Thank you for your request for information about the following:

I’m wondering if you would please be able to help me with a few Freedom of Information (FOI) requests around the GHIC/EHIC and general overseas medical costs?

If possible, please find my questions below:

1. Would you be able to provide me with insight (figures) around the number of British citizens that have renewed their EHIC/GHIC by year, from the year 2000 until 2022?

2. Would you be able to provide me with insight (figures) around how many British citizens have renewed their EHIC with a GHIC, since the GHIC replaced the EHIC in January 2021? Could this be broken down by year, if possible?

3. Would it be possible for you to provide me with proportionate data around how many British citizens now have a GHIC in comparison to how many British citizens had an EHIC?

4. Would you be able to provide me with insight (figures) around how many EHIC’s have expired since January 2021 and have not been renewed for a GHIC replacement since January 2021?

Again, if this could be broken down by year, that would be great!

1. Would you be able to provide me with me insight around the total annual cost of overseas medical bills?

2. Would you be able to provide figures of overseas medical bills to the UK from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (so far)

3. Would you be able to provide me with the number of overseas medical bills received to the UK by year? From 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (so far)

Thank you for taking the time to read my email and please do let me know if you need any further information from me.

You subsequently clarified this request as follows:

1) We define overseas medical bills as the cost or expense of UK travellers that receive medical treatment while abroad, that is then re-charged to the NHS, as a result of either the GHIC agreement or reciprocal health agreement. Would you be able to provide me with me insight around the total annual cost of overseas medical bills charged to the NHS per year due to travellers receiving medical treatment while abroad and using their EHIC/GHIC towards the total medical fee? Please would you be able to break these costs down by year, starting from 2018 until now (2022).

2) Separately, where medical bills have been re-charged to the NHS in countries where the EHIC/GHIC has not been applied, e.g. the country the medical bill was invoiced from does not accept these / have the GHIC agreement in place, please can you also provide the total medical bill that the NHS has incurred for this? Please would you be able to break these total costs down by year, starting from 2018 until now?

Your clarified request was received on 25th November 2022, and I am dealing with it under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Response

A copy of the information is attached. Please read the below notes to ensure correct understanding of the data.

Question 1

Q- Would you be able to provide me with insight (figures) around the number of British citizens that have renewed their EHIC/GHIC by year, from the year 2000 until 2022?

A copy of the information is attached.

There are 0 renewals for UK GHICs as they cannot currently be renewed. The number of EHICs under the previous system (existing EHICs) renewed each year is below. We do not hold renewal data between 2000 and 2004.

Question 2

Q- Would you be able to provide me with insight (figures) around how many British citizens have renewed their EHIC with a GHIC, since the GHIC replaced the EHIC in January 2021? Could this be broken down by year, if possible?

Existing EHICs and UK GHICs are monitored on separate systems. We do not monitor this type of “renewal” and cannot provide figures. To provide this information would involve joining datasets together, and in the process creating new information, rather than providing you with recorded information. This information is, therefore, not held by the NHSBSA.

Question 3

Q- Would it be possible for you to provide me with proportionate data around how many British citizens now have a GHIC in comparison to how many British citizens had an EHIC?

A copy of the information is attached, showing the number of valid existing EHICs, UK GHICs and UK EHICs issued under the Citizen Rights Agreement (CRA) valid on November 24th each year. We cannot provide a proportion figure as we don’t hold population data.

Question 4

Q- Would you be able to provide me with insight (figures) around how many EHIC’s have expired since January 2021 and have not been renewed for a GHIC replacement since January 2021? Again, if this could be broken down by year, that would be great!

As in question two, we do not track renewals from existing EHIC to UK GHIC. Approximately 11.77 million existing EHICs have expired in that time period and 7.1 million UK GHICs have been issued. We do not hold data on how many of the 7.1 million previously held an existing EHIC.

Question 5

Q- We define overseas medical bills as the cost or expense of UK travellers that receive medical treatment while abroad, that is then re-charged to the NHS, as a result of either the GHIC agreement or reciprocal health agreement. Would you be able to provide me with me insight around the total annual cost of overseas medical bills charged to the NHS per year due to travellers receiving medical treatment while abroad and using their EHIC/GHIC towards the total medical fee? Please would you be able to break these costs down by year, starting from 2018 until now (2022).

In the table attached, values are shown in the currency of the claim (local currency). The value is the amount claimed as of 15 December 2022. Existing claims may be contested, or additional claims may arrive.

Question 6

Q- Separately, where medical bills have been re-charged to the NHS in countries where the EHIC/GHIC has not been applied, e.g. the country the medical bill was invoiced from does not accept these / have the GHIC agreement in place, please can you also provide the total medical bill that the NHS has incurred for this? Please would you be able to break these total costs down by year, starting from 2018 until now?

For countries where the NHS does not have a reciprocal agreement, we are not charged for these services. Therefore, this information is not held.

Data Queries

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