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| Healthcare update : breakthrough for early retirees |
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| Friday, 25 January 2008 | |
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Health Minister concedes access to healthcare for inactive EU nationals already resident before November 23, 2007. The French government has gone back on its previous ruling in December, whereby holders of the E106 after their card expired were excluded from access to state healthcover. This is good news for those early retirees who are entitled to healthcover for a fixed term under the EU healthcard E106 and who would have found it expensive, difficult, or impossible, if they had a serious or pre-existing medical condition, to get private healthcover at all. For some it meant a return to their country of origin; for others, this was out of the question financially. Worse still were those scheduled for a life-saving operation after they were excluded from health cover by the previous government ruling in December. On January 24 came the announcement that the Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot had acted upon representations made by the British Embassy and the expatriate community. In her letter to the British Embassy in Paris she concedes: “…we have considered your argument that refusing inactive EU nationals CMU affiliation when they already benefit from it would jeopardize a right to reside, which has been de facto recognised, even if that was done incorrectly. This political and legal assessment would certainly be shared by EU institutions.” The exclusion still applies to inactive newcomers from other EU countries settling in France after November 23, 2007, who will not be allowed to reside in France unless they can find private healthcover. The decision will take time to sink in nationwide at local CPAMs. Deborah Dudley, of the energetic campaign group French Health Issues which can be largely thanked for its energetic lobbying and information campaign, was delighted with the news. However, she said: “We remain concerned that the latest concession appears to apply specifically to E106 holders, resident in France on or before 23rd November 2007. There were other UK citizens resident in France at that date, for example, those covered by forms E109, or forms E121 issued on the basis of disability allowance. We are taking steps to confirm that they too will be permitted to join the French health system CMU should their present cover cease.” For further information and advice on individual cases: French Social Security website: http://www.securite-sociale.fr/comprendre/europe/europe/cmu_inactifs.htm CNAM - The French Health Service (English language service): +33 8 20 90 42 12 CLEISS - (France's helpdesk for international mobility and social security): 11 rue de la tour des Dames, 75436 Paris cedex 09, Tel: 01 45 26 33 41, www.cleiss.fr DWP Overseas Medical Benefits helpline International Pension Centre, Room Tc001, Tyneview Park, Whitley Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE98 1BA. Tel: 0044 (0) 191 218 1999 (Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm), www.dh.gov.uk/travellers |
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