SimMan

My wife has Lupus which means she has a condition that will never improve but is controlled by a routine of daily tablets. We are looking to move to France and I’d love to hear from anyone that has similar situation and how they managed with getting all the medication they need when in France, especially as any Private Healthcare Insurance will not cover her for a “pre existing condition”. I’m hoping there are others out there that have found a way to make it work

Listen Very Carefully

If you could tell us a bit about yourself then we can advise on the best way to get into the French healthcare system So are you or your wife on any sort of pension or is your wife on any sort of UK benefit Or are you going to be working in France? When do you plan to move to France? Depending on the answers it could mean that you could join the French Health system straight away and private health insurance may not be necessary

cyrian

@LVC
Simon said in a previous post that they would be early retirees.
@ Simon
You could rent a home and try living between both countries initially for many months a year.
This would allow you to try out life in France while still be a UK resident and covered by the UK NHS (in the UK) for prescriptions etc.
You would experience life in France during the entire year and not just the summer season.
You could establish potential travel arrangements back home to visit relatives etc.
You could then address individual issues like healthcare; the property market and general lifestyle.
The French healthcare system is a very comprehensive service in many ways superior to the NHS and it would be best if you could qualify for treatment within the system.
I understand that you are looking at private medical insurance but I suspect that may be difficult in the circumstances you describe.

SimMan

intention is not to work. I am looking to retire early (55). My wife doesn’t work. We will be selling up in the UK to use the proceeds to purchase a property and the my company pension and remaining savings will support is and then our state pensions will kick in later. It will probably be a couple of years yet as I need to get to 55 and want to see what actually happens with Brexit. My wife gets enhanced rate PIP and contribution based ESA, and then all her medications on the NHS.

Renting for a few months and keeping a place in the UK won’t be an option.

dmu

Hi,
"Lupus érythémateux systémique" is considered an ALD (Long-term disorder) and is "reimbursed" 100%, i.e. your wife wouldn't have to pay upfront for consultations/treatment associated with that disorder. This of course depends on getting into the French SS System as "inactifs". You can apply after 3 months' residence, which means that you will indeed have to take out private healthcare insurance during that time.
Concerning residence, if you're inactive, you must justify not only that you have healthcare coverage, but also your resources, as per:
https://www.service-public.fr/partic...sdroits/F22117
but of course things might change when you become non-EU citizens....
You'd have to check whether your wife's benefits would be exportable to France.
How is your French? Depending on where you want to settle, you may have problems finding English-speaking Doctors and medical staff....
HTH

Listen Very Carefully

PIP and ESA are exportable benefits ie they will continue to be paid when you are in France This means that your wife should get an S1 which means that she can join the French health system from Day1 in France and it is possible that you can also be put on the S1 as well You can check eligibility by phoning the DWP Overseas health team on 0191 218 1999 have your NI numbers ready If you cannot be put on the S1 you will be able to join the French health system after 3 months of permanent residence in France As you will have a company pension this means that you will be able to join without making direct payments to CPAM but you will probably have to pay "social contributions' but this is not the same as payments for your health care The french health system pays for 70% of your treatment unless as DMU has said you have an ALD and expects the patient to pay for the rest Most people do this by having a "top up' insurance
All of this can seem rather complicated but trust me it works well and the French health system is excellent and if you have questions or concerns remember that the people on this forum have all been there and done it so someone will either know the answer or will point you in the right direction
One thing -when you move over do not be surprised if the doctors investigate your wife's diagnosis from scratch and may prescribe different meds etc It may be an idea for your UK doctor to prescribe extra meds to see your wife through until you can get to a doctor here
All of this of course is subject to what happens in the negotiation up coming re the B word

scrubbedexpat056

One small point that comes up often is the idea that being 'inactif', or an early retiree, you must have private health insurance for the first three months in France before you can join the french healthcare system. This is true in that it would be foolish not to be covered for those three months, but not a prerequisite to joining the system. I learned this from the excellent English speaking Ameli helpline (0 811 36 36 46).
Our situation was complicated by a surprise that you would want to avoid if and when you get here and depending on your circumstances. Early retirees are not eligible for an S1 so we phoned the NHS for advice on how to get a letter confirming this non-eligibility when we needed them. A week later we got letters saying we were no longer covered by the NHS. An unpleasant surprise, no doubt a result of our lack of understanding, but pretty shocking none the less. We assumed, wrongly, as EU citizens we would simply leave one system and join another.
Of course, what the future brings concerning reciprocal healthcare and the like is in the lap of the gods.