The freedom to receive health services throughout the European Union
must be accompanied by guarantees of quality and security. In order to
make an informed choice, patients must be able to access all the
information they require on the conditions under which they will receive
healthcare in another EU Member State and the conditions under which
they will be reimbursed once they return home.
Under this Directive, patients from Member States of the European Union
will be able to travel to a different country other than their own to
receive healthcare treatment, paying for the services they receive and
subsequently applying for reimbursement from their own country, under
certain conditions and, in the case of certain treatments, following
prior authorisation. The spirit of this Directive is a response to the
free circulation of people, goods and services within the EU.
Over the coming weeks, Spain will complete the transposition of this
Directive into Spanish legislation by publishing a Royal Decree
establishing rules to guarantee cross-border healthcare. This Royal
Decree is already in the final stages of being processed and, following
the ruling from the State Council, it will be approved at the Council of
Ministers.
