System changing?

[VandA]

My wife is panicking a little as she has heard some rumours about a change in the way the system reimburses healthcare costs.

She has heard that the system of reimbursment by sending off the feuille de soins to the CPAM (we have a french SS number and a UK E106) is going to change and that you have to be registered with a specific doctor who will have to sign claims.  Has anyone heard anything along those lines?

 

 

[BJSLIV]

The law was changed so that from 1st July everyone was supposed to have selected and registered with a chosen GP. The idea being to reduce unecessary visits to  a selection of doctors.

However by last week only a third of the French people had returned the registration form, and the government hadn't sorted out exactly how it was going to work with the mutuelles / insurance companies, so they may have to delay the introduction...........

Its so unlike the normally  efficient system which implemented  swimming pool laws, fosse septique laws etc etc painlessly and with absolutely no confusion whatsoever.

 

[Val_2]

Everyone in the french system with current Carte Vitales etc has been sent or will be receiving about now, forms for each covered person to be filled in and then taken to your local doctor to sign and send off back to your Caisse/Mutuelle etc. Ours only came at the beginning of May but friends locally received theirs back in February so there is no rhyme or reason. You will still be allowed to choose a doctor but in theory you should stick with the one you have chosen. July 1st was the date given in which to have the forms returned.

[VandA]

Thanks for the quick response - still confused though!

We don't have Carte Vitales as I am paying in the UK system and we are covered by an E106 in France.  I do have a French SS number though?  So we have received no 'forms' to fill in /return.  How would be get them?  Do they get returned to the CPAM?  We have no mutuelle at the moment either...

How is this going to change the system in practice?  Do we still get the feuille de soins?  What happens when you have to go to a specialist - no change?

Thanks again!

 

[VandA]

I found this on the internet with most of the info:

http://www.sante.gouv.fr/assurance_maladie/index.htm

 

What it doesn't seem to mention is where to get the form to take to your doctor - any ideas?  I also note that it doesn't apply to the under 16s.  Phew -as it is the kids or spend so long at the docs!

[Teamedup]

The forms to register with a GP can be obtained from your local CPAM office ie where you went in to sort all this out. The doctor fills these forms in and as we still haven't done ours, then I don't know whether the toubib sends them in or we do.

Re signing the claims, well the doctor etc always had to sign the claims we sent in.

If we have a carte vitale then when the doctor swipes our card, it is the equivilant of signing a claim.

[Deby]

Nobody has sent me/us one.  We have a Carte Vitale - for some years!

Guess I will have to send them a letter.

Deby

[Val_2]

TU. Our local Centre Medicale sent the forms off for us along with hundreds of others at the same time I shouldn't wonder. If you are concerned,just ring and ask if they have gone. There are so many different Caisses too, not just the ordinary CPAM in town - ours is a professonal one which also deals with the mutuelle side too. In total we had 6 forms for 4 people because both my daughter and I work as well part time.

[suein56]

Hi

I think this is the link that I found the other day to download the forms from Ameli for a friend

http://www.ameli.fr/formulaire/S3704.pdf

if that is not the one - then it is thereabouts on the Ameli site.

Sue

edit - it can take a while to appear if you are on dial-up as it is a pdf file

[Graham & Brenda]

Here in Charente the forms were sent out alphabetically. You take it to the doctor, he signs his bit you sign yours and then you send it to CPAM. Next time they send you a statement they confirm that they've registered your form.

Graham

[Briank]

We went into CPAM in the week because my husband hadn't received his form for registering with a doctor. the lady filled in a form for him. I asked her about taking to the doctor to sign and she said to take it in the next time we are ill. We rarely visit a doctor and I was under the impression that the forms had to be signed before July 1st but she said no. What do other people think?

Jan & Brian (86)

[Clair]

You will find your answers on this page: http://ameli.fr

"Ours only came at the beginning of May but friends locally received theirs back in February so there is no rhyme or reason."

The forms are being sent alphabetically all over France. However you do not have to wait for it to come through the post and you can download a copy from the page linked above: (click on  le formulaire de déclaration du médecin traitant)

I found this on the internet with most of the info:http://www.sante.gouv.fr/assurance_maladie/index.htm. What it doesn't seem to mention is where to get the form to take to your doctor - any ideas?

See above link.

The doctor fills these forms in and as we still haven't done ours, then I don't know whether the toubib sends them in or we do.

You return the form to your CPAM. The details are enclosed with the form and with the file at the link marked above.

Nobody has sent me/us one. Guess I will have to send them a letter.

See above.

We rarely visit a doctor and I was under the impression that the forms had to be signed before July 1st but she said no. What do other people think?

You do not have to make a special visit to your doctor before 1st July. Just take the form to him on your next visit... However, you can also visit your surgery and get the form signed without having to pay for a visit.

Clair

[Ron Avery]

[quote]Thanks for the quick response - still confused though! We don't have Carte Vitales as I am paying in the UK system and we are covered by an E106 in France. I do have a French SS number though? So ...[/quote]

Vanessa

You need to look at the FAQ HEALTH section above, where your concerns about an E 106 appear to be answered.  As far as I know, you can only be covered  by an E 106 and be  paying into the UK system, if you are still working for a UK company and living in France.  If you have "retired" you should not be paying into the UK system unless you intend to go back to the UK

How and from whom did you get an E 106 in the first place seems to be the clue to all this.

If you have a SS number, you are on the French health system and should in theory have had a carte vitale, although in some regions this appears not to be automatic, but if you have a SS number you should have been sent a form to register a with a GP, they were sent out in alphabetical order it would appear.

I think you need to get onto Newcastle ASAP and then a visit to your local CPAM to get your forms.

[Will]

It seems to be quite normal practice that if you are working in France but still paying into the UK system, with an E form, you are not issued with a carte vitale although you will have a French social security number. That's not a problem, you just reclaim the standard percentage of your medical costs from the caisse medicale with which you are registered in France. In most cases that is your regional CPAM but it can be a totally different organisation altogether. If you are registered with a caisse, you should have had a form sent to you automatically by now, but as many people have said, you can download the form, and when your doctor has countersigned it, send it to your caisse.

If you don't need to see your doctor before 1 July that's not a problem either, just make sure the doctor signs it when you next see him/her. As long as your caisse has the form before you next claim for medical costs you will be reimbursed as at present, otherwise you will probably get a reduced amount.

 

[VandA]

Thanks everyone for the replies - I think I understand now...  We have a French SS number but no Carte Vitale so maybe we'll get sent the forms last.  I'll download the form from that link and use that if not.  I also understand that we don't have to make a special visit - just take it in next time we go.

We have the E106 because husband works in the UK whilst living in France...