Changes in European Cross-Border Cancer Research and Treatment

Abstract

1% ( € 10 billion) of overall public health spending ( € 1,000 billion) in the 27 EU states. That may change with the Cross-Border Health Care Directive, which passed in January 2011 and goes into effect in 2013. As with the E112 form, the patient’s home country health service will require prior authorization for treatment, but only if a hospital stay is involved or the treatment is very expensive. According to the parliament report on the directive, “the aim is absolutely not to encourage cross-border health care as such but to ensure its availability, safety, and quality.” Under the directive, a patient’s request can be refused only if the treatment could quickly be obtained in the patient’s home country or for doubts about the qualifi cations of the physician in the other member state. Each member state must establish at least one national patient contact point for information on health providers, reimbursement procedures, and when prior authorization is necessary. Patients may choose between public or private facilities. However, the directive’s stipulation that patients bear any costs incurred beyond the level reimbursed by their home country might deter some patients. Long-term care and organ transplants are exempt. And the directive doesn’t cover travel and accommodation costs. The European Commission estimates that under the new rules, overall EU 27-state public health spending will go up by just € 30 million a year.