Rocking the boat – again

The European Court of Justice rocks the boat. Ten years ago the Court ruled in the Kohl and Decker cases that the principles of free movement of goods and services apply in the health sector. Patient’s mobility financed by national authorities has been further expanded in subsequent Court rulings, most recently the Watts case from 2006. In attempts to expand the social rights of EU citizens the Court has, paradoxically, intensified pressures on national social policy. At least EU regulations and their interpretations lie at the heart of anxieties voiced about health tourism.