Actually GETTING a Carte Vitale

[Nicky France]

Please can somebody help us...

My partner and I have been resident in France since the beginning of the year.  I have been working for a UK company until now (basic health insurance included) and my partner is Dutch and has had health insurance cover from there until recently.  Our problem is that, although we applied for a Carte Vitale several months ago, the French authorities keep saying that it is being processed but we have still not yet received it.  This means that neither of us have any health insurance cover now and we are pretty worried about it.  I know that french bureaucracy is legendary but is there a way to get through to these people that we need the Carte Vitale NOW so that we can sort out our insurance!  Any hints, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Nicky.

[Ormx]

Hi Nicki,

We've been here over a year and OH works in French company (and is French) and we still haven't received it either

However, we are covered. We just have to pay doctor up front and send form back to CPAM for reimbursement. Perhaps this will work for you too? Could you check with CPAM if this is possible for you - easiest way is probably just to send the form on to them and see how they process it?

Hope this helps

[Teamedup]

To have or to have not the carte vitale is unimportant.  What you should have is an attestion from your Caisse de Maladie saying that you are entitled to health cover. Once you have this, as Ormx said you just pay up and send the forms in.

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Please can somebody help us... My partner and I have been resident in France since the beginning of the year. I have been working for a UK company until now (basic health insurance included) and my ...[/quote]

"Any hints, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated."

Nicky  How are you communicating with the health people? Have you visited their office and spoken to them?

Have you had the attestation yet?  At least with that you can get a mutuel set up and make sure of getting your health costs back.  Is it possible to go to the Office and ask what is happening?  At least you will be told to your face what the problem is, they do not normally take months to issue the attestation and cards.  It could be that they are waiting for info from you, your partner or your company and you could chase that up,  The problem could also be that you have a partner and not a husband  

[Will]

If you have been living in France, working for UK and Dutch companies, and everything is set up properly and legally, you will most likely have been classed as 'assurés migrants' and as such you will not have cartes vitales issued to you (as you are not regarded as permanent residents). You still have access to the French health system, but you will, as previously indicated, have to pay for health care then seek reimbursement.

Do you have French social security numbers, or is your health cover done privately? Either way, do as suggested and go and see your local CPAM as a first step to getting properly in the system. As TU says, it is no big deal not having a carte vitale as long as you have a social security number - that's the important thing that will let you reclaim costs and set up a top-up insurance.

[Nicky France]

We were under the impression that the social security number comes with the carte vitale??  We went to the CPAM on Friday and he said he would ring us on Monday. I said that if he doesn't I will visit him every day until it is sorted out! Do they also issue the social security number then?  We currently have no health insurance that we are aware of so I am not sure if the CPAM would re-imburse any charges.  Also, while we are on the subject, the job-agencies told my husband (oops, called him "partner" in original message!) that he has to have a carte vitale before he can register with them...did they mean social security number?  Also...what is the "attestation" mentioned previously? The man at CPAM mentioned it several times and, whilst my french is reasonable, I was a bit baffled!!

Thanks, Nicky.

[Will]

The attestation is, quite simply, a letter from CPAM acknowledging that you are in the French system. The letter will contain a social security number (it may be a temporary number, but don't worry, that works just as well). When accepted into the French system you may then get a carte vitale, which takes several weeks to produce. It's not essential, despite what anybody may tell you - it merely automates and/or speeds up the procedure by which you pay and get refunded for treatment, medicines etc. When I was an assuré migrant I never had a carte vitale but that was never a problem, I always got reimbursed by sending off the feuilles de soins that I got from the doctor, pharmacy etc.

You need the social security number before you can get reimbursement, you can still do that without a carte vitale, as described previously.

I don't know where you are in France; here in dept 50 the local CPAM has a helpline, I think most do, so you don't have to go there every day. Our CPAM even has a separate English-speaking helpline.