KathyC

I've had one but in the UK, 25 years ago. Do pm me if I can help at all.

Hi Christine I go away shortly and won't have much internet access. My mobile is 06 11449281 in case there's any news or any arrangements to be made. Best wishes Kathy

[quote user="val douest"]I've sent you a pm, Christine. Val [/quote] That is a really kind suggestion Val but unfortunately none of them are vaccinated or I would've suggested a cattery myself.

Oh what a shame. Do you know what he'll do with the others that are left?

Christine, that's absolutely great; our little old Scottie is fitting in really well, gets on fine with the other cats and the dogs and is really affectionate. Teddy was chipped yesterday and is starting to put on weight and is also fitting in really well. We could probably squeeze in another one but we go away for a week this Saturday and it wouldn't be fair on anybody to just bring him here and dump him with all the other pussies and just someone coming in a couple of times a day to feed him. Do you happen to know anybody who could foster one for a week or so?

Not sure whether it's too early for you to think about it but I wonder if the question of reconstruction's been raised (assuming you're having a mastectomy)? I had this over 20 years ago and can certainly recommend it.

Just a quick update. I now have Teddy and Scotty ensconced under my kitchen cabinets (their choice not mine!) and will let you know how they get on. It's obviously a desperately sad situation there, and not just a case of thoughtless Brits scarpering back to the UK and leaving the cats. The owner's been left a widower and is going to live with family in Australia and obviously can't take the cats with him. They all seem friendly and willing to be stroked/picked up - I wish I could've taken more but we have four already as well as two dogs. I live less than an hour away and if I could help with transporting one for anybody, I'd be quite happy to do so. Please, somebody give a home to some more of them.

I'm on my way over there now - I'll let you know how I get on.

I could certainly take at least one and I'm not far away. Who would I need to contact about it?

I always like the descripton of cornflakes as "a great way to make air stand up"!

[quote user="miznoma7"] Hi KathyC. The issue of mutuelles has me bewildered. I thought that elderly and /or disabled were allowed reduced charges. We are 76 & 63 years old. My partner requires medical attention frequently. He has been taken to emergency enough times without being admitted for lack of beds. This last time following 9 hours of wrangling with the medical staff together with a Doctors letter demanding he be hospitalized at 11 pm they admitted him.His 8 day stay consisted of X-Rays, blood tests and bed rest. I do not believe there was any other tests carried out. For that we were asked for 1400 euros. In total disbelif  I challenged the charge.They said the full cost was in excess of 5000 euros. That was our forfait. I think they plucked that one out of thin air.They said if we were to have 100per cent we would have to ask our Doctor. In the meantime they asked for the minimum payment  subject to Doctors confirmation. Our Doctor replied with "You do not have one of the 30 illnesses listed to qualify" I have since collected forms from CPAM requesting aide. WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!! [/quote] There are no reductions for elderly/disabled people and, although mutuelles can't charge extra for pre existing conditions, rates do go up the older you are. The amount you were charged seems perfectly normal in my experience. My husband was recently in hospital for 5 days with only 1 x ray and a blood test and the total charge would have been 6,000 euros.If you don't have top up insurance you will have to pay the 30% not covered by CPAM.. My husband is covered for 100% because he suffers from an ALD (COPD) but we still have top up insurance to cover him for anything else that he might need treatment for. I would be seriously worried about not having top up insurance and I am a bit younger than you are;did you deliberately plan not to take out this cover?

You really don't need a special mutuelle if you're elderly or disabled. French insurers aren't allowed to charge extra for pre existing conditions and you don't have to answer any health questions before being accepted.

Just to add to this,although you mention the European Health Card, you also say a couple of years go, so I assume that the E111 still applied. You can use the EHIC for non emergency treatment so this situation wouldn't arise to this extent now.

Don't forget that this exemption doesn't happen automatically and has to be applied for by your medecin traitant. It's also possible to have more than one ALD registered. In my husband's situation, some of his "borderline" medications are sometimes included and sometimes not. As these are only a couple of euros a month we've never argued it and the top up insurance picks up the balance anyway.

We're in a similar situation and have corresponded with Benjamin about it. My husband would've been eligible for AA from about 6 months before we left the UK but as it was  non exportable, we didn't bother applying! We put in an application when all these changes became public but found we'd left the UK 3 months before the relevant date so are unable to comply with the 26/52 rule. We seem to have missed the boat twice! At the moment I'm trying to find out how they assess living in the UK and/or how they would know whether we'd been back for a couple of longish visits after we became resident here. Other than that it's going to mean waiting a couple of years (I hope it's as long as that) and claiming under the special rules. Regarding claiming from France, I was under the impression that these sort of benefits were means tested here. Although we have two teachers' pensions, we also have a mortgage which, I believe, isn't taken into account. I appreciate that our situation is unusual but I'm open to any suggestions as to how to proceed.

