Can I swap to access healthcare via British S1 instead of French pension?

I am a retired UK national living in France. I have a small French state pension and a full UK one. I applied for a carte Vitale through my French pension. I should have applied through my rights in the UK with form S1 as it would mean I am not liable for social charges on UK pension income. Can I change my decision?

If you have your cover via a French pension and live in France as a general rule this continues to be the case (the French pension takes precedence) even if you later start drawing a UK or EU pension and would otherwise have been entitled to an S1 to have your healthcare funded by this other state.

People who access French healthcare via S1s still benefit from a French carte Vitale and social security number, so those are the same either way.

However it is true that there is a social charge exemption on foreign pension income linked to having healthcare via the S1 so you are deemed not to be a burden on the French social security system. 

Having your healthcare covered by another EU / EEA state or Switzerland / the UK also allows reduced French social charge rates on investment and property income such as income from rents or capital gains.

One option in such cases is to not claim a small French pension in the first place, or to explicitly renounce it. Rules on renouncing a pension you have already taken vary depending on the pension body, but Cnav (the national body in charge of French state pensions for most private sector workers) said it is possible to write a letter to do so, but such a decision is irrevocable.

The UK’s health ministry said a person can have an S1 if they are not receiving a French pension entitling them to care from France. 

However, you should consider any possible benefits to care via France, such as a French European health insurance card for travel (Ceam) which can be used for free NHS care on trips to the UK.