Clair Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 From January 1st, franchises médicales will be payable by patients.A non-refundable excess will apply to prescribed medication (€0.50 per box), paramedical acts (€0.50 per act) and medical transport (€2 per journey).The annual maximum cost is capped at €50 per person. Children under the age of 16 and pregnant women will be exempted from paying the excess, as those who benefit from the CMU because of low income.Emergency transport and medical acts or medication given during a hospital stay are also exempt.The money saved has been earmarked for research on cancer and Alzheimer's disease and palliative care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Merry Christmas Clair.What about those benefitting from 100% by being on the serious illness list, diabetics for instance ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 From what I have read so far, there is no exemption for ALD sufferers.As things stand, medication and medical acts related to ALDs are already listed seperately on prescriptions and therefore, are already exempt from charges. In effect, these will remain exempt, but each unrelated medication and medical act will be subject to a franchise médicale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 That's what I meant Clair and so no change to that side of things then.Mind you, even €50 PA isn't exactly life or death money, and when you consider the prescription charge in UK, what is it now £6.85 per item, an absolute bargain [8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 [quote user="ErnieY"]Mind you, even €50 PA isn't exactly life or death money, and when you consider the prescription charge in UK, what is it now £6.85 per item, an absolute bargain [8-|][/quote]Is this the thin end of the wedge?As I remember it, UK prescription charges started off as "perprescription", then moved on to "per item" after several increases... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 And here's me thinking all medical care here is free :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Of course it is Tony!It's been in all the papers and even on the BBC so it must be true. [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzer Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Thankfully the money raised will be for good causes.However for those of us who will be paying cash for our prescriptions how will they be able to cap at €50! And back in Wales, prescriptions are free.. Although there are those in Wales who think "free" should be means tested and this would enable morte cancer and altzeimers treatments to be more available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwyncelyn Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 No prescription charges in Wales! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Thanks to English generosity[6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 [quote user="woolybanana"]Thanks to English generosity[6][/quote]And not much in the way of charges for Health care in France for retired British people either thanks to the same English generosity (E121) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 [quote user="woolybanana"]Thanks to English generosity[6][/quote]Isn't it a Welsh assembly decision on how they spend their money, in much the same way as the Scots decide about charges (or not) for University education and personal care for the elderly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwyncelyn Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I take your point but an example is say Sedbury just across the border from Chepstow. Residents there registered with a Wales based practice and have their prescriptions in Chepstow of course where the cost is nil as against say going to Lydney where they have to pay.As to the English assistance I suppose that also applies to free prescriptions in Scotland and no top up fees for Students in Scotland as well. Now I must have words with our good friends who run the water system in the Elan Valley and see if we can get a good rate for all the water that pours into Birmingham.But of course many utilities in the UK are owned by EDF I wonder how many in France are owned say by Severn Trent. Still off the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Frankly I think that the English could do with an assembly of their own, too, but I think its pretty unlikely to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 [quote user="groslard"]And not much in the way of charges for Health care in France for retired British people either thanks to the same English generosity (E121)[/quote]Yes but the NHS doesn't have to look after them in the UK does it. France doesn't have to contribute anything for French retirees resident in the UK. Don't forget that the current crop of E121 holders paid for your education and a lot more besides, laddie [:)].Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 No but the principle of the NHS is that it covers residents.Clearly people who are living in France are not residents.So the UK has no reponsibility for them: they have chosen to live elsewhere.It is just a generous gesture to give E106s and E121s.It is quite possible that a future government might decide to end this.As for the question of French retirees:Have you any idea how many French people retire to the UK, as opposed to the opposite?