Government moves to enable insurance covered cross-border health care
The Czech government has moved to address a pressing problem in health care for people living in the border regions who often have to travel long distances to see a specialist or dentist. A proposed amendment to the law should open the way for cross-border health care to be covered by Czech insurance companies.
People living in the border regions with Germany and Austria have been pushing for accessible cross-border health care for years. Often clinics and hospitals across the border are much closer than those in their own region. For instance, the residents of Dolní Poustevna close to the border with Saxony often travel tens of kilometers to see a child specialist or dentist, when there are specialists just two kilometers away across the border in Sebnitz. The problem is that under the present conditions getting health care there can be very expensive. Cross-border care can be covered by insurers, but patients have to file a request in advance and there is no guarantee that it will be granted.
Jana Mikova told Czech Radio she doesn’t understand why standard health care abroad is not covered by health insurance.
“Frankly what can be the problem? We are a member of the European Union, so why not take advantage of cross-border health care. Especially here in the border regions, where there is a dearth of medical facilities.”
One isolated cross-border health care agreement already operates between the Czech Republic and Austria. Just across the border, there is a health center in Gmünd that Czech patients can use. The inhabitants of České Velenice have welcomed the possibility since Gmund is just 2 kilometers away while the nearest hospital on home ground is in České Budějovice, some 60 kilometers away.
The border town of Aš has been pushing for a similar arrangement with health care providers in the German city of Selbo for several years now.
Now the Czech government has approved a proposed amendment to the law that would resolve the matter for every citizen with health insurance. The amendment would allow health insurance companies to cover care for their patients abroad if it is closer or easier for them to receive care there. The same conditions would apply abroad as if the care or treatment was provided in the Czech Republic.
Given the number of Czech doctors and nurses working in hospitals in the border regions the language barrier should not be a problem either.
The amendment to the law still has to pass through the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, which will take some time. Nevertheless, people in the border regions are eagerly anticipating the change. If all goes smoothly, the amendment could come into force in January 2026.
