NormanH

I think so Patf. I would also point out that if you have one of the list of illnesses counting towards an ALD that isn't  an automatic guarantee of 100% cover, until your  your Géneraliste has sent in a 'formulaire de demande de prise en charge'  to your local Caisse, and you have the specific 'notification d'exoneration du ticket moderateur' and a list or 'protocole de soins' which shows which medicines and tests etc are covered. I mention this because it might be imagined that this is automatic.  You will be accepted if you apply , but it is much better to go through this rather long-winded process as soon as you are diagniosed  and have the right documents to produce in an emergency arising from your illness. Of course you are only covered at 100% for the things on that list.

[quote user="Clair"]I have no problem using the spell check facility in Firefox. I can use it in French or in English... [/quote] Me too...except (and only except ) when I post on this Forum.[8-)] I have tried the manipulation outlined here, and it still doesn't work Correction:  I can do it manually, that is to say highlighting the text area, right-clicking on it  and choosing 'spell check this area' However it doesn't seem to want to do it automatically. Still it's progress.  Thanks Claire. The reason I ask about it is that if more people could use it, it could prevent the sort of conflicts that can arise where somebody's post  is badly-spelled.

In Firefox2 there is a spellcheck which works on every other Forum I have been on, but not on this one. It is useful for highlighting 'typos' and words that have been hastily typed in wrongly, so does anybody have any idea why it doesn't work on here?

I believe you have to pay to watch on that site.

You could contact somewhere like the French American centre in Montpellier for advice. I have sent the URL in a pm in case it looks like a commercial link They have been organising culturam exchangesand language learning for over 15 years

[quote user="Patf"]Logan - the example of the heart attack. The cost was  covered only 70%, for some reason. Possibly because it was done via SAMU, not the medecin traitante. The hip replacement was covered 100%.[/quote] I have already stated that I believe Logan's premise that 'life threatening' conditions are automatically covered at 100% to be incorrect. This seems to back that up. I stand to be corrected if someone can quote from the http://www.ameli.fr/  site where Logan's idea is stated. If I am right it tips the balence of the argument back the other way if you might have to meet 20% of a serious operation and aftercare

[quote user="Cat"]Good grief, if Saligo Bay doesn't understand it then no one will Norman [:P] [/quote] Who is this paragon? Someone who doesn't understand the use of 'hosts' to mean host nation, and who assumes that if one French person agrees with a British one on a particular issue that causes a problem as far as the rest of France is concerned. I referred to a site (which nobody has commented on) which gives a pretty clear idea of the problem that this pest causes, and which outlines measures which can be taken against them in France, where France is the host nation and has the right to make the rules. If Little Britons conflate British attude with "brains," and French practice with "something else but we don't/cant read/ cant understand the website so we can't say what it is"  we are getting close  to arrogant smugness.

Nothing to add technically to the sensible and informative posts of Will et al, but I have an observation. A number of British people have been worried about the UK taxman for so long that they fail to be terrified of the French one. In other words if  you live in France forget British definitions.

[quote user="SaligoBay"][quote user="NormanH"]We are in France, so it seems logical to follow French custom and practice in the matter, and not impose British attitudes.[/quote] You are allowed to bring your brain with you to France.    And what if a French person agrees with your "British" attitude?   Puts you in a bit of a quandary!    [quote user="NormanH"] For an idea of what our French hosts think, [/quote] Do you live in a B&B?   [/quote] I presume your sarcasm means that you didn't understand the French site [:P]

I think that Deby and Ginger's comments echo exactly the sorts of experiences I have witnessed, and try to warn people about. Please don't come to France to solve other problems.

There is a list of ALD conditions which are covered at 100% on this thread: http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1180182/ShowPost.aspx A few other points to consider are: The Sarkozy government is trying to save money on health care, in making people behave more "responsibly".  That is to pay more and more of the costs themselves. Recently the idea that all optical care should be paid by the Mutuelles ( or the patient if you don't have one) was floated by Rosalyne Bachelot (the Minister) "la ministre de la santé, Roselyne Bachelot, n'a pas écarté, dimanche, l'éventualité que l'Etat se désengage dans certains secteurs de la Sécurité sociale, comme l'optique, au profit des assurances complémentaires. La ministre de la santé, Roselyne Bachelot, n'a pas écarté, dimanche 13 avril, la possibilité que la Sécurité sociale se désengage complètement de certains secteurs, notamment l'optique, au profit des assurances complémentaires, provoquant l'incompréhension des responsables de la Mutualité française et la colère de l'opposition, qui dénonce "une privatisation annoncée" du système de santé." ( From 'le Monde 14th April) ( The Health Minister didn't rule out the possibility when she spoke on Sunday that the State would pull out of certain sectors of Health Cover, such as Optical care, leaving them to be paid for by 'Top-up' Insurance. This made those responsible for the Mutuelles claim that they didn't understand what she was talking about, and the opposition denounced a 'privatisation' of the Health Service...) My very free translation It might be assumed that this won't be the last such initiative If you read French easily there is much to learn here Secondly there is also a move afoot to re-examine the 100% cover. Nor can it be assumed that the CMU as it exists will remain untouched. It has only been in place since 2000 and was the brainchild of a Socialist government (the same one that brought in the 35 hour week) Given this general drift towards having to pay more towards Health Care I am happy to have Mutuelle which enables me to pay monthly rather than in a large sum just when I am least able to pay. As a last point, don't just assume one health problem. My payments top up several things at the same time: last year I broke my ankle, had to have a number of fillings in my teeth, an eye test, and 3 Xrays. None of these are 'life-threatening', but the costs mount up.

