Would this be useful?

[cooperlola]

I don't know about everybody else, but I'm getting really confused about what is and what is not going on.  In pm'ing a forum member today, I did a quick summary of the story so far, as I saw it.  It was aimed at a specific person and does not have all the info but this is it:

"The story so far :

THE EARLY RETIRED

Anybody who has an E106 or an E121 is unaffected.

Anybody currently on an E106, will lose all entitlement to state healthcare in France, immediately upon expiry, and will have to take out full private health insurance, to cover them until UK state pensionable age.

Anybody currently contributing to the CMU will be asked to leave the sytem on 31.3.2008 and take out private health insurance.

Anybody arriving in France without an E106 will have to take out private insurance immediately.

Problems : Anybody with an existing illness or condition, who needs private health cover, is unlikely to find a policy which will cover this.

                  There are presently no French companies who offer full health care.  This is being worked on by some companies, but is unlikely to be in place for a few months.

FRENCH RESIDENCY

Our embassy has indicated that, after five years permanent residence, and qualification for a "titre de sejour", then re-entry to the CMU is possible.  EU law seems to back this up, but as yet we have no real evidence of how or if this will work.

EMPLOYED

If you are employed, and pay the appropriate cotisations, then you can enter or remain in the French system and will enjoy the same rights as a French national, similarly employed.

BUSINESS

If you run a registered business, and are paying cotisations, you can enter or remain in the French system and will enjoy the same rights as a French national running a similar business.

SIGNING ON

There is potential to "sign on" as unemployed in France.  After a period of time, this may qualify you for benefits through the French system (CMU).  Personally, I am not clear about the ins and outs of this."

Would it be of any use to post this as a new thread?  If so, I'd welcome any useful comments to "plug the gaps" in what I've written.  New viewers of the forum must be finding the "Latest News" threads are beginning to contain anything but.  What does the team think?

[ali-cat]

[quote user="cooperlola"]

I don't know about everybody else, but I'm getting really confused about what is and what is not going on.  In pm'ing a forum member today, I did a quick summary of the story so far, as I saw it.  It was aimed at a specific person and does not have all the info but this is it:

Would it be of any use to post this as a new thread?  If so, I'd welcome any useful comments to "plug the gaps" in what I've written.  New viewers of the forum must be finding the "Latest News" threads are beginning to contain anything but.  What does the team think?

[/quote]

 

Yes - absolutely.  There has been so much information received, contradicted, speculation etc that I'm sure everyone is losing track.  We really need to know where we stand and if there are any remaining grounds for challenging these changes.  I personally think we also need to highlight any remaining areas of uncertainty.  What happens after the '5 years' is one issue.  I would also like to know definitively if the UK's NHS residence-based status places us at a disadvantage compared to other member states.  However - we also need someone to police/collate this - only confirmed official statements are sufficient - and at this stage I'm afraid I'd exclude from this anything issuing from the British Embassy.

Good post.

Mr Cat

 

[Wicce]

Spot on, C.   Where would we all be without your input in this wretched business!

[Cat]

Great post Coops.

I'll take all the info you have in there, turn it into a sticky, and lock it.  That way it'll stay lovely and clear, and easy to find, read and digest.

We can update it as and when the facts become clearer.

(EDIT, the sticky can be found here http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1035025/ShowPost.aspx  )

Thanks [:)]

[allanb]

"The Story So Far" (locked post) includes this:

[quote]Anybody who has an E106 or an E121 is unaffected.

Anybody currently on an E106, will lose all entitlement to state healthcare in France, immediately upon expiry, and will have to take out full private health insurance, to cover them until UK state pensionable age.[/quote]

All information is gratefully received, but this looks like a contradiction - is something missing?

[Chassaing]

[quote user="allanb"]

"The Story So Far" (locked post) includes this:

[quote]Anybody who has an E106 or an E121 is unaffected.

Anybody currently on an E106, will lose all entitlement to state healthcare in France, immediately upon expiry, and will have to take out full private health insurance, to cover them until UK state pensionable age.[/quote]

All information is gratefully received, but this looks like a contradiction - is something missing?

[/quote]
France's budget

Unausterity programme
Sep 27th 2007 | PARIS
From The Economist print edition

The new government's first budget is notable mainly for its lack of discipline


THE French have grown so used to their new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, breaking with tradition that when he lapses into bad old ways it comes almost as a shock. So it was with the French government's 2008 budget, unveiled on September 26th. It foresees a deficit of €41.7 billion ($58.8 billion), little smaller than in 2007, and worth 2.3% of GDP, scarcely down from 2.4% this year. Worse, this is based on what could well turn out to be overly optimistic forecasts of economic growth.

