Am I living a pipedream?

[Clive&Iris]

My wife (aged 60+) and myself (59) are seriously considering a move to France. Unfortunately I suffer from diabetes, and also take regular medication for heart conditions.  As a diabetic I receive free prescriptions in the UK. We do not intend seeking work in France.  My wife is in receipt of a small OAP pension and I receive an occupational pension. We intend to supplement this income with the interest from the surplus capital obtained from the sale of our UK property.  Could someone please tell me how we will fare in France.  I will require regular repeat prescriptions. How does the system work in France, bearing in mind that as my wife is over 60 she also receives free prescriptions for any treatment she may require. Any advice would be appreciated.

Clive

[Val_2]

In important enquiries such as this, you really MUST contact the DSS at Newcastle (Overseas Dept) and get the info from them as when you arrive in France,they and their counterpart here, the CPAM will be responsible for your health needs and payments etc. There are so many individual cases like this which need answers and although folks on here are genuinely helpful, each need is different and needs the official paperwork and info from the horse's mouth. There is also the problem of a top up mutuelle in France for you to consider especially because of your ages and medical requirements and these are not cheap but suplement the part which is not DSS/CPAM funded. When you consider too that a bed in an ITU ward costs the equivalent of nine hundred pounds per day in France you need all the help you can get financially.

[Ian 56]

Our experience was that we got into the medical system when my wife was 60 as she was getting a meagre State Pension (less than 50p per week). I was older than her but not yet 65 and was classed as her dependant. For certain conditions we are now reimbursed at 100% although we have a mutuelle policy to cover the shortfall for other medical expenses.

ian

[Jon 1]

Athough you should be eligible for treatment etc, you may find that it will probably not be at no cost.  At the very least you may have to contribute to a Mutuelle to cover some health care costs.  Mutuelle payments vary and can be approximately between 600 to 900 euros p.a. for a couple.  Even more if you want to cover all eventualities.

As was said the whole thing is quite complex and relates to your individual health and financial circumstances etc.  You really need to do quite a bit of personal research through various agencies, this forum, etc.

I doubt very much whether you could have the same health care costs as you have been experiencing in the UK.

The overall financial situation of living in France has to be taken into account.  You could end up financially better off.  On the other hand you could be worse off.  Taking everything into account is an even more complex process that requires a considerable degree of investigation.  Some French residents are happy to trade an overall financial deficit for what they perceive to be a 'better' life.