BritInParis

National Insurance contributions are linked to your State Pension and certain welfare benefits. The presence of NICs, or lack thereof, has no influence on a person's ability to access NHS services free of charge. There is no connection between the two as you can see from the Wikipedia article you linked to.

EuroTrash

Thinking about it, you're absolutely right Although NICs do fund the NHS.
My bad

Pulaski

No they don't, that is a commonly repeated myth.

Per Select Committee on Social Security Fifth Report (2010) - The relationship between tax and National Insurance:

"It [National Insurance] was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits. ....

EuroTrash

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...how-nhs-funded

Source: OHE guide to UK health and health care statistics (2013), Department of Health annual report and accounts 2015/16

The NHS is funded mainly from general taxation and National Insurance contributions. In 2001, an increase in National Insurance rates intended to boost NHS funding increased the proportion paid for by National Insurance, although general taxation still accounts for around 80 per cent of NHS funding.

Shall we agree on "go towards funding the NHS"?

Pulaski

Well in truth it's all money that goes into the government pot, and politicians have an irritating habit of saying "we're increasing this tax to pay for that", when taxes are not ear-marked like that. They aren't today, and they never have been, except in very rare instsnces.

Chatter Static

Which is a complete contrast to the French system here your payslip has a breakdown of every agency or association your "Cotisations" go to. Im pretty sure that the first person that makes sense of a French payslip will get a prize.

Scots in Treignac

At the moment, as EU citizens, British retirees resident living in France need to be in receipt of their UK state pension in order to be a part of the French Healthcare system.
A UK state pension requires some NIC contributions to have been made,


I delayed claiming my state pension by 3 years as there was no way we could live in France for more than six moths as we were looking after MIL at our house in Scotland.


As pointed out in this forum, no-ne knows what will remain or change or disappear after Brexit and I have yet to work out the advantages of obtaining a passport of another EU country by one of the various means available.

EuroTrash

@Scots: You missed at bit out.
"At the moment, as EU citizens, British retirees resident living in France need to be in receipt of their UK state pension in order to be a part of the French Healthcare system by virtue of holding a UK-issued S1".

British/Irish/any other nationality retirees living in France but not holding an S1, can join the French Healthcare system after 3 months' legal residence on the basis of residence, and pay an annual contribution.

There are lots and lots of British early retirees (inactifs) living in France, not claiming a UK pension and not issued with an S1, but covered by PUMA, at minimal expense to themselves.

Annetje

Indeed, I am early retiree and pay for National Healthcare. Bit more expensive than minimal expense though

EuroTrash

Oops sorry Annetje, have I been tactless
You might find comfort in knowing it's probably more expensive for workers - if I tell you that on a very modest income I've paid over 6k into the French social security system already this year and there's still one quarter to go, does that make you feel better
So it's all relative.


PS Actually I just realised I'm lying - no more payments this year, the next is in January so I have in fact made my 4 payments for the year. Still and all.

Annetje

Wow wow wow ... I did not know that ! Sorry about that.

To my post I was going to add : sometime in the future it will pay itself back but hopefully not in the near future ...

scrubbedexpat056

We would be in the same boat (no pun intended) as early retirees some years from a UK state pension. Can you give me an idea of how French healthcare costs are calculated? Is it a percentage of your income, UK rents in our case, and do we still need insurance to top it up?

EuroTrash

At present I believe it's 8% of all income above whatever the threshold is for your household (around 9.5k for a single person household I think, more or less equivalent to the minimum level required for "legal" residence as a self supporting inactif). The figures are easily googlable but they're adjusted each year so best check just before you move to find out exactly what to expect. However it's calculated on (I think) your income for year N -1, so if you move the year after leaving a job with a good salary, it will be based on that salary not your newly diminished income.

It may also result in you becoming liable for social charges on UK income which you may not be liable for if your healthcare isn't funded by France, so that's a kind of collateral expense to bear in mind.

It entitles you to the same healthcare as everyone else so it doesn't change the equation as regards top up insurance, you don't "need" it but many people want it.

Hope that helps.

Annetje

As ET said, it is a certain percentage of all your income. Once you have done a declaration d'impot they will calculate it on the basis of your ''Revenu fiscal de reference''.
Having said that, I haven't received a bill over the last 1,5 years. I think they are putting changes in place and in the mean time all is free (I hope ...).
Having had to fill in a form a few months ago, I think it will be back to normal as from January ?

Most people indeed have a top up insurance to pay for the 30 % (average) that the National Healthcare does not pay.
Mine (1 person) costs about 90 E per month, but it all depends how well you want to be insured.

Hope this helps

scrubbedexpat056

This all sounding more possible, though I have one other question to throw into the mix. My wife has a pre-exisitng condition that involves regular drugs. I can guess how that will affect medical insurance, but does anyone know what affect this may have on signing up to the French healthcare system?