Access to Health Services and Medical Cost Coverage

The medical costs of employees working for the EU Institutions and related bodies, (successively referred to as ‘employees’) are reimbursed within various schemes and through various methods. The employees recruited under the Staff Regulations are covered by the Joint Sickness and Insurance Scheme (JSIS) while other EU Bodies have their own way of guaranteeing the reimbursement of medical costs through private and/or public schemes. Reimbursements at primary or secondary coverage levels vary too depending on the employer.

In addition, ‘employees’ under the JSIS do not benefit in practice from the reimbursement levels as foreseen by the related implementing rules, the adequate reimbursement is significantly lower as a consequence of the improper update of the ceilings and/or recognition of new medical benefits.

Furthermore, nationality, residence at the time of recruitment, as well as the work residence of the ‘employees’ create another level of complexity and bias to both access and cost of the national system service (e.g. Italy).

Due to the fact that JSIS is not considered equivalent to a legal national scheme, it does not issue the ‘European Health Insurance Card’.

Consequently, the ‘employees’ face difficulties and unequal treatment in both access to health services and medical cost coverage.

Having regard to the above, the 16^th USF Congress urges:

• That the ‘employees’ benefit from the same health services and same health cost level as any other residents/nationals that reside in the same Country/Region.
• That the ‘employees’ shall benefit from freedom of choice of medical
• That the ceilings for medical reimbursements shall be reviewed and adapted according to real medical costs and inflation so that the defined reimbursement levels can be effectively respected as foreseen.