HEALTH : EU-WIDE CARE TAKES GIANT STEP FORWARD.

MEPs' approval, on 19 January, of a directive on cross-border health care is unanimously seen as an important step towards EU-wide medical care. Within three years, European patients who seek treatment in another state will be assured of receiving quality care and will be reimbursed by their national social security system in the same amount normally reimbursed for similar treatment covered in the member state of affiliation.

These new rights for patients form part of the compromise reached before Christmas with the Council and now approved by Parliament. "This text builds EU-wide health care because patients will no longer be left to their own devices when they seek cross-border treatment," welcomed rapporteur Francoise Grossetete (EPP, France). The Council still has to validate the text in January before it is published in the EU's Official Journal.

The directive, proposed by the European Commission in 2008, establishes a threefold objective: to organise reimbursement for cross-border treatment obtained by patients, to offer quality health care and to encourage cooperation between member states. It is based on the principle that a patient seeking care in another member state may be reimbursed by his national system provided the type of treatment and costs are normally covered by the home country. However, in the case of costly treatments that require planning by member states, the patient will have to obtain prior authorisation. This safeguard clause' enables member states to keep control of the situation and to refuse authorisation in four specific cases: 1. if there are risks for the patient (eg if the patient has heart problems and cannot travel); 2. if there are risks for other citizens (epidemic); 3. if the quality of treatment is dubious; and 4. if the treatment can be provided in the...