Medical Insurance required for France

I think it’s more pertinent to ask why you wouldn’t want to get insurance. The chances are, you won’t need it, but if you do, it can make a massive difference to your peace of mind and pocket.
Years ago my Father in Law became ill in the USA. He ended up having heart bypass surgery. Insurance paid for his medical bills and enabled both him and my mother in Law to stay till he was fit enough to travel home.
The cost of a heart bypass alone in the USA can be as much as $125000. Then there’s the hotel costs and repatriation costs.
So, in Europe, you can use your EHIC, but it doesn’t cover all your costs and certainly wouldn’t cover repatriation or other costs involved with a medically enforced stay in another EU country.
 
**** said:
Do you know how much it costs for an air ambulance? Years ago we paid for my mother in law to be flown from Belfast to the IOM. It made my eyes water slightly but it was worth it for the quality of care she had in her remaining years.
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So how much ?
Apart from trips to USA I have never bothered with insurance when motorhoming in Europe . Saved myself a right few bob !
It is a pity there is no tailor made policy for us . Huge part of the coverage [and I think claims] is for things that don't affect us .
 
I admire your confidence, but what about sudden illness or an RTC caused by someone else?

In 2005 a short run from Belfast to the IOM was over £800. It isn’t just the cost of the plane and crew, there has to be a qualified nurse on board. I bet that would be double now and nothing compared to repatriation from Europe.
 
Can a country force repatriation?, if retired you may not care or be in a hurry to be!
 
Most of us don’t claim on insurance, but still have it, just in case.
Im not sure what the situation in France ( or the rest of the EU ) is now for non EU visitors, but I read that you need insurance to cover death and repatriation in France. Not sure if this is mandatory or not
But, not all your costs are covered in France with an EHIC. It gives you the same cover as a resident, but we, as French residents, still need our own health insurance to cover the costs not covered by the state, and we still don’t get 100% of that back.
 
yeoblade said:
Can a country force repatriation?, if retired you may not care or be in a hurry to be!
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I suppose you could be deported, or apply to become a resident.


In that case you will need a long stay visa while you look for somewhere to live and register your residency application, but a visa can only be applied for while you are physically in the U.K.
So, you’ve fallen at the first hurdle and you will become an illegal immigrant
But assuming you jump that hurdle successfully, you must prove you have enough income to be accepted and apply for residency, register with the health service and get health insurance, tell the U.K. govt you no longer live in the U.K. pay your taxes in the new country, swap your driving licence or ( depending on the country) possibly take your driving test again, find somewhere to live ( if you then sell your U.K. home you will pay Capitol Gains tax, rent it out and you pay tax on the income. ) re register your car in your new country.

it’s probably cheaper to just take out the insurance.
 
I got all of mine back. This was a long time ago – maybe still the E111 at the time. I had shingles. I didn't know I had shingles; the doctor – who cost me ten Euro – said I had Zona but couldn't provide a translation. It was a fellow motorhomer staying at the same aire in Bayonne who had a dictionary and told me it was Shingles. Frightened me half to death. I thought Singles killed you. It turned out it only kills you if the rash spreads right round your body. I learned that at school.

Anyway - a prescription was provided together with a claim form and relevant stamps and the pharmacist told me to take the lot to the local Office of something or other not far down the road. The drug wasn't cheap either – about 90 Euros taking my total bill to 100. I think it may have been more. This girl in the dept of whatever told me there would be a sterling cheque waiting for me by the time I got home.

This was news to me because I thought I had to make a claim to the DHSS when I got back. The motorhomer with the dictionary sympathised with me not having insurance and was urging me to take this as a lesson and always get medical insurance in the future. He had insurance and all he would have had to pay was the first £60.

Well, when I got home there was indeed a cheque – and in sterling – for the full amount. No deduction for excess.

For a longish time, in my middle years, between about 35 and 65 I was a frequent traveller to Australia every couple of years (parents) and later to USA (daughter) and I always took health insurance for US but not for Australia where there were (and are?) reciprocal arrangements. I never needed treatment in US or Australis so can't comment.

I've been happy enough with the E111 and the EHIC and I hope to be happy enough with the GHIC. I've never comtemplated the need for repatriation but when we can travel again and the situation regarding compulsory insurance has become clear then I'll weigh up the costs and advantages and decide then.

Pity we can't just buy repatriation insurance on its own.
 
maureenandtom said:
I got all of mine back. This was a long time ago – maybe still the E111 at the time. I had shingles. I didn't know I had shingles; the doctor – who cost me ten Euro – said I had Zona but couldn't provide a translation. It was a fellow motorhomer staying at the same aire in Bayonne who had a dictionary and told me it was Shingles. Frightened me half to death. I thought Singles killed you. It turned out it only kills you if the rash spreads right round your body. I learned that at school.