At one time, it had looked as if the government was preparing the ground for serious budgetary tightening. The French state, François Fillon, the prime minister, declared bluntly on September 21st, “was bankrupt”. And some days before that, Christine Lagarde, the finance minister, had hinted at an “austerity programme” for the public services.

Yet the reality is a budget that neither cuts public spending, nor reduces government borrowing—and that leaves the total public debt untouched, at some 64% of GDP. Several previously promised cuts have even been scaled back. Mr Sarkozy's campaign pledge not to replace one in two retiring civil servants, for instance, has been trimmed to one in three: some 23,000 jobs will go in 2008, half of them in education. And the government has had to pay for some €9 billion of tax cuts it pushed through parliament in the summer, devised before the recent financial turmoil.

The budget assumes GDP growth of between 2% and 2.5% in 2008. Yet official forecasts generally look optimistic. Whereas the French government reckons that growth in 2007 will also be in the 2-2.5% range, both the OECD, a rich-country think-tank, and the European Commission have revised down their forecasts, to 1.8% and 1.9% respectively.

The budget will dismay France's euro-area friends. Even before it was disclosed, Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the European Central Bank, noted sternly on French radio that the French state was the highest-spender as a share of GDP, “not only in the euro zone but within the European Union of 27”. Ms Lagarde faced harsh criticism at a recent meeting in Portugal, from other EU finance ministers who were not impressed by France's announcement that it planned to balance its budget not by 2010, but by 2012.

The budget increasingly seems to be a source of conflict within the government as well as outside it. When Ms Lagarde started to talk boldly of her austerity programme, she was put in her place by Mr Sarkozy's chief of staff, Claude Guéant. Mr Fillon received similar treatment when he declared that reforms of the country's generous special pension regimes were ready and waiting for a green light from the president. No such reform, retorted the Elysée, was anything like ready.

One explanation for these discordant voices could be that neither the prime minister nor the finance minister have as well-honed political instincts as Mr Sarkozy does for how to prepare public opinion for reform. The president tends to argue that change must not be perceived entirely in terms of sacrifice, so an expansionary budget is needed to smooth tough reforms. Another explanation could be that the government is waiting until after next March's municipal elections to tighten the belt. But the third is simply that the Elysée cannot stomach the political impact of a tighter budget squeeze.

Does the month of march ring any bells??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austerity

[Cat]

[quote user="allanb"]

"The Story So Far" (locked post) includes this:

[quote]Anybody who has an E106 or an E121 is unaffected.

Anybody currently on an E106, will lose all entitlement to state healthcare in France, immediately upon expiry, and will have to take out full private health insurance, to cover them until UK state pensionable age.[/quote]

All information is gratefully received, but this looks like a contradiction - is something missing?

[/quote]

Allan, in so much as that anyone currently holding an E106 or E121 is unaffected, the statement is true, at the moment.  But as soon as the E106 expires they will need to seek private insurance.

 

It is unclear in the original I'll re-jig it slightly.

EDIT: I've changed the post to make it clearer http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1035025/ShowPost.aspx  

I've also merged the two threads talking about this, to keep them together, as we have so many health threads on the go now that they're getting really difficult to follow.

[cooperlola]

Thank you Cathy.

As to the statement re the E106, it is true because anybody currently on one is unaffected, but they sure won't be forever, so yes, it did send a mixed message, you are right.

I think it would be useful if somebody could give a clearer picture of the entitlements for those who currently run gites, b&b's etc.  Many would like to know if registering these as a business can help them into the health system here.  What are the criteria, qualification levels etc.  Somebody on here must know this, and it ain't me.  I know rather more about not working....[Www]

[cooperlola]

Further correction, Cathy.

I've now found at least one French company - thanks to another person - and more are to follow.  So that line re French insurance is now wrong.

[Cat]

Thanks Coops, I've updated the post, and also added a "last updated" date, so that everyone will know how current the information is.

[cooperlola]

Makfai has suggested that we also compile a list of links which might be useful.

Such as Legislation, Lobby Contacts, Press info etc.  Good idea?

If so, any suggestions (with the links, pretty please) would be great.