ACTIVITIES :: eTen :: Projects :: Projects of the Month :: Netc@rds for eEHIC
June 2005 Project of the Month: Netc@rds for eEHIC
Demonstrators of Smart Cards and Network Solutions for European Health Insurance Card Electronification
Issues being addressed
Already for several decades, healthcare access for EU citizens abroad, be it as workers, students tourists or in another function, has been implemented by European regulations that provided a system of Europe wide health care access. Travelling citizens could receive health care abroad, when they proved their entitlement by providing the proper European form.
The system provided the necessary social security but it required different types of forms and procedures, sometimes different between member states, different according to the type of users and often in practice limiting the access to the system.
The European Union has taken measures to simplify this situation. As of 1 June 2004, all citizens have the same rights when travelling abroad, they may go directly to the doctor or hospital for treatment without prior administrative procedures, and they can demonstrate their entitlement to care through the European Health Insurance (paper)Card (EHIC), which is valid in all EU member states (and some other European countries). The card substitutes the different paper forms applied previously. So far, 15 member states have migrated to this document, others are to follow by the end of 2005. This simplification is the first great step forward
Objectives
The next step is that this European health insurance card (EHIC) will become an electronic or smart card. And this is where the eTEN programme comes in. The electronic EHIC requires technical interoperability between cards and readers from different member states, and also legal and administrative interoperability of the procedures behind the card. A major improvement of the security of the process will be achieved through the network of servers, making it possible to check online the validity of a card presented to a hospital or a practitioner.
Supported by eTEN, now the entire system of interoperability will be demonstrated and validated. The first phase took place in 2002/2003 through the Netc@rds project in which participating member states (France, Germany, Austria and Greece) analysed the legal and administrative requirements and developed an agreement to support the electronic card.
The following phase is currently taking place (from 2003 until 2005) through the Netc@rds for eEHIC project in which pilot installations are set up in the participating ten member states and travelling patients are issued with electronic cards. The first pilots have been successful in Athens and Thessalonica during the Olympic and Paralympics Games. The next pilots are foreseen in tourist areas in 9 different EU Member States, some of which (e.g. Germany, France, Italy and Greece) are already running.
Achievements and future plans
The Netc@rds consortium has planned to start the deployment of cards and readers for all health providers and patients in the participating member states throughout 2006 and 2007. As from 2008 onwards the consortium plans the full deployment of infrastructure and services. The main objective of the subsequent NETC@RDS projects is to collect experience and good practice such that the introduction of the electronic EHIC in 2008 has a sound basis.
On 19 May 2005, a Mid-Term Workshop has been organised in Desenzano del Garda (Italy) for presenting, to a targeted audience, the state of the art and intermediate results of the project. For further details on Mid-Term Workshop outcomes, please refer to the project web-site.
The institution responsible for the implementation of social security for mobile citizens, the Administrative Commission of the European Communities on Social Security for Migrant Workers is regularly informed about the progress of the project. For the European Commission, the Directorates General for Information Society and Media, Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and Health and Consumer Protection review the project’s progress.
Reference Data
http://www.netcards-project.com
Information on the EHIC on the Europa website
Contract type: Market Validation
Start date: 1 May 2004
End date: 31 March 2006