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  "path": "/2026/06/05/british-tourists-falling-ill-abroad-cost-uk-181-000-000-last-year-28619050/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-05T07:30:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Lifestyle",
    "Travel",
    "European Union",
    "Health News",
    "Insurance",
    "Poland",
    "Spain",
    "Travel News",
    "government",
    "Europe",
    "most popular holiday destination",
    "health",
    "PayingTooMuch",
    "summer",
    "Department of Health",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "The government spent £181 million on GHIC cards in 2025 (Picture: Metro/Getty Images)\n\nMedical bills for British tourists cost the government more than £181 million in 2025, Metro can exclusively reveal.\n\nThe Treasury paid for 102,000 healthcare claims from EHIC and GHIC cards across Europe, according to a request filed under the Freedom of Information Act.\n\nThe data revealed that holidaymakers falling ill in Spain – the UK’s most popular holiday destination – cost more than £24 million alone.\n\nThere were some staggering individual claims, with one bill reaching more than £340,000.\n\nIt’s important to note that here at home, the Department for Health and Social Care also collected over £2.7 billion from EU countries and citizens for healthcare costs in the 2024/2025 financial year.\n\n## What is a GHIC?\n\nThe UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) – and its predecessor the EHIC – are free cards that give UK residents access to necessary state healthcare while travelling in the EU and some other countries.\n\nThe safety net means Brits pay the same price for medical care as a citizen of the country they are travelling to.\n\nWhere a citizen gets free treatment, so does any Brit who receives the same care.\n\nThe foreign health system can then reclaim eligible costs from the UK, which can take 36 months to settle.\n\nThe UK government paid out £181.7 million from 102,000 claims spanning holiday mishaps across the continent, the FOI request made by specialist travel insurance comparison site, PayingTooMuch, shows.\n\nSpain, which welcomes around 19 million British tourists each year, was the European country requesting the most money back for treating these travellers.\n\nThe second most common country for Brits to need medical help was Poland, who reclaimed more than £5 million from 22,000 claims.\n\n##  Top 10 countries where Brits needed medical care with GHIC and EHIC cards\n\nThe UK paid Spain back £24,000,000 for treating Brits (Picture: Getty Images)\n\n  1. Spain – 41,454 claims costing £24,107,283\n  2. France – 4,085 claims costing £9,386,389\n  3. Poland – 22,249 claims costing £5,352,595\n  4. Germany – 6,559 claims costing £5,228,203\n  5. The Netherlands – 2,705 claims costing £3,494,891\n  6. Austria – 4,042 claims costing £3,431,251\n  7. Belgium – 4,404 claims costing £2,852,974\n  8. Italy – 2,351 claims costing £2,128,874\n  9. Croatia – 2,605 claims costing £774,950\n  10. Czechia – 2,134 claims costing £591,504\n\n\n\nClaims differ depending on what treatment was carried out, with some British holidaymakers racking up huge bills.\n\nAs well as the top claim for £340,686, there was a claim of more than £226,000 and at least eight other claims over £100,000.\n\nThese prices do not reflect the exchange rate paid by Health officials and any claims that the UK disputes.\n\nRegistered GP Dr John Akinjolire warns that a GHIC card cannot be relied upon to provide medical cover while travelling.\n\nHe told **Metro** : ‘A GHIC can help you access state healthcare, but it won’t cover everything or make treatment completely free.\n\n‘In some cases, using a GHIC alongside travel insurance may even result in your insurer waiving the excess on your policy when you claim, helping to reduce costs. However, it shouldn’t be relied on as standalone protection.’\n\nOne Brit received £340,686 worth of treatment through an EHIC (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nHannah Mayfield, travel money expert at PayingTooMuch, agrees that while a GHIC is important, ‘it should never be used as a substitute for travel insurance’.\n\nShe said: ‘The two work together.\n\n‘Our findings are a reminder that a medical issue overseas can quickly become stressful and expensive, especially if you miss your planned return to the UK or need repatriating which can run into tens of thousands of pounds depending where are you are in the world.\n\n‘In cases where travellers are forced to stay in a country for longer due to a medical emergency costs can escalate significantly that’s where travel insurance plays its part.’\n\nHannah advises all travellers to take out comprehensive travel insurance to protect against the widest range of unexpected situations.\n\nShe added: ‘It’s also valuable in protecting against situations where you’re forced to cancel your holiday due to illness or injury, as well as flight delays, baggage loss, and stolen items including your passport.’\n\n## Millions of GHIC and EHIC cards are expiring\n\nHolidaymakers planning trips this summer should check that their GHIC card is still in date.\n\nThe latest data shows that 1.29 million cards are expected to expire this year, with a further 157,866 EHICs set to lapse.\n\nBritish tourists can use a GHIC card to get the same treatment costs as a country’s own citizens (Picture Getty Images)\n\nAlmost two-thirds of these expiry dates are due to fall over the summer months. All will have expired by 29 June 2026.\n\nThe processing time for a new card is five working days, data from 2025 shows.\n\nA new card should be received in the post within 15 working days after it is approved.\n\nHealth cards are ‘particularly important for older people and those with long-term conditions’ who may struggle to get coverage otherwise,’ a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said.\n\nThey added: ‘In addition to paying for the healthcare of UK residents visiting European countries, the UK recovers healthcare costs for migrants using the NHS.\n\n‘In 2024/25, the NHS collected over £2.7 billion from the EU, visa fees, and the direct charging of overseas visitors by NHS trusts.’\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "British tourists falling ill abroad cost UK £181,000,000 last year"
}