Ten years after adopting the law, the European Commission launched a public consultation to evaluate patients’ rights under the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive 2011/24. The Directive grants EU nationals the right to seek planned healthcare in another EU country and to claim reimbursement for treatment from their national health system or health insurance provider.
This evaluation will assess how the EU rules are working, in particular as regards:
- giving patients access to safe and high-quality healthcare in another EU country
- encouraging cooperation between national healthcare providers, also on rare diseases and European Reference Networks.
The evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the Directive’s main goal: to facilitate EU citizens’ access to safe and high-quality cross-border healthcare in another EU country. It will also assess the extent to which the Directive has promoted patients’ rights and cross-border cooperation between the Member States to benefit EU citizens, particularly for patients with rare and complex diseases. Yet, it will also determine the effectiveness of the approaches carried out by different EU countries, and the barriers patients face when seeking planned healthcare across borders. Professionals and patients’ organisations are invited to contribute by 11 February 2021 at ac.europa.eu.
