EHIC card and NHS 'cover'

Health Care & Carte Vitale
41

Bye Bye

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It’s the requirement for France - to be blunt, if you don’t respect French law, why are you here?

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Wishing him a speedy recovery Stella :mask: :hugs:

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image :thinking: :woman_shrugging:

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Having read through this thread, I’m now considering setting up a concession on the cross channel ferries - an information desk where potential immigrants can submit their credit card details to me then ask any question of whomever is sitting behind it at the time.

The responses will be based on personal prejudice with a strong dose of ‘I reckon…’ philosophy thrown in.

All answers will be wildly inaccurate but should prove amusing when spouted on internet fora while the questioner is in the process of failing to adapt to the ways of the French :smirk:

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I think we all need a little light-hearted relief… so a chuckle as we read these posts is better than weeping… :hugs:

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I did wonder

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Joining the French Health system (Ameli, CPAM, your caisse) is really not the same as having private health insurance. It is the French equivalent of the NHS and in my experience hugely better. You might appreciate it should you ever have a serious illness, an accident, or get one of the many forms of cancer. Of course the French Health Service will treat you if you do have an accident or in an emergency, but relying on that is behaving a bit like a parasite isn’t it? The French Health Service is good because people contribute to it.

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“adoptors” Dave :face_with_hand_over_mouth: Unless you’re a plug.

shopping

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and they’ll bill you for every penny… (sorry euro) if you don’t have some sort of health affiliation/cover… might cost you an arm and a leg… :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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UK retirees over 65 can obtain a replacement for the EU’s EHIC - at a glance it looks just the same as the old card, except UK is next to a Union flag hologram rather than being within (or if you voted leave, ‘constrained by’) the EU’s ring of stars. However on the reverse the wording has changed (though I’m unsure what this signifies).

Similarly, I’ve no idea what the addition of ‘CRA’ to the new card might mean -is it an acronym or perhaps an abbreviation!?

EHIC cards
EHIC cards1000×664 184 KB

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Erm no…you need to have your State pension first, and state pension age is currently 66, and due to rise to 67 in about 6 years time.

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You’re absolutely right, but I was describing my personal circumstances. However, my wife, who has just turned 65 (but looks ten years younger!) has also been invited to change to the new EHIC card

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Presumably a beneficiary of your S1 rather than having her own tho’? And will get the new EHIC on that basis until next year when she gets to 66.

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there are some people still alive… who retired at 60… :upside_down_face: :rofl: :rofl:

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Only know for certain about those resident in France (permanently or provisionally) before 31/12/2020 and are entiled to an S1.

I became a UK state pensioner in Jan this year, Obtained my S1 and told CPAM that about it, emailed them the details and my Carte Vitale was updated accordingly. I now have Carte Vitale cover for the rest of my life. I believe I will still have to apply to the UK for my EHIC as it is the UK that is paying for my health cover via CPAM and the S1. In fact I have recently applied to the DWP for my EHIC and am waiting for it to arrive. Admittedly I haven’t tried applying for the equivalent of an EHIC via CPAM.

My wife will not become a UK state pensioner until Feb next year. Then she will receive an S1 and be able to tell CPAM and get her Carte Vitale updates. Again she will have to apply to the UK for her EHIC card once she is retired.

This is all protected in the Withdrawal Agreement for those who are resident in France on or before 31/12/2020.

Setting those two situations aside (resident in France before 31/12/2020 and entitled to an S1), if you currently have a valid EHIC card it is valid until its expiry date, not forgetting that it is only valid for temporary abscences from the UK.

If you become entitled to an S1 at a later date (my wife’s situation) you can then notify your caisse and get your Carte Vitale updated. You would then have to apply to the UK for your EHIC.

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I’m in a similar situation as you, Graham - in possession of a CV after submitting my UK S1.
Having received my CV, I logged onto the Ameli.fr site, found and ticked the “please supply an EHIC” box and it arrived by post within the week.
My new card has FR as the identifier within the EU stars logo and has my CV details and issuing authority printed on it.

I haven’t needed to use it but I presume it’ll work :thinking:

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Brian that’s wrong. You should be using a new UK post withdrawal EHIC as it is the Uk who cover your health costs. It will have the UK identifier on it. Sounds as if Ameli hadn’t properly updated its information on you.

Amd Graham, you can apply to the DWP for an S1 for your wife as your beneficiary. You don’t have to wait until she receives her state pension. Because France treats married couples as a single household this is legitimate. But your carte Vitale is only valid as long as you remain resident in France, not for life.

And current EHICs from the UK are only valid until Saturday. They are useless after that.

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I think you will find that as your wife has worked in France (as you mentioned in a previous posting) then France will be the country responsible for her health care therefore she will not be entitled to a form S1 from the UK.

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Exactly Jane, once Graham’s wife is a dependent adult.