Health cover - not entitled to E106

[Emma]

Can anyone offer any advice on our situation.

 

We are moving to the Mayenne region and intend to stay for 12 - 18 months with our 2 children.  I have been told I cannot get an E106 as I have been a stay at home mum for the last 5 years and therefore do not meet the criteria.  My husband works for the offshore industry in West Africa which he will continue to do once we move.  He has continued to pay his national insurance contributions whilst working away but is still not entitled to an E106 either as he doesn't work in the UK. 

 

Are we right in assuming that we will not be covered by the french system at all and will have to get full private healthcare cover?  If we do that, do we still have to register with CPAM?

 

Does anyone know of any good insurers, and are we better to wait and arrange this in France or go out there already prepared.?

 

 

[opas]

I am almost certain that if you speak to Newcastle direct you (as a family) will be entitled to an E form of some description. Being a stay at home mum should not penalise you for medical cover, it wouldn`t in the Uk (as you have home responsibilities cover) .

Someone else is sure to be along in a while to give a clearer answer, but do phone Newcastle and explain your cercumstances.

[Will]

Does your husband pay full UK NI contributions on his salary? - as you say he works in another country he may not, other than a small payment to preserve pension rights. But there are special provisions for offshore workers. If he does pay to UK, then he should be able to get an E109 form to cover you. You will probably not be entitled to your own E106 if your recent UK NI contributions are incomplete, as they would be if you have not been working.

If you cannot get an E form, then you will probably be expected to join the French system in your own right. Or you may have to take out your own private insurance. Whether your husband will have to pay out of his income or whether you will get cover under CMU will depend on many factors, and you really need professional advice. DWP or HMRC CNR in Newcastle, or CPAM in France, should be able to advise you too.

There is an English-speaking CPAM help line in France, 0820 904 212.

Whatever cover you get will be at the same level as a French resident, i.e. a percentage (up to 70%) of costs, so you may need to consider additional insurance.

[Sunday Driver]

In France, you are required to register for and contribute to the state healthcare insurance system - "couverture maladie universelle" (CMU). Holders of form E106 are exempted from payment of these contributions for a period of up to two years.

The entitlement to an E106 is linked to previous UK contributions, so if you have not made any during the past five years, then you may well be refused.  Normally, this is not really an issue with non-working spouses because they can be added to the husband's E106.  However, as you say he is not entitled to one either, then you will indeed fall outside the criteria.

You will need to register with CPAM as normal on arrival in France, but you will have to pay the standard CMU contributions from day one (rather than after expiry of the E106).  The rate is 8% of your taxable income (after allowances) over a 7,000 euro threshold.   You will need to obtain an E106 letter of refusal to give to CPAM and provide them with your French tax reference number so they can calculate your CMU contributions.  However, as you won't have one yet, you'll need to provide them with sufficient evidence of income during the previous/current tax years so they can estimate the amount.

CMU will provide you with cover for around 70% of your healthcare costs, so you'll need to purchase a top-up "complementaire" or "mutuelle" policy to cover the shortfall. If you shop around when you get here, you can get immediate cover.

 

[Emma]

Thanks everyone for your input.  I have spoken to everyone possible at this end, Newcastle, Inland revenue etc.  We are waiting on our letters proving our non entitlement to E106 cover and will then contact CPAM.  Thanks very much for the english speaking helpline number, I will certainly give them a call as our situation is a little complicated. 

 

I spoke to a healthcare insurance broker in the UK who assured me that all we need to do is get private health cover but this seems contrary to advice I have read in threads on this site, very confusing!

 

You mention that we will have to provide them with a french tax reference number, if neither of us is working in France do we still need one, and if so how do we get one?

 

 

 

 

[Sunday Driver]

You only get a tax reference number once you've made your first French tax declaration.  In your case, you won't have one, so you'll need to provide CPAM with sufficient evidence of income during the previous/current tax years so they can estimate the amount of contributions due.

[Emma]

Oh thank you, hopefully that should be easy enough!!!