You shouldn't pay tax twice on the same money. France has a tax treaty with Switzerland as it does with many other countries including the UK, so the tax you have paid there will be counted as if it had been paid here. My husband also works abroad, we took proof of what tax had been paid in the country he worked to the tax office here, and he had actually paid too much, no refund as he hadn't paid it here but nothing more to pay either, exactly the same as previous years in the UK.
I have been there earlier. My wife is Swiss so we have gone blue trying. Most Swiss coverage is for CH only, the top up premium for other countries is bankrupting.
Dear Lucy,
I suggest you try one of the Insurance Brokers. I know that British Insurance Brokers of Aquitaine can arrange full medical cover. Contact Gaye Galliver - email GAYEGALLIVER@aol.com
Good Luck.
I was thinking the most direct contact with your husbands current "tops up" swiss insurance that doesnt cover you or your three kids in France, is to look on his insurance paperwork or his insurance card and call them directly. The most direct telephone numbers are often on the insurance cards. It is much better than going around the internet and talking to someone who might not know at all how to handle your situations. but with the policy number and a direct line you will be speaking to a knowledgable person by the fact she or he picks up the telephone.
also another random comment when getting quotes please say it is for you and three children totalling 4; i think i saw that you mentioned a quote based on a family of five. It is for 4 people. it makes a difference. also just a thought but ask your local family doctor if he has any recommendations for private insurance? also any medical people you know in the area. also you will likely always be going to the same nearby hospital; might even be worth looking on your local hospital website and see if you can find anyone who knows about insurance? also any medical professional that you might know who is french might have a few pointers and even exact information how to get the CMU for foriegners and I think there is one for students also and than you would only need to buy coverage for yourself through one of the three or four that people have suggested here, and to me they seem very reasonable.
my big idea this morning was that the best telephone number to ask questions about you and the kids paying extra to get added on your husbands exisiting insurance in switzerland that isnt covering your family because you are too far from the swiss border; would be on your husbands card or paperwork; call "that" number.
for us we all have the regular cmu and its fine, i have not really been to the doctor other than for having a baby since being here and things for our kiddo. although since i am approaching 50 i will soon be falling apart and probally need everything.
chris
Courtney, I would like to add that if he is employed anywhere in the world but resident in France he should be registered at URSSAF anyway or none of the family, if he is the only wage earner at present, can possibly enter the health system here properly anyway. Problem there is that if he is taxed, etc wherever his employer is based he must pay here irrespective. To that end I have given up trying to 'evade' anything when I get paid from the UK into my account and also have unsuccessfully tried battling out some kind of relief on money earned in Viet Nam where they took tax up front and here tax was still on the gross rather than net and so I ended up paying not just through the nose but something more like a longer than usual elephant's trunk! Best thing to do, is usally sort out URSSAF, etc then do something about having stoppages here if it is possible to be exempted at sources. None of it easy.
We use the same, AXA ppp healthcare, £273 a month for my husband & i and our daughter who's 12. I really shopped around but couldn't find the same cover for less. I bought it online, very easy, you must make the payments from a UK bank account. They are good but a bit slow to pay out, i have just waited 2 1/2 weeks for the refund of my daughters physio bill.
You definitely need medical cover especially with children as you never know what's around the corner.
Lucy
Sorry to ad further layers of complexity but you may need to check this...
Is your husband employed and does he do any of his work from France? If he does, I believe his employer (even if its not French based company) must register at URSSF (English page here) http://www.anglais.urssaf.fr/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=733 His employer will have to pay social charges based on his income, also he will have to pay SC on his income. This will let you in the system.
Kind regards.
CW.
Yes, agree and that is who we are with too. But there are 'offers' which still makes it good to shop around.
Hi Lucy,
As your husband works in London - have you considered the "workers S1" option ? Have a look on the HM revenue and Customs website or google "workers s1" for lots of information. You may be able to get cover as your husband is working and paying into the UK system.
