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The Patient in Free Movement Law: Medical History, Diagnosis, and Prognosis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 July 2019
Abstract
Free movement of patients has been criticised from the moment that the first patient cases reached the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’). The moving patient supposedly increases consumerism, reduces national solidarity, and has a negative impact on the quality of healthcare provided in some Member States. This article challenges the empirical foundations of such criticisms. An empirical analysis of all patient cases before the CJEU shows that a significant number of patients required urgent treatment, that their medical condition was life-threatening, and that they were supported by their treating doctor in seeking treatment in another Member State. Moreover, free movement of patient cases regularly lead to positive changes to national healthcare systems. Therefore, the negative attitude towards free movement of patients should be reconsidered. Patients, doctors, and lawyers must think more strategically about how free movement can be used to improve the quality of healthcare in the EU.
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- Copyright © Centre for European Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge
Footnotes
*
Assistant Professor in EU Law, Durham University (UK). I am grateful to Emma Cave, Shaun Pattinson, and Robert Schütze for the comments and discussions.
References
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31 Graziana Luisi and Giuseppe Carbone v Ministero del Tesoro, C-286/82, EU:C:1984:35.
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35 Judgment of Centrale Raad van Beroep of 20 July 2004, NL:CRVB:2004:AQ5957.
36 Ibid.
37 Ibid.
38 Peerbooms, note 29 above, para 33.
39 Judgment of the Centrale Raad van Beroep of 20 July 2004, NL:CRVB:2004:AQ6215.
40 Ibid.
41 Ibid.
42 Opinion of Advocate General (‘AG’) Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer in Müller-Fauré, note 29 above, para 2.
43 Ibid.
44 Ibid, para 5.
45 Opinion of AG Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer in Inizan, note 29 above, para 2.
46 Ibid, para 4.
47 Ibid, para 6.
48 Opinion of AG Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer in Leichtle, note 29 above, para 2.
49 Ibid.
50 Ibid, para 4.
51 Secretary of State for Health v R (on the application of Yvonne Watts) [2004] EWCA Civ 166, paras 11–12.
52 Ibid, para 16.
53 Ibid, para 13.
54 Judgment of the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Cantabria of 5 October 2006, ES:TSJCANT:2006:212.
55 Acereda Herrera, note 29 above, paras 18–20.
56 E-mail correspondence with lawyer from the Legal Service of the European Commission (1 March 2018).
57 Stamatelaki, note 29 above, para 9.
58 Ibid, para 11.
59 Opinion of AG Cruz Villalon in Elchinov, note 15 above, para 10.
60 Elchinov, note 15 above, para 17,
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62 Luca, note 29 above, para 13.
63 Opinion of AG Cruz Villalon in Petru, note 16 above, para 5.
64 Ibid, para 6.
65 Ibid, para 7.
66 In two of the non-urgent cases, the condition of the patient was life-threatening.
67 Opinion of AG Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer in Müller-Fauré, note 29 above, para 2.
68 Opinion of AG Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer in Leichtle, note 29 above, para 2.
69 Judgment of the District Court of Roermond of 6 December 2001, NL:RBROE:2001:AD9781.
70 Elchinov, note 15 above, paras 16–17.
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83 E-mail correspondence with the Bulgarian lawyer of Mr Elchinov (10 April 2017).
84 Ibid.
85 Montgomery, note 80 above. See also Greer and Rauscher, note 81 above, pp 230–31, who argued that the impact of Watts has remained limited.
86 Petru, note 16 above, para 33.
87 Ibid, para 35.
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92 Ibid, paras 94–98.
93 Judgment of the District Court of Roermond of 6 December 2001, NL:RBROE:2001:AD9781.
94 Judgment of the Centrale Raad van Beroep of 20 July 2004, NL:CRVB:2004:AQ6215.
95 Ibid.
96 Ibid.
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98 Article 8(2)(c) of the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive.