Type 1 diabetic. And a confused person!

[Smiler]

Hello, this is my first post and I am looking forward to finding my way around the forum.

Basically, I could do with a bit of guidance - I've read so much recently that I'm getting myself in a pickle! I'd appreciate the benefit of someone else's experience if possible.

A bit of background first. My husband and I are looking to retire to France next year, age 55. We have no dependants and will be financially secure. I am self employed (sole trader) at the moment, he works for the Civil Service.

He is an insulin-dependant diabetic, and is really worried about how to get his insulin in France. We are quite happy to pay for it, I know we won't be working so won't be contributing as such, and that's fair enough. How on earth does he get his insulin though, do we just go straight to a doctor, register there, any pay for what he needs? Finding private health insurance is proving to be very difficult, so I need to do more research there.

Another option I have is to set up my business again in France, with him, so if we did that and were therefore contributing to the state, would we then be entitled to access the French healthcare system?

I am totally confused, please help!

[lindal1000]

If your husband has a pre-existing medical condition that means he cannot get private health insurance he will be able to apply for CMU, couverture maladie universale . You then pay 8% of your income over 10000 euros and this gets you into the basic state system.

In either case, you will need to find a doctor. (GP) and register with them. A visit costs 23 euros. You will get a prescription which you take to the pharmacy who will give you the insulin. If you are not in the healthcare system you pay at the pharmacy.

[Smiler]

Wow, that is fantastic - that's given me a bit of hope. My poor husband had practically convinced himself (and me) that we wouldn't be allowed "in" to France!

I wasn't aware of that CMU at all, so I'm going off now to have a read about that. I'll be interested to see what it says if neither of us are working at all (which is the ideal really, I'd much sooner just retire!) so I'll see what I can see from there. Thanks again, I feel we're a tiny step closer to achieving our dream.

[lindal1000]

It's not completely straightforward.. for a start you will have to have lived in France for three months, you may also have to show evidence that you have been refused comprehensive private healthcare, or that quotes are unaffordable, and that you have enough resources to not be a burden on the state.

While you are in limbo and waiting to be accepted you could use your UK issued EHIC.

This is something I found on another website.

"Inactive (i.e. non working) UK citizens who have no right whatsoever to any State system of health cover and who have actually resided in France in a regular and stable manner for more than 3 months may make application for CMU (a French State health system). In this connection, the European Commission has stated: “Following continued pressure from the Commission to comply with the requirements of EU law, the French authorities established in mid-July 2013- a new centralized administrative system in Nîmes to deal with all new applications by non-active EU nationals to join the CMU. Applications should still be made to the local CPAM and, if the applicant is a non-active EU national, the application is sent to Nimes for processing. The Commission is hopeful that this new centralized system will resolve the problems of non-compliance with EU law, but notes that the 2011 Circular on CMU admission remains in place. The Commission is currently monitoring how the new centralised system is working – no reports of refusals have been received so far.”

The CMU situation has been ambiguous for a number of years , with the result that some applicants have been granted CMU and others not. The new centralized system may work better –but it is too early to say. Thus applicants are advised not to rely on this route for CMU cover before they have completed 5 years of legal and continuous residence in France at which time they may acquire a right to permanent residence status and entry into CMU."

[NormanH]

In any case you can go to a Doctor and pay the consultation (23€ a specialist, 46€ or more for a specialist) and be prescribed the medicines or other treatment that you need but that too would have to be paid in full.

In other words treatment is available but the question of who pays is the thorny one.

[Smiler]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to reply, I really appreciate it. I wish I'd come here first instead of spending ages trying to find the info everywhere else.

We certainly don't mind paying for treatment if we're not contributing, but somehow we'd almost managed to convince ourselves that we wouldn't even be able to get access to a doctor at all!

Honestly, we are normally fairly sensible people(!), we just seemed to be going round and round in circles with this problem.

[mint]

Hi, I am going to inject a dose of the unplalatable and I don't mean to be discouraging and I know you would have thought of this but this is such an important issue that I am going to make my point anyway.

The routine medical checks and the insulin, syringes, blood testing kit etc might not break the bank but you do need to give a thought to the cost of a hospital stay.

You'd know best, your OH might be a very well-stabilised diabetic and would know how to look after himself.  Still, there are things called complications (and I do realise you'd know about those) and they would be the contingencies to remember when planning your move.

[Grecian]

Hello smiler and welcome to the forum.

Just a few comments on being a type 1 diabetic in France. If your husband is injecting either pork or beef insulin, then I am afraid that is not available in France, only human insulin. This created my wife awful problems for quite a while having to switch from beef insulin to human insulin, she lost all her control for quite a while. Happily now that she is used to the human insulin, her control is better than when she was on beef insulin.

She has her long-term blood test carried out every 3 months, you will need to obtain a prescription for the blood test from your own doctor. Retinopathy eye test once a year, you must book your own appointment at a specialist optician yourself, in our area there is about a 2 to 3 month waiting list to see him/her, so it will need to be organized in advanced.

Coming over as non-actives you will be running the risk of not being accepted into the health system, if CPAM through a wobbly when you apply to join. Each case is now treated on its merits, so you may come across a nasty official who may try to block you from joining the system, it could be a lottery as to whether you are accepted or not. As you have said it is nigh impossible to obtain full health insurance with a pre-existing condition..

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Smiler]

Thank you both for your replies, both raise very valid points. Grecian, I hadn't realised that about the insulin - another thing to bear in mind!

Thankfully my husband's diabetes is very well controlled, but I know this is another potential worry for the future. Lots to think about, but I am more determined than ever now that we will achieve our dream!

[WJT]

If you still want to carry on working some it may be an idea to consider setting up an an Auto Entrepreneur (AE). Things are changing I believe with this regime but at the moment it allows you to work for yourself and pay taxes on your income that is very simple and it a flat percentage. Your income could be very little but I believe you must make something within two years to carry on the AE.

This allows you to enter the system and access healthcare for you and your husband. An AE is set up independently in other words you and your husband shouldn't set up one together, either one each and each work for yourself or only one and the other is a dependent healthcare wise.

It is something perhaps worth looking into.