getting continued prescription items in France

[barney]

For the past 3 years I have been spending my summers working in France, and winters in the uk. I have a permanent health issue that requires prescriptive items all the time. I now have my uk house on the market and intend to move to France full time in the spring. I would like to know who to ask about insurance and to ensure I can receive same/equivalent items and how to set this in motion.

[cooperlola]

Mr C is on asthma meds.  He showed them to our doc' here and she prescribed exactly the same drugs.  It depends what you take but most of the drugs firms are international so the names in our case were the same here.  It may not apply in your case but if you bring all the paperwork that comes with the drugs - ie  the little slips of paper in the packs - they list the critical make-up of the drugs and the words tend to be very similar.  We were initially covered by our E106 and now are in the French system (with top-up health cover) and the whole cost is reimbursed.  Show the drugs to a pharmacist here and ask if the same ones are available here.  If not, then try to find an English speaking doctor and get your own doc' to pass on your notes to him/her.

[Patf]

At the moment "repeat" prescriptions have to be renewed every 2 months. At least mine do. Am I imagining it, or did I read somewhere that new legislation is coming in which will oblige medicins traitants to write longer term prescriptions? Not so good for them as they get a small fee each time. Pat.

[Gardian]

The routine is:

• Get your E106 from Newcastle & file it with your local CPAM - remember that your E106 has a limited life.  After that, you're on your own till your (or your partner's) retitrement age E121 kicks in, i.e. you will have to pay French social security contributions related to your taxable income. (and for that, you will need to have made a tax return here).
• Find a GP and do as in above posts (my repeats were 3 mthly, but now 6 mthly, which suits me fine)
• If your health situation is an 'ALD' (something of a more serious nature), then get your GP to apply for 100% dispensation: if it's on the 'list', then you'll probably get it OK, but it'll take a month or two & you may have to pay in the interim with eventual reimbursement.
• Get top-up cover via a mutuelle

You can do a search on any of the key words here & you'll get chapter & verse on the details.

[Will]

The original poster said he was working in France, so in that case the E106 may not be appropriate, and he will need to join the health and social security from the outset. You don't necessarily have to have made a French tax return, though it is much easier if you have.

As indicated above, a permanent condition, even if on the so-called 'list', will not necessarily attract 100% cover. It has to be recommended by a doctor and agreed by the primary health assurance (e.g. the local CPAM).

It's a pedantic point, but 'mutuelle' is a very mis-used and misleading term. Top up is available from just about all insurers, not necessarily 'mutuelles', and in any case these are often 'mutual' in name only, having been taken over by and absorbed into other insurance groups. 'Mutuelle' is often used to mean top-up insurance, rather than the more correct 'complementaire'.

[Llwyncelyn]

Hi practical experience here in France.  My wife suffers from a long term illness and for over 30 years and has to inject herself twice a month.  It is not diabetes.  It is a US drug and costs an arm and a leg and due to R& D.  If it had not been available here we would not have come but an email direct to the Drug company confirmed its availability plus other research also confirmed its availability.  It is only available by prescription from a consultant.

Again my wife takes a nasal spray for migraine.  Universal one would have thought.  Not so not available here in France in tablet form yes in nasal spray no. Tablets do not work!

my OH was forced to take early retirement on ill-health grounds and we came here with an E121.