C P A M - Carte Verte.

[Lautrec]

We have been in France for over a year and registered with the C P A M, Although we have the Attestation we have waited in vain for the Green Card. After many enquiries, we have been told by mail, that the Green Card is no longer being issued to immigrants. (I thought we were all EU citizens!)

This leads to complications when we go to the Pharmacies for our prescriptions and have to pay at the time and then send the receipts to the C P A M for reimbursement. Has any one else had this problem lately and found a way to solve the problem and managed to get this important document?

[Teamedup]

Now you have frightened me. I am not an EU citizen am I. I am a citizen of an EU member state...... I hope! and that is all.

Have you had your attestation from the CPAM? if so that is at least as important as a carte vitale.

I had to fork out 982 euros recently. We may have our cards but not everyone takes them and one pays up and gets reimbursed later. At least they reimburse quickly these days, so it isn't really that much bother. And don't forget to keep photocopies of any forms you send in.

 

[Iceni]

Lautrec - when I registered my E106 with CPAM in June 03 I received a paper attestation. Subsequently asked "where is my green card ?" and informed that they are not issued until you contribute to French system.

When Di registered her business and paid her dues, green cards were issued to both of us.

As TU says some places accept green cards + mutuelle card and no cash changes hands, some don't and you have to play some version of the pay out/reimbursement game. BTW the local hospital accepted Di's attestation and she only had to pay 30% balance.

Just remenber, France is only consistent in its inconsistency.

John

not

[Hereford]

Certainly cartes de sejour are not being issued to other EU country members any more, but we cannot believe that cartes vitales are not.  Are you sure you have been asking people about a "carte vitale" (it is not called a carte verte/green card). The card is in fact green but that is not its name.

H.

[Catalpa]

This must be an example of every department doing things differently. In Manche (50) we got our carte vitales in November (stupidly we applied during August ) - attestation arrived in October followed by CV. CPAM Manche now has an English-speaking helpline. If you're not in Manche, you could still call and see what they say about issuing CVs to immigrants.

CPAM Manche French Health Insurance Advice Hot-Line (English)

Tel: 0820 904 212 Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00

[Hegs]

I have a carte vitale, we went to get my wife her own one last June (yes, I know it is not necessary, yes I know the attestation works). We went to the head office of our department, to cut a long story short they told us they are having massive delays at the head office (Nimes? Rheims? can't remember) and 6-9 month delays are not unexpected.

[Tourangelle]

It is true, having the attestation is loads more important than having the card.  In fact, until about two years ago I think most people paid in the pharmacy and then sent off the form.  You could get tiers payant, but it was only for a specific pharmacy that you chose. Dentists aren't wired up to the system and neither is my gynacologist.  Anyway, I waited 6 months for my carte vitale and then they sent me two!!!!

[opas]

Iceni is correct as far as we are concerned. We do not have a CV even though we have been here over 18 months, one has to contribute to the system (following their (CPAM) formula, which they will give you if you ask) it apparently goes off how many hours in a 3 month period you work. Mrs o

[Lautrec]

Many thanks for all your helpful replies; they were very illuminating. But regarding our working to get into the system, this will not be possible as my wife and I are both ancient Brits and our working days are over.

Although we can get prescriptions, our local village Pharmacist; a dear man, said to ma femme, (in your actual French!) "Not having the carte vitale does give me a lot of extra work in the processing, but as it is you dear Madame,(with a wink) I will do it!"

Anyway, I will try phoning the telephone number that was suggested and see if we can move forward on this.  Once again thank you!

 

 

[Ron Avery]

[quote]It is true, having the attestation is loads more important than having the card. In fact, until about two years ago I think most people paid in the pharmacy and then sent off the form. You could get...[/quote]

You don't have to work to get in the system, if that was the case there would be 100's of us without medical cover.  All the UK migrants I know ( mostly retired) have a "Carte Vitale" and they are certainly still issuing them on receipt of an E 106.

 Carte de Sejours are also still issued if you want one.

TQ said "It is true, having the attestation is loads more important than having the card"

Of course you cannot get a card without an attestation, but surely the whole point of the automated CV system is having the card, so that you can just hand it over to the Doctor, Dentist  or chemist ( all are wired up here) and get your money back quickly, straight into your bank.  If all you have is the attestation you will have to keep running backwards and forwards to CPAM, which in my case is  40 mile round trip. 

The only people who are not on the CV system here are the Nurses whom come to the house in the small hours (well 07-00) to do blood tests and the consequent lab payments, but fortunately these are rare visits and events.

[Teamedup]

I'm sorry Ron Avery I don't understand what you mean about the running to the CPAM office.

In the normal course of things, and one has not got a carte vitale, or can't use it, one just simply fills in the brown or green or whatever colour form it is and sends it off to one's CPAM office. There is no need to send a copy of the attestation.

The only thing one has to be careful with is the form that is sent for prescription medication. The little stickers that are on reimbursable prescriptions must be stuck onto the form, prefereably in the order that they appear on the form. Sometimes they do this in the pharmacy, sometimes not. Also I always enclosed a copy of the prescription too, although for repeats this is not always necessary.

If a representive from one's CPAM office visits one's local Centre Sociale or Mairie, then the forms can be handed into them instead of sending them.

Ofcourse it is very nice with the carte vitale, but it usually doesn't take that much longer for the reimbursements to be made when one posts them. And has had been said not everyone takes a carte vitale anyway. My payments in November came through very quickly, everything including the mutualist was reimbursed by the 8th December.

Re the attestation. That is the most important thing. As long as you have an attestation you are covered by the CPAM. When it boils down to it, the carte vitale is quite unimportant. ie,  If you need to go into hospital, the attestation is quite sufficient for them to sort out your tiers payante, better still if they have the attestation from the mutualist too.

[Lautrec]

Lautrec update.

Went to see the local CPAM rep today asked asked about the Carte Vitale. He told us to to come back and see him again and bring our Birth Certificates, He said that with these documents, he would press on our behalf to get this form issued to us.

We shall do this next week and see what transpires. We live in hope!

[Teamedup]

Lautrec, have you got an attestation from the CPAM, the carte vitale is just that a card, and not a form.

[Gyn_Paul]

Ron,

you could always put the paperwork in the post to the CPAM, saving you the 40 mile round trip for the cost of a Marianne.

paul 

[Ron Avery]

"You could always put the paperwork in the post to the CPAM, saving you the 40 mile round trip for the cost of a Marianne"

Thanks Paul, Yes but it is 42 miles to the nearest La Poste

I could also pop it in when I walk past CPAM twice a week, the point I was trying to get across is that if you have an attestation you should ask for the carte vitale, it just so much easier.  In fact the Aveyron CPAM people are running a campaign to get people to use the carte rather than gum up the system with paper.

[Teamedup]

Ron Avery, as long as you have stamps then you can give any letters to post to your postie. And surely your nearest post box is not 42 miles away. They are dotted all over the place and most supermarkets have a post box.

And I had that wrong, between the middle and end of November I had over 1700 euros worth of forms to go in, not everywhere as I have said, take the carte vitale.

 

[Ron Avery]

TU If you had read the post carefully you would have noticed a) a smiley :and b) that I pass CPAM twice a week

The 42 miles was a joke, as I said our Department 12 is going to a lot of trouble to reduce admin costs by encouraging people to get AND use the Carte Vitale at every opportunity.

Oh by the way how are you going to get your bills to CPAM in now La poste est en greve????