Heath cover for an existing condition

[John P]

All,

We would love to move to France, wife's sister already over in Brittany we visit a couple of times a year, but my eldest daughter has a heart pacemaker and up until recently we believed that a move to France would be inmpossible because of this.

My question is how would I find out what health cover would be available to us in France, would it be free as is the NHS or would we have to pay a massive insurance premium making any move impossible

Thanks in advance

John

PS: Has anybody already moved out there with a pacemaker, have you had it changed in France or the UK ?

 

[val douest]

I know the original question was rather different from yours but Will's answer in the posting below also covers some of the questions you were asking. www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/852978/ShowPost.aspx

You wouldn't have to pay any more into the State healthcare system or for your insurance top-up premium to cover your daughter than you would for any child without her condition -  your French 'NHS'  contribution will be assessed for the family according to your financial circumstances. You may be entitled to up to two years free from contributions via an E106 form if you have been working in the UK or through an E121 if one of you is retired and receiving a UK state pension.    Your top-up contributions will depend on the extent of cover you require and the age of the family members.  If your daughter's conditon is one of those for which the state refunds 100% of  medical expenses then presumably her pacemaker would be replaced free of charge (although she wouldn't receive 100% back for any illness or problem not resulting from her condition).  If not, your top-up insurance should cover all or most of the gap between the state's contribution and what you actually pay, again depending on the type of cover you have selected.  There is more detail about how the system works on this site -  www.expathealthdirect.co.uk.  and your sister-in-law may be able to help with working out the cost of top-up cover. Her own top-up cover providers will be able to give you a quick calculation of the monthly premiums for a family of your size and ages or you could look at http://www.assurland.com/assurance-sante.html and www.exclusivehealthcare.com/ to get some idea of how much you would have to pay.

I am sure there are people who regularly post on the forum who have pacemakers - maybe it would be worthwhile posting again under the title 'Anyone out there with a pacemaker?' which might catch their eye.  It is hard to say definitely that your daughter's condition would qualify for 100% cover without specialised medical knowlege, though it seems likely. In any case, once you were living in France she would have to be assessed by her local GP (no doubt with the help of her case notes from the UK) who would be required to make the necessary recommendations for treating her as having a 'maladie longue duree'.

Good luck,

Val