Jean Lambert, the Green Party spokesperson on social affairs and Green MEP for London, has welcomed the European Parliament's adoption of a final legislative compromise with the European Council on new EU rules governing access and rights to cross-border healthcare.
Speaking after yesterday's vote, Jean, who sits on the Employment and Social Affairs committee, said:
"Today's vote strikes the right balance between clarifying patients' rights to cross-border healthcare when they choose care abroad and safeguarding the provision of quality health services at national level."
She continued:
"Patients will have the right to be reimbursed for certain hospital treatment received in other member states, but national authorities can introduce a system of prior authorisation, which would make clear what patients can expect to have paid and what they can't. This would ensure healthcare managers are given advance warning of any exceptional costs, while protecting against the impact of market forces."
Jean Lambert concluded:
"Importantly, this directive clarifies what to do if things go wrong; what happens if you find you need follow-up care and will ensure countries provide information about their systems so you can make an informed choice. It provides some welcome clarity in what was a confusing field.
But we are clear in the European Parliament that what really matters most is for every country to have its own high-quality healthcare system"