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EHIC - from 1 may 2010


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OH had a letter this morning to say his EHIC would now be issued from the UK. This letter is from the Pensions department, so I assume this ruling applies to OAP's and E121 holders (but not E121 holders under retirement age). Have looked on UK Direct gov website but that is so out of date it is still giving details on how to apply for an E111 !!!

My question is - what happens to someone like myself who is under retirement age (yes I married an old man [:-))] ) Do I also apply to the UK or do I apply here in France. I am covered here by OH's E121 as a dependant.

Confused as usual.....

Nell

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[quote user="Nell"]

My question is - what happens to someone like myself who is under retirement age (yes I married an old man [:-))] ) Do I also apply to the UK or do I apply here in France. I am covered here by OH's E121 as a dependant.

[/quote]

You are covered under your OH's E121 as a dependent, so you do the same as him and apply to the UK.

 

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I think you'll find it's more to do with UK being the so called 'Competant state' for your health care.

This was always so under an E106 but I believe the change is bringing E121 holders into the same category.

There have been a couple of threads on this previously

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1817268/ShowPost.aspx

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1796663/ShowPost.aspx

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[quote user="Sunday Driver"][quote user="Nell"]

My question is - what happens to someone like myself who is under retirement age (yes I married an old man [:-))] ) Do I also apply to the UK or do I apply here in France. I am covered here by OH's E121 as a dependant.

[/quote]

You are covered under your OH's E121 as a dependent, so you do the same as him and apply to the UK.

 

[/quote]

But the covering letter doesn't actually read like that. The relevant part is "as the member state responsible for payment of your pension" (my bold). The application is very personalised so there's no photocopying and sending off two forms. It quite specifically also states "if you have any dependant children under the age of 16 a separate letter and application form will be issued."

No mention whatsoever covering piggybackers.

Sounds like a a phone call on Monday morning.

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I did see what you point out on the letter Benjamin, but as you say no mention if piggybackers. It also says on the government website that that you can apply for an "EHIC" on-line, but I am sure this only applies to UK residents.

Cannot phone Monday as I need to go to the hospital in Bordeaux, but I will try Tuesday or Wednesday.... If I get any kind of positive reply (I live in hope [Www] ) I will post the outcome.

Our EHIC (the French ones) expire March, so I will also need to re-apply for them to cover March and April. I wonder will the French authorities renew for a year or for just 2 months !! 

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I think a phone call is necesaary to clarify the situation as the E121 is not actually relevant to this issue.  A job for super Deb??

The letter as Benjamin says is specifically addressed to the pensioner and states the EHIC will be issued to you because the UK pays your pension.  I don't get any UK OAP yet and so as far as I see it, I remain covered by my French EHIC although the UK now pays my health costs (I know another health tourist Norman [:P]) it does not pay me a pension which seems the criteria for trhe EHIC split.

Common sense says that a family should be covered by only one provider, but common sense is not a commodity often seen in French or UK  bureacracy.  I hope mine stays French as getting one is so easy through the ameli website [:D]

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This has been explained several times in other thtreads but here goes again.

Competant in this context does not mean the English version of the word - the skills and ability to complete a task - but the French meaning - the responsibility for a task or duty.

So, the UK remains the competant state for those people in  receipt of an E121 and their dependants because they are the country that issued the E121 and France as the host state charges the costs of treatment of E121 holders, whether issued for retirement or disability, back to the UK for the holder and their dependants.  The UK also remains the the competant state for people with other E forms during the life of those E forms, then ceases to be the competant state until the next category kicks in.

So you have an E106 which then expires, the Uk has been your competant state for the life of the form.  Then, if you are inactif, you have no competant state and are therefore a potential drain on the French State and therefore you now need private medical insurance.  The Uk becomes the competant state again when it can issue the claimant with another E form, for example when the person reaches retirement age.

And that is the reason that people who are claiming benefit from the UK are being advised NOT to claim benefits from their new host country, once you do that you cut the tie with the UK and the country in which you now claim benefit is your competant state.  However, if you are a UK citizen, the Uk becomes your competant state again when you hit retirement age.

And as soon as you pay into the French national insurance system because you're working, your UK competant state status is effectively suspended until retirement age.

This is a major issue in the DLA campaign and is something I'm leading on within the campaign.

Simples!

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Tony

That's exactly as I understood the situation to be. Unfortunately that isn't what Mrs Benjamin's letter states (see my earlier posting).

What we're saying here is either that the goalposts have been moved or that the lettter is just plain wrong.

