SINN Féin Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile is set to raise issues surrounding the rollout of the British government’s Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) scheme with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney due to “a clear disparity” between the British system and the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that it was brought in to replace.
 
The EHIC is a free card that provides access to medically-necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay in either an EU member state or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost as an insured resident of that country. 
 
This has allowed people resident in the North to access free healthcare needed when visiting another EU/EEA country on the same basis as someone living there, with the bill being picked up by the NHS. 

The GHIC which was brought in to replace the EHIC at the end of the Brexit transition period covers residents living in Britain and the North of Ireland while travelling in EU member states but does not provide cover for visits to Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland. 

While the GHIC card is emblazoned with a Union Flag motif, it was previously announced that residents in the North could opt for a plain card from Spring 2021.

When the Andersonstown News attempted to order a card, that option was not available. We contacted the Department for Health and Social Care in London to ask when residents in the North could expect to be able to order a plain card but a response was not forthcoming. 

In April 2019 Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney stated that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Irish Government were willing to cover the cost of the EHIC for all residents in the North.
 
That plan was subsequently scrapped in early January this year and a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Health said at the time: "The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK provides for a continuation of healthcare rights when on a temporary stay in a state covered by the Agreement. 
 
"Therefore the equivalent of EHIC rights will be maintained under the Agreement for persons resident in Northern Ireland," 
 
"In that regard there is no requirement for the Irish Government to implement the direct reimbursement scheme for persons resident in Northern Ireland that was originally envisaged."

Speaking to belfastmedia.com, Senator Ó Donnghaile said: “We were assured that the Global Health Insurance Card would be a direct replication. Nevertheless, that is not to say that people should be completely satisfied because the Global Health Insurance Card is in place, as we are EU citizens and there is clearly a strong argument that we should be able to maintain access to the European Health Insurance Card regardless of what the British government have put in place.
 
“We can already see that people are losing access to health insurance cover because of Brexit which has disenfranchised us and left us with less than we had before.”
 
A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Health added: "Given the comprehensive arrangements put in place by the TCA to cover residents of Northern Ireland for healthcare costs while on a temporary visit in an EU Member State the Irish Government’s planned contingency reimbursement scheme for necessary medical expenses incurred by eligible residents of Northern Ireland during a temporary stay in another EU Member State was not commenced.

"While the TCA does not currently cover healthcare while on a temporary visit in Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Iceland it is understood that the UK Government are looking to agree new arrangements on social security coordination with these States that would further extend reciprocal healthcare cover."