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Top up Insurance


yvonne
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I will soon be moving to France when I qualify for an SI. I have looked at the cost of top-up insurance & was wondering if it might be better to not take out insurance & simpley pay the top-up charge myself when needed.

Yvonne

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I wouldn't, because I could never have afforded to pay an eventual huge bill.

And bills can be huge.

Some illnesses are covered at 100%, but not everything is by any means.

I realise that top up is expensive, but for me there would be no alternative than have it.

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I agree with Idun.

It's a difficult decision to make, and we didn't have topup for the first 5 years, then got 2 big bills. You can never predict what will happen healthwise, and even things like the risk of accidents in the home or when driving need to be considered.

The level at which CPAM will cover a bill is unpredictable and varies between depts. It's usually 60-70%

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We agree with the two posts above. Our local hospital is more than 700 euros day so even if 70% covered a very big bill could result from an accident like breaking a leg.

A somewhat cheaper option that we know some people go for is to have "hospital" cover only. So no insurance for GP or pharmacy.

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Insurance is always a gamble as you might not need it. if you don't have it, you will pay 30-40% every time you go to a doctor or hospital and for prescriptions.

I had never been in hospital until I came to France. I had an operation which cost 11,000 euros so without insurance would have had to pay maybe 4000. I'm sure other ops could cost a lost more.

Also insurance covered a private room - not essential but more relaxing. A friend had a truly horrible room-mate!

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Up to now we each have a "mutuelle" covering hospital expenses only, up to 300%, but not covering anything not specifically requiring a hospital bed.

This year my wife broke an ankle falling off a bicycle while on holiday in Spain. Emergency treatment and was covered by her EHIC and the cost of medicines bought there, including a quite expensive course of injections, was refunded in full by the NHS, so cost less than if we'd been in France[:D]

Treatment, including purchase of crutches, hire of a wheelchair, Xrays, scans and other tests, physio., visits to GP and surgeon, medicine, etc., have already cost 560€, just a little more than the extra amount we would have paid to cover all charges, and there are more bills yet to come.

We have had this mutuelle since 2006, always with the same cover, and up until now have never spent more than the extra cover would have cost. I myself came close 2 years ago, but so far we have not both run up large bills in the same year, so have made a net saving.

This saving is gradually reducing as we get older, even though the cost of the cover increases, gradually each year and then in jumps as we pass age bands.

We will have to think carefully about cover for next year. We both try not to visit the GP unnecessarily, but once one gets into a situation requiring ongoing treatment and tests the costs become difficult or even impossible to control.

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[quote user="nomoss"]This year my wife broke an ankle falling off a bicycle while on holiday in Spain. Emergency treatment and was covered by her EHIC and the cost of medicines bought there, including a quite expensive course of injections, was refunded in full by the NHS, so cost less than if we'd been in France[:D][/quote]

May I ask, are you resident in France. If so how do you have a UK EHIC card?

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[quote user="crabtree"][quote user="nomoss"]This year my wife broke an ankle falling off a bicycle while on holiday in Spain. Emergency treatment and was covered by her EHIC and the cost of medicines bought there, including a quite expensive course of injections, was refunded in full by the NHS, so cost less than if we'd been in France[:D][/quote]

May I ask, are you resident in France. If so how do you have a UK EHIC card?

[/quote]

As French residents, we used to have CEAMs but a few years ago, all our "competent" state changed back to the UK and so, yes, all of us Brits resident in France have EHICs.

As we haven't been back to the UK for the last few years, I can't tell you what the EHIC would cover in the UK but, certainly, when I was in Spain, I had all my medical expenses including prescriptions refunded by the UK.

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"As French residents, we used to have CEAMs but a few years ago, all our

"competent" state changed back to the UK and so, yes, all of us Brits

resident in France have EHICs."

No not all.

Those who have an S1 cover yes, but those who have worked in France and so have a French pension are 'à la charge de la France' and so have a CEAM card issued by France, even for treatment back in the UK.

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[quote user="NormanH"]"As French residents, we used to have CEAMs but a few years ago, all our

"competent" state changed back to the UK and so, yes, all of us Brits

resident in France have EHICs."

No not all.

Those who have an S1 cover yes, but those who have worked in France and so have a French pension are 'à la charge de la France' and so have a CEAM card issued by France, even for treatment back in the UK.

[/quote]

But now, if you are a UK pensioner:

On page 2 of this booklet

[url]https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC0QFjACahUKEwi7iKj637XHAhUDthoKHbZcCFk&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whittington.nhs.uk%2Fdocument.ashx%3Fid%3D3227&ei=YcfUVfvTCIPsara5ocgF&usg=AFQjCNE1zFUz0OtXrsTHmFFIxQ_HOmi01g&bvm=bv.99804247,d.d2s&cad=rja[/url]

it says:-

UK State Pensioners

UK state pensioners who have lived in the UK for ten

continuous years at some point in the past are entitled to

‘treatment the need for which arises during a visit to the UK’

free of charge.

Why make something simple when you can make it complicated[:(][8-)]

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[quote user="NormanH"]"As French residents, we used to have CEAMs but a few years ago, all our

"competent" state changed back to the UK and so, yes, all of us Brits

resident in France have EHICs."

No not all.

Those who have an S1 cover yes, but those who have worked in France and so have a French pension are 'à la charge de la France' and so have a CEAM card issued by France, even for treatment back in the UK.

[/quote]

You are, of course, right, Norman.  I forget ethnic minorities like yourself[:D]

Apologies, Crabtree, for having misinformed you.

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Once you have decided to do it, the next step is, which level to choose? you'll find there are many different companies and options. eg the company we're with offers 3 basic levels.

Because (usually) the most expensive part is hospitalisation many people choose only to insure for that.

I would ask about cover for use of an ambulance too.

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Do please note that many, if not all policies covering hospital costs apply only to those costs incurred after you are actually admitted to the hospital, i.e. you occupy a bed.

They don't cover charges for what would be called out-patient services in the UK, nor charges for tests, radiology, specialists and consultants, even if incurred as part of the preparations for an operation.

Also note that the sum I quoted as paid to date for my wife's treatment (560€) is only some 30% of the actual cost,.

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