EU cross-border health care directive

The new EU cross-border health care directive will the God,s willing come into effect in 2013, but will it lead to greater choice for all patients and their carers ?

Patients should in theory be able to get health care treatment from anywhere within the EU from 2013, at least, this is the core idea behind the cross-border health care directive, which is likely to make it into the European Union's official journal in the next few weeks , after it has to be said , many years of political wrangling.

I suspect that relatively few people will take advantage of the law but it will prove useful in clarifying when patients are entitled to obtain reimbursement for health care obtained abroad, with the aim of ensuring that people no longer need to fight for their rights in court.