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnOther Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 You raise a valid and crucial point groslard.The E form system is a concession and could be withdrawn at any time.Such an act would make the current round of problems for pre retirement age "inactifs" be like comparing a minor pimple to a massive flesh eating ulcer and could effectively make emigration from the UK for this group nigh on impossible except for the super wealthy.Paradoxically it's for that very reason that I think it's highly unlikely to happen.I don't know the exact numbers but I would imagine that the costs involved in supporting the E form system to be broadly on a par with the cost of treating tens of thousands of sick expats suddenly turning up in back UK to further stretch an already overburdened NHS so as long as there is no compelling financial advantage to do so then there is no incentive for a government of any flavour to persue such a provocative and vindictive policy.Beyond the € I sometimes wonder exactly what the EU states do actually have in common, and the UK is even excluded from that [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 [quote user="Russethouse"][quote user="woolybanana"]Thanks to English generosity[6][/quote]Isn't it a Welsh assembly decision on how they spend their money, [/quote] ...which is allocated by Westminster as the Welsh Assembly - unlike the Scottish Parliament - doesn't yet have power to raise taxes .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 You have your finger on the pulse ErnieYI wasn't quite accurate when I talked about withdrawing the E121..it may be applicable elsewhere in EuropeWhat I was thinking about is granting it free to UK pensioners, who therefore get the large part of their health care free, as opposed to French people who continue to pay 8% social security charges after retirement.So I was more thinking on the lines that a Future UK government might ask British retired people abroad to pay NI contributions to off set this concession Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groslard Posted January 7, 2008 Share Posted January 7, 2008 [quote user="Clair"]From what I have read so far, there is no exemption for ALD sufferers.As things stand, medication and medical acts related to ALDs are already listed seperately on prescriptions and therefore, are already exempt from charges. In effect, these will remain exempt, but each unrelated medication and medical act will be subject to a franchise médicale.[/quote]I'm not sure that this is right.I think that the franchise médicale is applied both to ALD related and none related medication and medical acts.The difference is that the ALDs are paid at 100% minus the franchise, but the others are only paid at the normal level, again minus the franchise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted January 7, 2008 Author Share Posted January 7, 2008 Groslard,Thank you for the clarification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 The franchises médicales charge is dependant on the type of drug that is prescribed by your doctor. Some are 0.50 Euros and some are 2 Euros and 1.50 Euros and so on. My last prescription was charged a total of 9 Euros. Since this charge is not recoverable from the mutuelle contract I am now beginning to wonder why I have one. There seems to be so many things that mutuelles no longer reimburse. Likely this is a method of cutting their costs. However I am getting close to cancelling my contract and taking the risk myself as I always did up to 2 years ago. Their charges are increasing annually and payments cut back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 [quote user="Logan"] Since this charge is not recoverable from the mutuelle contract I am now beginning to wonder why I have one. There seems to be so many things that mutuelles no longer reimburse. Likely this is a method of cutting their costs. However I am getting close to cancelling my contract and taking the risk myself as I always did up to 2 years ago. Their charges are increasing annually and payments cut back.[/quote]I get quite annoyed with the insistence that you "must" have a top up, they do not make it clear that you could decide to pay the extra yourself. As someone who has had to pay privately in the UK for dental treatment for many years (try and find an NHS dentist and you will know why) and who gets £30 contribution from our "beloved" NHS for what is described as complex lenses for specs which cost £500, you can see I don't quite subscribe to the top up idea. We have decided to manage without, and so far, so good. As in the UK the only thing I get free are my visits to the GP (and a recent Xray at the hospital), and hubby hasn't needed to see the doctor for as long as I can remember.By the way, those who get E forms, only get them if they are entitled to them, ie have paid enough contributions into the system for enough years. It is not a free perk - we''ve all worked hard and long for the privilege of having one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 I have now completed a spread sheet including my payments over 2 years to the Mutuelle and my claims. I find I am contributing to the profits of my particular company by some 80% of my payments. Now you may ask; insurance is there 'just in case you have to have an operation'. However that has already happened and the state paid the lot! (17000 euros) Why? The Mutuelle claims to the state (CMU) that a particular condition is life threatening so they should not pick up their part of the bill. I cannot imagine many operations that are not.So I am left with the question why on earth should I pay upwards of 150 euros per month. I agree accidents might happen where 'life threatening' may not apply. (Broken arm or leg for instance). However the cash you save over a period without said Mutuelle will more than compensate. In other words your risk not theirs.Mutuelles seem to me to be a poor investment and a form of taxation you can legally avoid. I am suprised that this has not been debated before on the forum. Am I missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 LoganWe always reckoned that you would have to have a lot of treatment before the top up insurance would pay for itself. You've just proved our point. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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