Does "free choice of doctors" apply to European countries outside Germany?

According to the ruling of the European Court of Justice in May 13, 2003 (case C-385/99), about medical treatment in an EU-country different from one's own, the Court decided that patients have the right to ambulant treatment in all the other EU-countries. For that, patients do not need to obtain a written approval from their local health insurer, which they do when a stationary treatment is necessary - case of emergency exempted. It should however be noted that medical treatments are reimbursed only up to the highest rate one would have been paid in the home country.

As of May 1, 2004, this regulation applies for newly joined countries.

Talk to your local health insurer about these issues well in advance.

Please take into account, that in Germany dental prostheses are subject to authorization. Before your treatment can start, you needs to submitted the estimate of cost to your health insurer and have it authorized by them.

In which countries can I receive medical treatment?

The above-mentioned opportunity of the claiming of benefits exists exclusively in countries of the European Union and within the European Economic Area.

These countries include:
Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, United Kingdom, Cyprus. Please note that vacation destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia, Switzerland, and Croatia are not member states of EU or EEA and are therefore not subject to the new regulations.

Patient's Rights

As a patient, you can freely choose which doctor to consult and for how long you wish to be under his or her medical treatment. If the relationship of trust has been damaged, you are provided with enough reason to change your doctor within a quarter of a year or even while in treatment. In this case, you should talk to your health insurer to make sure that the costs are met. How many medical practitioners you consult, your insurer does not check. On the other hand, your doctor is also free to decide whether he or she will carry out the treatment, except in cases of emergency or when on call. In addition, a panel doctor can deny treatment in case of congestion of the practice or damage of the relationship of trust.

Right to Detailed Information about the Planned Medical Treatment (Course, Date, Risks and Adverse Effects, Options)

Patients have the right to get comprehensive information about the several methods of treatment and, in cases of uncertainty and disbelief, to question them. On the part of the doctor, there is the duty to disclose anything connected to the treatment planned. Anytime, the patient may seek a second or third opinion from other medical practitioners. Given equal benefits, the doctor is required to choose the least risky alternative; but given equal distribution of risks, economic efficiency requires panel doctors to select the most economical.

Law demands that the doctor in charge is required to acquaint the patient with the risks of the drugs administered (risks of allergies, long-tail claims, interactions, impairment of traffic safety). Additionally, your doctor is legally obligated to provide sufficient information on the dose and how and when the medicine should be taken or used.