Debra
Haven't made any claims but was recommended by my attorney.
We found AXA expensive and their administration was appalling when we wanted to change anything. Try a quote from Allianz - we found them cheaper for the same level of cover.
Lucy, our children were born in the UK. However my wife is Swiss, our children dual nationals, and even my wife does not get any cover from her own country. In fact, going to visit her father with one daughter next week, she checked to make sure our travel insurances are up to date. So forget CH entirely.
Try CMU, the government run complimentary, should be around €1000 give or take a little. We shopped around in our turn and looked at the small print. Whatever you do make sure that if you go to any company outside of France or selling non-French insurance that you are comprehensively covered. To get all possibilities included is back-breakingly expensive. We found that there are 'crumbs' between most of the big insurers and know that there are advantages in using the French part of multinational concerns like AXA, Allianz, etc. Things like PPP look good but may not live up to expectations if, for instance, somebody develops a condition that requires many treatments, operations, hospitalisations and so on. Rather than saving €100 or so. it also pays to have a relatively local office with people you can get on with.
Where we went in the end 'our' handling agent is a really nice, helpful woman and the concessionaire has a daughter in our youngest's class. He and I have both been volunteer parents on school trips and had a beer or two together after, sonow we get every imaginable tip about offers to save us money because we are 'friends'. The last bit is only added to show how 'unstraightforward' it all is compared to other parts of the world.
Hi there
We had an issue with a delay in getting documentation from UK - and decided to take out Private Insurance to cover the gap - as we have children, and emergencies happen! It didn't seem worth the risk to be left "uncovered"!! Anyway - we went to our local AXA (as that is where all our Insurance is) and they did know what we were talking about - though it took a bit of explaining - and they offered us cover through "Avril". It was pretty expensive though - but as my son was unwell and ended up with a series of Hospital appointments including an MRI it was worth it!!
I also have some friends who have done it through an English Company based in France! Sadly I can't remember their details - but I can find them if you still need them!
Hope that you manage to work something out as it is a little worrying - not for the routine stuff, but as a back up!!
Have you talked to the folks at Securité Social about their CMU program. That stands for Couverture Medicale Universelle if I'm not wrong. It is for foreign residents of France. Your premiums would be 8% of your revenues after deducting the base which is about 9600 euros. Look it up on their website or better yet, talk to them if you can.
Its worth at least calling your husband insurer and asking how much it would cost getting you all on; at least get a quote although with insurance being so expensive im not that hopeful but you never know. some of the quotes for axa france are realllly reasonable; if you husbands insurer can beat that price it might be worth it just to all have the same insurance.
It is not an insurance company - it is the Swiss National Health Care system who reimburse... However, as he gets a top-up from his company, maybe, just maybe, they may cover the rest of us down here. What a great idea Chris - thank you !!!
I remember that detail of your husbands ins not covering you etc; but if you called that insurance company perhaps you can get a quote from them for your family or buy an insurance rider or attachment somehow on your husbands policy. It would be worth asking especially if it saved you money. Maybe they sell tops up or whatever the English call that insurance that terminology doesnt exist in the USA. It would be worth a call to see if you could get a quote?
Hi Chris,
Oh that last one made me laugh so much !!
No - Switzerland will not cover us as we are deemed to be living too far away from his place of work... In effect, we do live apart Mon-Fri and they do have a point.
So far AXAPPP are looking very good and I have also received qotes from Expatriate Healthcare (very pricey indeed).
The best thing for me to do really is just go to work !!!
Lucy
I had a thought, it might be worth at least one call to the phone number on your husbands insurance card because they might even be able to provide a quote also or some sort of insurance attachment or rider?
Than I had another weird thought, I'm full of these things, that the independent secretary idea to access your husbands benefits (although might cost you as much in taxes as a regular private insurance); I had the funny thought that it would be a great way to pay your mistress and get a tax write-off.
that last thought was a tangent but I wondered?
c
Thank you Briony, I will send him a mail this morning.