In the thread to which Claire refers there seems to be a belief that the patient doesn't have to pay the 20% of  treatment for things that are life-threatening. This is not my understanding. Certainly if you already covered at 100% for an ALD, or in some other specific circumstances Le montant du ticket modérateur varie en fonction de votre situation, notamment selon : la nature du risque (maladie, maternité, accident du travail, etc.) ;l'acte ou le traitement ;si vous souffrez d'une affection de longue durée exonérante ;si vous relevez du régime d'Alsace-Moselle ;le respect ou non du parcours de soins coordonnés ;si vous percevez une pension d'invalidité  you don't pay the 20%, but I believe that if you have fairly standard  surgery you would. Logan had a particular experience with ab operation from which I think a dangerous assumption is being drawn.

"State" hopitals will still charge for the part not covered by the Assurance Maladie. There isn't the same distiction between "cliniques"  which are privately run, but where the payments are made from the 'Sécu' and the Hospital Publique as there is in the UK. Both are state-funded. Can you afford to pay 20% of a major operation, not to mention all the ancillary charges ? I pay 800 euros a year for a mutuelle which covers me for everything 'normal' except for certain expenses in the dental and optical field. You can never be certain to remain in good health, either. My advice would be to pay for the peace of mind, and the fact that at an awful moment you wouldn't have to be bothered about being able to pay.

We are in France, so it seems logical to follow French custom and practice in the matter, and not impose British attitudes. For an idea of what our French hosts think, this site is interesting: http://www.peniche.com/Breves/eqte_sep_rag.htm

Two ideas 1) make sure you are typing in 0 not O...or even several 00 rather than just one 2)you might email your local centre..easier than trudging in.

[quote user="Eos"]In the interest of not misleading the public, perhaps the title of the thread should be "Airline ripoff" as the problem, based on the article cited, is endemic in the aviation industry as a whole. [/quote] Have edited it to use your suggestion

The practice of misleading the public on websites is under serious investigation: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=564763&in_page_id=1770&ito=1490

It's very attractive and "buzzy" in season Tends to be highly priced and very busy. I doubt you will get more than a holiday appartment for 150,000 A couple of years ago it was also quite trendy. I live near enough to visit, which I believe to be the best plan, so you benefit in the low and mid season, but not be swamped by the crowds in the summer I have sent you a pm with a couple of links

I am surprised to see the comments advising contacting the Gendarmes. This is surely a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and will only lead to resentment and further aggression The sort of service of Médition which I suggested is clearly aimed at precisely this sort of situation, and specialises in non-aggressive solutions, yet no-body seems to have taken notice of it.

I am not sure if you have a service de médiation in your town, but it specialises in these sorts of issues. Here is a link in which the job of the médiateur is explained in French: http://www.ville-beziers.fr/beziers_pratique/08.cfm a quotation as a taster: Les problèmes liés globalement au cadre de vie : nuisances sonores, aboiements ou dangerosité des chiens, hygiène, insalubrité du logement, stationnement anarchique. Les conflits de voisinage liés aux comportements incivils, à des problèmes psychologiques entraînant des conduites additives (alcoolisme, toxicomanie).

That's rather what I said in my posting on page 2 "what should happen is that the whole of Europe adopt a similar system."

This was mine on Easter Day [IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/bfb_album/P1050674.jpg[/IMG]

[quote user="J.R. gone native"]I say that he should continue to say "serves them well", it carries just as much meaning [/quote] "serves them well "   is a bit ambiguous. It could be construed to mean something like ' it suits them' or even to have a positive meaning as in 'he serves them well' "Serves them right" is a particular idiom which carries the slightly malicious joy at the other person's situation, a bit like "schadenfreude" in German. There was no implied criticism of anybody being French, but if faulty idioms are not corrected they can become habitual, and there is no learning. This is why language teachers have a reputation for being 'difficult' . I never take criticism of my my mistakes in French  personally, which is just as well, given how many I make [:)]

[quote user="Frenchie"]Yes, and because of that banner the Paris Saint Germain won't be able to play in the " Coupe de la Ligue" .. My son says " serves them well" [blink]   Hey Loiseau, yes, [;-)] [/quote] Tell him to say 'serves them right'...

[quote user="Mark"]I put some 'A vendre' signs up on the roadside the other day, outside a house we're selling.  To my astonishment, I've already had two phone calls from interested parties, one of whom is coming for a viewing tomorrow.  I will tell them that the price is nett so that I get that price and the buyer pays that price plus the notaire's fees.  I was merely copying what seems to be the standard practice of the immos on that front - is it reasonable to assume that the prospective buyer will expect the price quoted to be exclusive of notaire's fees?  Do we split the fees 50/50? Also, I assume it's my responsibility to contact the notaire and set the wheels in motion with regard to him drawing up the compromis and, ultimately, the acte?  Does anyone know if there's a template letter on-line somewhere for sending to the notaire in the first instance? Is there anything more to do?  Thanks everyone [:)] [/quote] Prices are always quoted without Notaire's fees. It is the buyer's responsibilty to pay these. I also believe that the buyer chooses the Notaire, but I stand to be corrected on that. Be aware that there are several sorts of 'compromis' which bind the two parties in slightly different ways.