Hospital and charges in or around Aix-en-Provence

[gnd]

I'd like to check for the charges of visiting doctor in hospital or clinic in Aix-en-Provence for a foreigner, but unable to find any info from the internet.

I understand I can't get the reimbursement that citizens can have for the fee. Will the foreigner be charged more than normal price? Or still get the normal price and only unable to get the reimbursement?

How big the different in charges comparing general hospital, private hospital or clinic.

Anyone can help? TIA

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by gnd

I'd like to check for the charges of visiting doctor in hospital or clinic in Aix-en-Provence for a foreigner, but unable to find any info from the internet.

I understand I can't get the reimbursement that citizens can have for the fee. Will the foreigner be charged more than normal price? Or still get the normal price and only unable to get the reimbursement?

How big the different in charges comparing general hospital, private hospital or clinic.

Anyone can help? TIA

Dont know about France, but certainly in Spain I know "foreigners" get charged more by doctors. Sixty euros I got charged for a doctors appointment, whereas the going rate for a Spanish national was 45

Have you thought of Private Health Care? Its quite a lot cheaper outside the UK. We pay £60 a month for two of us in Spain.

[Amelia Davies]

If you are from another EU country you will pay the same as a French national, but you will have to claim back the charge, you need to make sure that you get the correct form when you pay. For all EU citizens, a visit to a doctor costs 22 euros, a specialist will charge you according to the service you receive, it can be around 35 euros up to 95 plus, again you will get most of this back if you are an EU citizen. Hospitals charge according to the treatment received.

If you are unsure then you should go to the local office of the CPAM, this is the body for the French Health service, they will give you the information that you need. I hope that you find this helpful.

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by Amelia Davies

If you are from another EU country you will pay the same as a French national, but you will have to claim back the charge, you need to make sure that you get the correct form when you pay. For all EU citizens, a visit to a doctor costs 22 euros, a specialist will charge you according to the service you receive, it can be around 35 euros up to 95 plus, again you will get most of this back if you are an EU citizen. Hospitals charge according to the treatment received.

If you are unsure then you should go to the local office of the CPAM, this is the body for the French Health service, they will give you the information that you need. I hope that you find this helpful.

Where would you claim this back from Amelia? If you are a French resident you won't be able to claim anything from the UK as you are no longer a UK resident and have given up your right to normal NHS treatment in the UK. Of course if you are just on holiday then thats a different thing as you are covered under your temp card

[Amelia Davies]

Originally Posted by Stravinsky

Where would you claim this back from Amelia? If you are a French resident you won't be able to claim anything from the UK as you are no longer a UK resident and have given up your right to normal NHS treatment in the UK. Of course if you are just on holiday then thats a different thing as you are covered under your temp card

What nationality are you, if you have left England to live in France, you will have completed paperwork in the UK so that you can get a carte vitel, a French social security card which you use to get automatic refunds from the French system. If you are a UK resident living here for a short period of time you can still get a social security card. If you need to claim back any monies already paid out, you can do so either here in France or through the UK system. You only lose your rights to UK health care if you have trasnfered your rights here to France.

If you are working, you automatically gain rights to French health care, even if you only work part time, you will be paying contributions for your health care. Are you a student from the UK?

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by Amelia Davies

What nationality are you, if you have left England to live in France, you will have completed paperwork in the UK so that you can get a carte vitel, a French social security card which you use to get automatic refunds from the French system. If you are a UK resident living here for a short period of time you can still get a social security card. If you need to claim back any monies already paid out, you can do so either here in France or through the UK system. You only lose your rights to UK health care if you have trasnfered your rights here to France.

If you are working, you automatically gain rights to French health care, even if you only work part time, you will be paying contributions for your health care. Are you a student from the UK?

Im a UK Expat living in Spain who researched the health system quite exstensively before coming here.

On leaving the UK I gained an E106 which entitled me to nearly two years free health care in Spain. As I dont work and I am not of retirement age I am then unable to get health cover in Spain, except for emergencies, and therefore have to get private cover until one of us reaches retirement age when we will get full cover under the Spanish system with an E121.

On all the forums I have been on I have been told the system is roughly the same in France. It is not legal to live in Spain for instance and claim health cover in the UK, it is a breach of the EU agreements. You forgo your health rights in the UK when you take Spanish residency which you must do by law now on arriving here with intent to live here.

I know of many people in France who are having to pay for health treatment now and have no way of claiming it back. The only way you can do it, afaik, is to not tell the UK authorities that you have moved and go back to the UK when you need treatment. I believe the French are tightening up now on any health care for the non retired, according to some links I saw recently.

