The TSA welcomes confirmation that that people who travel from the UK to the European Union will continue to be eligible to receive medically necessary treatment if they fall ill while abroad. This will continue through the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which replaces the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

For the TSC community, access to state-level medical care during visits to Europe can be vital, with many people being unable to identify travel insurance that they are eligible for as a result of the complexity of TSC.

GHIC covers all emergency care and pre-planned treatments, such as dialysis and chemotherapy. People who require pre-planned treatment during their trip to an EU country can arrange to have it paid for in advance, and should not have to pay upfront for treatment themselves.

Current EHIC holders will still have access to necessary healthcare in EU countries until their card’s expiry date, at which point they will be able to apply for a GHIC. Once your EHIC card expires, you can apply for a new GHIC card through the NHS website. If don’t currently have an EHIC (or have never had one), you can apply for a GHIC now.

Please note that only the EU27 countries are covered by this arrangement in its current form – not Schengen Area countries (Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Lichtenstein) or other countries outside of Europe.

It is not yet clear what additional countries will be covered by GHIC in future, but they are likely to include countries such as Australia and New Zealand, with whom the UK already has reciprocal healthcare arrangements.