Travel insurance and E111

[Logan]

All you say is correct in a perfect world. However having entered the French system I am quite suprised to learn how expensive and complicated the required 30% top up insurance is. I have been advised that a 400% mutuelle is the only guarantee of cost free healthcare in France. For a retired couple the costs are quite substantial and almost the same as a full private healthcare policy in UK. I am now considering coming out of the French system and simply going private with a european cover private health contract. At least it's less complicated.

[BJSLIV]

I think you will find that if you are resident in France you have no legal option other than to join the French system. You cannot opt out. It is practically impossible, perhaps even illegal, to be 100% privately insured.

Now you are "known to the authorities" it will be even harder to operate on the fringes.

[Owen]

Hello,

Budgeting for healthcare should be a high priority for everyone in France and I accept it can be quite a burden. But "going private" now you are in the system is not a realistic option either administratively or financially.

For a couple in the late 60s you should be able to obtain complementary insurance for around 450 - 750 Euros per person per year depending on the level of cover required. If you think you can obtain pure private insurance for this sort of premium then this is pure fantasy

I would agree that the wording of the benefits of the policies is complicated and unless you have a good knowledge of the French health system it is difficult to evaluate the bewildering range of providers on the market. I am convinced that there are many people who hold policies that are inappropriate to their circumstances because of such ignorance. Let me give you an example: if one is in general good health and only occasionally visits the doctor or dentist then it may be worth just having a policy to cover expensive stuff such as hospitalisation. I would also add here that as a rule of thumb people in this category will probably obtain a better deal from a commercial insurer as opposed a "mutuelle". Certainly you would need something of the order of 400% to cover such things as crowns but again it may be worth taking a lower level plan (with lower premiums) and pay something towards a crown out of your own pocket. Hopefully you are not going to need a crown every year!

Regards

Peter Owen

pjowen@rivieramail.com

[Wealthy]

[quote]Originally posted by Owen on 10-Aug-04. "E111/TRAVEL INSURANCE" This option for healthcare provision was mentioned in the "Tale of Woe" posting and Quillan quite rightly implied that this was inappr...[/quote]

My young family and I are contemplating a PERMANENT move to (near) Bergerac, Dordogne area.

 

Can you tell me what health care we are entitled to?

Regards

 

Mark

[Owen]

Hello Mark,

It will depend on your circumstances on how you will affiliate to the system. But however you do so there will be a requirement to fund a proportion of your healthcare yourself either direct or via a complementary insurance.

Regards

Peter Owen
pjowen@expathealthdirect.co.uk

[allanb]

[quote user="Owen"]Most UK insurers will insist that the insured is a UK resident and the trip starts and finishes in the UK.[/quote]

This has been my experience also, while shopping around for insurance to cover emergency medical costs in the USA.  But can anyone explain why it should be so?  Is it because of repatriation cost?  I wouldn't expect that to differ much between countries in Western Europe, for instance.