Top up renewals

[Jazzer]

I have just received my renewal notice from Swiss Life- no 2 month notice!.

 

My E 106 will expire in Jan.I assume I am not alone, but wonder what others are doing. Renewing without comment or making enquiries as to what happens if  as suspected we have to take out Private insurance?

[rothrugby]

Hi,

Re insurance renewals, the system changed recently. You now have 20 days from the postmark date to renew or reject a premium. In another thread re Insurance there was confirmation that French insurers state that you can cancel a top up at any time if your situation changes through no fault of your own. However, I have heard that Good Health are refusing to cancel top ups as they are a UK baesd company. It is worth asking before you renew as all companies must now be aware of the situation.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

[Jazzer]

Many thanks for that. I did in fact ask my Broker when the news originally broke, to be advised they knew nothing of these rumours even after discussing with the local social security. I will now folllow up.

[Hester2]

Like you 106 runs out in January.  I am probably going to cancel as soon as I receive my renewal notice.  Mine is a French Mutuelle and I have decided that with all the uncertainty, things could change again in the future, I would rather be with a company who also offers full private medical insurance so that if/when I need to take this I will already be affiliated to the company and hopefully the age that I join and any health conditions that may develop will be taken into consideration and accepted.  It's a shame that the French Mutuelles don't offer full cover because for many of us we are now going to have to join a new company having reached a more expensive age bracket.  The French companies are going to notice a downturn in business aren't they?

[seb47]

We will also run out of E106 cover in January. We approached our top up supplier (Axa) explaining the situation  - as they knew absolutely nothing about it - and asked a) if they could quote us for 100% cover b) could they assure us that our top up would be terminated even if we were 'out of time' for cancelling. After a couple of weeks our very exasperated local agent apologised that his company could not provide cover for us, but immediately put in writing for us that our top up would be cancelled on expiry of E106, regardless of the time scale. He is disappointed that his company has not recognized the sales potential. Interestingly, we wonder if French Law still states somewhere that 100% private cover is illegal?

Sue.

[cooperlola]

We believe that the French law has in fact been altered so that private cover is no longer illegal but are currently seeking verification.

We are also currently composing a couple of letters for people to send to both the French ministry and their local CPAMs, for those whose E106's are due to expire, as we believe they will be the first to be affected and the top-up renewal situation is of course getting very urgent.

Our belief is that the immediate concessions which may be made once the latest official position is updated, would only affect those who have lived here for 5 years or more, and possibly some with pre-existing and chronic illnesses.  So, it would seem sensible to cancel any top-up policies from the E106 expirty date, so you will not get lumbered with a year's cover which you may not need.  You can always sign up again should there be any policy reversal in the next few weeks.

FRENCH HEALTH ISSUES

[Deimos]

I appreciate its a bit of a sidetrack

but I thought the option to cancel (within whatever was said before)

only applied if the premium had increased (or increased by more than

a certain amount or more than by official inflation or something). Never actually used this, nor researched but it

it what I thought. Please please do correct me if I am wrong.

Ian

[Sunday Driver]

French law remains the same. 

It is illegal to offer for sale a private health insurance policy  - but only if it induces the prospective client to leave an obligatory state scheme.  Those who are not in an obligatory scheme (or will not be after 31 March  [:(] ) are not prevented from obtaining private cover.

This is the main reason why private health insurance is rare in France.  Everyone's obliged to register through their respective state schemes, so there's no market for private cover.

 

[seb47]

Cooperlola - many thanks. We had already written to CPAM asking them for advice on action to take after our E106 expires. Still waiting for a reply, which we'll forward to Mary Honeybull when received, as she requested. We'll willingly pester the French Ministry if you could e-mail or publish the letter you are working on.

Deimos - in line with the message above, our Axa agent confirmed that a policy can be cancelled whatever the timescale, if due to a change in law. 

 

[SheilaG]

[quote user="seb47"]

Cooperlola - many thanks. We had already written to CPAM asking them for advice on action to take after our E106 expires. Still waiting for a reply, which we'll forward to Mary Honeybull when received, as she requested. We'll willingly pester the French Ministry if you could e-mail or publish the letter you are working on.

[/quote]

If you send me the letter for French Ministry I'll send too.

 

[cooperlola]

It is "under construction" at present, but will be on the site as soon as it's done, and then I'll post the link here.

[cooperlola]

The letters are now up on the site :

http://www.frenchhealthissues.eu/lobbying/lobbying_letters_1.htm

[Deimos]

Maybe a bit early but does anybody know how many

MEPs have signed the thing yet. Time to wind-up pressure, nearly

there or not much interest (so loads more letter) ?

