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This might explain the system, scroll down the main page a bit.

David

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

This gives a country by country guide. They are even valid when out of date, as my son and his wife have recently found out......

We had to go to  a&e with my 10 year old this summer because he had some small stones stuck in his ear (don't ask!).

On presentation of his EHIC card and passport  they gave me a form to complete and sign which stated that the EHIC covered the first 80% (paid by the Fench Social Security System) and we were liable for the remaining 20%. However, if you have holiday insurance you fill in the insurance details and they are billed directly  for the 20%. We didn't have any insurance!

The nurse saw us and sent us back to the waiting room until the doctor was free to see us. My son started to shake his head around and managed to dislodge the stones (we had already tried this,  and several other things at the campsite).  He shook them out onto his hand and we took them to show the nurse. The doctor had a quick look in my son's ear and gave us some ear wash. He then said we could go home and thankfully they didn't charge us!

Next year we'll get insurance!

I think everyone should have back up travel insurance.  We had a friend, fit and well, who had a massive heart attack whilst walking in the Pyrenees.  He had to be helicoptered off the mountain, taken to a local hospital, transferred by helicopter to a specialist hospital, was in ICU for a week, a local hospital for a month, and had to be air ambulanced, with a medic, back to the UK.

Some (but very little) of this would have been covered by his EHIC.  All of it was covered by his £12.99 travel insurance policy.

Don't risk it without insurance.  Even the cheapest deal can save you thousands of pounds!

We used ours in Holland when my daughter had a hand injury and had to go to A&E and have xrays. My husband was in a bit of a flap at the time (he's shut her hand in the car door!) and we didn't take her EHIC card to the hospital, but gave our UK address to the nurse and receptionist. A few months later we got a bill, we phoned the hospital and they asked me to post them a photocopy of her EHIC card, which we did and that was that. We didn't have to actually pay anything.

We do have travel insurance as well.