Access to cross-border health care in the EU
The
TV report "Access to cross-border health care in the EU" shows how the issue of
patient mobility is crucial in specific cases such as the urgent need for a treatment
of rare diseases. A French patient is forced to receive treatment for Gorham disease
in Spain, where there is a specialist of this rare disease and he can have a treatment
in a shorter timeframe than in his home country. It also shows recent European Court
judgements on the cross-border movement of patients:
- The case of a British national who had to wait for one year to have an operation
in the UK to heal the arthritis she suffered in both legs. Despite the refusal of
the British health authorities, she travelled to France where her operation could
be provided sooner. As the reimbursement of her medical expenses was refused, she
took her case to the Court of Justice of the European Communities, which decided
in favour of free circulation, reflecting the principle of patient mobility.
- The second case features a Luxembourg national, who needed a new pair of eyeglasses.
With his practitioner’s prescription from Luxembourg, he went to Arlon in Belgium
to purchase the glasses. After refusal of the reimbursement and long legal proceedings,
the European Court of Justice decided in his favour and his medical insurance company
had to reimburse him.
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Improving organ and transplantation in Europe
The TV report "Improving organ donation and transplantation in Europe" shows how Spain, which had one of Europe's lowest organ donor rates, over 15 years has moved to the head of the list with 35 donors per million inhabitants. It then shows why 6 countries have decided to come together under the Eurotransplant foundation in order to share their national resources.
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Europe wants well-informed consumers
With so many new products and brands and increasingly sophisticated financial services, European consumers are having a hard time getting their bearings. They are not comfortable with the idea of buying something in another country of the European Union: only one out of five people have done so over the past twelve months. And yet, the EU single market offers many possibilities for competition and for buying at a lower price.
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