Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-25-Speech-4-010"
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"en.20080925.4.4-010"2
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"Mr President, I have already had the opportunity to discuss this proposal at length with various stakeholders and players in the decision-making process. You may recall that I presented the proposal to the Committee on the Environment and Public Health upon its adoption by the college and had a fruitful exchange of views. And I have also had the chance to exchange views with various national parliaments and, of course, the Member States in the context of the recent informal Health Council in Angers. It now gives me great pleasure to have this discussion, and I am looking forward to it with you, the honourable Members, in plenary. I take this opportunity to thank Mrs Bachelot-Narquin for the support and the chance she gave me to discuss this issue at length with the ministers.
Second, the directive clarifies the entitlements of patients and related conditions to receive health care in another Member State. For instance, for people in border regions, it may be easier to seek health care abroad rather than travelling long distances to the nearest relevant domestic health facility.
The added value of cross-border health care is also evident for people seeking highly specialised treatment, which only a very limited number of practitioners in Europe can provide. This might be the case, for example, for rare diseases.
The reality, however, is that most patients are simply unaware that they have the right to seek health care in another EU country, and that they are entitled to reimbursement for such treatment. And, even if they are aware of this right, the rules and procedures are often far from clear. This is what we aim to clarify with this new directive: patients will all get the same clear information and guarantees on cross-border health care.
In practice, as long as the treatment is covered under their national health-care system, patients will be allowed to receive that treatment abroad and be reimbursed up to the cost of the same or similar treatment at home.
We are also clarifying that, under specified circumstances, Member States are entitled to introduce limits on the reimbursement or payment of hospital health care obtained abroad through prior authorisation, if there is a clear risk – even potential – of undermining the national health system.
In addition to this, the Directive clarifies the definitions of hospital and non-hospital care and in that way simplifies the procedures and conditions to access cross-border health care.
In such a context, I would like to stress that we have maintained the possibility to expand the concept of ‘hospital care’ to some health care which does not necessarily require hospitalisation, but which is by nature costly or needs a heavy infrastructure to be properly delivered.
Third, the directive establishes a new framework for European cooperation in areas that we have identified as key areas for the future and where we must act together at EU level to better meet the challenges ahead of us. This is done in line with the principles I mentioned earlier through streamlined and improved cooperation, through common technical guidance and through a systematic search for best practices.
This framework will provide for developing enhanced future collaboration at European level in areas such as European reference networks, with a view to pooling together expertise, knowledge and medical skills, both for applied medical research and for diagnosis and treatment. In particular, this will be very important in the field of rare diseases, the provision of new therapies, as well as the rapid spread of new health technologies.
The second area is health-technology assessment, whereby the most efficient therapies will be identified at EU level by the best experts from the Member States, and spread in order to promote their use. Indeed, as regards new therapies and their high costs, the resources available being limited, we must ensure that they will be chosen and used in the most efficient possible way.
I would like to put the proposal on patients’ rights into context. Following the numerous discussions of the European Court of Justice on the question of the inherent right of European citizens under the Treaty to seek health care in the Member State of their choice and following the specific request by the European Council and the European Parliament alike to present a proposal to regulate the right after the health-care-related provisions had been taken out – and quite rightly so – of the Services Directive proposal, the Commission adopted the proposal on patients’ rights in cross-border health care on 2 July.
The third area is e-Health, where it is time to promote technical requirements to ensure interoperability at all levels and help to establish – at least – e-Health as an integral part of health-care services of tomorrow.
Fourthly, there is a need for a wider approach at EU level on the collection of health data related to cross-border health care in order to better monitor the effects of the proposed measures and enhance our epidemiological surveillance.
Finally, there is the facilitation of the recognition of medical prescriptions in all Member States. However, we must note that prescriptions issued in another Member State will be reimbursed by the patient’s country of origin, only if the medicine is approved and eligible for reimbursement in his country of origin.
Let us also be clear that this initiative is not about harmonising health-care systems. It is not about changing roles in the management of health care. Member States are responsible for deciding how to organise their respective systems, what benefits they provide to their citizens and what treatments and medicines they will pay for. This will remain the case.
For now and for the future, what we want with this draft legislation is to grant patients the opportunities and information to access the safest, best-quality and most suitable treatment wherever that treatment is available in Europe. More cooperation between health systems will also create more solidarity and more health-care availability.
The aim of the proposed legislation is, indeed, to pave the way for better health care across Europe.
The directive is already being discussed, as was said by Mrs Bachelot-Narquin, in the Council, and I hope that the discussions will proceed swiftly in Parliament as well and that ultimately they will bear fruit.
It is without doubt the most important initiative on health of this present Commission. Its aim is to provide patients with better opportunities and access to health care, regardless of their place of residence while fully respecting national responsibilities over health-care organisation.
It has three main objectives: first, to clarify the conditions under which patients will be entitled to seek cross-border health care and be reimbursed and to make it effective, if this is the best solution for their particular situation; second, to ensure high-quality and safe cross-border health care throughout Europe; and, third, to foster European cooperation between health-care systems.
It is based, as I said, on the Court of Justice jurisprudence. It is fully in line with the Treaty, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, with the competences of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care.
The proposal is structured around three main areas.
First, it clarifies and reaffirms the common principles of all EU health systems: universality, equity, access to good-quality health care, and solidarity. It recalls the overarching principle underlined by the Treaty and the Court that the Member State on whose territory the health care is provided is fully responsible for setting the rules and ensuring compliance with these common principles.
To help the Member States translate this principle in more transparent terms, we have proposed to better clarify the objectives in terms of quality and safety standards for health care provided on their territory to patients from other Member States.
We also introduced a provision so as to ensure that patients from other Member States shall enjoy equal treatment with the nationals of the Member State of treatment."@en1
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