NHS health card fraud 'only £700'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34223065

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Concern about the NHS being taken advantage of through fraudulent use of European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) amounts to just £700, a website claims.

An investigation by the Daily Mail had found people who had never worked in Britain were able to obtain a free EHIC card in the UK.

The NHS could then be billed for any costs of treatment, it said.

The Department of Health said the true cost may be higher and that fraud was unacceptable.

European Health Insurance Card

The European Health Insurance Card entitles you to the same state healthcare as a citizen in that country - this includes prescriptions, GP visits and hospital stays.

Care is not always free and the details vary between states depending on their healthcare system. Some costs can be claimed when a patient returns home, but again this depends on the local set-up.

The card can be used in any of the 27 EU countries outside the UK as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. It covers emergency care as well long-term conditions including kidney dialysis treatment.

People are still advised to have travel insurance, as private healthcare and flights home are not covered.

Source: NHS Choices

A Hungarian reporter working undercover for the Daily Mail said she obtained an NHS number and then an EHIC card.

She claims she was then able to access a range of medical treatment in Hungary - including maternity care - with the authorities there able to recoup costs from Britain.

But a Freedom of Information Request by the Huffington Post showed there were just nine cases of fraud in the past five years at a total cost of £712.56.

Labour MP Jess Philips told the website: "Stoking up a mistrust of people abroad is unhelpful and Government efforts should focus on looking after those they are letting down at home."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "It is unacceptable that people living outside the UK think they can abuse our NHS.

"The cases which have been identified appear small but we are looking at ways we can tighten up the EHIC process precisely because the current system does not allow us to properly identify applications from those who are not entitled to an EHIC."