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The European Health Insurance Card (or EHIC) allows citizens of the EEA countries and Switzerland to receive medical treatment in another member state for free or at a reduced cost, if that treatment becomes necessary during their visit (for example, due to illness or an accident), or if they have a pre-existing chronic condition which requires care such as kidney dialysis.
The intention of the scheme is to allow people to continue their stay in a country without having to return home for medical care - as such, it does not cover people who have visited a country for the purpose of obtaining medical care, nor does it cover care, such as many types of dental treatment, which can be delayed until the visitor returns home.
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It only covers healthcare which is normally covered by a statutory health care system in the visited country, so it does not render travel insurance obsolete.
The card was phased in from 1 June 2004 and throughout 2005, becoming the sole healthcare entitlement document on 1 January 2006. The card is applicable in all French dependencies (DOM) as they are part of the EEA, but not all other self-governing territories such as Jersey or Aruba which are not.
For more information about the EHIC (formerly E111) please click here
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