timescales on transferring to French health system?

[freddy]

Hi

Can someone who has transferred to french system on the S1 (or E106 or

whatever it was before) help me out on a bit of the mechanism.

I have the relevant form from Newcastle that I can hand in in France

that entititles me to cover. My understanding is that once you have

filled in the forms and handed them is, there is a period of time until

the carte vitale turns up. (How long is this in peoples experience?)

My question is this:

What happens if I needed medical treatment during this period. Do they

give you a temporary card or letter straight away or am I covered by my

E111 until the carte vitale turns up or something else?

The reason I ask is that I want to move to France now but the NHS is

trying to figure out something and keeps saying they need to do another

test in 6 weeks time - so this is stuff that does need to be done but is

not life threatening or an emergency- but is threatening to drag on for

months. So my ideal answer is to move over and deal with it over there

but I am concerned about a potential gap in cover, as sods law dictates

that if there is a gap something urgent will need doing!

[Sunday Driver]

Once you have handed in the forms, your registration is processed and you are issued with an attestation containing your new French social security number and confirmation of your health insurance cover.  You will be sent an application form for the carte vital which you complete and send back together with photos.  The carte will be sent out to you in the post in due course.

You can produce your attestation as proof of cover until such time as you receive your carte vital.

 

[Patf]

In my experience it can take a few weeks until you get the attestation. Especially if it's July or August.

If you have to have any treatment etc in the meanwhile they will give you a claim form. You might have to pay upfront, then hopefully when you have your Soc. Sec. number you send the form in and will be reimbursed.

But it won't  be reimbursed 100% unless

a) your new french doctor has written to say you have a medical condition which warrants this (ALD)   or

b) you have a  "top up" insurance policy To cover the difference between the usual 60 to70% cover and the total cost.

If your tests etc are expensive or urgent it might be simpler to have them done in the UK before you come to France

[Benjamin]

Another point to bear in m ind is that the French medical "team" who deal with you wll most likely wish to begin your diagnosis from scratch rather than accepting what you tell them.

The upside is that tests are likely to be completed much quicker in France.

[AnOther]

That's a very good point, no doctor or medical professional worthy of the title is going to blindly follow or continue what someone else, and in a different country to boot, has started. Our new French doctor was apalled at the diabetes regime my OH was on started again from scratch, much to her benefit I should add. French medicine is very proactive as opposed to the NHS which is mainly reactive - big difference !

I agree that if you are in the middle of something in UK it would be best to see it through there - or be prepared to start all over again in France.

Time to receive a Carte Vitale can vary from weeks to years BTW, but it's of no real consequence once you have the attestation.

I stand to be corrected here but I think the fact that you have actually got your E106 may mean that technically you are not entitled to NHS care anymore even though you may not have left yet. On the E106 application you state the date you expect to be leaving the UK and that is a cutover point. That said even if it is so it's unlikely anybody would pick up on it.

[Chrissie]

You are likely to receive your Carte Vitale quicker if you were BORN in Europe.  If you are British, but happened to be born somewhere like Egypt or Japan, it is likely to take longer.  That said, the paper attestation will cover you as soon as you get it and the only problem is the relatively inconsequential one of having to pay many things in advance and then keep taking the forms in to get a refund.

Chrissie (81)

[freddy]

[quote user="AnOther"]

I stand to be corrected here but I think the fact that you have actually got your E106 may mean that technically you are not entitled to NHS care anymore even though you may not have left yet. On the E106 application you state the date you expect to be leaving the UK and that is a cutover point. That said even if it is so it's unlikely anybody would pick up on it.

[/quote]

Many thanks for all the replies that makes me feel much better about this. For other peoples information I did check the point above with the E106 people in Newcastle (now the S1 team) and once you have the form your withdrawal from the NHS only happens once they receive the paperwork from the french side so that at least is not a problem!

[tinabee]

You also need to specify a "medecin traitant" by completing the appropriate form in order for the maximum reimbursement to be applied.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="freddy"]

Many thanks for all the replies that makes me feel much better about this.

[/quote]

Steady freddy, we've only juat started on this topic.

Your opening post mentions E111. This hasn't existed for a number of years now. If you still have a paper version you need to change it for a UK issued European Health Insurance Card commonly referred to as an EHIC.  After you become French resident this will cover you for travel outside of France. In theory this should also incude the UK but I don't think anyone on this forum has tested this yet and it would probably cause mayhem and confusion if you tried to use it.

You will also, when joining the French system need to take along paperwork proving who you are. This may vary from Department to Department but at a minimum expect to be asked for a passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate if applicable, proof of your French address (utility bill) and basically anything else that can prove who you are and where you live.

Someone else will be along shortly if I've missed anything.

[Judith]

[quote user="Benjamin"][quote user="freddy"]

Many thanks for all the replies that makes me feel much better about this.

[/quote]

Your opening post mentions E111.

[/quote]

In my reading of it he quotes an E106 or S1 - not an E111. 

[Sunday Driver]

[quote user="Judith"][quote user="Benjamin"][quote user="freddy"]
Many thanks for all the replies that makes me feel much better about this.
[/quote]


Your opening post mentions E111.

[/quote]
In my reading of it he quotes an E106 or S1 - not an E111. 
[/quote]

[quote user="freddy originally"]

My question is this:

What happens if I needed medical treatment during this period. Do they give you a temporary card or letter straight away or am I covered by my E111 until the carte vitale turns up or something else?

[/quote]

 

 

[Rabbie]

[quote user="Judith"][quote user="Benjamin"][quote user="freddy"]
Many thanks for all the replies that makes me feel much better about this.
[/quote]


Your opening post mentions E111.

[/quote]
In my reading of it he quotes an E106 or S1 - not an E111. 
[/quote]But later in the post he does refer to an E111

[freddy]

Sorry about that - I do have the EHIC card I'm just used to referring to it as an E111 from the olden days.