Depending on personal status and/or type of stay, EU citizens are entitled to immediately necessary care, to care which becomes necessary, or to all sickness benefits in kind in a Member State other than the one in which they are insured against sickness as if they were insured there, but at the expense of the institution of insurance.

If the legislation of a Member State subordinates recognition of entitlement to a benefit to the completion of a minimum period of insurance during a determined period preceding the contingency insured against (reference period) and lays down that periods during which benefits were paid under the legislation of that Member State or periods devoted to child-rearing in the territory of that Member State shall extend this reference period, the periods during which invalidity or old age pensions or sickness, unemployment, industrial accidents at work or occupational disease benefits were paid under the legislation of another Member State and ...[+++] periods devoted to child-rearing in the territory of another Member State shall also extend this reference period’.

Depending on personal status and/or type of stay, EU citizens are entitled to immediately necessary care, to care which becomes necessary, or to all sickness benefits in kind in a Member State other than the one in which they are insured against sickness as if they were insured there, but at the expense of the institution of insurance.

Simply put, anyone temporarily staying, or residing, in a Member State other than the one where they are insured against sickness, is entitled to receive sickness benefits in kind according to the legislation of this Member State as if he were insured there, but at the expense of the institution of insurance.

If the self-employed choose to, they can make contributions to EI when they do their regular payroll deductions and, after an eligibility period, they can access EI sickness benefits, compassionate care, and maternity and parental leave.

The third component of this proposed legislation will amend the Employment Insurance Act to facilitate access to sickness benefits for parents should they fall ill while receiving Employment Insurance parental benefits.