Richard

Thank you VERY much Sunday Driver!  [:)]

Hello Everyone! With all of the impending changes to the health care in France, we were wondering if this scenario would work for us.... We would maintain an address in the UKMy spouse would continue to work for a UK employerI would retireWe would live in France 10 months out the year Q:  Would we both still be entitled to use the NHS for perscriptions and occasional doctor's visits? Q:  Would all of these changes to the French healthcare entitlement no longer apply if I went to work (in France) for, say, the local DIY (B&Q, etc.) store and earned €10k - €15k per annum? Cheers! Richard

Bonjour All, Apologies for the novice questions, but can someone help me understand what all of these acronyms mean? CPAM = CMU = Cartes Vitales = Cartes de Sejour = E106 = E121 = Thanks for assisting in my education of all this....   [:D] Richard

My dearly beloved is insulin dependent diabetic as well.....   If it were not for the NHS we could not afford to own a home due to the cost of the insulin; c£560 pcm.   Thus, the reason why we can not look to retire to France, despite the fact that we have worked hard for >35 years to be able to retire at an age where we can enjoy retirement.    Anyone got an extra pin that I can use to burst this balloon???   [:(]

[quote user="cooperlola"]Thread re power lines http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/998583/ShowPost.aspx I assume that you have also read the posts this morning, which pretty much confirm that, post E106, you would need full private health insurance.  Your existing conditions may well be un-coverable (if that's a word) so related costs would have to be paid for, by the looks of it. [/quote] Yes, everything I am reading so far has completely destroyed our desires/dreams of moving to France on an early retirement opportunity.   I'm sure the full health care insurance costs are going to be exorbitant; another opportunity for the insurance companies to take advantage of a bad situation. What ever happened to the EU understanding that everyone was covered under some sort of health care provision regardless of country, as long as you were a citizen of the member states?   This seems like a way to "keep the Brits out".... 

[quote user="jane"]if you haven't purchased in normandy yet, then you would do well to make yourself aware of the areas which may be affected by the proposed high voltage power lines. jane[/quote] Hi Jane, Can you provide any further information on the proposed high voltage power lines?  Links to information? Cheers! Richard

[quote user="cooperlola"] Read this http://www.connexionfrance.com/expatriate-news-article.php?art=35 It could be very important to you. [/quote]   Thanks cooperlola!   So, this article basically spells it out....   if you're under the age of 62, you will have no health care coverage unless you can afford private health insurance.  And, if you leave the UK you're buggard because the NHS won't be possible either....   Bummer!

Cooperlola & Hoddy, Thanks ever so much!  You're absolute stars! If you don't mind me asking, how long have you lived in France?   Do you like it?   Have any desire to return to the UK? Cheers! Richard

Hi All, We've decided we would like to move to France (Brittany, Normandy, Loire) in the next couple of years (2 years max).  So, in the interim, I am doing as much research into what is involved, what to watch out for, etc., etc. One simple thing that I can not seem to learn about is "Dept ##".   I see it referenced often when people discuss geographical areas.  Is this similar to a postcode? Apologies for such an elementary question, but if I don't ask I don't learn. Cheers! Richard

Oh, and one more piece of info...  We would like to settle in Brittany, Normandy, or Pays de la Loire. Thanks again! Richard

Hi Everyone! Well, we've decided to enter into our "3 - 5 year plan" in that we will definately be leaving the UK for France.  However, as with many people who make this same decision, there are LOADS of questions: Do we move, lock stock and barrel?Do we keep any ties to the UK?What are the tax implications in France vs UK?Is actual assimilation into French culture, and daily life, fairly straight forward?What happens if my dearly-beloved remains employed by a UK employer whilst working from home in France?What happens to our access to the NHS?  (My other half is insuline dependent diabetic)Do we bring, or sell, our cars?Our 3 dogs have pet passports.  Will we face any difficulties getting back into the UK?  (I read the 2-1/2 year old post on DEFRA, and became concerned)Our plan is to run a small B&B (enough to keep me busy, but not too much to be insanely overworked....  too much of that in corporate life).  So, apologies if I have not posted this in the correct section.  I figured it was the best place to start... Thanks in advance! Richard

Bonjour!   Does anyone have experience with the "Rosetta Stone" language courses?   You see them a lot in airport kiosks, etc.   I was given a set (levels 1 & 2) but have not installed them yet. Other than evening evening courses at my local college, is there any hope is becoming conversant in French?   [:)] Cheers! Richard