Problems with cartes vitales
A computer bug is causing many people’s medical cards to be flagged as having expired at the end of last year
NUMEROUS people are reported to have been finding that their cartes vitales medical cards are no longer functional this month, due to a computer error.
Many people have been finding that their cards are flagged as having expired at December 31 last year, said to be being caused by faults with - bornes (card updating points) in pharmacies that are supposed to refresh the cards’ validity.
This comes alongside the fact that previously cards’ validity ran until March 31, but now runs only until the end of the calendar year.
This has been causing people to be refused le tiers payant - the usual system of not being required to pay upfront for the reimbursed part of the cost of medicines.
The national state health insurance authorities, Cnam, said the problems were linked to the increase of new bornes - from 3,714 equipped pharmacies at the start of 2012, to 19,285 by the end of the year.
It insisted it will sort out the problems by Friday. In the meantime, Cnam says it has authorised pharmacies to use an emergency procedure to allow even people whose cards have expired to benefit from le tiers payant.
If you are unable to benefit despite this, you are asked to call the national helpline 3646 (there is also an English-language one on 08 11 36 36 46).
