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Health cover & health insurance

4K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  95995 
#1 ·
Hallo, we are UK citizens but have lived in several European countries including Germany, our current residence, for the last 25 years. We have one year to go before we reach pension age but have decided to stop working and move to France. We've rented a house for a few months to give us time to look for property. I'm sure we're not unique in being without a place of residence (within the next few weeks).
Does anyone have advice about what health cover we might have in France and which mutuelle may be best for our situation. I don't think we're entitled to EHIC cover since we don't have a UK residence.
Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Hi,
If you have been working and paying social security in Germany , I believe you should be entitled to a form S1 which will give you health cover for a limited period, or a german EHIC equivalent; contact the social security organisation to which you make your payments.
If you are not entitled , you will need full private health insurance till you qualify for the UK state pension (if you have been contributing to it).
 
#3 ·
This page from the Europa website might help: EU - Health coverage when settling abroad – Your Europe

If you're covered for national health care in the EU country in which you are living (i.e. Germany), you should be able to get some sort of document to confirm this. You take the document to the French CPAM (now called Améli) and arrange for the interim cover (usually up to two years, I think it is, if you've been contributing to the health care system where you've been living).

The French health care coverage is a reimbursement system (i.e. you pay for the doctor and treatment and tests and then you're reimbursed directly into your bank account) and only reimburses about 70% of the amount you paid out. To be reimbursed for the rest, you need a "mutuelle." Almost any insurance agent can offer a mutuelle, as can your bank in France in most instances.

If you have been covered by private insurance in Germany, you may need to provide private coverage when you get to France. But check first with your Kasse in Germany to see if they can provide the necessary proof of coverage.
Cheers,
Bev
 
#4 ·
A slightly different case for me.

I've been resident in Dubai for many years, but have paid voluntary NI contributions for 35 years in the UK. This does not even cover me for healthcare in the UK - just a pension when I get to 65.

So, I know that I will not be covered by EHIC when I move to France later this year.

I have read posts on various forums which suggest that I could get CMU cover (is that the right term?) after 3 months of residency in France under a new rule.

Failing this, I have to either set up a company and get into the French system, which is something I was thinking of doing anyway, or take out horrendously expensive insurance (I'm 61).

Any thoughts?
 
#5 ·
This is the Service Public section on CMU: Couverture maladie universelle (CMU) et complémentaire (CMUC) - Service-public.fr

CMU coverage isn't free - it costs a fixed percentage of your income over a certain threshold amount. And apparently it's a bit touch and go as to whether or not you can get coverage immediately after your arrival in France. Still, no harm in applying and seeing what they say.

However, since you'll be covered by a British pension, there's every possibility you'll be eligible for medical coverage once you're drawing your pension, so at least we're just talking about a "bridge" coverage for the period until you hit your pensionable age.
Cheers,
Bev
 
#7 ·
I'll have to let one of the other Brits here on the forum explain it to you - I've always been a bit fuzzy on how it works. But the idea is that you pay 8% (I think it is) of your current income that is over the threshold (about 9K€ or so). What matters is what your income will be once you're resident in France, not what it was while you were working in Dubai.

But someone with more "first hand" knowledge will pop in here soon, I'm sure.
Cheers,
Bev
 
#8 · (Edited)
Actually what matters is your worldwide income (taxable or not) for the previous French tax year - that is currently 2013 and from October 2015 will be 2014 and it is the amount on which they base your 8% contributions (after deduction of the threshold which is currently Euros 9,601). It normally takes a couple of months to process the application, but if accepted cover is normally backdated to the date of the application (submission of your dossier).

However, if you are moving from Dubai there is a possibility that they might require a French avis d'impotsas part of your dossier, in which case that would significantly delay your ability to apply.
 
#9 ·
There are a number of issues you need to consider here.Firstly as you have lived in several EU countries I am assuming that you have worked there too making pension payments etc into thse countries schemes(unless you were working for the UK govt of course)he rule in the E U is that in these istances it is the last country in which you worked that pays your state related pension so it would be Germany that pays your pension and provides your S1.However you do not say how old you are and whether the pension you refer to is occupational or state.It would also be helpful to know whether you still have a base n Germany as if so you could apply for an EHIC from Germany if you worked there provided you returned to Germany on a regular basis but that may be stretching things.When you move t France how will you be supporting yourselves if you have no pension because in order to join the French health system as an EU national before 5 years residence in rance you have to show that you can support yourself financially and have an annual household income of at least €9601 pa.You should note that the French state system only overs 70% of your health costs so you need to take out the mutuelle as you say but the beauty of mutuelles is that you can tailor them to meet your needs .I suggest you Google "Comparateur mutuelles" to giv you some ideaof costs.If you live ina big city then I suggest you need more than 100% cover..Another factor is that you need to show at least 3 monthe residency in FranceI can give a definitive answer but I will need specifics.
 
#10 ·
in order to join the French health system as an EU national before 5 years residence in rance you have to show that you can support yourself financially.
True in this case, but not for those EU nationals who move to France from outside the EU (my own case is an example - born in UK and an EU citizen but moved here from Australia and was accepted without the requirement to show that I can financially support myself). As far as I know the minimum income thing is also only applied to those who move from within the EU. What I was required to show was that I had health cover when I entered France.
 
#12 ·
Crabtree - I am an EU national (born and raised in the UK), however resortissante from Australia that was not applied, rather the rules applying to resortissants from non-EU countries were applied. That said, my worldwide income for the year in question exceeded the Euro 9601 (just). The guy in the central office who assessed my application phoned me and we did discuss the issues - his view was that I was not treated as an EU national. His key question was, given that the obligatory Australian health cover does not apply in France, what health insurance I carried when I entered and how long for.
 
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