More Belgians receiving medical treatment abroad

Despite more being given treatment abroad, most Belgians aren’t well-informed when it comes to how to claim back the cost incurred for treatment in foreign hospitals.

In 2014, 3,445 Belgians crossed the borders to visit a doctor or to buy medicines. The vast majority of these did so to seek ambulant treatment that doesn’t require special permission from their heath mutual fund.

About 80 percent went to Germany, mainly as a result of the IZOM project that allows those living in Limburg and Liège provinces the opportunity to go to German or Dutch specialists if they fill in a special form. Many people from the German-speaking region in the east of Liège Province take advantage of this in order to get treatment in their own language.

While Germany accounts for 80 percent of those seeking treatment abroad, France accounts for 11 percent and the Netherlands and Luxemburg five percent each.

According to the most recent figures from the European Commission’s Eurobarometer, 67 percent of Belgians believe that they are entitled to the repayment of medical cost incurred in another EU member state. However, the reality is much less clear cut.

The Independent Health Mutual Fund’s international cases expert Christian Horemans told the press agency Belga, “Our study reveals that those that seek medical treatment abroad without the permission of their health mutual fund are repaid on average just a third of the medical costs they incur.”

Mr Horemans advises those considering seeking treatment abroad to first contact their health mutual fund as “forewarned is forearmed”. 

Flandersnews.be / Expatica