Healthcare Update November 5 2007, 1

THE Direction de la Sécurité Sociale – the body in charge of French social security, which includes health and work ministry officials – has yet to clarify a range of matters about the CMU issue, including whether any provision will be made for the seriously ill who will be refused policies from private health insurers.

The matter relates to the seriously ill who are below state retirement age (and not in receipt of an E106) and who have lived in France for less than five years. To date such expatriates have been able to access state healthcare by paid subscription to CMU. This is now being withdrawn and private health insurance companies will not take them on due to the high cost of treatment.

Several cancer sufferers have contacted The Connexion to say that they will face a move back to the UK if it is confirmed that their CMU cover will run out at the end of March as they do not have the means to continue their treatment.

Among them is Vanessa Brown, 56, a retired drama teacher, who lives in the Hérault department in the south of France. Over the last 12 months, she has been having twice-monthly chemotherapy for a rare form of lung cancer, which she contracted despite being a non-smoker.

She and her husband David, 55, moved to France four years ago and live on small work pensions. Before she began her chemotherapy, her doctor estimated that she had two months to live without it. Mr Brown said: “We are just hanging on, and needless to say these treatments are all fabulously expensive. This is not the time for us to have to think about moving back to the UK, which we would have to if our funding stops. Also, in the UK there are all sorts of issues – they don’t allow certain treatments considered too expensive, which doesn’t happen in France.”

He stressed that the cancer was diagnosed in France and they had not come here as “health tourists.”

He said his local CPAM had given them no information and they had been following developments in media like The Connexion. He said: “We have been planning to go and ask them what’s going on but it seems they won’t know either, until the government decides what to do.” The case of Mr and Mrs Brown was highlighted in the Money section of the Sunday Telegraph of November 4.

If you are also affected by these changes and are seriously ill please contact The Connexion at contact@connexionfrance.com