Star trecker

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. A diabetic on insulin fits the definition - I agree other people with long term medical conditions may or may not fit the definition as it is personal interpretation and not one laid down by anyone to say who is and who is not, not which conditions are and which are not.  

Makfai Thank you so very much for explaining clearly and concisely the position that I and others are in. Now what do we do to challenge/correct this?[:)]

Dear Ron   your email as was said blew both barrels between my eyes. I am trying to consider every possible option that may be open tome and to correct you yes we actuelly do have craft skills as many years ago I ran a small home business making children's clothes and myhusband is a skilled carpenter and is considering making childrens toys but that frankly is our business.   I must have confused everyone with the answer re working - point is we cannot carry on our current employment in the UK as would be inpossible. Re DLA - you clearly do not understand the crtiteria forclaiming that. let me explain - I am fit as a fiddle however I have night time hypos and have had them all of my life which meas I have to ahve someone every night within earshot as I go int fits and do not wake up and need medication which without it I would likely go into a coma and die so therefore have needs for a carer at night. Durin the day i am fine and no problems at all - but night tiome can be a very bad time - sometimes repeatedly, sometimes nothing for months on end. We have chosen france many years ago for our retirement because we love the way of life and the attitude of the pople including the climate and the general attitude. However I do not think the Government is being fair. That is all. Our dreams cannot happen if this is not sorted. That is also unfair.

soprry to confuse.   It was your suggestion that I work innthe UK but live in france I think? If not please ignore that thread as I am so fed up with this I am really feeling upset by the lack of understanding people have for my problem and am sure you would not like to be in my position.   We may decide to be self employed but at present cannot be sure of that and cannot therefore rely on that benefit.

Hi Cooperola- already been in touch with one of your team and had everything clarified form their perspective and understand the depleting numbers etc.   Perhaps there will always be issues that require an organisations uch as yours tobe active and delivering? I was referred to your website by my European MP

In response to ErnieY: I do think I am being discriminated against because if we do live permanently in france and I cannot prove to the Mairie that I have insurance that covers all possible health problems he can decide that I cannot live there full stop. That would then force either me or my husband to be self employed and would cause problems as he is a local government officer specialising in community safety and I am a business management consutant and could not do our work in the UK based in the South of France. I agree we could become artisans but that is simply an idea at present w2ith no foundation whatsoever. The point I am making - and of course I understand your point about anyone in the EU being able to walk in with any long term and costly condition etc - is that I am fully prepared to pay the comprehensive insurance costs that everyone else will have to pay for all other emdical eventualities- no argument whatsoever- just do not think I can put our family in the position that because of my health [which by the way I am as strong as a horse at present and very fit and never been in hospital except to deliver the children and have a hysterectomy]which may become a cause for concern as I get older. The insurers have said they consider all diabetics to be 'ticking time bombs' and that because of that they will not cover me, even though they tell me they will cover hypertension after 2 years  and also will cover people with cancer. The costs of cancer treatment are huge and although these days the person is likely to make a full recovery they will have to take ongoing medication and check ups for the rest of their life [a bit like my needs really] so you can imagine how that made me feel. Yet I can get holiday insurance very easily when given the opportunity to explain my condition and my control etc to the insurers, so what is the difference and why wont they cover me as I am? I go back to my point re discrimination and wanting to do something about it - if I were to not have diabetes now, but then after coming to live tin France were to develop it,  I would be covered by the ALD system due to a change in circumstances but not aparently if we just decide to come to live there. I am being discriminated agaist by the French Government in that they will not cover my condition for 5 years however say I can come and live there in the knowledge I would not be accepted as I could not provide the proof of adequate insurance because the insurers refuse to cover me for my diabetes and the certificates/letters would say so. I am being discriminateda gainst by the UK government who will not pay for costs associated with maintainingmy condition if I choose to live anywhere other than the UK - even though they are saving money on the rest of my healthcare costs. The UK Government to which I have contributed all of my life are frankly getting away scott free. Why can't the Fench Government claim back the costs from the UK as if we remained in the UK they would pick up far more costs than simply for the element regarding the ALD I am also being discriminated against by the insurance companies who refuse to cover my condition if I choose to live in france but will cover me for holiday insurance anywhere in the world for up to 3 months. Something like this forces us to consider actually moving to france and keeping up our UK doctor and diabetic specialist from our daughters address - a very dishonest move I think but one I may be forced to do as we do intend to travel back to the Uk on a fairly regular basis [probably twice a year] to see family and friends etc. I am making enquiries re taking this to the European parliament as to be honest I am slipping between every crevice that exists at present and without being able to calculate the costs of keeping healthy in France feel our long standing dream [15 years in the making] has a big chance of being scuppered entirely through no fault of our own. Anyone in a similar position to me please let me know and strengthen my arguments as at present I feel as though I am the oply person in the world with this problem and know for certain I can't be as nearly 12% of the population has diabetes and to carry that through at least 12% of people intending to live in France will as well [and that does not of course include all other ALD people intending to move to France   Alspo anyone with a long term health condition under state retirement age that has just moved to france - what has happened for you? Could I go to the CM and ask them to cover me because I cannot get insurance to cover the ALD? If so end of problem! Comments welcome

I am an insulin dependent diabetic [had it since I was 13 months old and am now 55] and intend to move to France by the end of the year when we have sold our UK house to live in the house we already own in the Midi Pyrenee. The problem I have is that because of the changes to the health rules which have thrown up all sorts of problems for people already living in France and have as far as I can tell been more or less resolved to the benefit of those already living there, the problems associated to people intending to move here with pre existing medical conditions have as yet not been clarified. I have spent months and months reading and researching and am still totally confused and need to know from those that have recent and relevant experience exactly what my position will be. At present I receive all of my health related costs including my insulin, test strips and any other drugs I may need [for example antibiotics] all for free. Before the changes I was under the impression that I would have got all costs associated with my diabetes in France refunded but would have had to have a top insurance to get the costs of anything else [I know it was more complicated than that but in its simplest form that was it] I now understand that I will get virtually nothing covered at all in France untill I am resident there for a full 5 years - other than the 2 year E106 entitlement. With that information I then went to seek comprehensive health insurance and after many in depth discussions with brokers and insurers have discovered that no health insurers will cover my diabetes related costs including checck ups, medication or diabetic costs associated with hospitalisation [even if the hospitalisation was not because of  my diabetes] They will however cover all other health related costs. I am not currently in receipt of DLA in the UK but am in the process of applying, I am employed and work full time and of course pay my full NI contributions. We intend to spend at least 6 months restoring and improving our property and may then become artisans however this is not a certainty I know that if we were to become self employed my problems wiould in effect not exist however I am currently working on the premise we will be inactif. I have tried to establish if I would still be covered in France as sopmeone with a long term heath condition but have been told this is no longer the case. Is this so? If it is so, then I believe that as someone with a long standing disability I and all the others like me are being discriminated against by the French [an indeed many other european ]government as tthe fact is that in following the European directive wwhich says that all europeans should have the right to live anywhere in Eurpope, I have had that right removed as without healthcare insurance I cannot afford to live in France as the amount I may have to pay is not something that can be calculated with any certainty. To my mind the french government is saying yes come and live here, pay for all your health costs and by the way if you can't get the full insurance we do not want you to live here and that is direct discrimination against people with long term health conditions. If this is the case I want to do something about it. The UK government will when we leave the UK save all the money they currently pay out for my healthcare and as far as I can tell other than the 2 years E106 are not prepared to pay for anything else. That will leave me three years in no man's land, hoping I stay well and do not create bills which we cannot cover. Help and advice desperately needed