A step towards the electronic EHIC

Member of the European Parliament, Evelyne Gebhardt (SPD – Social Democratic Party of Germany) visited the premises of the AOK Baden-Württemberg receiving first hand information from Christopher Hermann, Vice-Chairman of the Governing Board, and Rainer Baudermann, Project Manager for the implementation of the EU NETC@RDS Project.

Ms. Gebhardt has been committed to the welfare of Europe and its citizens for years: she has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1994 representing the German Federal State (Bundesland) of Baden-Württemberg at the European Parliament since 2004. Just half of Baden-Württemberg population (amounting to around 10.7 millions of inhabitants) is covered by AOK Baden-Württemberg health and care insurance.

The core issue for this exchange of thoughts, which is set to continue, is the mobility of EU citizens, particularly in the area of health care. For instance, AOK Baden-Württemberg annually records approximately 50,000 care cases for citizens from other EU countries. This means that these citizens are visiting Baden-Württemberg or are looking for employment, and that the AOK covers the costs in advance in the event of illness. Approximately €28 million are advanced in this way annually. The settlement procedures are uniformly laid down by EU regulations and its administration is still very much paper-based.

From right to left: Dr. Christopher Hermann, Vice-Chairman of the Governing Board of AOK Baden-Württemberg, Evelyne Gebhardt (SPD – Social Democratic Party of Germany), Member of the European Parliament, Rainer Baudermann, Head of the Administrative Department for Key Issues in AOK Services and engaged in the implementation of the EU NETC@RDS Project. (click on the picture to see a larger version)