Health cover whilst visiting the UK!

[Lautrec]

My wife and I are making our first return visit to the UK since arriving in France two years ago! Could some kind forum member please inform me if there is a French equivalent of the E101; should we need emergency medical assistance whilst over there!

I think that it is more likely that I might need stress therapy when I encounter the crowds of people and heavy traffic there, compared with the relative calm of the Charente!

Lautrec

[derf]

If  you mean E111 which is used throughout the EU for emergency treatment, then the answer is yes, you will need to apply to your local CPAM for it and I believe it's only valid for a year.

[Lautrec]

Thanks Les,

Funny thing is, that we were going down to the CPAM this afternoon to deposit our receipts with them, so now we can enquire about this neccessary form.

Many thanks again.

Lautrec.

[Teamedup]

You just ask for an E111 and should be given a european health card. You probably won't be asked for it if you need treatment in the UK, but you could be, so best to travel with it. And yes it lasts a year.

[LesLauriers]

We were refused an E111 for the UK despite the information leaflet clearly stating that it was required and the wall poster advertising the E111 showing a UK red phone box!

We did get one for Spain, but as always when dealing with CPAM it all depends on who you speak to.

[Punch]

[quote]You just ask for an E111 and should be given a european health card. You probably won't be asked for it if you need treatment in the UK, but you could be, so best to travel with it. And yes it lasts a...[/quote]

Although the European health card is meant to be up and running, I have yet to see one. I asked for ours a couple of weeks ago and just got given a handwritten E111, saying they are not yet available.

Remember that you will require one for each member of the family as they are not grouped, and are valid for all EEC countries.

Paul

 

[Miki]

Paul if you mean the Carte Europeennne D'Assurance Maladie, we have all had ours since last Sept/Oct (Saint Malo) and they are about to run out. So we will simply ask for new cards.

Anyone going just to England, do what a few of us have suggested before, just say you are going to Spain or somewhere else in the EU and you will be issued with a card (one per person as Paul states)

Sorry if I have mixed it up. It is just that there is to be a new Carte which will, I believe, eventually replace the Carte Vitale and will be used as THE card for EU health care.

[Will]

Miki - I don't think you have mixed anything up.

If you are only going to Britain, you don't need a card or E111 - it says so on the paperwork that accompanies the European Health Insurance Card and E111. As a European you will get the same deal as a British resident, i.e. free doctor or NHS hospital treatment but you pay the standard prescription charge. I can quite understand that people might want a piece of European documentation for peace of mind though.

Whether you get a card or E111 depends on which is your organisme conventionné. Mrs Conq, being employed, got a card with no trouble from the local CPAM. As profession liberale, affiliated to Mutuelle de l'Est, I got an E111 as that organisation is not issuing the cards.

[BJSLIV]

I think people travelling to the UK who have lost their entitlement to automatic free treatment under the NHS,by permanently living abroad, would be well advised to take an E111 /the new health card or private insurance with them.

The old "treat anyone who turns up" system in the NHS is gradually changing, and hospitals now have policies in place to bill people who are not entitled to free treatment.

The Department of Health website specifically mentions possession of an E111 as providing proof of entitlement to free treatment. If you don't take one,and then fall ill, unless you have the right paperwork it might get costly.

If your local health provider won't issue an E111 / equivalent for the UK then tell them you need it for Spain,and have a last minute change of plan  its an EU wide document after all.

This link gives the current DHS policy

http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/International/OverseasVisitors/OverseasVisitorsBrowsableDocument/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4099060&MULTIPAGE_ID=4954581&chk=h9MVFS

 

 

 

[Will]

The E111/European Health Insurance Card did indeed start off as an EU-wide document but has evolved into something rather different. For instance, it is accepted in (and necessary for) non-EU states like Norway and is not needed for EU member state Britain.

The confusion arises because the E111 is basically intended for visitors from another European country to obtain emergency treatment. Such treatment is still available in Britain without E111 which is why many issuers will not provide E111s for people visiting Britain from their countries. The NHS is getting tighter on 'health tourism' whereby people, including many former British residents, turn up and expect the NHS to provide them with routine or non-emergency treatment. Possession of the E111 will not make any difference in such cases. This is borne out by the web link in the post above.

Having said that the E111 provides proof of residence in another participating country if that should ever be needed so there is no harm in getting one, and having the E111 or its replacement card, although technically not necessary, does indeed offer peace of mind.