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french health system while travelling


Macsusa
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  I know that some countries' healthplans allow 70% while travelling if emergency care is required while away. 

If you are resident in France, over 65, go on a trip for a number of months, does the french health system pay anything towards emergency health care whilst you are away?  Or are you relying solely on purchased travel insurance?

Also, is the age 60 years for women for free healthcare as a French resident?

Thanks in advance for any enlightenment.

macsusa

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It depends where you are travelling to.  Just as with the UK an E111 (obtainable from your CPAM) will cover you for travel within the EU (and possibly Switzerland?) - but the cover will reflect the situation in the country which you visit - so in the UK for instance it will be free if you carry an E111.  Outside the EU you need travel insurance.  However, I would say that you should have travel insurance also as it covers you for losses/thefts/cancelled trips etc.

The health cover you receive does not alter when you reach the age of 60 (ie it is still 70% for most things) but it will be paid for by the UK if you are entitled to cover from there.  You should contact the centre for non-residents in the UK.

SD will soon put me right if I have the details wrong but this is the way I have been led to believe that it works.

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I believe the E111 is now defunct - there's a new European Union health card, looks like a pale green credit card and is valid for a year.  Ask for it (free) from the CPAM as Coops suggests at least a fortnight before you leave.  Each person needs their own.

Have a look here.

You may want to do as Coops says and also get proper travel insurance, though.

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Soz,

Are you saying there is a NEW new card ? If so, is our lightish purple bluey coloured one the old new card ?

I haven't seen a new green one, the one we have now, is from off the net.

The current card we have is valid until 25th October 2007.

I have read a lot about the NEW card to come, that will serve for us in France, as well as in Europe and will finally replace the carte vitale as we know it now, it isn't that one though, is it ?

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I'm confused now; ours are light green I think (sorry, we're a bit colour blind but they're definitely not blue or purple), possibly grey. Mine's valid until Feb 2009, husband's until Dec 2010. (He says they did them alphabetically but that's just a guess.) Are we all talking about the same thing?

Just thought, ours were issued in the UK.

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Yes Kathy , I think you will.

You are now inscribed in to the French health system. You can either go down to your local CPAM and order them, or order them online from their website.It is simple and takes anything between 7-14 days to come through the post, well ours have done, before anyone posts to claim the record time [:)]

As TU states, French ones last one year only. Other EU countries vary in times of validity.

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I have just renewed mine - at least I tried to.  However I didn't get a new card, but a paper attestation that went something like this.

Here is a  bit of paper that will do instead of the card because we are to busy to send a card right now.  No it doesn't take as long to send these 2 attestations and a letter as it would to send a new card and anyway this bit of paper will do OK because it is not like you will be going anywhere because it is nowhere near August and who in their right minds goes anywhere on holiday except in August and you'll get the new card before that.  What do you mean you've had 2 previous renewals in January, you can't have done, well yes I agree your current card runs out in January but that must have been an oversight on our part and we're busy after the fetes and we may be going to go on strike and anyway I've just sent you a second letter to tell you the card will be with you quite soon and no of course it doesn't take longer to send 2 attestations and 2 letters than it would to send one card.[:D]

Anyway my attestation is very nice and I will go away chastened and write lines "I must not take holidays at inappropriate times".[8-)]

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But just think, you are keeping three bureaucrats in their jobs, whereas if you only had a card a single civil servant could deal with it. And we all know just how long it takes to make a card in France - they are of the highest quality, after all, whereas the British EHIC is just a piece of plastic thrown together with writing on it (I know it doesn't look any different, but you have to know what you are looking for to appreciate the workmanship). Moreover, the French cards are so lovely that we arrrange things so that you get the incredible benefits of having a new one every year, while the cheapskate British manage to drag theirs out for several years.

Don't worry, you have not inconvenienced them in the least by applying in January. I got mine in June and had a similar mountain of paperwork (in fact more, because my caisse only started issuing the cards then, and when I applied earlier I got the benefit of an E111 which was a real privilege as they had been superseded in the rest of Europe).

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Dick - of course, I have just looked at my old card and realised it is of the highest quality plastic.  Foolish that I could have expected it to be renewed straight away.  I will naturally donate it to a museum of art when the new finally puts in appearance.  Maybe I should also have the attestation framed (a little difficult for the handbag) as it too is on high quality paper.[;-)]
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[quote user="Cerise"]

I have just renewed mine - at least I tried to.  However I didn't get a new card, but a paper attestation that went something like this.

