Information about the stay in a health resort within the EU

It doesn't make a difference whether you decide to have a stay in a health resort in your country or in a foreign EU country: Whether you like the healthy mountain air of Austria, whether you like to combine your stay in a health resort with a visit of Prague, or whether you would like to recharge your batteries in Germany. A course of treatment always has to be approved in advance by the health insurance company. But before this can be done, you have to go to the doctor who has to prescribe such a course of treatment. Together with your doctor you fill out an application form with the respective reasons which then is sent to the health insurance company which has to decide about the approval. In the application form the patient can give his wishes with respect to the place in Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, or Spain where he wants to go to. He is entitled to choose his health resort freely within the European Union.

Prerequisites for the approval of a course of treatment

From a medical point of view the health resort and the treatments must of course be chosen reasonably. Your doctor should be able to help you with your choice. Of course it must also be guaranteed that the quality of the treatments is comparable to those in your home country. Furthermore one should take care that the communication (in English) with the medical personnel is possible at the health resort of your choice.

Get the necessary information in advance

A good doctor should be able to help you to find the suitable health resort. The patient can also find the information he needs at his health insurance company, at www.wellness-planet.com, and at the European Spas Association ESPA.

Please calculate the costs in advance

Normally there are no problems when your own health insurance company already has a fix contract with the respective partners abroad. In this case the respective health resort-partner directly settles the accounts with your health insurance company just as if the course of treatment would take place in your home country. Thus the patient doesn't have to care about financial matters and he also doesn't have to pay in advance.

Just contact your health insurance

Some health insurance companies already have signed contracts with health resorts within the EU. Other health insurance companies still plan to do so. Maybe you are lucky and your health insurance company is among those. Just ask your health insurance.

Period for objection in case of disapproval

Even if your health insurance company does not have yet any health resorts within the EU as a partner and if it also doesn't negotiate very cooperatively with you, courses of treatment within the EU may still be possible. You have a period of four weeks to file an objection against the disapproval of courses of treatments in Austria, Switzerland, or the Czech republic. Often it may lead to a positive decision if you annonce that you will file a lawsuit at a court or/and that you will look for a membership in a different health insurance company.

Additional costs must always be paid by the patient

Just like in the case of dental treatments in EU countries the patient has to pay the course of treatment himself in advance if his health insurance company doen't have a partner abroad. Of course these costs afterwards will be reimbursed by his health insurance. But this holds true only up to the amount that a comparable treatment would have cost in your home country! Any additional costs must always be paid by the patient.

It is possible that an administrative charge is asserted

Therefore please ask your health insurance company beforehand whether an administrative charge is asserted and if so to which amount. This administrative charge amounts to six to ten percent of the complete price with a maximum of 50 Euro, depending on the respective health insurance company. In low-price countries like the Czech republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia the patient has still a financial benefit despite an administrative charge. In Italy, France, the Netherlands, or Austria the charge might make the course of treatment more expensive than in the home country, though.