The public is being reminded that insurance for healthcare is recommended for anyone traveling off the Isle of Man – including to the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU).
The Department of Health and Social Care regularly receives enquiries from the public about obtaining a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is not available to Isle of Man residents.
The EHIC is only available to residents of countries within the European Economic Area (EEA)* and Switzerland and gives them the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another country within the scheme. The Isle of Man is not part of the UK, a member of the EU or of the EEA, so people living on the Island are not – and never have been – eligible to use the scheme.
Minister for Health and Social Care Kate Beecroft MHK said: ‘With the summer holiday period approaching, please take the time to think about health insurance when traveling off-Island.
‘Having adequate cover is recommended, even for trips to the UK, as the Reciprocal Healthcare Agreement between the UK and the Isle of Man only covers emergency treatment. It does not cover any extended care or repatriation to the Isle of Man.’
The Isle of Man only has reciprocal agreements for healthcare with the UK and a very small number of non-EU countries, and only for emergency care, so most medical treatment must be paid for when visiting any other country, either by insurance or by the individual.
Further information and advice on insurance cover for overseas travel is available at www.gov.im/travelinsurance.
*Members of the EEA are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