Anyway - a prescription was provided together with a claim form and relevant stamps and the pharmacist told me to take the lot to the local Office of something or other not far down the road. The drug wasn't cheap either – about 90 Euros taking my total bill to 100. I think it may have been more. This girl in the dept of whatever told me there would be a sterling cheque waiting for me by the time I got home.

This was news to me because I thought I had to make a claim to the DHSS when I got back. The motorhomer with the dictionary sympathised with me not having insurance and was urging me to take this as a lesson and always get medical insurance in the future. He had insurance and all he would have had to pay was the first £60.

Well, when I got home there was indeed a cheque – and in sterling – for the full amount. No deduction for excess.

For a longish time, in my middle years, between about 35 and 65 I was a frequent traveller to Australia every couple of years (parents) and later to USA (daughter) and I always took health insurance for US but not for Australia where there were (and are?) reciprocal arrangements. I never needed treatment in US or Australis so can't comment.

I've been happy enough with the E111 and the EHIC and I hope to be happy enough with the GHIC. I've never comtemplated the need for repatriation but when we can travel again and the situation regarding compulsory insurance has become clear then I'll weigh up the costs and advantages and decide then.

Pity we can't just buy repatriation insurance on its own.
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Agreed . As I said travel insurance is not designed for motorhomers .
Flight delays/cancellations , extra nights in hotels etc .
Wouldn't be difficult to give us basic medical insurance
 
alcam said:
Agreed . As I said travel insurance is not designed for motorhomers .
Flight delays/cancellations , extra nights in hotels etc .
Wouldn't be difficult to give us basic medical insurance
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You've prompted a memory - which I haven't bothered to check. I'm fairly certain that my motor insurance, AXA, provide insurance cover for a person driving in my stead if I am prevented from driving bymedical incapacitation. That might cover some of the repatriation problems?
 
maureenandtom said:
Yeah, I bet it would. But why would it not be covered by the GHIC?
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Your GHIC should cover emergency treatment but not ongoing hospital costs. Mrs S had to go into hospital last year. The French health service covered the medical costs, we paid €100 a day for her hospital room which we claimed back from our insurance.
Any ongoing or further treatment and medication would be paid for by you. This would be claimed back on your insurance if you have it.

But I found this in a local publication, and I think I have referred to parts of it previously.

All non-EU arrivals in France, including Brits, who are travelling visa-free for a period of less than 90 days can be asked at the border to provide several things, including:
Proof of accommodation during your stay (booking for hotel, gîte, Airbnb or B&B for tourists, second-home owners may need to provide proof of address such as a utility bill and if you’re staying with friends or family you may need an Attestation d’accueil)
A return ticket or the means to acquire one
Sufficient financial means to cover basic costs during your stay. The guideline figures for this are; €65 per day if you have a hotel booking, €120 per day if you have no hotel booking, €32.50 per day if you are staying with friends or family
An insurance certicate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death
The speciI c requirement for repatriation costs means that an EHIC or GHIC on its own is not sufficient. The insurance can be either travel insurance or health insurance, provided that it includes cover for repatriation.
If you have private health insurance cover in the UK it may or may not cover trips abroad and repatriation, so check your policy.
Reports on the ground from Americans, Canadians and Australians – who have always been subject to these rules – suggest that enforcement is far from universal, but French border guards are within their rights to ask and you can be turned away if you don’t have the correct paperwork, including insurance.
 
Snapster said:
Your GHIC should cover emergency treatment but not ongoing hospital costs. Mrs S had to go into hospital last year. The French health service covered the medical costs, we paid €100 a day for her hospital room which we claimed back from our insurance.
Any ongoing or further treatment and medication would be paid for by you. This would be claimed back on your insurance if you have it.

But I found this in a local publication, and I think I have referred to parts of it previously.