[quote user="Lotmontel"] .  I may be too late this year to set up an account with totesport but will check!   [/quote]   I've just opened an account with Betfair (have to deposit money through Paypal if you're outside the UK) and placed a bet straightaway.

I've read through all this and wonder if anybody could advise where we stand as I don't think this situation has been covered. My husband's health reached a level where he would've been eligible to apply for DLA/AA in about 2005 but we didn't apply because we knew the benefits weren't exportable. We were planning to move in 2006 although this was later delayed until 2007. Of course, if we'd known it would be this long we'd've applied anyway, but we always thought a move was a couple of months ahead. Fast forward to 20 November last year when we read about the changes in policy and so we put in a claim for AA, having lived in France for just over a year. Does this mean that he's now fallen through a gap in the system where people who were previously getting these benefits will have them reinstated (albeit with an ongoing argument about backdating) and anyone leaving now will get them but someone in his situation falls between the two? Apologies if this has actually been covered and I've missed it. Looking at it from a crooked point of view, what checks would be made if one were to tick "Yes" in the 26/52 box? We were in the French health system at that point but not the tax system if that's relevant at all. We also owned a property in the UK until March 2008.

In total agreement, it was this thread that led us to apply.

[quote user="odile"]most doctors I know say exactly the same Ron- and would prefer to go to a NHS hospital for that reason. [/quote]   Of course, if you stay in the private section of an NHS hospital you get the best of both worlds, private service and full access to NHS facilities. It always puzzles me as I thought the UK stopped having "pay beds" years ago!

[quote user="Russethouse"] Kathy, isn't the patient just interested in the treatment and result and the fact that they do have not have to pay extra ? BTW We used to have a lady post here who sung the praises of Southampton as compared to a hospital in France - I guess everyones experience is different. [/quote]   Of course, from a patient's point of view it doesn't make any difference, I was just discussing generally.   Before we moved in 2007, we lived on the Isle of Wight, which had it's own hospital, but certain things were dealt with in Southampton. In the 3 years before we moved, I had a colleague who nearly died after they botched a routine surgery in Southampton, having to spend a week in intensive care and a total of a month as an inpatient. My husband went to the Respiratory Centre a couple of times a year and it was often chaotic with equipment not working and x rays never available for your appointments. (Come to think of it, we went over twice for appointments when a doctor wasn't available!) However, the worst thing was that they were supposed to be referring him to be assessed for a lung transplant. We telephoned every couple of months for more than a year, to be told every time that the referral had been made and they'd chase up the appointment. Eventually, after 18 months, a new consultant confessed that he'd had a look at my husband's file and no referral had ever been made! At that point he was just coming up to his 65th birthday, which made him ineligible for a transplant so the consultant was very apologetic but could do nothing about it. I think you can probably see why we're less than thrilled by Southampton.

[quote user="Russethouse"]But the NHS PAID ![/quote]   Absolutely, I quite understand that. I just don't think that having excellent service in a private hospital (and I agree with Ron that they're not all wonderful) is a justification for saying that the NHS isn't "the pits". I don't necessarily think the NHS IS "the pits" but having good treatment outside it, however funded, doesn't say anything about standards  of care within the NHS itself.

[quote user="Ron Avery"]Pleased to hear that it all went well and that the NHS is not the pits that some would have us believe[Www].  [/quote]   Perhaps you missed the bit about its being in a private hospital?   Dorothy, I'm so pleased it went well for your husband. I was a bit concerned because Southampton has a terrible reputation locally and when we went to the respiratory clinic for my husband we really weren't very impressed. Obviously, wasn't going to mention that when I knew you were going there though! Hope you can make it to France soon.

[quote user="Patf"] The religious emphasis was unexpected , can't imagine that in the UK. [/quote]   Coronations are quite religious occasions!   I thought the speech was pretty inclusive, specifically mentioning the major faiths several times.

[quote user="Puzzled"]I just wish French TV commentators would pipe down a bit - I'll have to watch it later on you tube. They even managed to talk through the  John Williams composition played by the cellist, violinist and oboeist[:(][/quote]   The BBC commentator said he hoped the presidency would start with a bang, which seemed a singularly inappropriate comment!

[quote user="LyndaandRichard"] And why was there so much religion put into the inaugeration if the US constitution is supposed to be a religion free zone? R. [/quote]   Freedom of worship isn't the same thing as a "religion free zone".