Does a Carte Vitale act like a EHIC in the UK?

Hi everyone,
Thank you for your help with tax advice,may I now ask about health care please. My husband and I have been living in France for 16 months now as early retirees.
We have private health insurance that is Worldwide (only 60 days emergency care in USA),but up to 180 days cover in the UK.We go to the UK 4-5 times a year (total 25-30 days) to see our daughters and son and my mother.
My question is , if we sucessfully apply for a carte vitale,will that cover us with the NHS while we are in the UK in the same way a EHIC used to cover us when on holiday in France when we were resident in the UK ?
The health insurance is obviously more expensive than contributing to a CV,but I worry about lack of cover in the UK. What if we were in an accident on the M25 …

If you’re covered by the French healthcare system (PUMA) then you apply for a CEAM card which is the equivalent of an EHIC, looks exactly the same but in French, and serves exactly the same function.

Your carte vitale is no use outside of France so you do need to get your CEAM, and unlike an EHIC it’s only issued for one year at a time, so you need to remember to keep asking for a new one.

AFAIK the CEAM/EHIC arrangement is expected to continue after Brexit.

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There is so much confusion about Carte Vitale - it is simply a domestic automated payment method. It is issued to those either affiliated or entitled to French healthcare. It replaces feuilles de soins in the majority of cases. To clarify - it’s just an automated payment card.

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yes it seems to have somehow got regarded as a kind of Holy Grail in itself.
It’s the computer record that the microchip in the carte vitale is linked to that’s important, not the card itself. Having a carte vitale in your wallet is no good if your rights have expired and the machine bleeps up Erreur (or whatever it bleeps up) when they put your card in it.

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You can order your “Carte Europeene” here… just put in your code postale " Votre Caisse" Changer…

https://www.ameli.fr/dordogne/assure/adresses-et-contacts/lobtention-dun-document/commander-une-carte-europeenne-dassurance-maladie-ceam

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Anna,Simon and Stella -Thank you for the info and link,you have made it far simpler than A Place in the Sun seminar managed to !