[Artemesia]

I am new to this. My husband and I are looking to retire to France for a couple of years and are busy researching the requirements, most of which we are on top of. Up to now in our travels our US health insurance has covered us. That will not be true for a two year stint as we will be switching to standard Medicare from our current Advantage plan which covers tourism but not immigration.

I have been searching on line for the potential insurance options, carriers to cover US citizens who live in France and have not come up with much. I have also searched this forum (perhaps badly) and not come up with much. Travel insurance is not sufficient for these lengths of time.

What sites should I be visiting for information on insurance plans, carriers etc for finding coverage for retired Americans in France?

 

[NewMexicanMove]

AARO is the place to go - AARO?s Health Care Program for Expatriate America

 

[Bevdeforges]

Just to elaborate a bit, AARO is the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, an expat group based in Paris. They offer their members an insurance plan that is pretty much tailored to meet visa requirements, particularly for those retiring overseas (not just in France).

The association is well worth looking into as they deal with questions of taxation, insurance, voting rights and other issues of interest to Americans living overseas. You have to be a member to get the insurance - but membership is definitely worthwhile.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Artemesia]

Thank you, I will look at this site

 

[Artemesia]

these plans are super expensive. are there other options e.g. some sort of catastrophic type policies? we aren't that worried about paying for basic health care expenses; we want to insure against some major problem and for evacuation to the US and medicare if disaster strikes. is it possible to do something like that and still meet visa insurance requirements?

 

[Bevdeforges]

these plans are super expensive. are there other options e.g. some sort of catastrophic type policies? we aren't that worried about paying for basic health care expenses; we want to insure against some major problem and for evacuation to the US and medicare if disaster strikes. is it possible to do something like that and still meet visa insurance requirements?

They actually aren't all that expensive compared to many private plans out there. The issue is that, in order to get a visa, you have to provide your own health insurance that is roughly equivalent to the national health insurance program (which does cover basic health care, routine doctor visits and things like screening tests and prescriptions). Unlike in the US, you don't have the option to run around uninsured, or insured only for "major medical."
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Artemesia]

Does anyone know which of the several AARO plans meet the French minimal requirements?