The European Commission on Wednesday proposed legislation under which patients from one European Union (EU) member state can seek healthcare in other member states.
Despite several clear European Court of Justice rulings confirming that the EU Treaty gives individual patients the right to seek healthcare in other member states and be reimbursed at home, uncertainty remains over how to apply the principles of this jurisprudence more generally.
With this proposal the commission aims to provide legal certainty on this issue, said the commission, the executive body of the EU.
The proposal also covers cooperation between member states on this issue.
"This proposal aims to clarify how patients can exercise their rights to cross-border health care, while at the same time providing legal certainty for member states and healthcare providers. It ensures that the quality and safety of healthcare will be guaranteed throughout the union, and promotes cooperation between health systems to provide better access to specialized care," said EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.
Under the proposal, patients have the right to seek healthcare abroad and be reimbursed up to what they would have received at home.
Member states are responsible for healthcare provided on their territory. Patients should be confident that the quality and safety standards of the treatment they will receive in another member state are regularly monitored and based on good medical practices.
The proposed legislation will facilitate cooperation among member states on healthcare. It will provide a basis to support the development of European reference networks, which will bring together, on a voluntary basis, specialized centers in different member states. This collaboration has great potential to bring benefits to patients through easier access to highly specialized care. It can also be useful to health systems as it would facilitate the efficient use of resources, for example by pooling resources to tackle rare conditions, said the commission.
The legislation also provides for health technology assessment, which will help to reduce overlap and duplication of efforts in this field and promote the effective and efficient use of resources.
Source:Xinhua
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