The Watts judgment was very awaited. Its length (25 pages) is linked to the stakes posed for the national systems of health which, such as the British NHS, provide free health care for their recipients : up to what point must such a system refund the cost of health care for one of its recipients who was treated in a European hospital because he wasn't able to be treated in the United Kingdom in good time ? (Réf. 06487)
This case related to a British citizen who suffered of acute arthritis and had been put on a waiting list (12 months) by the NHS. Instead of waiting for her turn, she challenged British authorities’ refusal to give her an E112 form (authorization of care in another Member State) and went to a French hospital to get a hip prosthesis. She then asked the NHS to reimburse her the cost of this treatment and traveling expenses. Facing several prejudicial questions, the Court of Justice adopted...
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