What is it about French birds?

[Deleted]

Thanks for the offer John, I may take you up on that in 2011.

Happy days

Bob

[ronturner]

Hi Biggles,
Regarding various benefit payments to expats, there is a two tier system running. First of all, the principle that when one pays into something, one should benefit from it should exist. But governments usually operate without any morals and try to cheat. For example, a person who pays all of his life for a UK state pension may be able to draw on that pension where ever they are. Sounds fair doesn't it?
If that person was living in say, Australia or the USA the government will not pay any annual pension increases, so as you get older you become relatively poorer. On the other hand, European Law protects people like me who must be treated exactly the same way as if I lived in my country of origin. Regarding winter fuel payments:because I was able to draw on these payments before I left the UK, EU law says I must continue to be able to have access to those payments. When I die, my wife will not get the payment because she was not able to claim before we left UK, although if she lived in the UK, she would be able to claim. In the case of WF benefit, you get nothing if you live in a non EU country. In the case of some other benefits the Treasury are facing action in the European courts because they refuse to pay certain disability payments, which, if the claimant had lived in the UK they would be entitled to. Apart from the 5 new members who joined the EU recently, and have some legal catching up to do, the UK is the ONLY European Government which treats its citizens in this shabby way.
The situation regarding health care is also very complicated but works to my advantage. Under EU laws to promote worker mobility, each EU state must support anybody who travels into another to work or to seek work. This level of support last for two years, after which time the person is expected to find a job or other means of support to enable membership of the health service in the host country. In my case, because I am officially in receipt of a state pension, the originating state. (UK) is responsible for my health care in France. Thus, I am enrolled into the French Social security system, one of the very best in the world, and at the end of each year, any costs I have incurred are forwarded by the French to the UK. This merry go round exits throughout Europe. It is often not realised that there are actually more French people living in the UK than Brits living in France. There are about 500,000 living in and around London alone. The demography is different. Most French go to UK to work and most Brits go to France to retire. A simplification, but it illustrates the point. Actually there are many French people who think that we Brits are taking advantage of their health service. They simply do not know that it is HMG that pays for us. The French health service is suffering from a shortage of medical professionals because many have gone to the UK for better pay.Because of this, many French hospital have doctors with names like Alboukai and Mohammed. (And excellent they are too as I found out myself.)
One minor disadvantage to me here is that the French health service is not free at the point of delivery as it is in the UK. The state generally pays about 70% of any bill that you receive. The rest has to be paid either by yourself or by means of a "top-up" insurance. Thus we pay about 1400 Euro per year, which if we lived in the UK would be a cost we would not have. This actually another area where the Treasury is currently on the back foot in Europe, facing a challenge in the courts, because EU law says the the originating country should pay all of its citizens health care costs if they fall into the category of having to pay anything. Therefore It should not be necessary for me to buy a "top-up". Again, the UK is the only state to treat its citizens this way.
One fianl point. A large part of the excellent French Health service is PRIVATISED. (Yes that word.), and yet it works well. Service is great and waiting is almost unheard of. (Private providers want your business. ) Every member of the health service has a credit card type thing with your photo on it. If you need to see your GP. he swipes your card and he gets paid. If he gives you a prescription for drugs or treatment of any kind, including hospital treatment, you find the provider that you want, often from a choice of several avaialable, go there with your "Carte Vitale" and get your treatment. Makes no differenec if you go to a major state facility or a private one. If you do not have a "Carte Vitale", you pay.

[johnoakes]

Spot on and as usual impeccable research.