Ian

[cooperlola]

Tough to say as they only got back to Brussels yesterday.  I'll get an update.

[Deimos]

Another thought (if you are contacting Mary

Honeyball).  Can she (or somebody) list which MEPs have signed. 

I don't know if this is allowed but if it is possible it would

provide an indication that some might need further "persuading"

(via correspondence of course).

Ian

[cooperlola]

No problem with the names in the past.  I'll let you know when she responds.

[londoneye]

Seb47, or anyone else for that matter.    Could anyone point me in the direction of the legislation which states that a policy can be cancelled, whatever the timescale, if due to a change in law.    I may need some ammunition for when I telephone my top up insurance agent, who seems to be unaware of this proviso.

Many thanks if anyone can help.

[seb47]

Sorry I cannot help as our Axa agent was more than willing to allow us to cancel without recourse to any reference to a particular law.  We now have confirmation that the "contrat d'assurance....est resilie a compter du (date) ". If he had been awkward we would have threatened to take our car and house insurance elsewhere though that may not have worked! My OH has looked through our contract but cannot see anything  which might be relevant, though there is reference to taking disputes under the contract to a mediator under the heading "Votre contrat est regi par le Code des Assurances" with reference to "la Commission de Control des Assurances situee 54, rue de Chateaudun 75009 Paris". They seem to act as an ombudsman and it also states the service is free. Try Googling "Codes des Assurances" - there seems to be quite a lot of information there! Good luck.

Sue

[londoneye]

thanks for that.   I was being a little lazy (bit busy today, on and off), plus my French is not up to finding my way around legislation just yet.   Never mind, if all else fails I can make something up that sounds appropriately legalistic, and promise to provide them with exact details in due course !

[suein56]

[quote user="londoneye"]Could anyone point me in the direction of the legislation which states that a policy can be cancelled, whatever the timescale, if due to a change in law.    I may need some ammunition for when I telephone my top up insurance agent, who seems to be unaware of this proviso. [/quote]

When I asked what would happen to our top-up assurance if we were chucked out of CPAM my local AGF agent informed me that cancellation is automatically without time limit or penalty if 'force majeure'  is involved.

Sue

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Deimos"]

Another thought (if you are contacting Mary Honeyball).  Can she (or somebody) list which MEPs have signed.  I don't know if this is allowed but if it is possible it would provide an indication that some might need further "persuading" (via correspondence of course).

Ian

[/quote]The latest list should be on the site when we next update, which is likely to be late this evening.

[Deimos]

[quote user="spg"]

[quote user="londoneye"]Could anyone point me in the direction of the legislation which states that a policy can be cancelled, whatever the timescale, if due to a change in law.    I may need some ammunition for when I telephone my top up insurance agent, who seems to be unaware of this proviso. [/quote]

When I asked what would happen to our top-up assurance if we were chucked out of CPAM my local AGF agent informed me that cancellation is automatically without time limit or penalty if 'force majeure'  is involved.

Sue

[/quote]

But what if they declare it an Act of God ?  After all, look at who started these changes (i.e. Sarkozy) [:D]

Ian

[Hester2]

Just received a reply from my mutuelle stating that I cannot cancel as I have missed the two month end of the year deadline.  This is in spite of me sending a recorded letter within the 20 days of the annual renewal notice, quoting the "Loi Chatel".

A point of interest for anyone who is writing to Newcastle for their extension/refusal letter, we thought that ours had expired at the original date 1st Jan 2007 (wish that it had then we could have affiliated!) and we were quite surprised when did receive an extension to 2008 due to Newcastle taking quite a while to update NI contribution records.  So its possible that some people might hopefully get another year yet.  We came July 2005 and are covered until Jan 2008.  Regards Hester.

[Keith CHANNING]

Just had my reminder from Excusive confirming I have 20 days to cancel but also saying that cancellation in the event of loss of CMU will be seen as outside my control and will attract a full refund.

[Hester2]

[quote user="rothrugby"]

 

 You now have 20 days from the postmark date to renew or reject a premium. [/quote]

Just to say that if you do this, which has to be done by AV postal service, make sure that you quote the "Loi Chatel".  Wanting to get my mutuelle cancelled at the end of the year I sent a letter off to them within the 20 days of receiving my renewal notice, stating that I did not want to renew.  I spent a difficult half hour with a very belligerent insurance employee who point blank would not accept the letter as I had't mentioned the above law.  I will now have to wait until I have a written attestation from CPAM stating that we cannot be in the health system.  Hester.