Brit expat pensioners in France told healthcare ceases on 29 March

British retirees in France are horrified at an official notification telling them their right to subsidised healthcare runs out on Brexit day.

Even although the British government’s no-deal advice didn’t mention ongoing healthcare for British retirees, elderly UK expats in France are now in a state of shock and horror after receiving official notification from the country’s health body that their cover will expire on 29 March next year. Earlier, the UK and EU negotiators had agreed the cover would continue under the draft withdrawal rules, but it’s now clear this would be voided by a no-deal exit. One recipient of the official letter who’s lived in France for 15 years contacted her local English language newspaper in a desperate attempt to get at least an explanation.

When approached, a spokesperson for the French health service confirmed that, in the event of a hard Brexit, all bets as regards reciprocal health care were off, in spite of the possibility of a separate agreement being reached between the UK and France. The pensioner who asked for more confirmation was told she should contact a British organisation for information concerning her healthcare cover. A spokesperson for the French authority told the media the situation isn’t necessarily their position as it’s simply the law and must be followed. When the Brexit Ministry was asked about possible contingency plans for British pensioners’ healthcare in the event of a no-deal, the reply was to refer the enquirer to the Health Ministry. After this classic British buck-passing exercise, the Health Ministry also had nothing to say, excepting that it’s ‘preparing for all eventualities’ and ‘confident a deal can be achieved’.

For those British pensioners in a state of panic about losing access to healthcare, it seems a possible answer lies with the carte de sejour, in that those who can prove permanent residency via possession of the card should be able to join the French system under its Protection Universelle Maladie programme. They’ll need to make an annual payment of eight per cent of their income if it’s more than €9.933 per person per year, although it’s possible private pensions would be added to the income total. For those without residency cards there’s the Aide Medicale d’Etat, a stop-gap healthcare cover for non-residents. Private healthcare insurance is the only other alternative, although its cost is likely to be beyond the means of many UK retirees in France.