Thats what I have been told by people living there anyway

[Amelia Davies]

Originally Posted by Stravinsky

Im a UK Expat living in Spain who researched the health system quite exstensively before coming here.

On leaving the UK I gained an E106 which entitled me to nearly two years free health care in Spain. As I dont work and I am not of retirement age I am then unable to get health cover in Spain, except for emergencies, and therefore have to get private cover until one of us reaches retirement age when we will get full cover under the Spanish system with an E121.

On all the forums I have been on I have been told the system is roughly the same in France. It is not legal to live in Spain for instance and claim health cover in the UK, it is a breach of the EU agreements. You forgo your health rights in the UK when you take Spanish residency which you must do by law now on arriving here with intent to live here.

I know of many people in France who are having to pay for health treatment now and have no way of claiming it back. The only way you can do it, afaik, is to not tell the UK authorities that you have moved and go back to the UK when you need treatment. I believe the French are tightening up now on any health care for the non retired, according to some links I saw recently.

Thats what I have been told by people living there anyway

The system here in France is going to change in January 2008, at the moment if you are an EU resident you are entitled to the same health care as any French National. All French nationals receive 70% of their health care paid for by the state, they take out a health insurance (Mutual) for the other 30%. The insurance is not expensive.

If you are a UK expat then if as you say you completed the E106, the French social security would have issued you with a social security number, and you would not lose your entitlements under the health system here.

In January, if you do not work here or are not retired, then you will not get health care cover free. I live here in France, I work and so I am entitled to health care, I also pay a mutual to cover the 30% I have to pay. My own personal experience of health care here is very good. The system works very well, I have no complaintes.

[gnd]

Thank you for all the replies. I’m not from EU country. I understand that I have to pay the full amount of the fee.

I’m accompanying my husband for 3 months training here and discover that I’m pregnant. I only can go back to my country end of Dec2007. If I want to visit doctor, I’m thinking should I go to general hospital, private hospital or clinic? I’m wondering how big the different in charges (for the same treatment) among these choices.

I also can’t find the address of hospitals or clinics around here in the internet.
I have problem in French too.

[Amelia Davies]

Originally Posted by gnd

Thank you for all the replies. I’m not from EU country. I understand that I have to pay the full amount of the fee.

I’m accompanying my husband for 3 months training here and discover that I’m pregnant. I only can go back to my country end of Dec2007. If I want to visit doctor, I’m thinking should I go to general hospital, private hospital or clinic? I’m wondering how big the different in charges (for the same treatment) among these choices.

I also can’t find the address of hospitals or clinics around here in the internet.
I have problem in French too.

I live near Aix en Provence, and there are hospitals in Aix en Provence, I would suggest that you visit a local doctor where you come to live in France, he will then reffer you to a hospital. The general hospitals here are very good and you will pay according to treatment required. Private clinics will be more expensive. If you are living in Spain do you have private insurance that will cover you if you travel? If so you should be ok. I am going to work now, I will send you some information for the hospital in Aix en Provence when I return this evening.

[gnd]

Originally Posted by Amelia Davies

I live near Aix en Provence, and there are hospitals in Aix en Provence, I would suggest that you visit a local doctor where you come to live in France, he will then reffer you to a hospital. The general hospitals here are very good and you will pay according to treatment required. Private clinics will be more expensive. If you are living in Spain do you have private insurance that will cover you if you travel? If so you should be ok. I am going to work now, I will send you some information for the hospital in Aix en Provence when I return this evening.

Thank you for your reply.
I’m from Singapore. I’ve travel insurance but it does not cover pregnancy.

I currently stay in Aix-en-Provence, near the town center. Can I go directly to the general hospital or there is polyclinic which is cheaper here?

In Singapore for example, there is polyclinics, general hospitals, private hospitals and private clinics. Citizens can get subsidised rate in polyclinics. If the sickness is more complicated or require equipment that only has in hospital, doctor in polyclinic will refer you to general hospital. With the referral letter from polyclinic, citizens only then can get subsidised rate in general hospital. So for citizens, the cheapest channel is go through polyclinic. And the doctor fee per visit is very much cheaper in polyclinic than general hospital.

For foreigner in Singapore, you can’t get subsidised rate in both polyclinic and general hospital. There is no point to go through polyclinic, better go directly to general hospital. Since charges without subsidise is much higher, the price become about the same as private hospital.

In Singapore, there is a clear list of charges at the registration counter and internet website of polyclinics and general hospitals. So, you can roughly know the charges and compare price before visit. How about in France?