A proposed legislative blueprint for a patient's right to cross-border healthcare has been shelved by the European Commission.
The legislation is supposed to set clear rules on who is responsible for covering the costs and securing the quality of medical treatment in other member states, the EU Observer said Thursday.
While the official reason for withdrawal was the the commission's heavy agenda, several commission officers told the Observer the bill was shelved because of concerns by some about high costs and the negative impact on national health systems. The newspaper said other commissioners wanted to avoid the highly sensitive issue during ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
