Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 April 2016
273. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health the reason those availing of the cross-border treatment scheme have to pay for their treatment abroad up-front; if he is aware that this is not a requirement; if he will consider facilitating access to this scheme without up-front payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7327/16]
View answerThe EU Directive 2011/24/EU on Patients’ Rights in Cross Border Healthcare aims to ensure EU citizens may access safe and good quality healthcare services across EU borders. Under the Directive, known as the Cross Border Healthcare Directive (CBD), insured patients are entitled to have costs of cross-border healthcare services reimbursed if the healthcare service in question is among the benefits to which they are entitled in their Member State of affiliation. The HSE endeavours to reimburse the cost of treatment incurred or the cost of providing such healthcare in the State, whichever is the lesser, to the applicant within 30 days of receipt of a claim for reimbursement, in line with Prompt Payment legislation.
Each Member State is free to set its own payment policy for cross-border healthcare services, by means of reimbursement to the patient or by direct payment to the healthcare provider. That policy decision is a matter for each Member State under the Directive and, similar to the majority of Member States, Ireland has no plan to introduce a policy of direct payment to each healthcare service provider, both public and private, in all EU/EEA Member States for healthcare services provided by them.