Here is a  bit of paper that will do instead of the card because we are to busy to send a card right now.  No it doesn't take as long to send these 2 attestations and a letter as it would to send a new card and anyway this bit of paper will do OK because it is not like you will be going anywhere because it is nowhere near August and who in their right minds goes anywhere on holiday except in August and you'll get the new card before that.  What do you mean you've had 2 previous renewals in January, you can't have done, well yes I agree your current card runs out in January but that must have been an oversight on our part and we're busy after the fetes and we may be going to go on strike and anyway I've just sent you a second letter to tell you the card will be with you quite soon and no of course it doesn't take longer to send 2 attestations and 2 letters than it would to send one card.[:D]

Anyway my attestation is very nice and I will go away chastened and write lines "I must not take holidays at inappropriate times".[8-)]

[/quote]

That is very funny.................................................[:D][:D]

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[quote user="KathyC"]

I'm confused now; ours are light green I think (sorry, we're a bit colour blind but they're definitely not blue or purple), possibly grey. Mine's valid until Feb 2009, husband's until Dec 2010. (He says they did them alphabetically but that's just a guess.) Are we all talking about the same thing?

Just thought, ours were issued in the UK.

[/quote]

My carte vitale is green.  The European card we got from DWP in the UK was two tones of blue as, it appears, is Miki's which I guess he got here in France. The UK one was valid for 2 years until our E106 cover ran out.  The CPAM site says the ones they issue are valid for one year at a time.

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[quote user="Cerise"]

I have just renewed mine - at least I tried to.  However I didn't get a new card, but a paper attestation that went something like this.

Here is a  bit of paper that will do instead of the card because we are to busy to send a card right now.  No it doesn't take as long to send these 2 attestations and a letter as it would to send a new card and anyway this bit of paper will do OK because it is not like you will be going anywhere because it is nowhere near August and who in their right minds goes anywhere on holiday except in August and you'll get the new card before that.  What do you mean you've had 2 previous renewals in January, you can't have done, well yes I agree your current card runs out in January but that must have been an oversight on our part and we're busy after the fetes and we may be going to go on strike and anyway I've just sent you a second letter to tell you the card will be with you quite soon and no of course it doesn't take longer to send 2 attestations and 2 letters than it would to send one card.

[/quote]

Sounds to me like a standard letter sent out by computer.

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Just to set the record straight, because I have held both CEAM and EHIC in the past few months (too complicated to explain briefly but perfectly legal and official) - Both are the same colours - dark purple-ish blue and blue/grey, with the EC symbol in the top RH corner and the data printed in black on white strips. The reverse of the EHIC is white and a sort of slightly greenish blue, with NHS contact information. I don't still have the French CEAM, but I am sure the back was plain, with only a note to say that it was not a carte vitale, but the rear design no doubt varies according to the caisse that issued it, mine was from Mutuelle de l'Est in Strasbourg. The French one lasted for one year; the British one is valid for ten years from the date of issue.

So much for European harmonisation.

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Would not the UK 10-year card become invalid if you left the UK health system or when your E106 cover expired if it was issued under an E106 (as ours was).

This is a bit small, but here's the EHIC card I was talking about.  Half mid blue, half pale blue (or blue/grey and dark purplish-blue as you prefer!).

[img]http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/76/12/04087612.jpg[/img]

and here's the CEAM

[img]http://www.cleiss.fr/images/ceam.jpg[/img]

Not a huge difference.  Except in terms of duration.

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[quote user="Poppy"]Just been refused health care in Spain because I only had 'the bit of paper' not the nice quality plastic card [:(][/quote]Wonderful (not).  My local CPAM said they are only issuing letters at present so what now?  Will I find the same thing in the UK (easier when one speaks the lingo I know)?

I guess however, that you'll be able to claim any costs you've incurred, back?

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[quote user="cooperlola"]

[quote user="Poppy"]Just been refused health care in Spain because I only had 'the bit of paper' not the nice quality plastic card [:(][/quote]Wonderful (not).  My local CPAM said they are only issuing letters at present so what now?  Will I find the same thing in the UK (easier when one speaks the lingo I know)?

I guess however, that you'll be able to claim any costs you've incurred, back?

[/quote]

Luckily just the cost of Doctors fees and antibiotics Had to go to a private hospital though. Wouldn't have bothered except have a   temperature. If it had been anything more serious would have tried to 'reason' it out a bit more with the Spanish NHS.Think I read something on the CPAM website which said if payment was made because card not available for any reason costs would be reimbursed.

Like you said probably a lot easier to sort out in the UK

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"Just been refused health care in Spain because I only had 'the bit of paper' not the nice quality plastic card"

But you don't live in France do you?  So CPAM did not issue your piece of paper which has been outdated in the UK for a long time, so there really is no excuse for your being in Spain with a piece of paper is there?  What applies for UK citizens in Spain is not the same as that applied to French residents.

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[quote user="Ron Avery"]

"Just been refused health care in Spain because I only had 'the bit of paper' not the nice quality plastic card"

But you don't live in France do you?  So CPAM did not issue your piece of paper which has been outdated in the UK for a long time, so there really is no excuse for your being in Spain with a piece of paper is there?  What applies for UK citizens in Spain is not the same as that applied to French residents.

[/quote]Ron, I assumed that Poppy, like me, applied for the card for European health cover from her local CPAM and was issued with a letter instead - as I was yesterday.  I was told, as I gathered she was, that this would cover me in any country in the European Union.  In fact, I was told, that the cards were not being issued here at the moment - only the letters - and that applied to French National applicants also.
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