I put in enough years to get my basic state pension in the UK. Pension whilst under NI is a separate fund. I also paid into the German system for 18 years and am entitled to that. In France I have not paid into the pension fund, therefore I am not. Since arriving here I have been an AE, I am still despite having been ill. I pay 26% of income to URSSAF, thus RSI covers my health and CAF our child benefits. Pensions and such benefits as health and social security cover are entirely different. If other ex-pats follow on from this you will see that this is very normal. Many of us, therefore, do not have or have ever had this S1 people often mention. If you have been lucky enough not to have worked here and have not contributed into the French system then you may well not know, however the word 'some' still belongs in your original comment.
Sorry Brian, can't quite work out how you are in the "French system" but still get a UK State pension (assuming that's what you mean by a pittance.) Health care and pensions have always been bundled together under the title of National Insurance. Can't see how you can have one without the other. You don't have to answer that if the question is too intrusive.......
Mike, I am in the French system and draw no health or other benefits, bar my pittance of a basic pension, from the UK. All of us who work, artisan, professions, AE or whatever the status pays into the system and gets benefits accordingly. You refer to either people who retire here or those who for some other reason remain within the UK DWP (not DSS any longer) system. I think the word 'some' belongs in there.
It is interesting that, although British ex-pats are subject to the French rules that decide what proportion of the cost to pay, the bill gets passed back to the UK DSS. So we may pay for something that would be free in the UK, or get a treatment that would not be available there and the DSS still has to pay.
Many French people think we come here to free-load on their health service, being unaware that it is the UK that picks up the tab. Damned scrounging foreigners! No wonder so many voted NF.....
We have just gone with Swiss Life Peter Musto in Bordeaux couldn't be more helpful i am 66 my wife 57 its 117 € per month its already paid for itself with my wife's dental treatment and my monthly prescription. I am putting off a knee replacement for as long as possible on the advice of my doctor so that will be a fair bill.The only item they would not pay for was the extraction of half a tooth which we were told would happen as they aren't covered by CPAM
Mike, been there and done it with my laden carrier bag and I HATE all medications. Many other people have them according to needs, so careful when you make those comments. Many other people are like me and dislike all medicines. Homoeopathic medicines are also available at most pharmacies, are prescribed by 'GPs' and are wide ranging and popular. Not all doctors prescribe anything for everything either. To boot, the pharmacies here receive all un- or part- used medication back. I remember asking a pharmacy in Wales what to do with some stuff my daughter had left over and they said flush it down the toilet! A great deal here is very right. As for full cover, yes I have 100% for two things.
Take a look at people coming out of French pharmacies, with carrier bags laden with medicines. Then remember England, where all you got went in a small paper bag that you could slip in your jacket pocket.
The French aren't exactly what I would call hypochondriacs, but they do believe in "Science" and are of the opinion that every ailment, however insignificant, can and should be treated. To be fair, there are those who believe in "Immune Systems" but "Big Med" is way ahead and has plenty of products to stimulate or boost immune systems. If you don't mind subsidizing all this medical madness, by all means get a Mutuelle.
But it is important to understand that France does provide totally free care for the most serious or long-term illnesses and pays a proportion of most other things. So, if you start off reasonably healthy and don't go to the doctor unless it is really necessary, you could just drop 40 Euros a month in a savings account and it will almost certainly cover all your medical expenses and leave you with a surplus.
Thank you Peter and Harriet I will look into both suggestions. You are very kind taking the trouble to respond -)
The State pays very little toward dental, but the mutuelles pay considerably more. My hubby just had a 1 tooth bridge done. The cost was €2218. The state actually paid 355€ and our mutuelle paid 805€. We feel that the dental coverage is excellent. It does increase with the number of years that you are insured with the company. Same thing with the eyeglasses. We paid 1200€ for two pair of eyeglasses last year, and Swiss Life paid close to 600€ for our glasses. We consider that a substantial amount.
We're with Swiss Life since '05. My hubby is 67, I am 70. We pay 159€ a month for the Formula 4 policy which covers 250% of dental, 200+% of vision + loads of everything. It covers even drugs that aren't reimbursed in full by the system. I understand that our policy is no longer written, but ours is good for life.
Hi
Well I ma 74 had cancer and etc but only buy "hospitalisation" partly as most of my on-going treatment is covered by the "long term" effects and thus paid 100% and partly as the additional cost for all the other stuff is less than the premiums that I would be required to pay.
But bear in mind that the French state in general pays about 70% of the cost of treatment, it varies of course depending on the medical issue. I suggest that research into the various options in the various suppliers policies might be helpful to reduce the premiums. Leave out opticians, dental treatment, hearing aids, etc as the state pays very little, also look to see if you can get this stuff done cheaper in the UK, etc.
There is no one solution and the approach that my wife and I use would not be suitable for all.
I am told that the French state also offers an "insurance facility" like a mutuelle which is allegedly much cheaper than those offered by the private insurers, but I do not know if that is correct, Check with your Mairie or local CPAM who should know this stuff.
Peter
Could someone give me some web addresses please?
Thank you everybody and all comments are valuable. I still pAy NI into the NHS voluntarily, whether this will be automatically cancelled when I de register as self employed tomorrow in order to apply for an S1 I do not know. I will follow up some of these leads. Very excited at finally coming over. -)
I think it's a 'must have', so many Brits think they don't need it & the extra expense. We've heard the 'health care is free in the UK', thing so often it makes me scream!!! Health care isn't free in the UK unless you've never worked, you pay NI to cover the cost and the service isn't great! I can recommend Exclusive, we've been with them for 7 years, never had any problems and the staff speak English, (I think the lady we deal with is English), if we leave a message they always return our call the same day, reply to emails quickly and will answer as many silly questions as I can ask. We've done a lot of comparing over the years to check we're still getting a good deal and so far no one can beat them on price or cover. Hope this is of some help to some of you.
We've been with Swiss Life since we came here in 2006...we've both been in hospital...had our varicose veins removed...Ive had a knee replacement...we've both had countless X rays ...blood tests... scans...dentistry work...glasses...physio...nurses calling daily for injections when needed...can't fault the treatment we've both been given...nor Swiss Life.
We are with Allianz. They just pay and ask no questions. Premiums vary with age, pre-existing condition, treatment and such factors. Dentist, optician, podiatry and so on are hellish expensive if you have no cover. No matter what you have, S1 or anything else you need the mutuelle from your first minute in France.
Could someone give me an approximate idea of monthly premium please? Do you need a mutuelle to ‘top up’ cover provided by your s1 for the first 6 months of residency in France and then increase cover when your s1 expires? Or just get full cover from day one?
So, recommendations for a mutuelle, please? Once my divorce is through I'll have to find my own cover.
I suppose that dentistry and opticians are probably high on the future list at my age!
I’ve been with Axa since 2010 and never had a problem