All non-EU arrivals in France, including Brits, who are travelling visa-free for a period of less than 90 days can be asked at the border to provide several things, including:
Proof of accommodation during your stay (booking for hotel, gîte, Airbnb or B&B for tourists, second-home owners may need to provide proof of address such as a utility bill and if you’re staying with friends or family you may need an Attestation d’accueil)
A return ticket or the means to acquire one
Sufficient financial means to cover basic costs during your stay. The guideline figures for this are; €65 per day if you have a hotel booking, €120 per day if you have no hotel booking, €32.50 per day if you are staying with friends or family
An insurance certicate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death
The speciI c requirement for repatriation costs means that an EHIC or GHIC on its own is not sufficient. The insurance can be either travel insurance or health insurance, provided that it includes cover for repatriation.
If you have private health insurance cover in the UK it may or may not cover trips abroad and repatriation, so check your policy.
Reports on the ground from Americans, Canadians and Australians – who have always been subject to these rules – suggest that enforcement is far from universal, but French border guards are within their rights to ask and you can be turned away if you don’t have the correct paperwork, including insurance.
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An insurance certicate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death
The speciI c requirement for repatriation costs means that an EHIC or GHIC on its own is not sufficient. The insurance can be either travel insurance or health insurance, provided that it includes cover for repatriation.

Well, that's specific enough. Care to identify the publication to verify that this is indeed official and not somebody's recommendation? If it's mandatory then there's no argument. So far in seemingly reputable publications there has always been a falling short of compulsion.

"Brits, who are travelling visa-free for a period of less than 90 days can be asked"

Please? The publication?
 
It’s taken from publications by the French government, but, if you want the full details, you’ll have to find it yourself. I’ve tried to help by giving this information but the thread is now getting beyond my interest level.
 
maureenandtom said:
An insurance certicate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death
The speciI c requirement for repatriation costs means that an EHIC or GHIC on its own is not sufficient. The insurance can be either travel insurance or health insurance, provided that it includes cover for repatriation.

Well, that's specific enough. Care to identify the publication to verify that this is indeed official and not somebody's recommendation? If it's mandatory then there's no argument. So far in seemingly reputable publications there has always been a falling short of compulsion.

"Brits, who are travelling visa-free for a period of less than 90 days can be asked"

Please? The publication?
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Think a few of us keep asking about the source of these different articles being quoted . Still none the wiser
 
We had travel insurance when Dave knocked himself out in portugal and ended up with a brain bleed and hospital for a week. Because we have a home to stay in, there was no problem about extending our stay. No extra costs involved for which we could claim, just €25 (I think) compensation a night while he was there. The EHIC was great, no cost for ambulance, copy scans for UK etc. We have a fund which we have allocated in case one of us is ill and we have to fly family out. We have breakdown cover which allows a driver if we can't drive. We do have cover now via our co-op bank account ( up to 79yrs, 90 days) but it excludes Dave pre-existing conditions....it still is cheaper than paying for separate travel and breakdown for two of us and two vehicles. But still wonder how necessary it is when we have GHIC ...But that is in our personal circumstances. All make their own choices.
 
REC said:
We had travel insurance when Dave knocked himself out in portugal and ended up with a brain bleed and hospital for a week. Because we have a home to stay in, there was no problem about extending our stay. No extra costs involved for which we could claim, just €25 (I think) compensation a night while he was there. The EHIC was great, no cost for ambulance, copy scans for UK etc. We have a fund which we have allocated in case one of us is ill and we have to fly family out. We have breakdown cover which allows a driver if we can't drive. We do have cover now via our co-op bank account ( up to 79yrs, 90 days) but it excludes Dave pre-existing conditions....it still is cheaper than paying for separate travel and breakdown for two of us and two vehicles. But still wonder how necessary it is when we have GHIC ...But that is in our personal circumstances. All make their own choices.
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Going to check out Co-op but if it doesn't include pre existing conditions not sure if there is any point ?
Think you are the second poster to mention breakdown cover . Will check that too .
Another poster made a good point about getting insurance because of covid but I'm not sure policies cover this ?
Lots to check , housework will have to wait !
 
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alcam said:
Going to check out Co-op but if it doesn't include pre existing conditions not sure if there is any point ?
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It's very much a personal choice; but for me, it depends on what the pre-existing conditions are. I have pre-existing conditions but if they ever were to present again, I know that a week's journey home is not going to affect my health so very much. So I'm happy for them to be excluded. But it is a very individual choice.
 
jann said:
You've probably never needed any insurance. If you were ill in a foreign country you would want to get home.
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I've ended up in hospital three times whilst in Europe and my EHIC card worked perfectly . Last time I thought I'd need to be driven home this would have been covered by my breakdown cover which is included in my van insurance .
To be fair I've been lucky but I have winged it all my life . Ex-wife did say that I was a 'spawny farker' . Not sure if she was referring to the time before I met her or after she was gone ?
Not seen anything quoted that definitively states insurance is mandatory but , older and with a medical condition I am , reluctantly , looking at insurance options . Think the co-op bank account may suit my needs
Thanks for mention by Jo001 on here and , at least , one poster on t'other side .
 
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