Real redress, in order

1. Your card, from your health insurer

   Before leaving

   The card is requested free of charge from your health insurer. The European Commission publishes the official page of the card, with the way to apply country by country.

   European Health Insurance Card (European Commission)

2. The institution of the country of stay, during the stay

   During the stay

   If you paid for covered treatment, you may claim reimbursement from the institution of the place of stay and be reimbursed directly there, within the limits and conditions of the rates laid down in its legislation. The official EU portal describes the procedure and the documents.

   Unplanned healthcare: payments and reimbursements (Your Europe, European Union)

3. Your health insurer, once you are home

   Once home

   Once home, the claim is filed with your health insurer, receipts attached, and reimbursement follows the rates of the place of stay. If a public body in another EU country blocks the application of your rights, the European Commission's SOLVIT network handles that kind of cross-border problem.

   SOLVIT, problems with a public administration in another country (European Commission)

The exact amount reimbursed and the share left to you depend on the rates of the country where the treatment was given: this site details no national scale, it presents the European baseline common to the twenty-seven.