Cross border shopping for medicines in Belgium and The Netherlands

Cross-border care presents a unique set of challenges for those tasked with combating health care fraud. This article discusses the issue surrounding patients who travel from Belgium to the Netherlands to purchase pharmaceuticals at cheaper prices using the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC is intended to permit patients to purchase health care outside of their home country so that they may continue their stay abroad, but does not allow patients to travel abroad solely with the intention of obtaining care. Because Belgian patients who travel to the Netherlands to purchase medicines are more costly to the Belgian health care system, it is necessary to ensure that all cross-border medicine purchases are legitimate.