EU drags its heels on cross-border health plans

The European commission is still no closer to releasing controversial proposals on cross-border healthcare, shelved last December.

A commission spokesperson said Thursday that the plans were “under further analysis” and “will be scheduled at a further moment in time this year”.

The draft directive was scrapped at the last minute in December, apparently due to time constraints over discussions on the proposal for CO2 emissions.

According to the commission spokesperson, “it was felt that the timing was not the right timing”.

The commission had promised a draft directive by the end of January, but said proposals on climate change and renewable energy dominated that month’s agenda. The official position now is that the commission has “yet to set a firm date”.

UK Socialist MEP Linda McAvan told the Parliament Magazine: “The commission clearly realised that there was not enough support for their original draft. They need to address the legitimate concerns of MEPs who want recognition that healthcare is not just another service. It is part and parcel of Europe’s social model.”

The draft proposals are expected to make into law the conditions under which a patient can travel for treatment, and how it will be refunded by their own health providers.

McAvan thinks that member states need to retain control over their own health systems to ensure equality of access to care.

“Any proposal must ensure that governments retain the possibility of planning healthcare in their own countries, directing resources to those most in need and ensuring that the principle of universal access to high-quality healthcare regardless of ability to pay is respected.”

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