Healthcare Update: October 1, 2007

The Connexion is awaiting a “circular” from the French health and work ministries which should clarify further the recent healthcare changes affecting British expatriates.

The circular is due to be forwarded to France’s regional health authorities (CPAMs) at the beginning of October. A copy has been promised also to The Connexion.

The circular is expected, in particular, to clarify the French government’s position with respect to the impact of the new rules on people with serious existing illnesses who are unable to obtain private medical insurance.

It follows an announcement on the official website of the Sécurité Sociale that all expatriates currently affiliated to the French healthcare system (through a convention called CMU) would lose that right to affiliation from April next year. Currently affiliation comes through a paid subscription. This is being withdrawn.

The statement can be seen at http://www.securite-sociale.fr/comprendre/europe/europe/cmu_inactifs.htm

However, on September 24, a spokeswoman for the direction de la Securite Sociale told The Connexion by email that people who have been resident in France for five years without interruption should not be affected by the new rules, as they have officially acquired a permanent right to residency in France under the Code de l’Entrée et de Séjour des Etrangers (art. L122-1). The new rules are associated with legislation about initial conditions governing the right of foreign EU nationals to reside in France, and therefore those who have gained this “permanent resident” status are excluded, she said. However this has yet to be confirmed by publication on the official social security site.

Newcomers to France will not be able to affiliate to CMU. The ruling relates to people who are not of UK state retirement age and are not in receipt of an E106. Those in receipt of an E106 will be denied the right to state healthcare on the form’s expiry after a maximum of two and a half years if at that point they have not reached UK state retirement age.

A Euro MP for London, Mary Honeyball, is drumming up support for a motion to the European Parliament opposing the new rules. Ms Honeyball says EU nationals should be able to live in other EU countries with no loss of the right to state healthcare they could expect at home.

Her political manager, Mark Nottingham, said this motion would reinforce the “question” that Ms Honeyball submitted to the parliament on September 25. An answer to the question is expected within two weeks. Mr Nottingham said: “A motion has a much stronger status and all the MEPs are required to vote on it and show if they support it or not.” He said that they had so far collected hundreds of case studies of people who are worried about how the new rules would impact them.

Ms Honeyball has identified key groups likely to be badly affected. One of these is wives who benefit from state healthcare because their husbands are older and of state retirement age but who may find themselves with no healthcare if they are widowed. “We are in contact with one woman who is very worried – she is 51 and her partner was 70,” Mr Nottingham said.

Another important group was those with long-term illnesses like diabetes or chronic lung disease, he said. “They may need treatment and tests for decades, and the health insurers don’t want to help with that.”

Ms Honeyball also wants to clarify whether or not early-retiree foreigners from outside the EU are still able to access the CMU while EU citizens (those targeted in the new rules) are not.

Mr Nottingham said the Irish MEP Prionsos de Rossa was “very supportive” as Irish ex-pats were affected, and talks were also taking place with MEPs from countries including the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, who also have citizens affected by the new rules. “We think there should be full reciprocity between EU counties and you should be able to live wherever you want without your healthcare being affected,” Mr Nottingham said. “Mary is meeting with people and getting them to sign up. We believe most MEPs are supportive of the principles. As a coalition of countries the motion will be stronger and we can also put greater pressure on the French government.”