Medication
 

OH has another question!! Do you follow the same procedure for repeat prescriptions like we do in the UK. We are both on regular medication for High Bloodpressure and Cholesterol. Do we just see the doctor on the first visit and thereafter just ask for repeat prescriptions at reception. He is worrying that we may have to pay a consultation fee, each time. Question 2, Do we have to pay for this to be written out. I presume checks would be by the practice nurse every 6 mths, with a review by the doctor every 12 mths.

Re: Medication
 

You will pay to see the doctor here, but don't forget you claim most of this amount back via your mutuelle. They will give you a repeat prescription which you take to the pharmacy.
You will probably find the doctor will want to see you more often than every 12 months in France:lol: You will see the doctor each visit, don't have practice nurses here - and they will determine how often they want to see you to review your treatment, not a bad thing if you are on it long term.

Re: Medication
 

The doctors here don't have reception staff or practice nurses as far as I have seen, although this may be different in towns and cities. You have to see your médecin traitant (GP) each time and he/she will do your prescription, although for regular medications he/she may write on it 'renewable' for a certain number of times - the initial is usually for a months supply, then you keep the script and present it again at the pharmacy until it is used up. For routine blood checks the procedure is similar, the doctor writes a prescription for the tests, then you phone the district nurse, who comes to the house to take the sample. You can choose which lab you use, and the results are sent to you (and to the doctor) the next day. If you need to discuss them, you go back and see the doctor. The same system applies for other investigations, such as x-rays and scans, you take your prescription to the relevant place, have your pictures taken, and walk away with the films and the medical report. It's all very efficient and you keep all your information yourself, which means it doesn't get lost! As Val has said, the cost of all this is re-imbursed 70% via CPAM and the rest from your mutuelle.

Re: Medication
 

So he initially will only give 1 months supply, after this a return visit to have blood pressure tested and then he can give a prescription to last several months. You take this to your pharmacy and they give you 1 months supply, and each month you go to the pharmacy with your prescription for as many months as stated on the prescription. Have I got this right?

Re: Medication
 

Hi there,
that's about right, but honestly it will all depend on the doctor you go to. He will decide how often he wants to see you both for check ups. Sure you will find the healthcare you get in France is good and you will be well looked after.

Re: Medication
 

I too have a repeat prescription, renewable each month for 3 months (longer than that is unusual) and I was going on holiday and tried to get the repeat early, about 10 or 11 days after the previous months had been filled..........no chance, what a palaver.........at the point when the pharmacienne said " Il faut respecter", I thanked her politely and left. I then bought my medication on holiday and reclaimed it via CPAM.
Another lesson learned

Re: Medication
 

My husbands has the same problem in Liverpool. I am with a different doctor and have no problem. I just tell the receptionist that I am going on holiday and she will ask the doctor for it early. The doctors are always complaining that they are overworked, I don't see why, if they are happy to not see you for 3 months, why they can't give you 3 months meds in one go. Time saved in writting the same scripts over and over. The reason we are asking these questions is to get a rough idea of costs. On our last viewing trip our hosts said they don't bother with top up ins. as too expensive and are happy to pay what CMU don't pay,themselves. What do you all think?

Re: Medication
 

Both of you already have health problems. Whilst not having top up insurance could save you some money on a monthly basis, what you have to ask is what happens if your health gets worse and you have to be hospitalised etc? Do you have funds to pay for this? The chances are as you get older you are going to need more health care, so can you really afford NOT to take out top up insurance? Paying the difference for prescriptions is one thing, paying for hospital bills, major care etc. is another.
Personally I think your hosts are being irresponsible.

Re: Medication
 

30% of a lot of money, is a lot of money! I agree with Val that you are being poorly advised. You could take the risk, but you could get very badly caught out by serious illness or accident. Imagine the costs of a few days in intensive care for example.

Re: Medication
 

Would someone kindly clarify the position for people beyond the official retirement age? Does one still pay 30% of health costs?

Re: Medication
 

If you are beyond UK state retirement age, the Department of Work and Pensions supply form E106 which entitles you to affiliate to the french state system. This provides 70% cover for all health care, with the costs covered by the British government. For the remaining 30% you have private insurance, the same as the french do. The costs of this insurance is effectively subsidised by the french government, as it picks up the costs of all serious long lasting conditions, such as cancer and heart disease. This means that everyone has access to this insurance, called a 'mutuelle', whatever their age or state of health. It's a system which initially seems quite complicated and certainly requires a certain amount of administration, but which seems to work efficiently in practice.

Re: Medication
 

Cupoftea, thank you, this mist is starting to clear. I had an E121 and have exchanged it at CPAM for an Attestation, and am waiting for my Carte Vitale. Which companies are recommeded for the mutuelle? And what do they do in the case of existing conditions? For example I take medication to control blood pressure. Does this make the premiums higher or is the condition - and everything that flows from it like strokes and heart disease - exluded from cover?

Re: Medication
 

The companies who provide mutuelle insurance are not allowed, by law, to discriminate against people by age or state of health. They provide different levels of cover depending on how many 'bells and whistles' you want - mainly things relating to dental and optical charges and whether you want a single room with TV if you are admitted to hospital. You can find them either by walking into their many offices in every town, or by doing a search on the internet. Prices do vary, so it is worth doing a bit of work to find something that suits you.

If you have 'une affection de longue durée' then you go via a system to have all costs related to this re-imbursed at 100% by CPAM. This means the insurance companies do not meet the costs of these illnesses, which include things which are serious and lengthy, like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and so on.

The website www.ameli.fr is the official website and is extremely informative, although only if you read french. I am not sure whether they have an english version.

Re: Medication
 

Brilliant, thank you!

Re: Medication
 

Thanks cupoftea, but my french is not good enough to use the site. Is there a different form then for long term illness. Is there a list of these illnesses in English anywhere? Do you bring health records from your English doctor or do they want to go from scratch and repeat any tests already done in England?