I know which I'm going for but we'll have to wait until Monday morning to find out.

nounours suggested that Debs makes the call but I think she's having Monday to Friday treatment so how about you doing it? If you don't have your copy of the letter the number given is 44 191 218 1999.

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Guys, I received the letter today but let's not get all bent out of shape by this.  Mine also says pension and I'm only 62.  J has the same letter and that says pension also and she is over pensionable age.

My E121 is issued on grounds of disability/health and I've got the pension letter - so it's just another one size fits all letter for a number of different scenarios.

I'll make the phone call on Monday just to confirm all this but it's a waste of money call.

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Mrs 'B' has, like many others, recently received an application form for the new EHIC card.

One question I have tried to find an answer for is what happens with anyone currently 'piggy-backing' on their spouses due to being under retirement age.

Anyone know ?

.

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Sorry SD, I completely missed that post, I've been 'googling' and found nothing pertaining to the particular point I raised.

Total gooblegook on their website 'online form application' as in

(a) you must be resident in the UK to apply

(b) if you move abroad permanently you must return the card

[8-)]

.

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Like many people who posted on this subject, I too have received the same letter asking me to apply for an EHIC. My question is that it categorically states " if you are VISITING ANOTHER MEMBER COUNTRY" you may not get complete cover for healthcare whilst in that other country. As a permanent resident of France for over 2 years (female aged 62) do I actually need to apply for this as I have just applied for (and am currently waiting for) the CEAM card from my local CPAM office.

tuppence

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Tuppence, if you get your healthcare via an E form (which I guess you do via an E121 if you are female?  - one never knows for sure!) then you must now get your EHIC  from the UK.  However, as this doesn't start until May then you will need your French card until then if you are travelling.

As explained above by Tony, ANO, Mr Driver and others, this new measure is simply to get shot of the anomolous situation which meant that one state paid for your healthcare at home (wherever you may live) by dint of an E form, and another for your care whilst abroad, via the CEAM/EHIC.  You now get both from the same source.  Simple.

I wouldn't get too wound up about the poor wording or explanations in letters/websites etc at this stage - the principal, at least, is a pretty straigtforward one. 

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 I think that as the UK will from the 1st of May, be the country responsible for your EHIC, even though you are French resident, you should apply for it. It's possible that CPAM may cancel your current CEAM card, who knows?

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[quote user="Bugbear"]I wonder if this also means the end of the need for top-up insurance.

Somehow I think I may know the answer. [:(]
.
[/quote]I don't think anybody is suggesting that a person moving between member states can ever be treated better than a national of their new state of domicile, whomsoever pays. 
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[quote user="Bugbear"]I wonder if this also means the end of the need for top-up insurance.[:-))]

Somehow I think I may know the answer. [:(]

[/quote]

Sorry what has top ups to do with this? This is about who issues your EHIC, which is for use when you go to another EU country. not your day to day health care in France[8-)]. 

As Benjamin has quite rightly pointed out, this EHIC issue has naff all to do with E121 forms, they are not mentioned in any form in the letter.  So sorry Coops don't agree that the wording is not a problem, it is.  The letter actually acknowledges that your pension payer may not be the country of which you are now resident, so as it stands, if you are in receipt of a UK old age pension you will get your EHIC from the UK and that will be the card you take to the UK and other EU countries on your travels.

The question of how people not in receipt of a UK old age pension are to be dealt with, is not all clear and it is not at all a foregone conclusion that piggybackers on E 121s will also have their EHIC issued from the UK.  Common sense says they should be, but when did that figure in the thought processes of administrators? Lets wait until Benjamin makes his call to find out the answer shall we?

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[quote user="nounours"]

[quote user="Bugbear"]I wonder if this also means the end of the need for top-up insurance.[:-))]

Somehow I think I may know the answer. [:(]

[/quote]

Sorry what has top ups to do with this?  

[/quote]

Thats what the smilies are for newbie. [:P][:D]

Edited: As I discovered that my second comment was wrong.

.

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[quote user="AnOther"]

Might be interesting if someone posted a copy of the letter so we can see the actual wording.[/quote]

Ernie, this is the relevant paragraph.

"Due to changes in EC

regulations, from 1st May 2010 the United Kingdom. As the member

state responsible for payment of your pension, will also then be responsible

for issue of your EHIC instead of the member state where you are now living."

It goes on further to say
"The card gives access

to state-provided medical treatment only and you will be treated on the same

basis as an ‘insured’ person living in the country you are visiting."

Its a confusing letter in that it starts talking about visiting other countries, (1st paragraph) then living in other countries,(middle paragraph) then back to visiting (last paragraph)

My OCR is faulty so I'm having to type these quotes[:(]

.

.

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