[froglet2011]

Hi there

I am after some advice on the European health cards if poss. My family and I will be living in France for a trial of a year or so but working for uk company that I'm a director of so will be paying nics and paye in uk- so essentially we won't be changing much in the uk just living in France.

We have a 9 month old so I want to make sure we have healthcare sorted . Can anyone tell me what the healthcare cards cover and how it works? Do we also need insurance of some kind and is that possible for long periods of time living away from uk?

Any advice greatly appreciated I want to be comfortable that my daughter can get anything should we need it and that we are doing it all right.

Thanks if you can help anyone!! X

 

[Tinabee]

There is some information here on how to get healthcare cover if you are working abroad

Working abroad

Cover from the UK will get you the same as someone in the French system, i.e. about 70% reimbursement. To cover the other 30% you can take out top-up insurance or pay as you go.

 

[Bevdeforges]

This page from the NHS includes a brief summary of what the EHIC covers: How do I get an EHIC? - Health questions - NHS Choices

From the description there, it looks like the EHIC is a travel insurance card, meaning that it will cover treatment if you have an accident or fall ill while outside the UK. But it won't cover "day to day" medical costs, like standard shots for your child, check-ups and such.

For a year-long stay, you probably should be looking at a real "expat" type of policy, unless you are going to make a run back to the UK for most doctor visits, prescriptions and the like. Most of the big insurers offer some forms of expat health coverage - Bupa, AXA, Allianz, etc.
Cheers,
Bev