Help early retiree info!

[Pauline]

Hi, could some of you wise owls out there offer me an explanation, I have read loads of threads, info etc but I am still confused!! My hubby and I are hoping to move to France as soon as our house is sold in England, he applied and was successful in getting early retirement which starts tomorrow (scary) aged 54, the plan was we would be ready to move at the same time but the poor housing market put a stop to that, anyway, I am still working here and dont get mine until retirement age, I am 54 possibly 55 before we get to France. What will happen regarding health/medical cover for us with the new ruling?

regards Pauline

[cooperlola]

This thread

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1035025/ShowPost.aspx

gives you all the latest info' as we know it.

Your case:  You will (probably, depending on your NI contributions history), get an E106 to cover your first 2 years medical costs, up to the re-imbursement rate of a French person (variable, around 70%) and will need top-up cover for the rest.

After those two years you will both need FULL PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE which would not cover any pre-existing conditions or treatments, will carry an excess, and may not cover doctors' visits, dental care etc, depending on the level of cover which you choose/can afford.

You may be able to enter the French system (CMU) once you have been here, with full, stable residency, for 5 years, but this latter point is still to be precisely clarified.  Continue to watch the thread above which will be updated as necessary.

[mint]

Coops

Great reply; succinct, to-the-point, all the info the OP needs.  Wish I could summarise stuff like you do!  You are SUCH a wonderful person to have on the forum and, no, I don't need anything from you at the moment and I don't have an ulterior motive for posting (take note, all you cynical, disbelievers out there!)

[cooperlola]

[:$]

[Pauline]

Thanks a lot cooperlola for the info, I hope its ok to come back to the forum for clarification on any points once I have read the latest info.

regards Pauline

[cooperlola]

That's one of the things the forum is for..

Your case is interesting, because I have made the point in some of my letters to MP's, newspapers, the world, and his wife, about people in your position.  One thing in your own favour is that you have not yet purchased a French property.  However, I do wonder how many people are actually in the process of making a move, who have no idea as to how this will hit them.  The information about entry into the French healthcare system is so out of date now, in many of the usual places (take those books, for instance, that so many think of as their "bibles" insofar as any moves are concerned.)  Will the programmes like "A Place in the Sun" and others, flag up a health warning at the beginning of each programme?  Are estate agents currently in the process of selling homes to people, warning any of their clients about the increased cost (could be 5-6K euros a year) of living here (OK, it's not their job to do so, but you get my point?)

Anybody who has not, or who is not in the process of, selling all they own in the UK and moving over, may still have a chance to reconsider.  However, if, like your husband, they have negotiated and taken early retirement, what chance have they got of backing out of these agreements?  Would they ever get back into the job market?  Scary stuff for some.

 

[Chassaing]

There will be thousands of 'life stories' by the end of April 2008.

http://www.frenchentree.com/fe-health/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=28954