting difficult. Sometimes life is hard and there aren’t easy answers.

People make all sorts of decisions in their lives which later on turn out to have unintended consequences.

No problem with that if they are their own decisions, suziewoozie. It's having something you never wanted imposed on you that people object to.

vickymeldrew- oh I know how you feel. Hope you can meet, hold and hug little one soon.

In the meantime, and as an aside re unintended circumstances- we will celebrate our dog's 15th birthday this week-end. Adopted here when she was 12- and she is traumatised by previous events. Fit as a fiddle and so happy- but cannot go in kennels. So in the New Year we will have to decide- grandchildren or the dog. Would you like to have to make that decision? How can we explain that to our grandchildren who adore our dog as they cannot have one of their own? Hard indeed.

suzie, so many of us made decisions having studied all aspects VERY carefully, researching every nook and cranny- getting expert advice, calculating costs, etc, VERY VERY carefully. And now all the goalposts have changed- rug pulled from under our feet, through no choice of our own at all. So excuse me for saying your post sounds totally uncaring and mean, truly.

For us, we will not have the choice of buying holiday insurance to travel even round the corner- because IT DOES NOT EXIST. I know it is hard to fathom- but it is correct.

karinu

It will be easier for me to travel to Australia regarding health insurance as we have a reciprocal arrangement than it will be to
travel to my birth country Germany to see my family. I will have to take out expensive travel insurance (I’m 70+), thanks
to the people who voted to leave the EU without knowing the
full consequences.
Best not say more....??

Sorry, karinu, but that is not true.

No person with a modicum of common sense would travel to Australia without travel insurance. You could receive emergency treatment if something unforeseen happened whilst you were there but reciprocal just means emergencies.

On the whole, people travel to Europe for shorter periods than to Australia/New Zealand, but I'd never have travelled within the EU before now without taking out insurance either.
It's relatively cheap if someone has no pre-existing conditions.

biba70 as you are in a European non EU Country do they honour the EHIC now? If so why will they not from 01/01/2021?

What are they changing?

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.

Surely someone on dialysis would need that regularly, not as emergency treatment?

I can't imagine anyone having regular dialysis wanting to go on holiday in the EU - perhaps a couple of days in the UK between treatments? A friend was going for dialysis for three or four days a week and each session took up most of the day with hospital transport.

There are a few people who will be in for s shock in January, if you have a history of cardiac problems, stroke, are on dialysis you are highly unlikely to be able to travel without paying huge amounts for travel insurance, even assuming you are able to get health insurance at all. An example; a friend's adult son has learning difficulties and health problems such as asthma, early stage kidney failure, the highlight of his year is the annual trip to France with his day centre. They stay in a small holiday village which is adapted up to deal with him and his friends. He will not, in a million years, get health insurance to cover his health problems, so as of next year, that is the end of his holidays. Worth it now is it?

But it's always been more expensive to get travel insurance if you have underlying health conditions

Friend of mine always had to pay a fortune to go to Spain due to heart problems

I took a little look on the Internet at the provisions in a few EU countries. The EHIC won't cover you in most countries for anything except emergency treatment and to be stabilised so that you can be repatriated.

Countries like Italy and Spain advise everybody, including its own citizens, to take out private insurance as State medical services vary from region to region.

There's nothing out there like the NHS.

I also found Insurance companies that supply travel insurance for most countries worldwide in terms of where you live.

I wonder where biba is?

biba is a British citizen, GG13. (I don't know if she has dual nationality). As such, any rights she has as an EU citizen in her present country of residence will lapse after 31/12/20

Oppsminty

But it's always been more expensive to get travel insurance if you have underlying health conditions

the point is that he didn't need to have health insurance because he was able, if needed, to get dialysis in France under the reciprocal arrangements.

Did they not take out travel insurance previously, GillT57?

Perhaps I've wasted hundreds of £ over the years!
Although it's worth paying the price for peace of mind.

I hope that they can find suitable accommodation in the UK for him and his friends from the day centre.

My niece has not travelled overseas but has had some lovely holidays here in the UK with her friends and their carers.

This could be useful:
www.disabilityholidaysguide.com/disabled-activity-and-adventure-holidays.aspx#sthash.LvLPAEkx.Y1QzzBFy.dpbs

MaizieD

biba is a British citizen, GG13. (I don't know if she has dual nationality). As such, any rights she has as an EU citizen in her present country of residence will lapse after 31/12/20

biba70 has repeatedly posted that she is unable to purchase travel/health insurance in her adopted country as it doesn’t exist.

As this country is not part of the EU what will change from 01/01/2021?

The E111 card will not be valid after Dec 31st.

MaizieD

biba is a British citizen, GG13. (I don't know if she has dual nationality). As such, any rights she has as an EU citizen in her present country of residence will lapse after 31/12/20

I think Biba is more than able to speak for herself and her country of residence which is not as it happens part of the EU
So I fail to see the relevance of your post MaizieD

Biba may not live in an EU country; she hasn't stated where so we don't know.

Many people have dual nationality through their parents or because they applied and it was granted.
Not every country allows this, of course.

We will have the details in due course regarding European travel and what is required concerning health cover and I feel sure this is one aspect of leaving the EU which they will want to make relatively straightforward.

For example I believe the majority of Spain‘s tourists are British so they for example are not going to want to make things difficult for us.

It’s perfectly clear that in other respects such as the ongoing trade deals, we were never going to be given an easy ride in case other countries think about following us !

The point is JE is that health care insurance is a part of the standard travel insurance package and .what was available with the EHIC in most countries was not sufficient to go without travel insurance and be sure you were fully covered. I don’t understand people who seem to be saying that they know disabled people who went abroad without travel insurance. What about cancellation, delayed departure, lost/stolen luggage?

Travel insurance in France is far cheaper than in U.K. and it is illegal to ask about existing medical conditions whether it is for holiday insurance or health insurance.
A few years ago we took out travel insurance for seven weeks - 2 weeks in U.K. and 5 weeks in USA - the cost was €110 each - this included repatriation etc - the only cost it would not cover was the cost of the flights as we had paid with a credit card so covered by that and elected not to be covered twice.
The insurance broker told us that if there was any huge problem not to worry as our house insurance would pay! He said really we did not need the insurance but we could not bring ourselves to rely on that so took the insurance anyway!

But the EHIC in most countries (I won't say all because I only know about the ones we travelled to) doesn't cover treatment for ongoing chronic conditions like kidney failure, unless it becomes an emergency.
I know this through my husbands illnesses.

You couldn't go for a visit and book an appointment for your ongoing treatment, like a regular dialysis. Not unless you went privately.

Some if the posters make it sound as if you could just go and get your regular NHS treatment.

Some people will lose out with Brexit.
Some people lost out when we were members of the EU. Enough to vote out.

That's life. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

And I did vote remain.

If you have any condition which needs a regular checkup and you travel overseas, the EHIC would not cover that, nor would normal travel insurance.
You'd have to have a checkup and pay privately.

As well as having travel insurance.

And I do hate that hysterical over dramatisation?

"Does this mean none of us can go to Italy, France, blah, blah"

Er, no.

I'll shut up now.