Holidays abroad: in case of illness, what care?

You're going to Europe

In the European Economic Area (EEA) and in Switzerland, you can use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which will allow you to pay for medical care. The EHIC certifies your rights to French health insurance. Service-public.fr specifies the useful information on the EHIC :

• request a card from your health insurance organization;
• cost (free);
• period of validity of the card (up to 2 years) and renewal arrangements;
• rights opened by the card;
• card usage;
• in case of forgetfulness (the insured must pay the full costs).

You're going to another country

In a country outside the EEA and Switzerland, care is not always provided. You must therefore inquire beforehand about the medical expenses to be borne in case of illness. Some care, especially in the case of hospitalization, can be very expensive depending on the country. To be well covered, you can take out an insurance or assistance contract. Service-public.fr states that:

• Travelers receiving medical care abroad must generally pay for their medical expenses on the spot);
• the french embassy or consulate of the country visited may put the sick traveler in touch with a doctor approved by its services.