[lawrenced]

I am preparing to move to Paris to get my Masters degree (Sept 2013 to Dec 2014) and was hoping for some advice on Health insurance.

I have dual Canadian/British citizenship and have been living in Canada. I therefore do not think I can get a European health card and I will not be working initially as I will be focused on my studies. Also, I am over 30 and do not qualify for the student health coverage.

I am planning on purchasing private travel health insurance from a Canadian insurance provider (with repatriation etc...) for the first year which I can renew for up to 1 more year, while I am out Canada if I do not begin working. It looks as if I will not qualify for a Carte Vitale until I begin working.

Am I on the right track? Am I missing anything? Is there a better way of ensuring I am insured? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RayRay]

I have dual Canadian/British citizenship and have been living in Canada. I therefore do not think I can get a European health card and I will not be working initially as I will be focused on my studies. Also, I am over 30 and do not qualify for the student health coverage..

Correct. If you have not contributed to the healthcare system in France, you are not eligible for benefits until you have. That is, you must have been working and contributing before you can collect anything back.

I am planning on purchasing private travel health insurance from a Canadian insurance provider (with repatriation etc...) for the first year which I can renew for up to 1 more year, while I am out Canada if I do not begin working. It looks as if I will not qualify for a Carte Vitale until I begin working..

Others can give you more details on the ins and outs, but you're correct, again.

Am I on the right track? Am I missing anything? Is there a better way of ensuring I am insured? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Not knowing what you'll pay for Canadian expat insurance or what's included in your coverage, it's impossible to tell how good / bad a deal you might be getting. I have a couple of thoughts:

• Keep in mind that you will always benefit from one thing here: The rate that you will pay for anything is the same low rate people with insurance pay. The government sets the rates.
• Check with the school at which you'll be studying. I seem to remember another thread here in which someone suggested universities may offer insurance for expat students at a reasonable rate.

Best of luck.

Ray

 

[lawrenced]

Hi Ray,

Thanks so much for your reply and the advice. I will definitely look into what might be offered by the school and what I might be able to get through the insurance companies in France.


Much Appreciated!

Dave
Dave

 

[CanuckGirl]

I am preparing to move to Paris to get my Masters degree (Sept 2013 to Dec 2014) and was hoping for some advice on Health insurance.

I have dual Canadian/British citizenship and have been living in Canada. I therefore do not think I can get a European health card and I will not be working initially as I will be focused on my studies. Also, I am over 30 and do not qualify for the student health coverage.

I am planning on purchasing private travel health insurance from a Canadian insurance provider (with repatriation etc...) for the first year which I can renew for up to 1 more year, while I am out Canada if I do not begin working. It looks as if I will not qualify for a Carte Vitale until I begin working.

Am I on the right track? Am I missing anything? Is there a better way of ensuring I am insured? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If you had been under 26 and a student you would have qualified for French health care no matter what nationality you are, but yes, you are correct this is not an option.

You are from BC so you CAN leave BC once every five years for up to 24 months and be covered. They will write you a letter and you can produce it when you go to the consulate and get your visa. They will also require you to get top-up travel insurance and I went to BCAA. The problem is they only offer insurance for 1 year, so you have to renew it while you are still covered. If you let it lapse they may refuse you, but you can get insurance in France as well.

You may try to get French health insurance, but my school was not able to help me, and the local secu place I went to just said I did not need it (not sure if that was true or not).

Call BC Health Services and talk to them. I have found them incredibly helpful and wrote me my letter under time pressure. Good luck!

 

[lawrenced]

Hi Canuckgirl,

Thanks for the info. I did as you suggested and contacted BC Medical Services and they were extremely helpful and efficient, especially for a government agency. After a little time on the phone, I was set up to head to France confident that I was covered medically. After contacting Revenue Services of BC, I found out that I can even make my premium payments online. It seems to be a lot simpler than I imagined - knock on wood.

I then did a little research and BCAA definitely seem to have the best rates for travel insurance, especially if you are a member and buy it online. You can recieve up to 15% off.

Luckily, I don't have to go through the visa process because of my UK passport, which will probably save me a lot of headaches.

Well it looks like I am set for health insurance and you certainly made the search a little simpler - much appreciated!

Dave